THOMPSON ACES HIS WAY TO A WIN

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PGA Head Professional Championship Presented by Sun Mountain. Paige Cribb, PGA Secretary pgapaige@aol.com Mike Casto, PGA Honorary President mlcasto@msn.

1 On the Fringe... Carolinas PGA Section Newsletter April 2, 2014 Board of Directors Officers Chad Newton, PGA President John Marino, PGA Vice President THOMPSON ACES HIS WAY TO A WIN (Bluffton, SC) - John Thompson, the PGA Director of Instruction at Carolina Lakes Golf Club in Indian Land, SC, earned a hard-fought victory at the 2014 Carolinas PGA Head Professional Championship Presented by Sun Mountain. Paige Cribb, PGA Secretary pgapaige@aol.com Mike Casto, PGA Honorary President mlcasto@msn.com Larry George Tournament Chairman larry_george@riverlanding.com Area Directors Jay King, PGA Area I Director jlking33@gmail.com Tom Mason, PGA Area II Director tamason7272@gmail.com Josh Wagaman, PGA Area III Director josh_wagaman@kiawahresort.com Rocky Brooks, PGA Area IV Director rocky@sedgefieldcc.org Jens Klemsche, PGA Area V Director JKKPGAPRO@aol.com Marc Lapointe, PGA Area VI Director mlapoint@danarader.com Donald Clement, PGA Area VII Director dclement@thereservegolf.com Robert Norton, PGA Area VIII Director rnorton@bhiclub.net Bob Byrnes, PGA Area IX Director b.byrnes@hvcc.org Bryan Sullivan Area X Director kilmarlicbryan@hotmail.com Jeff Nichols, PGA NC Director-at-Large jnichols@carmelcountryclub.org Mike Harmon, PGA SC Director-at-Large mikeharmon@secessiongolf.com Thompson started his second round tied for fifth at 74 (+2), two strokes behind the overnight leader Rick Lewallen, a PGA Life Member from Kannapolis, NC who had posted the only even par round of 72. Fortunately, it did not rain during the second round, but there was a constant breeze to add to the difficulty of Berkeley Hall Club s North Course. Normally, it requires several birdies to finish atop a CPGA leaderboard. However, this time around, a hole-in-one on the 140-yard par-3 Hole #8 and 15 solid pars helped Thompson earn a onestroke victory at 74-73=147 (+3) over three others: Lewallen, Jeff Peck (PGA Head Professional at Carolina Golf Club in Charlotte, NC), and Cory Schneider (PGA Teaching Professional at The Pointe Golf Club in Powells Point, NC) who finished tied for second at 148 (+4). Schneider was last year s tournament winner. In addition to Thompson s first place prize, he ll receive $1,000 for his hole-in-one on the designated Global Golf Sales par-3 hole and an additional $150 for having the shot closest to the pin. Both prizes are furnished compliments of Global Golf Sales. On the first day of competition, most of the field was trying to qualify for a single spot in the 2014 PGA Tour RBC Heritage. Lewallen earned that honor and will represent the CPGA April Story continued on page 12 Carolinas PGA Staff Ron Schmid, PGA Executive Director rschmid@pgahq.com Kurt Battenberg, PGA Director of Operation & Finance kbattenberg@pgahq.com Cory Armstrong Tournament Director carmstrong@pgahq.com Mike Whitenack Senior Tournament Official mwhitenack@pgahq.com David Gamble Tournament Official dgamble@pgahq.com Sara Beth Gardocki Media and Promotions Director sgardocki@pgahq.com Dahlia Gutterman Tournament Coordinator dgutterman@pgahq.com Talma Kee Membership Coordinator tkee@pgahq.com Contents Section News Tournament Swing Member Updates

Dear Carolinas PGA Professionals, It is safe to say we are all ecstatic that spring is here and we are all beginning to experience warmer/drier weather and busier tee sheets.

Please remember to visit the PGA Junior Golf League website which is a tremendous way to introduce children to our great game.

