Today, in front of their peers, we recognized our Indiana Section PGA Special Award winners at our Annual Spring Business Meeting in Muncie, Ind. Congratulations to all of our winners on this well deserved honor.
MERCHANDISERS OF THE YEAR
The Merchandiser of the Year Awards recognizes those PGA professionals who have demonstrated superior skills as merchandisers in the promotion of golf. The award is given for excellence in golf shop operations in three categories: Private, Resort and Public/Municipal/Military/Semi-Private. The following criteria are applied to all awards: PGA Member in good standing, credit rating with the industry, overall credit rating and community involvement. The candidates are judged in the following areas: merchandising ability and techniques, inventory levels and turn rate, shop display and attention to detail.
PUBLIC, JON GATES
Jon Gates is our 2022 Merchandiser of the Year in the Public category at Pretty Lake Golf Club. Gates believes that the backbone of successful merchandising is offering quality products at fair prices. Identifying the price points that fit with customers has proven to be successful and sales have increased significantly. Gates also thinks it is important to make a guest feel like a member for the day and provide an experience that is memorable and keeps guests coming back.
"Simple things like remembering names, hometowns, family members and favorite sports teams are not a common place in the public forum. By introducing this skill set, we have been able to capture a customer base that look to us as their golf expert. Non-member revenue is imperative for the profitability of the golf shop.”
MERCHANDISER OF THE YEAR – PRIVATE, DOUG HILL
Doug Hill is our 2022 Merchandiser of the Year in the Private category at Old Oakland Golf Club. Every year, Hill adjusts his merchandise plan to keep up with current trends, classic favorites, and new, inspiring ideas. He does, however, always maintain the same merchandise philosophy: to be the first and only stop for member’s golf and lifestyle merchandise needs.
Hill believes that building great relationships with members is extremely important, and always demonstrating that members are more than just customers.
“Asking members the right questions, educating them on good club fitting techniques, and explaining to them the benefits they can achieve through technology and innovation is a key factor in our merchandising philosophy”
MERCHANDISER OF THE YEAR – RESORT, RYAN STEELE
Ryan Steele is our 2022 Merchandiser of the Year in the Resort Category at Swan Lake Resort. Steele’s merchandising philosophy is to provide what his guests want at a price that provides value, while maintaining appropriate profitability for ownership. Steele also strives to bring in new products and new vendors, keeping things fresh, while encouraging guests to return for future purchases.
“In the end, we’ve got to take great care of people. If we can do that well, a successful operation will follow right along.”
ASSISTANT OF THE YEAR, BRIAN BUTLER
The Indiana PGA Assistant of the Year Award was established in 2001 and is designed to recognize an individual assistant golf professional for his/her dedication to the game and commitment to the profession. Criteria that are considered are: commitment to customer service and leadership ability. Brian Butler of Highland Golf & Country Club is our 2022 Assistant of the Year.
Butler has dedicated his career to the golf business, and has a strong work ethic and desire to continuously learn and improve himself and his staff. During the past year, he has taken time to become certified from Titleist, Callaway and TaylorMade on each company’s respective fitting system in order to provide the best service to his members.
Butler also leads the junior program at Highland, which began with 60 students his first year and now has grown to 124 students. He is also involved with the PGA HOPE program, and loves to interact with veterans, while also giving back to the game of golf.
Butler is described as, “a valuable asset to Highland with his knowledge of the game and embraces the meaning of being a PGA professional and all the different hats he wears. One of his strongest attributes is the professional image he maintains, as well as the level of integrity and character that he carries himself with.”
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT, DAN ROSS
The Player Development Award is designed to recognize a PGA Professional for extraordinary and exemplary contributions and achievements in the area of player development. This award considers the PGA Professionals impact on his/her facility and the game as a whole.
The following guidelines are used in selecting the award recipient; quality, quantity and diversity of player development programs, increase in rounds/revenues and player retention and use of Section and national player development initiatives. Dan Ross of Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex is our 2022 Player Development Award winner.
As the PGA Professional and Director of Instruction at Purdue University, Ross has had the unique opportunity to impact the growth of the game of golf, not only for his facility, but also for facilities around him. Ross leads many educational opportunities at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, including First Tee-Indiana programming, Drive Chip and Putt, and PGA Jr. League in the Youth Development area.
His most significant contribution has been the growth of the “Golf for Business and Life” and “Advanced Golf Applications” classes for Purdue University undergrad and graduate students. These beginner and advanced classes involve utilizing PGA members from neighboring golf facilities as well as emerging PGA teaching professionals to help with the instruction of the classes. The volume of students within the junior programs and university classes have provided opportunities under Ross' leadership for success collaboration with numerous other PGA Professionals.
Ross has also volunteered his time to help with the PGA Hope program at Prairie View Golf Course giving instruction to Veterans.
YOUTH PLAYER DEVELOPMENT AWARD – MIKE ASBELL
The Youth Player Development Award is designed to recognize a PGA Professional who is a leader in junior golf, reflects the qualities and ideals of those who work with our nation’s youth, and provides opportunities and experiences for junior golfers to learn and play golf.
