Paul LoCicero, PGA 2014 Golf Professional of the Year

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1 Wisconsin PGA Announces 2014 Special Award Winners The Wisconsin Section, PGA is pleased to announce our 2014 WPGA Special Award winners. These awards recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of our Wisconsin PGA Professionals on and off the course. Award winners will be honored at a reception on Monday, March 3 rd at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wis. This reception is part of the Wisconsin PGA Spring Meeting and Product Showcase. Below is a list of the winners followed by a detailed write-up about each winner. WPGA Golf Professional of the Year Paul LoCicero, PGA - The Legend at Bristlecone Teacher of the Year Kevin Kihslinger, PGA - GolfTEC Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Ed Elsner, PGA Blackwolf Run/Whistling Straits Youth Player Development Award David Bobber, PGA The Legend Clubs Bill Strausbaugh Award Kevin Paluch, PGA Geneva National GC Player Development Award Todd Montaba, PGA Quit-Qui-Oc GC Horton Smith Award Scott Kennedy, PGA Prairie du Chien CC Merchandiser of the Year (Private) Kevin Kramp, PGA Hidden Glen GC Merchandiser of the Year (Public) Ryan Wieme, PGA University Ridge GC Merchandiser of the Year (Resort) Chris Goodwick, PGA Wild Rock GC Paul LoCicero, PGA 2014 Golf Professional of the Year Press Contact: Chris Hoel choel@pgahq.com (414) Paul LoCicero, PGA is the recipient of the WPGA s highest annual honor, the 2014 Golf Professional of the Year. Overall performance as a PGA Professional, contributions to the Wisconsin PGA, their promotion of the game and business of golf are the factors included in the Golf Professional of the Year selection. Paul has spent the past 20 years as a Head PGA Professional, with the first eleven at Oakwood Park GC and the last nine years at The Legend at Bristlecone. He has won numerous other awards through the WPGA including Public Merchandiser of the Year, Youth Player Development and two Horton Smith Awards. During the early days of Paul s career, he served on the Wisconsin Assistant Golf Professional Association board of directors and as its President for two years. This service led him to become involved with the WPGA board. He has spent the past 10 years on the board and is in the middle of his term as President. Service to the Association has always been high on Paul s agenda. He has served as Education Chair and Tournament Policy Board Chair in addition to his role as an officer. Educating himself has been the cornerstone of Paul s beliefs over the years. He is constantly reading and attending seminars about business of golf and other key topics. His dedication to bettering himself has helped to provide a better experience for the members and customers at his club. Paul has worked tirelessly at honing his skills in instruction and merchandising, while providing consistent leadership for the team at the facility. I am honored to be recognized by my peers as the 2014 WPGA Golf Professional of the Year. It was instilled in me from my early mentors, Steve Bull, PGA and Tom Benson, PGA, to give back to the game that has meant so much to me. We don t set out to earn accolades for our efforts but to win such an award is a highlight in my career.

2 Kevin Kihslinger, PGA 2014 Teacher of the Year Kevin Kihslinger, PGA has been named the 2014 WPGA Teacher of the Year, which is given out to the WPGA member that has shown excellence in the area of instruction and player development. Kevin, a 2003 graduate of Mississippi State, has been teaching and coaching at GolfTEC since he finished his time in the PGA/PGM program at MSU. Along with his new accolade Kevin was also recently recognized by Golf Digest one of the top ten instructors in the state of Wisconsin. The Waukesha native has also been recognized by GolfTec seven times within the company for their Outstanding Achievement in Instruction honor. Since Kevin started with GolfTec he has taught over 19,000 lessons. He will easily hit the 20,000 mark this season. However, it isn t the quantity of lessons but the success Kevin has accomplished in that time that is most impressive. Part of GolfTEC s program is that it tracks results closely and Kevin s students have shown great improvement. Just this past year a record number of his students had personal best scores and lowered their handicaps. Kevin strives to makes his students better by creating flexible, customized lesson programs and giving unparalleled service. He uses the latest in technology and motion analysis to help achieve positive results. Along with his year round indoor work on full swing analysis, Kevin spends countless hours during the summer months working on playing lessons with his students and short game tutorials outdoors. I am extremely honored to win the Wisconsin Teacher of the Year. It has been one of my career goals and something I have worked very hard to achieve. I take great pride in being a PGA Professional and winning this award inspires me to work harder to be the best coach I can be. Ed Elsner, PGA 2014 Assistant Professional of the Year Milwaukee native and current Kohler Company product, Ed Elsner, PGA was named the 2014 Assistant Professional of the Year for his contributions to the game, to his facility and to the WPGA Section. Ed s primary duty at Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits is to serve as their Tournament Coordinator, which is no small task considering the level of operations at the Kohler courses. In 2013 alone, over 600 corporate events resulted in over 20,000 rounds of golf. Ed works hand and hand with a qualified team of employees to help provide 5 star customer service to their guests and members. Along with his day-to-day duties he has taken on an active role in each of the major championships that Kohler has hosted the past 15 years. He has held the titles of Executive Vice Chairman of Marshalls / Scoring Operations and Chairman of Hospitality Services and Caddie Services during the different championships. As time and the championships have rolled by, his role and importance have continued to increase. For the 2015 PGA Championship, Ed will play the role of the VP of Scoring Operations. Through his duty he will oversee 1,000 volunteers performing tasks ranging from walking scorer to standard bearer to monster scoreboard operator. In addition to his day job, the Sheboygan Falls resident has spent the past 10 years working with the Future Collegiate World Tour during the offseason honing his tournament skills. He has become well versed in the rules of golf and the marking of golf courses. His work on

