The Coastal Corner

An update from your Area Director, Buddy Lawrence, PGA:

Employment

Overall the Atlantic Area is consistent with PGA staffing over the past 12 months, however, two clubs in our area are seeking 1^st Assistant Golf Professionals; Kinston Country Club (Kinston NC) and Morehead City Country Club (Morehead City, NC). Please contact Michael Muller for any Career Consultant needs.

Best Practices

Golf Demo Days are your chance to allow members and guest to try the newest clubs from all the best brands on your driving ranges. Customers love to receive an expert custom fitting from leading manufacturers and PGA Professionals. The best part the Demo Day is the traffic at your facility. Show the customer what your club has to offer and be sure to promote any promotions you may be offering. I always felt that Demo Days help me in two ways; 1) reduced the amount of clubs I had to stock and 2) allowed more room in the golf shop for soft goods with better margins. Call your manufactures today and schedule your Demo Day.

Facilities/Tournaments

May 21   Carolina Colours Pro-Am (Carolinas Colours – New Bern NC)
May 31   Happy Jack Pro-Am (Kinston Country Club – Kinston NC)
June 19  Drive Chip & Putt Ironwood Golf & Country Club – Greenville NC)
Please contact Area Director Buddy Lawrence to volunteer.

Buddy Lawrence - Area X Director
General Manager
Albemarle Plantation
(252) 426-4653
buddy.lawrence@albemarleplatation.com

Carolinas PGA President Paige Cribb - Section Update

I hope your spring is off to a good start.  I look forward to providing you quarterly updates on section activity.  The Officers and I have a monthly phone call with Executive Director Jeff Abbot to stay informed between our face-to-face board meetings.  I wanted to share a few of the highlights from the first quarter.

Big Week was a “big” success.  We received wonderful feedback on the meeting, speakers and merchandise show.  All of the merchandise booths were sold out for the third consecutive year.  The new venue of Greensboro CC for the Club Car CPGA Awards Dinner was also well received.  Plans have already begun for 2019 Big Week!

The CPGA Global Golf Sales Area Meetings were well attended and recently concluded.  Congratulations to A.J. Sikula (Area IV), Jim Lohbauer (Area VI) and Marshall Stott (Area VIII) who were elected as Area Directors and immediately appointed to serve on the board.  Steven Hartwig (Area II) and Dan O’Boyle (Area X) were elected and will start in February 2019. 

I appointed our Committee Chairs shortly after Big Week.  The chairs have been working to finalize their committee members, and the directory will be posted to the section website by mid-May.  We are excited to add a new PGA REACH Committee to provide direction on youth player development, military/HOPE initiatives and diversity & inclusion.

Registration opens on May 15^th for the inaugural PGA REACH Harvick4Heroes Charity Pro-Am on Monday, October 1^st at Charlotte CC.  This is the main fundraiser for our PGA REACH Carolinas Foundation.  Teams are $5,000 (1 Pro-4 Ams) and all participants will receive a $500 tee gift package featuring a Scotty Cameron putter.  We are playing Charlotte CC the week after it hosts the USGA Mid-Am, so the course will be in pristine condition.  We plan to have sponsors, food and beverage on nearly every hole, so this will be a can’t miss event!! 

Our 2017 PGA Works Fellow Jessica Asbury accepted the PGA REACH Carolinas Coordinator full time position on May 1^st.  Our new 2018 PGA Works Fellow is Telvin Walker, a recent graduate of Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC.  Telvin will start on May 14^th, after spending  the past year working at the East Potomac Golf Course in Washington DC.  We also welcome our three new tournament interns this month:  Paul Zeuschner of Coastal Carolina, Brandon Moore of Middle Tennessee State and Ben Weeks from the University of Georgia.

Our next board meeting is June 18 & 19 at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst.  We have a busy agenda as we continue to serve you and grow the game.  Please reach out to me if you have any questions or issues you would like to discuss.  Get out and play some golf, and don’t forget to complete all of your MSR requirements before the June 30^th deadline!

Sincerely,

Paige Cribb, PGA 
President
Carolinas PGA