Colorado PGA Awards

GalaFriday, November 6, 2015

Colorado Golf ClubParker, Colorado

Celebrating Exceptional Service to the Game of Golf!

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This Evening’s Program

WelcomeCathy Matthews-Kane, PGA

2015 Awards Committee Chair

InvocationEddie Ainsworth, PGA

Colorado PGA Executive Director

Dinner

Presentation of AwardsJoe Cole

Fox21 News - Colorado Springs, CO

Joe Cole is the News Director and Weekday Anchor for FOX21 News. After more than 15

years now in Colorado Springs he is happy to call southern Colorado home.

Joe started his career in broadcasting as a re-porter for the Fox Affiliate in Fresno, California. He then moved behind the anchor desk as a morning anchor in Medford, Oregon followed by a short stint at KRDO right here in Colorado Springs.

On March 11, 2001, Joe anchored the first-ever broadcast of FOX21 News at Nine.

Joe is graduate of the University of Alabama (Roll Tide as he likes to say) where he received his degree in Broadcasting and a double minor in Psy-chology and Speech Communications.

When not with his family you’ll find him either enjoying a round of golf or playing baseball.

Master of CeremoniesJoe ColeFOX21 News - Colorado Springs

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Dear Guests,

Welcome to the 20th Annual Colorado Section PGA Special Awards Gala to present awards for outstanding performances and superior achieve-ments of Colorado Section PGA Professionals and members of the golf community. The awards recognize extraordinary accomplishments both on and off the course to celebrate exceptional service to the game of golf.

The nomination process started in October at the 2014 Fall Meeting with individuals being nominated by their peers. The candidates were then notified to complete a detailed packet for review. After careful con-sideration and discussion, the Awards Committee in July selected the 2015 Colorado PGA Special Award winners honored this evening.

None of this would be possible without the commitment and support of the Colorado PGA Special Awards Committee. I’d like to thank the follow-ing people for being part of that committee; Jim Hajek, PGA, Graham Cliff, PGA, Josh Miller, PGA, Gene Miranda, PGA, George Kahrhoff, PGA and Beau Smith, PGA.

Please sit back, enjoy the meal, the beautiful Colorado Golf Club and to-night’s presentation.

Thank you for being here to celebrate with us this evening,

Cathy Matthews-Kane, PGAClub General ManagerCheyenne Mountain Resort and Country Club2015 Colorado PGA Awards Committee Chair

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2015 Colorado PGA Award HonoreesNoble Chalfant Inductee

Ann Finke, PGA | Country Club of Colorado Noble Chalfant Inductee

Ken Krieger, PGA | Cheyenne Country ClubPresident’s Award

Kevin Laura | Colorado Open Golf FoundationTodd Phipers Award

Jerry Walters | In The FairwayApprentice Player of the Year

Dan Augustine | The Country Club at Castle PinesOMEGA Senior Player of the Year

Dale Smigelsky, PGA | Collindale Golf CourseOMEGA Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year Geoff Keffer, PGA | Aurora Hills Golf Course

Public Merchandiser of the YearMark Pfingston, PGA | The Golf Club at Bear Dance

Private Merchandiser of the YearKirk Rider, PGA | Bear Creek Golf Club

Resort Merchandiser of the YearMike Swan, PGA | The Club at Crested Butte

TaylorMade Assistant Professional of the YearTristen Fay, PGA | Denver Country Club

Youth Player Development AwardRudy Castaneda, PGA | Indian Tree Golf Club

Player Development AwardKyle Voska, PGA | The Links Golf Course

Teacher of the Year Dennis Murray, PGA | Valley Country Club

Warren Smith AwardAlan Abrams, PGA - Indian Tree Golf Club

Horton Smith Award Andy Hilts, PGA | GolfTecBill Strausbaugh Award

Kevin Sanger, PGA | Colorado Springs Country ClubGolf Professional of the Century

Charles “Vic” Kline, PGA | Indian Tree Golf ClubPGA of America Public Merchandiser of the Year

Jim Hajek, PGA – Fossil Trace Golf ClubProfessional of the Year

Joe Assell, PGA - GolfTEC

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The Colorado PGA is proud to announce that Ann Finke, PGA

has been recognized as a 2015 Noble Chalfant Inductee.

Born in Scottsbluff, Neb., Finke was introduced to golf by her grand-mother, who guided her through the game’s fundamentals and into becoming a solid amateur player. In 1974, Finke became the first female from her high school to receive an athletic scholarship in any sport,

and joined the golf team at the U. of New Mexico.

Finke admit-ted that she reached a moment of truth in the game, which occurred in her first year at the University of New Mexico. She left the game for two years, because she said that she had always played golf “because I loved it. Being told to prac-tice and play and where and when was so different. I was

not very comfort-able with it.”