3 course marking has been counted on and seen at each and every Wisconsin PGA event held at the Kohler Company courses. This list includes, in part, multiple State Opens, the WPGA Match Play, and most recently multiple junior golf events during the summer. In 2013, Ed also spearheaded the acceptance of a two day, 36 hole WPGA Junior Foundation Players Tour event. To be recognized by the WPGA for this award is the most satisfying accomplishment in my professional career. I am very aware of how difficult the decision is to pick just one Assistant Professional out of the applicants that deserve it. I will be forever grateful that I was chosen. David Bobber, PGA 2014 Youth Player Development Award For the second time in the past five years, David Bobber has been named the WPGA Youth Development Award recipient. This award signifies excellence in and a dedication to developing young golfers. David is the Head PGA Professional at The Legend at Brandybrook and oversees the program for the Legend Clubs. Over 350 kids were active in the seven week program at The Legend Clubs that not only teaches golf, but utilizes the 9 Core Values of The First Tee in its curriculum. The UW-Green Bay graduate leads a team of nine golf professionals, 40 teaching assistants, two GCSAA Superintendents and all of the food and beverage personnel to ensure a high quality program. Junior golf doesn t stop at The Legend Clubs after the seven week summer program. Over 40 kids participate in the winter junior program at the club. Held from January-March the winter session keeps the juniors engaged throughout the year and features a final day field trip to the Currie Park Golf Dome. I am honored to be recognized with the 2014 Youth Player Development Award. I ve been given an opportunity to lead in an environment that supports junior golf. The owners, members and staff of The Legend Clubs are incredibly proud of what we do for our juniors and the future of golf. Along with his accolades for junior golf, David has also been honored by the WPGA as the 2004 Assistant Professional of the Year and 2008 Private Merchandiser of the Year. Kevin Paluch, PGA 2014 Bill Strausbaugh Award Chicago native and San Diego St. alumnus, Kevin Paluch, PGA is this year s WPGA Bill Strausbaugh Award winner. The Bill Strausbaugh Award is presented each year to the PGA member who has shown outstanding integrity, commitment to mentoring PGA Professionals and has made a significant impact on the careers of PGA Professionals. Kevin has been mentoring apprentices and PGA members alike during his 28 year career as a PGA member. He has worked at some of the finest facilities in the country including Singing Hills Resort, Fairbanks Ranch and Country Club, Dove Canyon Country Club and most recently as COO of Geneva National Resort. Kevin has also served as VP of Operations for the Paloma Golf Group overseeing six properties. During this time Kevin has worked extensively with over 25 PGA Head Professionals. In addition to his job at the Paloma Golf Group he has published a book entitled Par for Life, The Front Nine in which he shares with readers his passion for a healthy lifestyle and successful golf. Paluch has also been very active giving back to the community. He is the