2 Dear Carolinas PGA Professionals, It is safe to say we are all ecstatic that spring is here and we are all beginning to experience warmer/drier weather and busier tee sheets. This is a great time of year for everyone to begin thinking about Junior Golf and how you as a PGA Professional can positively impact Juniors at your facility and in your community. Please remember to visit the PGA Junior Golf League website which is a tremendous way to introduce children to our great game. Later this month your officers, Executive Director and D-10 Director will travel to Atlanta, GA for the Southern Regional meetings along with representatives from the Dixie, Gulf States, Tennessee, Kentucky, Middle Atlantic, North Florida, South Florida and Georgia Sections. The top priority of this Super Regional is to attend meetings and interviews with National PGA Secretary Candidates. My fellow officers and I highly encourage anyone with questions or information about the process or any the candidates to contact us directly. The Carolinas Section has several fantastic tournaments on the horizon and I hope all of you can find a well deserved break in your schedule to participate in one of these fantastic events. If not, please make sure to play every opportunity you have with your members, customers, co-workers, managers, owners, etc. either at your own facility or another local facility. You are all living symbols of the game and never underestimate the value of people seeing PGA Professionals on the course or at the practice facility. In closing, I wish tremendous success in the spring at your facilities and health and happiness to all of your families. Please remember I strongly encourage ANY member with a question, thought or concern to contact me directly If I can ever be of any assistance. My objective has always been to be your voice, not for you to hear my voice!!! Sincerely, Letter from the President Chad Newton, PGA President of The PGA of America 2

It is always nice to hear from the PGA professionals who make up the Carolinas Section.

3 Dear Carolinas PGA Professionals: Letter from the Executive Director Last month, we gave a recap of the events that made up Big Week. As was mentioned earlier, the comments have been generally very favorable. We have received many positive s, phone calls, and notes of appreciation. It is always nice to hear from the PGA professionals who make up the Carolinas Section. In order to hear from a bigger cross section of our members, we sent out a survey to each of you after the week concluded. Regardless of whether you attended or not, we wanted to know your thoughts. We heard from more than 470 of you and the results of that survey can be found on pages 4-7. In addition, the complete, detailed survey results can be found on our Carolinas PGA Section website, in the Members only section. Click on the following link to access: You will need your PGA Links user name and password to view this portion of the website. In less than one week, the finals of the Inaugural Drive, Chip, and Putt competition will take place at the Augusta National Golf Club. In addition to the 2014 finals being held, the Drive, Chip, and Putt website will begin to take registrations for the 2015 event. As a reminder, registration is controlled by the USGA and once a local site has received 200 entries, that site will be closed. The Carolinas Section will be hosting 9 local qualifiers for the event, and you will not want your juniors to miss this wonderful opportunity. Remember, there is NO COST to participate. The event is open to any junior between the ages of 7 and 15. Registration will open at 8:00 am on Sunday, April 6th, and you need only to have your junior players click on the following link. to register. In May, the officers and I will travel to Atlanta for the first ever PGA Southern Super Regional Meeting. The Carolinas Section is part of PGA District 10, and typically meets this time of year with the representatives from the Middle Atlantic PGA and the Kentucky PGA. Since this is a National election year, our District 10 will be joined by the Officers and Executive Directors from District 3 (Dixie, Gulf States, Tennessee) and District 13 (North Florida, South Florida, Georgia). This will give all of us a great opportunity to get to know the candidates for the office of PGA Secretary better. The election will take place in November and the candidate elected will become the President of the PGA of America in Those vying for the office are Suzy Whaley, from the Connecticut Section, Mike Haywood, from the Southwest Section, and Russ Libby, from the North Florida Section. President Newton and Vice President Marino will be the voting delegates for the 2014 election, and Secretary Cribb and I will have input that will be passed along to our two voting delegates. In addition, I know President Newton and Vice President Marino would love to hear from you if you have an opinion about who you feel should be the next Secretary of your PGA. In just over a month, the oldest Carolinas PGA golf championship, the Carolinas Open, will be conducted. Played first in 1923, the 2014 event will be held just outside the entrance to the Carolinas PGA Section Headquarters at Bryan Park. If you are thinking about taking part in one of your Section s many playing opportunities, this just might be the one. Bryan Park is a wonderful championship facility, and I can promise you that you will not be disappointed. In addition, if you decide to play in the event, it will also give you a chance to stop by and take a tour of your Section Headquarters. I believe you will be proud of what has been built, and we would love to give you a tour. Sincerely, Ron Schmid, PGA Executive Director of The PGA of America 3

2014 CPGA Big Week Membership Survey Results Thank you to all the CPGA members who took the time to participate in the 2014 CPGA Big Week Membership survey sent out in February.

