After a successful career in business, Tallman decided to take up the game of golf in 1922 at age fifty and quickly became one of the most decorated golfers in the Minnesota. Tallman won his first Minnesota Senior Amateur title in 1926 and went on to win the event three more times. On a national level, he won five Trans-Mississippi National Senior titles and competed in the 1927 USGA Amateur Championship. Tallman went on to win several other state and national titles and it was said that by 1936 he had one more than 140 trophies.
Tallman also served as the president of the Minnesota Golf Association from 1925-1930.
