Nov. 14, 2024 – Northwest Mississippi Community College has chosen Adam Payne as its new men’s and women’s golf coach, the college announced on Thursday.
“I am excited and honored to be named the head golf coach at Northwest,” Payne said. “The state of Mississippi has so much golf talent and I am excited to help that talent at Northwest shine every day, through hard work and commitment to each other.”
Payne has been a member of the Professional Golf Association of America (PGA of America) since 2000. He arrives at Northwest after serving as the Director of Instruction at Wedgewood Golf Club in Olive Branch, a role he has held since August 2013. At Wedgewood, Payne held a variety of duties, including running yearly summer junior camps and ladies’ clinics, with over 500 participating kids and over 100 women signed up for clinics.
While at Wedgewood, Payne was also the head coach of the winning West Tennessee PGA Junior League team in four of the last five years. He also consulted with Northpoint Christian School on running their golf program, and served as the boys’ head coach there for two seasons (2021-22).
Payne’s coaching experience also extends to nearby Lewisburg High School, where he served as the volunteer head coach for both boys’ and girls’ programs since January 2019. In his five years at LHS, his teams won three county championships and three district titles, while averaging a 3.75 GPA or higher. Ten of his student-athletes at Lewisburg have gone on to play golf at the collegiate level.
From 2009 to July of 2013, Payne served as the Director of Golf at Cherokee Valley and Plantation Golf Clubs, overseeing both facilities and managing 50 employees and volunteers. He ran day-to-day operations and planned events, including scheduling and managing nearly 40 tournaments per year.
Payne was also the head golf professional at Cherokee Valley from 2000-09, building relations with the community and conducting lessons for both children and adults.
Some of Payne’s most notable accolades include West Tennessee PGA Junior Golf Leader (2003, 2009, 2014), West Tennessee PGA Merchandiser of the Year (2007-08, 2011), West Tennessee PGA Richard Eller Award for Growth of the Game (2015, 2017) and West Tennessee PGA Youth Player Development Award (2018-20).
“I am excited to have Adam come aboard and help steer our golf program in the right direction,” Northwest Director of Athletics Jake Gordon said. “Coach Payne has worked with a lot of golfers in our area and has a great reputation with those he has worked with. I have no doubt that he will help build up this program to where it should be.”
Payne is a graduate of Emory & Henry University in 1996 and is a native of Charlottesville, Va.