4 2014 CPGA Big Week Membership Survey Results Thank you to all the CPGA members who took the time to participate in the 2014 CPGA Big Week Membership survey sent out in February. Your feedback will help CPGA staff make improvements to Big Week to create the best event possible year after year. On the next few pages are some of the results from the survey. If you would like to see the full detailed report please visit the member side of the CPGA website by using the following link: of The PGA of America 4

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Rules in Brief: Open to boys & girls age 7-15 competing in four age cate gories: ages 7-9, 10-11, 12-13, and 14-15.

Participants may register to compete in only one local qualifier. All competitors must be amateurs. Clubs and golf balls used must conform with the Rules of Golf. Entry fee: $0.00. It s free!

8 Rules in Brief: Open to boys & girls age 7-15 competing in four age cate gories: ages 7-9, 10-11, 12-13, and Participants will be grouped based on their age as of the championship final on Sunday, April 5, Proof of age will be expected should the competitor advance to regional qualifying. Participants may register to compete in only one local qualifier. All competitors must be amateurs. Clubs and golf balls used must conform with the Rules of Golf. Entry fee: $0.00. It s free! Format: Each participant will compete in three skills hitting 3 drives, 3 chips, and 3 putts. Participants will accumulate points in each skill. The participant with the highest number of accumulated points will be declared the Overall Champion of his/her age category. 1st, 2nd, & 3rd places will also be recognized within each skill. 9 Local Qualifiers in the Carolinas: Charles Sifford GC Charlotte, NC Saturday, June 7 Tanglewood Park Clemmons, NC Saturday, June 14 River Hills CC Little River, SC Saturday, June 21 Bryan Park GC Browns Summit, NC Wednesday, July 2 CC of Landfall Wilmington, NC Saturday, July 5 UNC Finley GC Chapel Hill, NC Saturday, July 5 The Carolina CC Spartanburg, SC Saturday, July 12 Callawassie Island Club Okatie, SC Saturday, July 19 Wescott Plantation Summerville, SC Saturday, July 19 Registration: Opens Sunday, April 6 (time TBD) Volunteers: Adult volunteers are needed to conduct these events. Please contact the Carolinas PGA Section or the host sites PGA Professional staffs to inquire about helping! Registration Opens Sunday, April 6th! of The PGA of America 8

SignArt, Dunning Golf, and Greg Norman Collection Partner with the Carolinas PGA Section Each year, the Carolinas PGA Section, as a whole, hosts more than 200 tournaments and educational

All of the Section s partners are listed online; however, we are proud to highlight three of our newest partners in this message. SignArt www.signartsign.

They have been in operation since 1910 and the depth of their expertise will be an advantage for you and your company.

10 SignArt, Dunning Golf, and Greg Norman Collection Partner with the Carolinas PGA Section Each year, the Carolinas PGA Section, as a whole, hosts more than 200 tournaments and educational opportunities. None of these would be possible without the support of generous partners dedicated to the success of PGA Professionals and the game of golf. All of the Section s partners are listed online; however, we are proud to highlight three of our newest partners in this message. SignArt SignArt is a full service sign company offering design, fabrication and installation services nationally, regionally, and locally. They have been in operation since 1910 and the depth of their expertise will be an advantage for you and your company. SignArt is a Sign Company known for its quality craftsmanship and professional project management expertise. They are a full service company providing site surveys and recommendations, graphic design, technical shop drawings, fabrication, installation, and sign permit acquisition services. Account Executives can assist you with budget recommendations and value engineering suggestions. SignArt s clients are Fortune 500 Companies and one location retail proprietors. They service accounts nationwide, regionally, and locally. Signart will be a co-title sponsor of the 50th Toshiba / SignArt North Carolina Open in June. Greg Norman Collection Built upon a unique combination of performance, luxury and style, Greg Norman Collection is a leading worldwide marketer of golf-inspired sportswear for men and women. Established in 1992, Greg Norman Collection is inspired by one of the Continued on next page of The PGA of America 10

SignArt, Dunning Golf, and Greg Norman Collection Partner with the Carolinas PGA Section world s leading golf professionals, the man they call The Shark.