F i n k e ’ s c a r e e r includes s e v e r a l member-ship mile-s t o n e s . She was the first w o m a n PGA club professional in the history of the Colorado PGA Section; and in 2008 was the ninth female PGA Professional to gain Quarter Century Club membership.

“I’m most proud of the kind of juniors I get to work with on a daily basis,” Finke said of the 450 stu-dents she works with on an annual basis at both The Country Club of Colorado and in other junior pro-grams. “The kids I get to meet are some of the best people I have met in golf. They come from all over the city and throughout the region. Most of them have a desire for a good education and are really nice kids. In fact, I have been at my club long enough to be teaching the kids of the kids I first taught.”

The Colorado PGA could not be more proud to add Ann Finke to the list of Colorado PGA Noble Chalfan Inductees.

Noble Chalfant InducteeAnn Finke, PGACountry Club of Colorado

Noble Chalfant Inductees2014Jim Cook, PGAGregg Jones, PGA

2013Barry Jennings, PGARalph Haddad, PGAPaul McMullen, PGA

2012Marv Mazone, PGAKeith Schneider, PGAGene Miranda, PGAJohn Merrihew, PGA

2011Ray Bostich, PGAWinston Howe, Jr.Jim Johnson, PGAWilliam Lawe, PGA

2010John Trenck III, PGAVic Kline, PGAPaul Ranson, PGAHarold Sommers, PGARalph Sites, PGA

2009Bill Jeliffe, PGAJoe Dowe, PGAGene Root, PGAKenneth Wright, PGANoble Chalfant, PGABob Beylupek, PGAJoe Moniz, PGATex McCharen, PGA

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The Colorado PGA is proud to announce that Ken Krieger,

PGA has been recognized as a 2015 Noble Chalfant Inductee.

Krieger, the current Head Profes-sional at Cheyenne Country Club, grew up in Aurora and is to this day one of the most decorated athletes at Aurora Central High School. He was a three year letterman, finished third in the High School State Tour-nament and was selected to the All-State Team.

He went on to earn a full golf schol-arship to Georgia Southern Univer-sity. As a collegiate athlete, Ken was a four year letterman, gaining All Conference honors. His senior year

of college, he was se-lected to the C o l l e g i a t e All-American Golf Team.

Ken began his career working in the Denver metro area at Valley Country Club, Inverness Golf Club, and a few other f a c i l i t i e s . In 1987 he moved north of the border when he took over as Head

P r o f e s -sional at Cheyenne Country Club. Ken has re-mained as Cheyenne Country Club to this day.

Within the S e c t i o n ranks, Ken is known as one of the best players to have ever been a member of the Section. He is a three-time champion of the Colorado PGA Professional Cham-pionship, having won the event each year from 1996 to 1998. He was named the Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year in 1996and 1997. He captured the 2008 Colorado Senior PGA Professional Cham-pionship and has been a part of numerous Colorado Cup and Taylor Cup teams.

At the national level, Ken compet-ed in five USGA Championships. He competed at in the1973 and 1977 US Amateur. He went on to compete in the US Open in 1981, 1989, and 2000. He also qualified for the 1993 PGA Championship.

For his dedication to the game of golf and for his illustrious playing career, the Colorado PGA is thrilled to include Ken Krieger as a 2015 Noble Chalfant Inductee.

Noble Chalfant Inductees

In honor of Noble Chal-fant’s exemplary work in establishing the Colorado Section, the Board of Directors has created the Noble Chalfant Award for Career Achievement. This award is to honor those Colorado Section PGA Members who have served as an Ambassador to the Section, their golf facility and the game of golf.

For their career achieve-ments serving as ambas-sadors to the Section, their golf facilities and the game of golf, the Colorado Section PGA is proud to honor those listed as the Class of 2015 Noble Chalfant Award Inductees.

Noble Chalfant InducteeKen Krieger, PGACheyenne Country Club

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President’s AwardKevin LauraColorado Open Golf Foundation

Kevin Laura, the CEO of the Col-orado Open Golf Foundation,

has been named the 2015 Colorado PGA President’s Award winner. The President’s Award is given annually to an individual who through their efforts and contributions have promoted and enhanced the PGA Professional, the Section, and the game of golf and contributed to the betterment of the golf professional vocation.

“Kevin has been instrumental in the growth of the game in Colorado,” noted Eddie Ainsworth, Colorado PGA Executive Director. “He has helped move the needle in terms of growing the game as much as anybody in this great state over the last ten years.”

