Chris Burkstaller, PGA

The Gulf States PGA Selects 2022 Section and Chapter Award Winners

By Brian Weis

In recognition of his exemplary role as a PGA member, Head Professional J.T. Crawford of New Orleans Country Club, LA has been chosen as the 2022 Gulf States PGA Golf Professional of the Year, the highest honor paid to a Gulf States PGA professional. This is J.T.'s second time winning the Gulf States PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award.

In response to being notified of his award, J.T. said, "I have been blessed to serve and lead with many very talented golf professionals. To think that I have been recognized amongst the best of our 28,000 strong is truly humbling. I am proudest of my 20 plus assistants that have gone on to head professional/head coaching jobs as well as my current staff that will most certainly go on to greatness. I am continually astonished by the talent and fraternalism that the Gulf States Section churns out."

Reg Adams, PGA, Head Professional at Huntington Park Golf Course in Shreveport, LA, was named the recipient of the Gulf States PGA Patriot Award. This award is presented to a PGA professional who personifies patriotism through the game of golf and demonstrates unwavering commitment and dedication to the men and women who have valiantly served and protected the United States of America.

Brad Pullin, PGA, Director of Instruction at Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant, LA, has earned his first Gulf States PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year Award. This award recognizes the recipient's exceptional teaching ability and dedication to teaching the game.

In recognition of his continued efforts to grow the game of golf at the youth level, General Manager at OakWing Golf Club in Alexandria, LA, Robbie Gueringer, PGA, has been awarded the 2022 Gulf States PGA Youth Player Development Award. This award acknowledges the recipient's passion to promote the game by sharing knowledge and skills with today's youth, benefiting the future of golf in the Section.

Marie Gateley, PGA, Assistant Professional at Baton Rouge Country Club, LA, has been chosen as this year's Gulf States PGA Professional Development Award winner for the first time, acknowledging her commitment to furthering the education of fellow professionals.

Robbie Gueringer, PGA, General Manager at OakWing Golf Club in Alexandria, LA, has been selected as the Gulf States PGA Bill Strausbaugh Award winner in recognition of his leadership and valued involvement with the community. This marks Robbie's second Gulf States PGA award this year.

Bill Baker, PGA, Assistant Professional at Bayou De Siard Country Club in Monroe, LA, has displayed exemplary leadership as an assistant professional and continues to serve as an outstanding representation of his class earning him the title of Gulf States PGA Assistant Professional of the Year.

The Merchandisers of the Year are selected based on their skills in the promotion of golf including merchandising ability and technique, inventory levels and turn rate, shop display, and attention to detail.

Dustin Diez, PGA, Head Professional at Pelican Point Golf Club in Gonzales, LA, has been named Gulf States PGA Merchandiser of the Year in the Public category.

In the Private category, PGA Head Professional Billy Holtz of Baton Rouge Country Club, LA has earned the distinction of Gulf States PGA Merchandiser of the Year.

PGA Head Professional Allan Martel of Grand Bear Golf Club in Saucier, MS, has earned the Gulf States PGA Merchandiser of the Year in the Resort category.

Accepting his first Gulf States PGA award this year is Bobby Flanagan, PGA, Assistant Professional at Baton Rouge Country Club, LA, who has been named the Gulf States PGA Player Development Award winner. This award honors his extraordinary and exemplary contributions and achievements in the area of player development.

Leading the class of 2022 award winners in the Louisiana Chapter is Golf Professional of the Year Chris Burkstaller, PGA, General Manager at The Island Country Club in Plaquemine, LA. "I have been in this business for well over 30+ years and I am so humbled to win this award. I certainly don't do it for awards but for the love of the game and all aspects of this business. To be recognized for this particular award is amazing. Thank you to all of my fellow Professionals for this amazing recognition."

Louisiana Chapter Assistant of the Year has been awarded to Bobby Flanagan, PGA, Assistant Professional at Baton Rouge Country Club, LA. This marks Bobby's second Gulf States PGA award this year.

Matt Brunetz, PGA, Head Professional at Whisper Lake Country Club in Madison, MS, has been awarded the Mississippi Chapter Golf Professional of the Year Award. Matt remarked, "Thank you for the award and the title of MS Professional of the Year. I am humbled and honored to have been chosen out of the outstanding group of candidates that we had this year. Thank you so much to all my fellow professionals that voted for me. I believe that a big part of this award is being involved in the Chapter and the Section activities and I look forward to continuing to do so in the future."

Representing the Mississippi Chapter Assistant of the Year category is this year's award winner, Nate Kitson, PGA, Assistant Professional at Mississippi State University Golf Course in Starkville, MS. This marks Nate's second time winning this award.

Two special Chapter awards are set aside to honor individuals that tirelessly and unselfishly work to support the game of golf.

The Louisiana Chapter has chosen Jimmy Headrick, PGA of Slidell, LA as the recipient of the Barbato-Thomas Award. This award is named after Mike Barbato and Henry Thomas who both played a major role in the birth and development of the Gulf States Section. The award is presented to individuals in recognition of those who have unselfishly served and supported the game of golf and the PGA professional.

Jimmy said, "The Barbato/Thomas Award is very personal to me. When I came to New Orleans in 1976 as a PGA Apprentice, Mr. Barbato and Mr. Thomas were true legends. When they got to know me and they would recognize me by my name, it was as if I was hearing it from Arnold Palmer. They inspired me then to what my potential could be, and they inspire me to this day. I am grateful to the selection committee for recognizing my service to the game."

The Mississippi Chapter Carpenter-Lindsay Award was named for James Ray Carpenter and Ken Lindsay, both of whom served as PGA of America Presidents and have given so much to the Association. This year's recipient is Tommy Snell of Diamondhead, MS.

"Someone once said that the greatest award is the appreciation of people, and to receive an award named after Carpenter-Lindsay, two people whom I have admired for years makes me absolutely happy and grateful. I've always tried to give back to the game I love, something that those two names epitomize. I am truly appreciative and thankful."

This year's honorees will be celebrated at the Gulf States PGA Special Awards Ceremony to be held on December 4th at Diamondhead Country Club in Diamondhead, MS.

The Gulf States PGA Awards Committee consists of past award winners and Chapter officers.

About the Gulf States PGA Section

The Gulf States Section, Professional Golfers' Association of America, is an association of golf professionals whose mission is to promote interest, participation, and enjoyment in the game of golf; establish and maintain professional standards of practice and enhance the well-being of golf professionals.

Revised: 10/25/2022 - Article Viewed 4,978 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.