The Professional
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Middle Atlantic PGA
April, 2016
The Professional Presented By
Junior Golf Edition In this Edition... Letter From the President
Player Development Update
Junior Golf Page
Career Column
Drive, Chip & Putt Feature
Upcoming Events
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Letter from the President Matthew Schulze, PGA MAPGA Members and Friends, I would like to first welcome our new presenting sponsor of The Professional, Celtic Golf. We appreciate their support of this publication and the MAPGA Professional. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Celtic Golf if you or any of your members are interested in taking a golf trip in Europe. For our second edition of The Professional presented by Celtic Golf, we wanted to focus on junior golf. The MAPGA has been very involved in the next generation of golfers and 2016 will be no different. I would like to first congratulate Bach Ngo, Paris Fieldings and Brian Feinstein for representing the MAPGA at this year’s Drive, Chip, and Putt Finals on Sunday April 3rd at Augusta National. Good luck to all three of them as I know they will represent our section well. In an effort to expand our footprint in 2016 the MAPGA has announced a new series called the Patriot Junior Series. These tournaments are designed to give more two day opportunities for local juniors at a competitive level and be cost conscience. Our first event of the series was the Spring Fling on March 24-25 which sold out and our next event is the Cherry Blossom Classic on May 21-22 at the University of Maryland Golf Club. With additional events set to take place in the fall, our goal is that this series becomes a great stepping stone into our Junior Invitationals. In additional to our Junior PGA Championship Invitational, we are also excited to announce a new junior invitational in partnership with the LPGA Kingsmill Championship. The Kingsmill Championship Junior Invitational will take place on May 14-15 on the River Course at Kingsmill Resort. These two events will feature the best junior golfers in the Middle Atlantic area and give the better player more reason to play with the MAPGA. And lastly, our Mini-Mulligans tour is entering its second year and is a great developmental tour for juniors ages 6-9. Events are either 3 or 6 hole tournaments and is prefect for the junior golfer just getting started in golf. I would like to thank all of our PGA Professionals for helping grow the game and supporting these MAPGA Junior Golf initiatives. If you are interested in helping grow these initiatives or have other ideas, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself, the Board, or the staff. Please make sure to visit MAPGA.com for the latest junior golf information and enjoy this edition of The Professional presented by Celtic Golf. Matthew Schulze, PGA
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MAPGA
Drive, Chi
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ip & Putt
The Road to Augusta
Photo via rock Bottom Golf
F
or the fourth straight year since the Drive, Chip and Putt competition was created, the Middle Atlantic PGA will be represented by multiple junior golfers at Augusta National during Masters Week. Bach Ngo, Paris Fieldings and Brian Feinstein will compete in three separate age divisions at the Masters after successfully qualifying at the regional competition at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. Tens of thousands of kids competed at 253 Drive, Chip and Putt local qualifiers and have funneled to the ultimate destination at Augusta National. After surviving local, sub-Regional and Regional Qualifiers, 10 boys and 10 girls will compete in each of 4 age groups at the National Finals. The MAPGA is excited for its three junior golfers to compete on national television April 4 in front of friends, family and the golfing world. Get to know the MAPGA competitors...
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Bach Ngo
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Boys 10-11 Division Frederick, Md.
Home Course/Club: PB Dye Golf Club in Ijamsville, Md. Instructors: Don Frost, PGA and Mike Kenny, PGA How would you describe yourself? BN: Awesome! I love math, golf and games. If I love something I work hard to make sure I’m good at it. What’s something that would surprise people about you? BN: People at school would be surprised I’m a good golfer. A lot of my friends don’t believe it! What is your dream foursome without professional golfers? BN: My Dad, Stephen Curry and Panda Po What super power would you want and why? BN: I would want the ability to cure disease and illness so I can help people. Most memorable golf shot? BN: Both were with my 9-iron. I hit a hole-in-one on hole 2 at PB Dye when I was 9-years-old and my approach shot on the final hole of the 2014 MAPGA Tour Championship that was inches from going in. Other than golf, what are some of your hobbies? BN: I love math, I want to be a mathematician. I like swimming, love games and I like to play soccer. Do you want to thank anyone for helping you reach Augusta? BN: I would like to thank my Dad, Mom, sister, my coaches, and golf friends that live in my neighborhood like Minh Le, Anphi Le and Faith Choi. What do you love most about golf? BN: I love the feeling of hitting pure iron shots or making long putts, especially in a tournament.