The following criteria are used in the selection of the Youth Player Development Award winner: contributions to junior golf programs and events in the Indiana Section, involvement in the promotion and development of junior golf at his/her facility and also within the community and an overall integrity as an individual and acceptance by junior golfers as a person of outstanding character. Mike Asbell of Golf Club of Indiana is our 2022 Youth Player Development Award recipient.
Asbell believes that the journey for a junior to improve their golf game isn't limited to the just the months of May, June and July. This is why he builds and operates programs twelve months a year. During the in-school months, Asbell operates an After School Program that consistently provides 32-48 juniors through six to eight week sessions, with the opportunity to learn more about the game of golf and the incredible life principles it can teach. These programs reach students from Carmel, Westfield, Lebanon, Zionsville, Brownsburg, and Avon. During the summer, Asbell is in charge of an active four team, 48 player PGA Jr League, that was fortunate enough to win the 2021 Indiana State PGA Jr League Championship.
He also runs weekly summer golf camps that incorporates First Tee-Indiana curriculum. All new juniors that participate in Asbell’s summer camps are enrolled in First Tee-Indiana, allowing juniors to begin setting goals, developing practice routines, and learning fundamental scoring habits on the course.
When most clubs' programs begin to wind down in the fall, Asbell still provides juniors the opportunity to play and improve. He has a Fall PGA Jr League that has 40 juniors, as well as his continuing his After School Programs.
He also built a thorough 15-week program that is designed for competitive high school and middle school players to help them make improvements and changes to their swings during the cold winter months, and prep for the upcoming spring boys golf season and girls tournament schedules. This program not only goes over mechanics of the golf swing, but scoring principles, game management, tournament scheduling, goal making and stat tracking.
Overall Asbell's programs reach hundreds of children in his surrounding community.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD – RYAN FORD
The Professional Development Award is designed to recognize PGA professionals for their outstanding contributions to developing and improving educational opportunities for PGA members and associates. The guidelines for this award focus on contributions to educational programs and seminars both locally and for the Indiana Section. Ryan Ford of Pleasant Run Golf Course is our 2022 Professional Development Award winner.
Ford has served on the PGA Board of Directors on three occasions and is a current member. During his time on the Board, his primary focus has been education. He has assisted with the spring and fall seminars, as well serving as co-chair of the education committee.
Ford has been a PGA member since 2007 and has mentored over 10 golf professionals on their journey of becoming PGA members and then head golf professionals.
“It’s very easy to want to hold on and keep good professionals, but at the end of the day, that is not good for their growth and potential to be the best golf professional they can be.”
Ford also believes in the importance of playing golf as a PGA professional. He stresses to his staff the importance of going out and playing golf with pass holders, guests and participating In Indiana PGA events.
In 2020, Ford received the highest honor the Section awards, and was named the Golf Professional of the Year. He continues to excel personally and professionally and gives back to the game through his continuous mentorship of young associates.
BILL STRAUSBAUGH AWARD – PATRICK WHITE
The Bill Strausbaugh Award bestows special recognition on a PGA Golf Professional who personally displays outstanding integrity, character and leadership through a commitment to mentoring and making significant impacts on the careers of fellow PGA Professionals. Patrick White of Woodland Country Club is our 2022 Bill Strausbaugh Award recipient.
White has always strived to invest as much time and energy in helping others reach their goals as he has reaching his own. When interviewing potential employees, he treats it as a mentoring opportunity as opposed to a job interview. He stresses the importance of work-life balance, which he believes leads to a more productive and positive staff.
Through his time at Crooked Stick and now at Woodland, White has hired or helped to hire over 30 interns from PGM Universities and mentored Assistants on to Head Professional opportunities or quality Assistant Golf Professional positions.
“Patrick has been a top mentor of mine over the last few years,” said Nate Holm, Head Golf Professional at The Woodstock Club. “He has always shown interest in my career and shared examples of what it takes to get to the next level. I have never worked side by side with Patrick, however, the amount of knowledge, friendship, and encouragement he has given me to achieve my first Head Professional position shows how much he cares about the future of PGA Professionals.”
White has also been involved with all three Indiana Golf Boards – currently serving as Secretary of the PGA Board, while also serving on the Foundation and IGA-PGA Board of Directors.
DEACON PALMER AWARD – BOB NOWLING
The "Deacon Palmer Award" bestows special recognition on a PGA Golf Professional who personally displays outstanding integrity, character and leadership, in the effort to overcome a major obstacle in their life. This individual is an unsung hero/heroine at their facility and in their community, who serve to inspire, empower and assist others, both inside and outside of the game.
This award was first given in 2014 to Arnold Palmer in honor of his father, who the Award is named after. Bob Nowling of Rock Hollow Golf Course is our 2022 Deacon Palmer Award recipient.
Fostering a love for the game in new golfers has been the special mission of Nowling’s career. It was his focus while he was the PGA Professional at the Peru Municipal Golf Course and has become his primary purpose at Rock Hollow Golf Course over the last 10 years.
Eight years ago, Nowling was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which he continues to battle with continuous chemotherapy.
