Whit Turnbow - Men's Golf Coach - Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

Whit Turnbow

Title:
Assistant AD/Head Coach
Email:
whit.turnbow@mtsu.edu
Phone:
898-2452

(Updated August 2016)
Longtime Middle Tennessee golf coach Whit Turnbow stepped down from his head coaching position in August 2015 to be elevated to Senior Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Initiatives and Resource Enhancement.

Turnbow oversees the revenue generating arms of the athletic department, including the Blue Raider Athletic Association, Blue Raider Sports Properties, Marketing and licensing. The Shelbyville, Tennessee, native also has sport oversight of baseball, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s golf.

Turnbow has impacted the Blue Raider golf program as a player, assistant coach and, most recently, head coach for the past eight years.

Turnbow led the Blue Raiders to six NCAA regionals, one NCAA National Championship appearance, a conference championship, six straight perfect APR scores of 1,000, was named the league’s coach of the year three times, and guided the program to a No. 25 ranking during Fall 2009. The team also earned the program’s highest ever seed in the 2010 NCAA Regionals at No. 7.

He also had players win 14 first team all-conference honors, three National Player of the Week awards, and had one to make the World University Games. Turnbow also produced the program’s first two-time All-American in Jason Millard and had the program’s first-ever major championship participant in Brett Patterson (2011 U.S. Open).

Turnbow was a four-year letterwinner as a golfer at Middle Tennessee from 1996 to 2000, and he helped lead the 2000 team to the Ohio Valley Conference Championship and a berth in the NCAA Regional.

During his playing career at Middle Tennessee, Turnbow played in 31 tournaments with three top-10 finishes. He maintained a 76.4 scoring average throughout his four years.

Following his collegiate playing days, Turnbow spent three years (2000-02) competing professionally. He participated in the Hooters, Hurricane and Developmental Players tours.

Turnbow was named the TrueTemper/TPGA Assistant Professional Player of the Year in 2001. He was the low professional at the Tennessee Open in 2001 and 2007.

In 2011, Turnbow completed the Sports Management Institute and was promoted to assistant athletic director.

Turnbow and his wife, Lori, have a daughter named Reagan, and a son Connor. Lori, a physical education teacher at Discovery School, is a 2000 graduate of Middle Tennessee.