11 SignArt, Dunning Golf, and Greg Norman Collection Partner with the Carolinas PGA Section world s leading golf professionals, the man they call The Shark. Named by the Association of Golf Merchandisers as its top Men s Vendor for 2013, Greg Norman Collection features stateof-the-art fabric innovations highlighted by the company s industry-leading ML75 fabric that on top of excellent moisture wicking properties, offers a luxury feel. The entire offering includes tops and bottoms, sweaters, outerwear, and a full accessories range. Greg Norman Collection recently re-introduced its GN Women s Collection that incorporates a blend of modern features from Larry Mathe, the founder and former CEO of EP Pro. Fall 2014 marks the launch of Mathe s involvement with the collection. For more information on the collection, click here. php?submode=catalogs Greg Norman Collection will be a presenting sponsor of the CPGA Pro-Assistant and Pro-Official Championships in July and August respectively. Dunning Golf Dunning Golf is a premium brand of high performance golf clothing and golf lifestyle sportswear. From start to finish, the emphasis is on creating the world s best golf clothing that is focused on quality, performance and durability. Dunning is engineered for athletes and designed for players. Clean and understated, it is ideal for golf, leisure and travel. Dunning Golf has a premium distribution focused on green grass shops worldwide. For Spring and Fall 2014 catalogs, click here: Dunning Golf will also be a presenting sponsor of the CPGA Pro-Assistant and Pro-Official Championships in July and August respectively. of The PGA of America 11

Tournament Swing April 2014 April Tournaments 4/04-4/06 PAT @ Methodist University 4/07-4/08 Old North State CPGA Senior Open 4/07 PAT @ Walker Course at Clemson 4/08 PAT @ Golf Club of Chapel Ridge

12 Tournament Swing April 2014 April Tournaments 4/04-4/06 Methodist University 4/07-4/08 Old North State CPGA Senior Open 4/07 Walker Course at Clemson 4/08 Golf Club of Chapel Ridge 4/14 Assistants Association Pro-Pro Scotch Hall Preserve 4/14 Keith Hills CC 4/21 The Pines at Elizabeth City Pro-Am 4/23 12th Annual Cutter and Buck Wallace Rotary Pro-Am 4/24 PGA Tour Wells Fargo Championship Pre-Qualifier 4/27 Hackler Course 4/28-4/29 Sapona Ridge CPGA Senior Open 4/28 Lizard s Thicket Pro-Am 4/28 HHI Chapter Pro-Pro Stableford 4/28 PGA Tour Wells Fargo Championship Event Qualifier 4/28 CHS - Blue Ridge Invitational Pro-Am 2014 Carolinas PGA Head Professional Championsip Continued (Bluffton, SC) - John Thompson, the PGA Director of Instruction at Carolina Lakes Golf Club in Indian Land, SC, earned a hard-fought victory at the 2014 Carolinas PGA Head Professional Championship Presented by Sun Mountain. Thompson started his second round tied for fifth at 74 (+2), two strokes behind the overnight leader Rick Lewallen, a PGA Life Member from Kannapolis, NC who had posted the only even par round of 72. Fortunately, it did not rain during the second round, but there was a constant breeze to add to the difficulty of Berkeley Hall Club s North Course. Normally, it requires several birdies to finish atop a CPGA leaderboard. However, this time around, a hole-in-one on the 140-yard par-3 Hole #8 and 15 solid pars helped Thompson earn a one-stroke victory at 74-73=147 (+3) over three others: Lewallen, Jeff Peck (PGA Head Professional at Carolina Golf Club in Charlotte, NC), and Cory Schneider (PGA Teaching Professional at The Pointe Golf Club in Powells Point, NC) who finished tied for second at 148 (+4). Schneider was last year s tournament winner. In addition to Thompson s first place prize, he ll receive $1,000 for his hole-in-one on the designated Global Golf Sales par-3 hole and an additional $150 for having the shot closest to the pin. Both prizes are furnished compliments of Global Golf Sales. On the first day of competition, most of the field was trying to qualify for a single spot in the 2014 PGA Tour RBC Heritage. Lewallen earned that honor and will represent the CPGA April at Sea Pines Resort s Harbour Town Golf Links located on Hilton Head Island, SC. The CPGA wishes Lewallen the best of luck. We ll be cheering him on. Lewallen Earns Berth in RBC Heritage CPGA Life Member Rick Lewallen of Kannapolis, NC won the 18-hole qualifier that took place on the first day of competition at the CPGA Head Professional Championship. Rick was the only player to shoot even par on a wet and splashy day. Rick has competed in other PGA Tour events and senior major championships, but this will be his first appearance at Harbour Town. The tournament takes place April of The PGA of America 12