Despite his deteriorating health, Nowling has continued to cultivate a love of the game in others through tournament hosting and organization. At Rock Hollow, he has helped with numerous events including hosting of Indiana Junior Golf Tour events. He is responsible for the scoreboards, rules sheets, and many of the rulings. Additionally, he helps organize Rock Hollow’s First Tee and Junior League programs, offering instruction and encouragement to young golfers by attending practices and matches.
At Rock Hollow, Bob has been instrumental in the mobilizing of current members and attracting new membership. He often recruits multiple teams for the Rock Hollow pro-members and member-guest events.
He has also been a great representative of the PGA outside of the golfing community. Most recently, this Christmas he bought t-shirts with the logo for Rock Hollow’s “The Nowling” pro-member for each of the nurses and staff members on the wing of the IU clinic that has treated him. The shirts were printed in burgundy, the color used to promote multiple myeloma awareness.
“To me the Deacon Palmer award is for someone who perseveres and never feels sorry for himself,” said Todd Smith, PGA. “He continues to contribute. This epitomizes Bob Nowling. He has shown me a different side of the golf business. He was the most generous golf professional I have ever been around. His example has inspired me to look for ways I can help the people in my own life and community.”
TEACHER OF THE YEAR – BRUCE REARICK
The Teacher of the Year Award is presented to a PGA golf professional that has performed outstanding service as a golf instructor. Criteria to be considered are: overall performance as a golf professional at his/her facility, service to his/her Section and the Association, leadership ability, image and the ability of inspire fellow professionals and involvement in youth and adult game development programs. Bruce Rearick of the Golf School of Indiana is our 2022 Indiana Section PGA Teacher of the Year.
Rearick is regarded as one of the best in the putting community. He has players routinely fly in from around the world to see him for putting instruction. He has been an employee of the Arnold Palmer Organization for nearly 16 years and has had the opportunity to work with some of the most historic players in the game.
Most notably, he has instructed Mike Weir, Aaron Baddeley, Bo Van Pelt, as well as several Indiana Golf Amateur and Indiana PGA Open Champions.
He is the owner of Burnt Edges Consulting, a golf Industry consultant specializing in putter design, putter fitting and instruction. At Burnt Edges, Rearick provides a unique look into how vision plays a huge role in the entire putting process.
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GOLF PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR – BRITTANY KELLY
The PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award bestows special recognition on a PGA Golf Professional who has performed outstanding services as an overall PGA Professional. Winners must possess outstanding qualities of leadership, strong moral character and a substantial record of service to the Section and the game of golf. Brittany Kelly is our 2022 Indiana Section PGA Golf Professional of the Year.
Last year, the Indiana PGA and Indiana Golf lost an influential and inspirational member of our family, Brittany Kelly. Before Brittany’s passing, the Indiana PGA wanted to honor her tremendous career and she was recognized as the 2022 Indiana PGA Golf Professional of the Year.
Kelly was involved with Indiana Golf since she began playing in junior events with the Indiana Junior Tour. Anyone that knew Kelly, knew she was strong, hardworking, and an incredibly talented golfer. It was our honor to present her with this award.
After participating on the Junior Golf Tour, Kelly attended Ball State University where she was a three-time All-MAC selection – twice on the first team – and a two-time All-American Scholar. She also became the first Ball State women's golfer selected for an NCAA Regional her senior year. Kelly set BSU records for single-season scoring average (75.06), career average (76.43) and 54-hole tournament score (215). She went on to play two years on the LPGA Symetra Tour and then became one of the top playing and teaching PGA assistant professionals in the county, first at The Hawthorns Golf & Country Club in Fishers and most recently at Woodland Country Club in Carmel.
In 2019, Kelly was named the Indiana Women's PGA Player of the Year after leading Team USA to victory at the inaugural Women's PGA Cup, competing in her first LPGA major at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and winning the Indiana PGA Assistants Championship against a field of men. She also won her second Indiana Women's Open title in 2019 (previous win in ’06) to go along with the Indiana Women's Amateur championship she won while at Ball State in 2009. Kelly qualified for the National PGA Assistants Championship in 2016, 2017 and 2019 and for the PGA Professional National Championship in 2018 and 2020, competing against the men in both. She was also recognized as the Indiana PGA Assistant of the Year in 2017 – the first female to receive this award, and she was also named the Indiana PGA Women’s Player of the Year two years in a row (’19, ’20).
This April, Kelly was inducted into the Ball State Hall of Fame for her tremendous collegiate playing career – as the first female golfer to join the Hall of Fame.
In addition to her success on the golf course, Kelly also represented the Indiana section PGA as a PGA LEAD graduate, a two-year leadership development program created to provide a deep bench of PGA members from diverse backgrounds who aspire to ascend through the volunteer leadership ranks of the association, and she also served as an Indiana PGA section board member.
In addition to being named the 2022 Indiana PGA Golf Professional of the Year, the Indiana Section also named the Indiana PGA Women's Player of the Year after Kelly. Beginning this year, the award will officially be known as the Brittany Kelly Indiana PGA Women's Player of the Year Award.