July 7, 2024

By Michael Stewart / EMCC Director of Publications

Tyler Dawson is two months into his position as head golf professional at East Mississippi Community College’s Lion Hills Center & Golf Course.

Dawson oversees management of the facility’s Pro Shop and 18-hole golf course. He is also responsible for golf membership development, coordinating golf tournaments and conducting youth golf camps during the summer.

“The golf course here is incredible,” Dawson said. “When I toured the facility, I was struck by how amazing the layout is and thought to myself, ‘We can really do some good things with this golf course.’”

EMCC Lion Hills Center & Golf Course Director Darby Unruh said she is excited to have Dawson on board.

“I think Dawson will be a great asset to our golf operations here at Lion Hills,” Unruh said. “He is knowledgeable about golf and is committed to ensuring those who use our facility have the best experience possible.”

Dawson, who also provides private golf lessons at Lion Hills, will additionally serve as the assistant golf coach for the EMCC men’s and women’s golf teams under the direction of head golf coach Mark Furnari.

“I have a passion for teaching and am really looking forward to the opportunity to coach alongside Mark,” Dawson said. “I am excited about this upcoming season.”

Dawson works closely with Lion Hills Director of Golf Raines Rester, who oversees golf course maintenance staff and ensures the playability of the golf course and maintenance of the lawns, shrubbery and grounds. He will also work with Will Arnett, the fulltime instructor for the Golf/Recreational Turf Management and Landscape Management programs, which is taught in a building located adjacent to the golf course. Students in the educational programs gain hands-on experience working on the fairways and greens.

“Raines and Will are both hardworking guys who have the same goals and expectations that I do,” Dawson said. “I am enjoying working with them.”

A multi-sport athlete who hails from Brenham, Texas, Dawson played football, basketball and baseball in his youth. At age 8, he swung his first golf club on an outing to a driving range with his father and older brother.

From that point on, Dawson spent his spare time golfing when he wasn’t playing organized ball. At the age of 16, when he was starting quarterback at Brenham High School, Dawson decided to pull back from the other sports and devote his efforts to golf full-time.

“I always wanted to play college sports,” he said. “It didn’t matter what sport. I wanted to pursue the sport that would drive me to be the most successful I could be, and that was golf.”

After high school, Dawson was granted an academic and golf scholarship to attend Texas-based Blinn College, the alma mater of Cam Newton, who played in the National Football League for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers.

In May, Dawson graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor's degree in Sports Management.

“My dad’s side of the family is originally from Alabama, and we’ve always been Alabama fans,” Dawson said.

He was employed at Indian Hills Country Club in Tuscaloosa for three years while still in school, working his way up from the position of golf cart attendant to assistant golf pro before accepting the position at EMCC.

While at the University of Alabama, Dawson was awarded an internship to sell merchandise during the Master’s Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

Golf Digest describes employment at the Master’s this way: “Working the sprawling merchandise operation at Augusta National (colloquially known as "The Masters Shop") is a highly sought-after, intensive experience. Employees and interns work grueling, fast-paced hours on their feet to manage one of the most successful pop-up retail environments in sports.”

“That was incredible,” Dawson said.  

Dawson said he is enjoying his work at Lion Hills.

“I love the people and the community,” he said. “I am meeting new people almost every day and I am doing something that I am passionate about.”

Lion Hills Center & Golf Course is a recreational facility featuring an 18-hole golf course, pro shop, swimming pool and tennis courts. The facility’s clubhouse has a full-service kitchen, dining and meeting rooms, as well as a restaurant and bar. Operating under EMCC’s umbrella, the facility also offers educational programs in Culinary Arts, Hotel & Restaurant Management, Golf & Recreational Turf Management and Landscape Management.

Call the pro shop at 662.328.0492 or email Dawson at tdawson@eastms.edu for information about green fees, golf course amenities or private golf lessons.