Tournament Swing April 2013 Weather Shortens Hasentree CPGA Senior Two Man The Hasentree CPGA Senior Two-Man became an 18-hole championship Monday with forecasts showing chances of snow and ice for

13 Tournament Swing April 2013 Weather Shortens Hasentree CPGA Senior Two Man The Hasentree CPGA Senior Two-Man became an 18-hole championship Monday with forecasts showing chances of snow and ice for Tuesday causing the second round to be canceled. Monday s weather stayed tame with sunny skies and all players finished 18 holes and prizes were awarded accordingly. The two-man team format consisted of four-ball (better ball) stroke play. That format dictates that each team member play their own ball, with the team taking the lower score of each player on the hole. Four teams in the Overall Championship came in with a team score of 67. The Overall Championship contest consists of teams in the Professional Division and Champions Division. The team of Gary Robinson (a) of Fayetteville, NC and Preston Edmondson (a) of Morrisville, NC won the Overall Championship playoff with a birdie on the second playoff hole after tying 3 other teams with a 67. The team of Larry George, PGA and Bern Coulter, PGA won the Professional Division. They scored a 67 and lost in the Overall Championship playoff. The Champions Division was divided up into three age groups, with Robinson and Edmondson winning the Overall Champions Division, the Champions Age Group, as well as the Overall Championship. The team of Keith Waters (a) and Dean Channell (a) won the Champions Age Group, shooting a 67 and losing in the Overall Championship playoff. Terry Rathman (a) and Jim Hickman won the Champions 63 & Up Age Group. In the Overall Super Seniors Division, Rick Luzar (a) and Jim Rohr (a) shot a 1-under par 70 to take the division. With six total teams in the Super Seniors Division, there were no subsequent age groups. The CPGA would like to thank supporting sponsors Dave Davis of Greensboro, NC and Jason O Briant of Wake Forest, NC. Davis and O Briant represent The Golf Shop of Wake Forest and Lamkin Grips. The CPGA would also like to thank The Hasentree Club for hosting the event. Gary Robinson (a) and Preston Edmondson (a) of The PGA of America 13

Tournament Swing April 2013 20th Tar Heel Cup Matches Monday - Tuesday, March 24th - 25th, 2014 The Country Club of North Carolina - Pinehurst, NC North Carolina PGA Professionals - 5 pts.