4 President of the Geneva National Foundation that has raised over $1.9 million dollars for local charities providing for people with special needs in Walworth County. During my career, I had the opportunity to spend time with Mr. Strausbaugh, and as a PGA Member, this award holds the highest honor in my heart. Simply stated, this award represents an individual who develops and leaves behind a positive heart felt legacy. Making a significant difference by developing people through culture, influencing our industry, and helping change the world through people is the legacy I plan to leave behind. This is what Mr. Strausbaugh did, this is his legacy. There is no greater reward. Todd Montaba, PGA 2014 Player Development Award Todd Montaba, PGA is the recipient of the 9 th WPGA Player Development Award. Todd is the Head PGA Professional at Quit-Qui-Oc GC in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Player development is vital at all facilities and especially so in a small town setting. Todd, along with his spouse, Rachel, LPGA, have developed great programs during Todd s 24 years at the facility. Todd has focused on many of the PGA s initiatives including Get Golf Ready, Family Golf Month, PGA Free Lesson Month, Tee it Forward, Women s Golf Month, Patriot Day and most recently PGA Junior League Golf. Todd has taken Get Golf Ready and used its principles to develop their own Ladies Learn to Golf Program that features forty women learning the game in a fun atmosphere. The success of the ladies program has led directly to increased rounds and revenues from both golf and food and beverage. Along with this honor Todd has helped Qui-Qui-Oc GC earn several accolades from the Wisconsin Golf Course Owners plus the 2013 Elkhart Lake Small Business of the Year. I am so pleased to win the PGA Player Development Award. Receiving this award is truly humbling. I have the highest regard for the PGA, its officers, and the membership of this section. So to receive an award from my peers is the highest honor. My life has been full of challenges both personal and professional, but through it all I held on to the dream of becoming PGA Member. Once I became a PGA Member, I focused on becoming the best PGA Professional I possibly could be. This award is the highlight of my professional career. Scott Kennedy, PGA 2014 Horton Smith Trophy The Horton Smith Award is given annually to the member that contributes to education programs for the betterment of the members and/or apprentices in the WPGA. The 2014 winner is Scott Kennedy, PGA. This marks the second time that Scott has been honored for the award with the first time being in Scott has held a dual role of Head PGA Professional at Prairie du Chien CC and as Golf Course Manager Instructor for the Southwest Tech Golf Program. Scott s work from the inception of the program at Southwest Tech has been phenomenal. Scott has been the key factor in creating and enhancing the program over the years. He is presently working to amend the program so the graduated are ready to complete Level 1 of the PGA PGM Program. The program is geared to all facets of the industry and not just the professional

5 side. The courses range from food and beverage to agronomy to golf operations to instruction. The well-rounded program ensures that each student is ready to excel in the workforce in whichever area of expertise they pursue. Scott has had the pleasure of working with over 70 PGA members and apprentices in his years in the business. His students have an excellent reputation as interns during their college years and as future leaders in the industry. Kevin Kramp, PGA - Private Merchandiser of the Year The 2014 WPGA Private Merchandiser of the Year is Kevin Kramp, PGA of Hidden Glen at Bentdale Farms in Cedarburg, Wis. Kevin has been the PGA Head Professional at Hidden Glen for the past four seasons. Kramp, a 1994 Marquette graduate, previously was the Head Professional at Oakwood Park for six years. Kevin is a past Wisconsin Assistant Professional of the Year award winner and was named a Regional Fitter of the Year by PING in He is also presently listed as a top ten teacher in the state of Wisconsin by Golf Digest. During Kevin s time at Hidden Glen, the merchandise sales have increased by a little over 100% while maintaining better margins and lower ending inventories. One of Kevin s strengths lies in creating a welcome atmosphere for his customers to shop in, in a golf shop that doesn t always present itself that way. Kevin has always been a firm believer in utilizing his lesson program and club fitting to create customers for life. I am extremely excited for Hidden Glen and our golf shop staff to win this award. Without the help of our staff, sales representatives and guidance from other fellow PGA professionals, this would not have been possible. Thank you for this honor. Ryan Wieme, PGA - Public Merchandiser of the Year Ryan Wieme, PGA, the Head PGA Professional at University Ridge is the 2014 Public Merchandiser of the Year. This marks the second time that Ryan has been honored with this award. The 2001 UW-Madison graduate has been with University Ridge since 1999 and has been responsible for the merchandising operation since Ryan is also a past winner of the WPGA Assistant Professional of the Year marked quite a merchandising accomplishment for University Ridge. The club experienced a growth in sales compared to 2011 despite not opening until the end of May. (The course underwent renovations from Aug until May 2013). During that down time, the golf shop had time to refocus and create a wow experience for every customer. Ryan also has prided the golf shop on their work with large corporate events and also spectator events such as the WIAA State High School Championship. To be recognized by my peers, a group that understands the effort that goes into creating a great golf shop, is truly an honor. Chris Goodwick, PGA - Resort Merchandiser of the Year Wild Rock Golf Club s Chris Goodwick is the 2014 Resort Merchandiser of the Year. This marks the second time that Chris has won the award, with his other honor coming in 2006.

6 The Beloit native has used his 22 years of experience at both Geneva National GC and Wild Rock GC to build his merchandising philosophy. He also was privileged enough to play a key role in the design of the clubhouse at Wild Rock GC, which gave him the opportunity to incorporate his thoughts and ideas on what the golf shop should be. He is a firm believer in planning and preparation when it comes to merchandising. From start to finish he works hand in hand with his staff of golf professionals to create a successful buying plan, train golf shop staff and incorporate unique display techniques. With this type of team work Wild Rock Golf Club is able to present a first class merchandising operation. It s special to have won the Merchandiser of the Year. I never take anything for granted and I feel blessed for having been selected by my peers for this award. PGA Professionals throughout this state work hard each season within their own operations and being selected from amongst them is great honor.