Laura, a Colorado native and a gradu-ate of the University of Colorado-Boul-der, where he majored in Marketing and was an Evans Scholar, has held a number of golf related positions within the state. Immediately following grad-uation, Kevin joined the staff of The IN-TERNATIONAL Tournament at Castle Pines. He moved on from there to run events on the Champions Tour before moving to Southern California to head up sports marketing for Mazda Motors of America’s advertising agency, FCB Orange County. In 1995, Kevin re-turned to Colorado when he accepted the position of Vice President of Sales at Imperial Headwear. In 1997, Kevin moved back into event management when he founded KML Golf, LLC. Kevin returned to The INTERNATIONAL in 2006 as their Director of Business De-

velopment b e f o r e m o v i n g on to the Colorado Open Golf F o u n -d a t i o n in 2007, where he s t a r t e d out as the Director of Sales and Marketing. T o d a y , Laura serves as the CEO of the Colo-rado Open Golf Foundation, the Pres-ident of Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, and as the Tournament Director of the Jack A. Vickers Invitational hosted by John Elway.

In addition to his career in the industry, Kevin has volunteered countless hours to the game of golf. He was appoint-ed President of the CGA in February 2006, where he spent two years in that role. He is also a Director of the Western Golf Association, a member of the USGA Regional Affairs Com-mittee, and a board member of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

For his dedication to the game and for his promotion and enhancement of Colorado PGA Professionals, the Colorado PGA is honored to name Kevin Laura the recipient of the 2015 President’s Award.

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The Colorado PGA is proud to announce that Jerry Walters,

host of In The Fairway on 104.3 The FAN radio in Denver is the 2015 Todd Phipers Award Winner.

Named after the last Denver Post sports writer, the Todd Phipers Media Award recognizes individuals for their contributions in the area of promotion and public aware-ness, and has helped to elevate the status of the PGA professional and Colorado Section. Contributions to the Section programs, scope of ex-posure and results of exposure are considered. This is the second time Walters has won the award.

Jerry is a noted putting guru. He spent more than ten years working for a Denver based putter company, representing them on both the PGA Tour and the Web.com Tour. He spent time teaching short game instruction at the Trent Wearner Golf Academy and currently serves as Manager of Instructor Programs with Eyeline Golf, a leader in the golf training aid industry, servicing tour players, instructors and coaches worldwide.

Walters has been a fixture in the Denver media market since 1993. He has hosted a number of golf relation radio and television shows, including Chip Shots, and In The Fairway on 105.5 ESPN and now 104.3 The FAN. He has written for

Colorado AvidGolf-er and currently is a con-t r ibutor to Divot Magazine, as well as serving as a courser-a t i n g pane l i st for Golf D i g e s t magazine.

This isn’t the first time Walters has been recognized for his promotions and public awareness. He was named the 2012 Ralph Moore Media Person of the Year by the Colorado Open Foundation. He received the Colorado Golf Association Media Person of the Year award in 2001 and 2010. And in 2003, he won this award for the first time.

For his contributions in promoting, elevating and being a true friend of the Colorado PGA, we are happy to announce that Jerry Walters is the 2015 Todd Phipers Award winner.

Todd Phipers Media AwardJerry WaltersIn The Fairway

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Dan Augustine, Apprentice Pro-fessional at The Country Club

at Castle Pines has earned the 2015 Colorado PGA Apprentice Player of the Year. Augustine, a native of Schaumburg, Illinois.

“I am very excited to earn this award and so proud to do so since it was on the top of my goal list for the 2015 season,” noted Augustine after the year concluded. “I am honored and humbled by the award and look forward to trying to defend the title next year. After finishing up my apprenticeship, I look forward to competing for section player of the year once I become a full member of the PGA of America.”

Dan’s season began strong as posted three top three finishes to begin the year. He finished third in the first Stroke Play event of the year, partnered with Tyler Parsloe to finish third at the Myran Craig Pro-Pro Championship and part-nered with Graham Cliff and Erik Billinger to win the 2015 Pro-Pro-Pro Championship at the Club at Ravenna. He played well in the As-sistants Match Play Championship as well as the Section Match Play Championship and finished the year by winning the Apprentice Division at the West Chapter Championship.

Augustine is no stranger to compet-itive golf. He played on mini-tour’s for a number of years. He compet-ed on the Hooter’s Tour and the

Maverick Tour while playing in M o n d a y Qualifier’s on the N a t i o n -wide Tour. His last year com-p e t i n g full-time was 2008 when he m a d e three of the first four cuts of the year on the Gateway Tour.

In 2012 he won the Vince Smith Award for the lowest stroke average in the Southwest Chapter of the South Florida PGA after compiling a 67.5 scoring average.

Working in the golf industry has always been in Dan’s blood. He grew up caddying at Medinah Country Club and has worked at Oakland Hills Country Club, Naples National Golf Club, and The Bonita Bay Club prior to coming to Colo-rado in

For his superb skills on the golf course, the Colorado PGA is thrilled to name Dan Augustine the 2015 Apprentice Player of the Year.