14 Tournament Swing April th Tar Heel Cup Matches Monday - Tuesday, March 24th - 25th, 2014 The Country Club of North Carolina - Pinehurst, NC North Carolina PGA Professionals - 5 pts. North Carolina Amateurs - 7 pts. Holding a 3-1 lead after Monday s four-ball matches, the North Carolina Amateur team split the singles session with their North Carolina PGA Professional counterparts to win the 20th Tar Heel Cup Matches by a 7-5 final score. The professionals held leads in five matches and were all square in two other matches through 13 holes. But late rallies by Brian Westveer of Charlotte, NC, Jonathan Jackson of Chapel Hill, NC and Matt Crenshaw of Burlington, NC led to the amateur victory. Scott Harvey of Greensboro, NC also won his singles match with a decisive 5 and 4 score over Cory Schneider of Powells Point, NC. The Tar Heel Cup Matches consists of eight North Carolina amateur golfers squaring off against eight North Carolina PGA Professionals. The first round of the competition consisted of Four-Ball Matches with Singles Match Play format used on day two. Each match is worth one point of the final total. The amateur team has won the last three Tar Heel Cup Matches and holds a record in the last five years. The CPGA Professionals lead the all-time record at This event is jointly conducted by the Carolinas Golf Association and the Carolinas PGA Section. CPGA NC Professionals L-R: John Carter, John Faidley, Bryan Sullivan, Chris Haarlow, Rick Lewallen, Jeff Avant, Jeff Peck, & Cory Schneider of The PGA of America 14

15 Membership Updates and Announcements PAT Passers Palmetto Dunes 2/1-2/2 Timothy Ashley Michael Cloutier Matthew Demeo Adam Earnhardt Gary Grabovac Gary Mobley Evan Reilly Jason Rutoski Matthew Topel Zach Ziembo Hackler Course 2/23 Christopher Abbott Andrew Bailey Christopher Bolin Matthew Bosco Timothy Brant Christopher Convey Joseph DeMaio Derek Diesel Jacob Donohue Tanner Ervin Joshua Greene Michael Hamiltion Steven Luerssen Jacob Matthews Jonathan Monts Methodist 3/15-3/16 Kyle Gagne Caleb Acheson Meetings and Seminars To receive proper membership service requirement Credits, Carolinas PGA members must send copies of their MSR certificates or other documentation of the event to the Carolinas PGA office. Seminars outside The PGA or not on the approved list may be honored upon submission of documentation detailing the course content and length, as well as a certificate of completion or transcripts. If honored, MSR Credits will be awarded as stipulated by MSR Rules and Regulations. To view upcoming MSR opportunities as of December 4, 2013 please copy and paste the link below into your web browser. Meeting and Seminar Opportunities are updated weekly and available on our website: Half Century Members! Willian Delk, PGA Quarter Century Members! Daniel Agapion, PGA Walter Davis, PGA Mike Ingram, PGA Jim Kelechi, PGA Robert Mann, PGA Jeffrey Tallman, PGA of The PGA of America 15

16 Membership Updates and Announcements For Sale If you would like to place a For Sale Ad contact Sara Beth Gardocki via sgardocki@pgahq.com or by phone: (336) Thank you to our Partners and Sponsors Ahead USA American Express BB & T Bionic Glove Bushnell Bryan Foundation Carnoustie Cleveland Golf / Srixon Club Car Coopercraft Pens Evolve Golf E-Z-GO Dunning Golf Fairway & Greene The First Tee The Floyd Law Firm Footjoy Greg Norman Collection Global Golf Sales Golf Energy Bar Golf Max USA Great Shot Golf Greensboro Convention & Visitors Bureau Hargray Communications Heritage Classic Foundation Golf Shop of Wake Forest Hendrick Motorsports Isaacson Isaacson Sheridan & Fountain, LLP Kirk & Matz Leland Tourism Development Authority Mercedes-Benz Myrtle Beach Golf Course Owners Association National Car Rental Nike Golf Omega Pepsi PGA National Resort and Spa The PGA of America PGA TOUR Pro - Am Events PuzzleDuckGolf SignArt Southeast Value, Inc. Sterling Cut Glass Sundog Eyewear Taylormade-adidas Ashworth Titleist Toshiba The Turf Mall Waste Management Zero Restriction of The PGA of America 16

Board of Directors. Carolinas PGA Staff

Board of Directors. Carolinas PGA Staff Board of Directors Officers Chad Newton, PGA President newtonchad13@aol.com John Marino, PGA Vice President jmarino@oldchathamgolf.org Paige Cribb, PGA Secretary pgapaige@aol.com Mike Casto, PGA Honorary