Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Friday, September 5
Dalton, GA/The Farm Club
Middle Tennessee
at
Carpet Capital Collegiate
Photo by: Kaitlyn Hungerford/MT Athletic Communications
Raiders open season Friday
9/4/2014 1:22:00 PM | Men's Golf
Turnbow announces staff additions
DALTON, GA - For the past four years, the Middle Tennessee men's golf team has opened their season at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Dalton, GA, and the 2014-15 schedule is no exception.
The site of the 54-hole tournament is a demanding par 72, 7,012-yard layout that challenges even the best golfers from the first tee until the last putt. It is known as The Farm.
"They must have named it that because you have to work hard all day to have any success there," declared Whit Turnbow, now in his 8th year as the head coach of the Blue Raiders.
After a practice round on Thursday, Middle Tennessee will begin play in earnest on Friday.
Turnbow's team will face one of the strongest fields in the nation at The Farm. The Blue Raiders will be one of 15 teams in the field that comprises what has been named as the fifth strongest field in collegiate golf this season. Joining MT as participating teams will be defending national champion Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Kennesaw State, North Florida and UT Chattanooga.
MT finished eighth last year, and beat Texas, a perennial national contender, in the process.
"That was big for us," declared Turnbow.
Seniors Brett Patterson, Payne Denman and Andrew Cho will anchor the chances of a win for the Blue Raiders. They will be joined by junior Drake Duncan and red-shirt freshman Conner Slane.
Turnbow will look to his seniors for leadership and for setting the pace for his younger golfers.
"When you have two seniors like Patterson and Denman, you know you are going to get both leadership and a strong round of golf.
"We have had a pretty good summer. We just finished our team qualifying yesterday, so it is a pretty quick turnaround to start play on Friday.
"They know what to expect. They are certainly not intimidated by this field or this tournament. At the end of the day, we are only playing the golf course. We have no control over what the rest of these teams are going to do," pointed out Turnbow. "We are only going to control the things we can control, and if we do a good job with that, the results will come."
Thursday will be a practice round for the teams, with tournament play starting on Friday. The tournament will conclude on Sunday. Blue Raider fans can keep track of the tournament action on GolfStat.com all three days.
TURNBOW ANNOUNCES STAFF ADDITIONS
Middle Tennessee Head Coach Whit Turnbow announced two staff additions as David Head and Erroll Helling have joined the program. Head, a former player for the Blue Raiders, will serve as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's programs, while Hellling will serve as the team's Trackman Specialist.
The son of Blue Raider Hall of Fame Member and National Golf Champion Gary Head, David joined the Blue Raiders in 2012 as a volunteer assistant under Turnbow. Head held that role before being elevated to full-time status during the summer.
As a player, Head played for Coach Johnny Moore and enjoyed a successful four-year career. He was elected team Co-Captain during his senior year and was presented the Most Outstanding Student-Athlete Award for Golf based upon his leadership skills and dedication to the team.
Helling, the PGA Tour Operations and TrackMan University instructor for TrackMan Golf, begins his first year on Turnbow's staff.
Helling, a 2009 graduate of Mississippi State University's PGA Professional Golf Management program, has studied under teachers recognized both regionally and nationally by both Golf Digest and the PGA of America. He completed internships with the Tennessee Section PGA, The Mississippi State University Golf Course and The Country Club in Pepper Pike, OH.
Helling, a former assistant golf professional at nearby Westhaven Golf Club, is also the owner of Trueline Putting Coach.
"I am so excited to add David and Erroll to our staff," added Turnbow. "They bring a wealth of teaching and technology expertise that is unrivaled in any other program. The players will not be the only ones that learn from these guys."
The site of the 54-hole tournament is a demanding par 72, 7,012-yard layout that challenges even the best golfers from the first tee until the last putt. It is known as The Farm.
"They must have named it that because you have to work hard all day to have any success there," declared Whit Turnbow, now in his 8th year as the head coach of the Blue Raiders.
After a practice round on Thursday, Middle Tennessee will begin play in earnest on Friday.
Turnbow's team will face one of the strongest fields in the nation at The Farm. The Blue Raiders will be one of 15 teams in the field that comprises what has been named as the fifth strongest field in collegiate golf this season. Joining MT as participating teams will be defending national champion Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Kennesaw State, North Florida and UT Chattanooga.
MT finished eighth last year, and beat Texas, a perennial national contender, in the process.
"That was big for us," declared Turnbow.
Seniors Brett Patterson, Payne Denman and Andrew Cho will anchor the chances of a win for the Blue Raiders. They will be joined by junior Drake Duncan and red-shirt freshman Conner Slane.
Turnbow will look to his seniors for leadership and for setting the pace for his younger golfers.
"When you have two seniors like Patterson and Denman, you know you are going to get both leadership and a strong round of golf.
"We have had a pretty good summer. We just finished our team qualifying yesterday, so it is a pretty quick turnaround to start play on Friday.
"They know what to expect. They are certainly not intimidated by this field or this tournament. At the end of the day, we are only playing the golf course. We have no control over what the rest of these teams are going to do," pointed out Turnbow. "We are only going to control the things we can control, and if we do a good job with that, the results will come."
Thursday will be a practice round for the teams, with tournament play starting on Friday. The tournament will conclude on Sunday. Blue Raider fans can keep track of the tournament action on GolfStat.com all three days.
TURNBOW ANNOUNCES STAFF ADDITIONS
Middle Tennessee Head Coach Whit Turnbow announced two staff additions as David Head and Erroll Helling have joined the program. Head, a former player for the Blue Raiders, will serve as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's programs, while Hellling will serve as the team's Trackman Specialist.
The son of Blue Raider Hall of Fame Member and National Golf Champion Gary Head, David joined the Blue Raiders in 2012 as a volunteer assistant under Turnbow. Head held that role before being elevated to full-time status during the summer.
As a player, Head played for Coach Johnny Moore and enjoyed a successful four-year career. He was elected team Co-Captain during his senior year and was presented the Most Outstanding Student-Athlete Award for Golf based upon his leadership skills and dedication to the team.
Helling, the PGA Tour Operations and TrackMan University instructor for TrackMan Golf, begins his first year on Turnbow's staff.
Helling, a 2009 graduate of Mississippi State University's PGA Professional Golf Management program, has studied under teachers recognized both regionally and nationally by both Golf Digest and the PGA of America. He completed internships with the Tennessee Section PGA, The Mississippi State University Golf Course and The Country Club in Pepper Pike, OH.
Helling, a former assistant golf professional at nearby Westhaven Golf Club, is also the owner of Trueline Putting Coach.
"I am so excited to add David and Erroll to our staff," added Turnbow. "They bring a wealth of teaching and technology expertise that is unrivaled in any other program. The players will not be the only ones that learn from these guys."
Players Mentioned
Blue Raider Notebook Presented by TOA - October 13th
Monday, October 13
Blue Raider Breakdown Postgame Show - October 8th
Thursday, October 09
MTSU Football vs. Missouri State post-game press conference – 10/8/25
Thursday, October 09
Middle Made Moments - MTSU Volleyball clean sweep - October 7th
Wednesday, October 08
