[01/10/02]After 21 years as a PGA member and a slew of honors and awards from the organization, Vicksburg native Bill Caldwell Jr. has joined golf’s elite.

Caldwell, who has been director of golf at Chateau Golf and Country Club in Kenner, La., since 1970, was inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame, Gulf States Section, in December.

Caldwell, 50, has served as an officer on every level in the Gulf States PGA, including a stint on the President’s Council (1985-86) and the PGA’s national Board of Directors (1997-2000).

“I think it’s the top honor I could ever achieve as far as my PGA honors,” Caldwell said, adding that it came as a surprise. “I knew at some point in my life I would be voted in, but it came earlier than I expected. I went in before a lot of guys who had more service time with the PGA.”

Caldwell, whose awards from the PGA include Golf Professional of the Year in 1986 and PGA Teacher of the Year in 1996, started playing golf with his father Bill Sr., when he was just 6 years old. Bill Caldwell Sr. has won a dozen club championships at Vicksburg Country Club.

“We didn’t have the driving ranges then, so I’d go out and shag for him when I was 4 and 5 years old, and I started playing when I was 6,” the younger Caldwell said.

Bill Caldwell Jr. won a state championship for the now-defunct Cooper High School in 1968 and went on to play at LSU. He never had the success he dreamed of on the pro level, but did become a successful course pro. He’s had several teams win national championships in various events, and played in other championship events for course pros.

“I had some good playing days,” Caldwell said.

He’s also passed along the golfing bug to his sons. Bill Caldwell III, 29, played at Tulane and David Caldwell, 25, won a regional high school championship. He also has two young sons, 6-year-old Blake and 2-year-old Justin, who he plans to get involved in the game as soon as they’re old enough.

“I’ve got a lot of golf left,” Caldwell said with a laugh.