A native of Marietta, Ga., Tommy Brannen attended and played golf at Marietta High School, where he won the Georgia State High School Championship in 1975.
He then joined the collegiate ranks at Columbus State University, where he received All-America honors in 1978. That year Brannen also won individual honors at the NCAA Division II National Championship.
In 1980, Brannen returned to Marietta and began his career in the golf business with a role at Canterbury Golf Club. Two years later he joined Atlanta Athletic Club as a third assistant in 1982, where he would stay and gain experience and grow in the profession for the next 18 years.
Brannen was promoted to head golf professional in 1989. Over the next few years along with longtime director of golf Rick Anderson, Brannen would develop the Bob Jones Learning Center, the state-of-the-art facility at Atlanta Athletic Club.
In 1996, Brannen became the director of instruction for the new teaching center and would remain in this role until 1999.
Brannen’s next move was east to Augusta Country Club, where he was hired as the head golf professional in 2000 and has been a fixture at the club since.
Not only has Brannen enjoyed a successful run as a club professional, he also is quite the competitor on the course. Over the years Brannen has competed in several Georgia PGA Section events. His top finishes came when he won the 2007 Georgia PGA Senior Championship, 1993 Georgia PGA Championship and the 1985 Atlanta Open, among others.
On the national scene, Brannen has qualified for 11 PGA Club Professional Championships, including five PGA Senior Club Professional Championships.
Off the course Brannen has received numerous recognitions and awards for his contributions to the game. Among them included the 2015 Georgia PGA Golf Professional of the Year, certified as a U.S. Kids Coach in 2014, recognized by Titleist in 2008 and 2009 as one of the top 100 club fitters, the 2001 Georgia PGA Merchandiser of the Year for private clubs and the 1998 Georgia Section PGA Teacher of the Year.
In 1996, Brannen became the 175th PGA Master Professional of the PGA of America. He was inducted into the Columbus State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Marietta High School Hall of Fame in 2015.