Randy Watkins

Viking Classic, Lake Caroline, and More

2009-09-03T13:11:00.002-05:00

Viking Classic
Early commitments for the Viking Classic: Heath Slocum, Rocco Mediate, David Toms, Chris DiMarco, John Daly, Brad Faxon, Mark Calcavecchia, Brian Gay, Bill Haas...just to name a few. Having a stand alone date is going to be very big this year as our field continues to grow.

Buy your “Hit the Fairways” Package today and make me race Usain Bolt!! Listen to Chuck and Doug in the mornings on The Score 620 to get all the details. Go to our website at www.vikingclassic.com to purchase your package now!

Lake Caroline Golf Club
Lake Caroline Golf Club will officially open on September 30. The course looks great. You must be a member to play so join now for only $300. Price to join will increase to $750 on September 29, don’t wait too late.

My back problems continue, so I'm going to Columbus, Ga. to see a specialist later this week.

Viking Classic Commitments

2009-06-11T11:07:00.001-05:00

Viking Classic update…New commitments this week as I visited the St. Jude Classic in Memphis. David Toms, John Daly, David Duval and Rich Beem gave me the thumbs up and are coming to Annandale in October! That’s 4 major championships already, stay tuned for more!! This year will be our best ever!!

Spring Is Officially Here

2009-04-09T09:10:00.002-05:00

Masters Week
Golf season “officially” begins today with the 1st round of the Masters in Augusta. Mississippian, Steve Wilson, plays at 10:29am and is playing with 2 time Champion, Tom Watson and Euro star Ian Poulter. I wish Steve good luck and great play - you can follow him on the web at masters.org.

Golf Course News
We have several membership specials at Whisper Lake and Patrick Farms thru April, so please call for details - these deals are very, very good! The Dogwoods Golf Course in Grenada has just been ranked #9 in the State and will celebrate its 2nd Birthday in June - it's a pretty amazing golf course. Quail Hollow in McComb is in great shape and is a couple of weeks ahead of the courses in the metro area. So if you’re looking for a real treat, make the short drive down I-55 and check it out.

Lake Caroline Update
There is much talk around town about my involvement and interest in Lake Caroline, some true and some not. Here are the facts: I am very interested and am making every effort possible to acquire the course. However, it is not an easy deal to put together and may or may not happen. I have received incredible support from the residents of Lake Caroline and will continue to work hard to make it work. Please understand that if it does not come together by the end of April, then it probably won’t until next year. Many thanks to all who offer support and encouragement..

Viking Classic granted new date for 2009

2008-12-18T13:59:00.004-06:00

The Viking Classic, Mississippi's premiere professional sporting event, is pleased to announce that the PGA TOUR has granted the event a new date for 2009. Next year's event will be held October 26 – November 1, 2009, in a stand alone position on the PGA TOUR schedule.

“We are so pleased that the PGA TOUR thought so highly of the Viking Classic and its past success that it decided to award our tournament a new date,” said Randy Watkins, Viking Classic Tournament Director. “Being an unencumbered tournament will attract much more attention from the golf community around the world, which will only increase the excitement and success of the Viking Classic.”

The Viking Classic earned this stand alone date based on its success over the past two years and its storied history.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-12T14:05:00.002-06:00

As we approach the end of 2008, I want to personally thank you for your continued business and tremendous loyalty to the Viking Classic, Patrick Farms and Whisper Lake, especially during such challenging times. It was an exciting year for golf, the PGA TOUR and for our courses. I hear often from many of you on my blog and want to thank you for your well wishes, great ideas and suggestions on how we can serve you even better. As we enter 2009, we will continue to improve, and we will be adding new programs based on your suggestions. Have a safe and happy holiday and thank you for all you do for golf. I look forward to seeing on the course and at Annandale for the Viking Classic.

P.S. - Congrats to Glen Day who made it through TOUR School and will be competing full time this year. Also, please follow Mississippian’s Vance Veazey and Chad Ginn who will be playing full time on the Nationwide Tour this year.

News Update

2008-11-12T16:02:00.004-06:00

It's a great day for the Watkins family. Thomas Watkins, a senior golfer at Madison Central signed a golf scholarship with Ole Miss this morning. Thomas is the reigning State 5A Champion.

Whisper Lake News - Whisper Lake is hosting the 12th annual Couples Turkey Shoot on November 23rd. There will be great food and lot’s of fun had by all who participate!

Patrick Farms News - The Farm is in great shape and is open everyday with tee times available. There are lots of specials so please go to the website (www.patrickfarmsgolf.com) and check out membership specials---No dues till March!!!

PGA TOUR News - Several Mississippian’s are still vying for exempt status on the TOUR with Q-School going on now, go to PGATOUR.COM to follow our guys.

PGA TOUR Q School

2008-10-31T12:13:00.001-05:00

Tis the season for the world’s toughest golf tournament, the PGA TOUR’s annual Q-School. This is the one time every year where you can pursue your dream and attempt to qualify and play on the TOUR. Several Mississippian’s are giving it a try, Jim Gallagher, Jr., Trey Denton and Will Dottley to name a few. To follow them and watch their scores go to www.pgatour.com and click on the link to Q-School…Best of luck to all.

Fall Golf

2008-10-30T12:58:00.000-05:00

Fall is a great time of the year to play golf. The weather is near perfect and the courses are the best they've been all year. Make a tee time and please introduce a youngster to the game.

2008 Viking Classic

2008-10-27T22:42:00.000-05:00

The 2008 Viking Classic was a huge success. We had record crowds, a fantastic field, and a great champion in Will MacKenzie. Our charity numbers have surpassed over $5 million and that is thanks in part to our sponsors and to the thousands of volunteers who give tirelessly of their time and talents.

Next year's dates are October 5-11, so please go ahead and add that to your calendar. Don't miss out on Mississippi's premier professional sporting event.