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Paris Fieldings
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Girls 10-11 Division Suffolk, Va.
Home Course/Club: Cahoon Plantation Golf Club in Chesapeake,Va. Instructor: Chris George, PGA at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg,Va. Favorite person to play with?: Bailey Shoemaker Club in your bag?: Gap wedge Emoji?: Song?: Starships by Nicki Minaj How would you describe yourself? PF: I belive I’m funny silly, amiable and kind. What is your dream foursome without professional golfers? PF: Selena Gomez, Condoleezza Rice, Serena Williams and Michael Breed What super power would you want and why? PF: I would want speed and invisible powers. If I am fast, I can beat the boys in races. Most memorable golf shot? PF: I had a double-eagle at Sleepy Hole Golf Course. It was amazing! Other than golf, what are some of your hobbies? PF: I like ping-pong, putt-putt, playing UNO and building with Legos. What do you want to accomplish in the future? PF: I would like to play on the LPGA Tour and later become an inventor. What is your greatest accomplishment? PF: Going to Augusta for DCP and getting a dog... (If my Dad will get me one this year)
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Brian Feinstein Boys 14-15 Division McLean, Va.
Home Course/Club: River Bend Golf Club in Great Falls,Va. Instructors: John Scott Rattan at Bethesda CC and Bob Stefano at Gardiner’s Bay CC Favorite person to play golf with?: Bob Stefano at Gardiner’s Bay CC Club in bag?: My driver Emoji: How would you describe yourself? BF: I believe I’m athletic, smart and nice to people. What’s something that would surprise people about you? BF: I think it would surprise people I play golf and I like to hunt and fish. What is your dream foursome without professional golfers? BF: Stephen Curry, Larry Fitzgerald and Derek Jeter What super power would you want and why? BF: Flying or super speed. It would make things more convenient and easier, also it would just be awesome. What do you love most about golf? BF: You can always be better at golf. What is your most memorable golf shot? BF: Definitely my hole-in-one. What will always make you happy? BF: Hanging out with friends and family, competing in golf.
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bushnellgolf.com
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Player Development A Message From Mike Aldrich, PGA
Engagement is a means to an end more engagement
Do you leverage the opportunities that are created every day? Opportunities in golf exist everywhere. Every day, there are hundreds of golfers and potential golfers who would like YOUR advice on how to enjoy golf more. Whether it is their questions about the last instructional video they watched on Youtube, their trepidation over an upcoming Monday scramble, or a parent just signed up their novice child for your PGA Junior League Golf Team. Perhaps Golf Digest just came out with their annual ratings of golf clubs or you meet a new member in the dining room. Each of these creates an opportunity to engage your golfers and create a deeper relationship and future. You can do the same with Drive, Chip & Putt. Parents (and kids) dream of an once-in-a-lifetime trip to Augusta National to compete in the Championship. You can make their dream a possibility. Offer them a series of group lessons to prepare them for the local qualifier. There will be a lot of excitement about the Masters and Drive Chip & Putt in the next few weeks. Ride the wave of excitement and time your classes right after the event. It can be as simple as offering a four week program with an hour each week on Drives, Chips, Putts and then a simulation of the actual completion, or see the attached document for a deeper dive into setting up programs to help your kids’ dreams become more likely. Drive, Chip & Putt Instruction this Spring could kick off the greatest year for Junior Golf at your facility. Contact Mike Aldrich, PGA maldrich@pgahq.com 703-728-9033 for more insight into engagement opportunities and specific tactics to execute at your facility. Mike strives to make the lives of you, his fellow PGA Professionals and the golfers you serve richer.
DCP Instruction Playbook http://bit.ly/1S6L2CO
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Junior Golf Events 2016 Mini-Mulligans Schedule June 29 July 11 July 14 July 21 July 26 July 27 August 1 August 3 August 8 August 9
Kick Off Party @ Topgolf Loudoun Chantilly National Golf & Country Club The Golf Club at Lansdowne Brambleton Golf Course Northwest Golf Club Crofton Country Club Springfield Golf & Country Club Needwood Golf Course Naval Academy Golf Course Bowling Green Country Club
Ashburn,VA Centreville,VA Lansdowne,VA Ashburn,VA Silver Spring, MD Crofton, MD Springfield,VA Derwood,MD Annapolis, MD Front Royal,VA
2016 Junior Tour Schedule June 20 June 22 June 23 June 24 June 27 June 28 June 29 June 30 July 5
Suburban Club Classic Pikesville, Md. Laytonsville GC Classic Gaithersburg, Md. Northwest Golf Club Classic Silver Spring, MD Westpark Golf Club Classic Leesburg,Va. Winchester Country Club Classic Winchester,Va. Shenandoah Golf Course Classic Front Royal,Va. Bowling Green Country Club Classic Front Royal,Va. Univ. of Maryland Golf Club Classic College Park, Md. 1757 Golf Club Classic Sterling,Va. Full Schedule
Special Events
Invite Only Two-Day Tournament May 14-15 Kingsmill River Course More Info.
Ryder Cup Style Two-Day Tournament Va. vs. Md. Aug. 20-21 CC of Virginia More Info.
Jr. PGA Qualifier Two-Day Tournament July 6-7 Dominion Valley CC More Info.
New for 2016 Two-Day Tournaments Two in Spring, Two in Fall More Info.
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Career Column Don Sweeting, PGA
Improve Your Employment Position by Adapting to New Trends Population Is Changing Millennials are replacing Boomers Different financial and time-management challenges Player Development with a family and youth focus essential Authenticity Is Golden Relationship building more effective than traditional advertising No substitute for just spending time with golfers/members Lesson Tee Rounds of golf Golf trips Seeing you on course/lesson tee = increased influence Word of mouth endorsements carried by social media are GOLD! Higher engagement = Higher retention Also check out Ian James, RetailTribe CEO; Article pages 68-72 “When there’s engagement between the PGA Professional and the golfer, there’s much less loss of golfers and more retention.”
Keswick Club, Keswick Va.
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Upcoming Section Events Section Events April 11
Britt Sloan Scramble
Manor CC - Rockville, Md.
April 18
Senior-Junior Championship
May 9-10
Match Play Phase I
Wintergreen Resort (Stoney Creek) - Nellysford,Va.
May 23
Club Car Pro-President
CC of Virginia (James River) - Richmond,Va.
June 6
National Car Rental Spring Pro-Scratch
June 20
Facility Championship
Woodholme CC - Pikesville, Md.
Piedmont Club - Haymarket,Va. Loudoun Golf & CC - Purcellville,Va.
Southern Chapter April 4
Southern Chapter Spring Meeting & Tournament
Kingsmill Resort (Woods) - Williamsburg,Va.
May 31
Southern Chapter Championship and Assistant Championship
Sept. 19
Southern Chapter Fall Meeting & Pro-Pro
Keswick Club - Charlottesville,Va. Willow Oaks CC - Richmond,Va.
Central Chapter May 31
Central Chapter Championship
Argyle CC - Silver Spring, Md.
June 27
Central Chapter Pro-Junior
Bethesda CC - Bethesda, Md.
Aug. 2
Central Chapter Assistant Championship
Laurel Hill GC - Lorton,Va.
Sept. 6
Central Chapter Fall Meeting & Pro-Asst
Creighton Farms - Aldie,Va.
Northern Chapter April 4
Northern Chapter Spring Meeting & Tournament
Bulle Rock GC - Havre De Grace, Md.
May 31
Northern Chapter Championship and Assistant Championship
Sept. 6
Northern Chapter Fall Meeting & Pro-Pro/Pro-Asst
Suburban Club - Pikesville, Md. Talbot CC - Easton, Md.
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Thank You to Our Junior Golf Partners
If you would like anthing published or have any story ideas/tips for The Professional, send all material to Ethan Brady at ebrady@pgahq.com We are looking for... Teaching Videos, Player Development Articles, PGA Professional Profiles, Advertisements, High Quality Photos from your Courses, Events and Tournaments, General Section News and Opinion Pieces This is a platform for all MAPGA Members, use it to your benefit!