Apprentice Player of the YearDan AugustineThe Country Club at Castle Pines

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OMEGA Senior Player of the YearDale Smigelsky, PGACollindale Golf Club

Dale Smigelsky, PGA Direc-tor of Golf at Collindale Golf

Course in Ft. Collins, CO is the 2015 OMEGA Senior Player of the Year.

The award goes to member for their exceptional play throughout the past year and in representing PGA Professionals with distinction in competition.

Smigelsky won four events on the 2015 calendar to de-thrown Doug Rohrbaugh after he had won the award the past three years in a row.

Dale began the year with a win at the Fox Hill Club Pro Am and fol-lowed that up with another Pro Am victory when he finished tied for first at the Greeley Country Club Scratch Pro Am. He added to his strong year after finishing eleventh among Colorado PGA Profession-als at the 2015 HealthONE Colora-do Open.

The highlight of his season was when he posted a come from behind victory over Jeff Hanson, PGA Director of Golf at Red Sky Golf Club during the 2015 Colorado Senior PGA Professional Champi-onship. Dale posted a three-un-der-par 139 to beat out a group of players that included many past champions of the event.

The victory was Dale’s first Senior Championship and came twelve years after he won the Colorado

PGA Pro-fessional Champi-onship.

In all, Dale p o s t e d 11 top-10 f i n i s h e s in 2015 to total 4,953.81 p o i n t s to edge out Rick Cole, PGA Head Professional from Eaton Country Club by less than 400 points.

Smigelsky has spent the last 21 years working for the City of Ft. Collins. He began as an Assistant Professional at Collindale and then spent time as the Head Professional at City Park Nine Golf Course and Southridge Golf Course before taking over as the Head Profession-al at Collindale Golf Club in 2008.

This isn’t the first honor for Smi-gelsky. He was named the 2010 Colorado PGA Public Merchandis-er of the Year and in 2012, he was honored by the PGA of America as the Public Merchandiser of the Year.

The Colorado PGA is proud to honor Dale Smigelsky as the 2015 OMEGA Senior Player of the Year for his excellent skills competing on the golf course.

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OMEGA Dow Finsterwald Player of the YearGeoff Keffer, PGAAurora Hills Golf Course

Geoff Keffer, PGA Assistant Professional at Aurora Hills

Golf Course is the 2015 OMEGA Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year. At this rate, the title may soon be called the OMEGA Dow Finster-wald - Geoff Keffer Player of the Year title. While the name may be long, it may be appropriate as Keffer has won the award the last two years and three of the last four.

“One of my goals this year is to repeat as the Player of the Year,” noted Keffer early in the year. That goal was accomplished and then some!

Keffer didn’t excel in just a few events this year. He notched 23 top-10 finishes from the beginning of the season in 2014 through the Season Championship this year. He posted victories at two of the four majors on the Colorado PGA schedule; the National Car Rental Colorado Assistant Professional Championship (for the third time in a row) and the Colorado PGA West Chapter Championship. He also posted victories in the Ft. Collins Country Club, Colorado Golf Hall of Fame and Aspen Glen Golf Club Pro Am’s. He wrapped up the season by tying for fifth in the season-long Match Play Championship and fin-

ishing in s e c o n d p l a c e at the S e a s o n Champi-onship.

K e f f e r also had a strong s e a s o n o u t s i d e C o l o r a -do PGA events. He made the cut at the 2015 PGA Professional National Champi-onship and finished in twelfth place at the HealthONE Colorado Open.

A native of Lakewood, Colorado, Keffer had a decorated playing career prior to becoming a PGA Professional. He competed as a junior on the Wheat Ridge High School golf team and won the 1996 CGA Junior Stroke Play Championship.

For his exceptional playing ability and in representing PGA Profes-sionals with distinction in competi-tion, PGA Professional Geoff Keffer is the 2015 OMEGA Dow Finster-wald Player of the Year.

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Public Merchandiser of the YearMark Pfingston, PGAThe Golf Club at Bear Dance

Mark Pfingston, PGA Head Golf Professional at The Golf Club

at Bear Dance has been named as the 2015 Colorado PGA Public Merchandiser of the year. 

This is the second award for Pfingston and the third time during his tenure that Bear Dance has been awarded this honor.

Mark is proud to have grown up in a Military family in San Antonio, TX and graduated from Rice Universi-ty, Houston Texas where he was a two time All-Southwest Conference golfer as well as the 1989 Southwest Conference Individual Medalist.

Pfingson, who has been a member since 2002, spent the beginning of his career at military golf courses as his wife served in the United States Air Force. He began at Andrew Air Force Base in Maryland before stints at Cypress Lakes Golf Course at Travis Air Force Base and The Warren Club at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He served as an Assistant Professional at the Chevy Chase Club before joining the team at The Golf Club at Bear Dance in early 2003.

Mark and his staff at Bear Dance have one goal. To create raving fans by exceeding customer expec-tations in all they do. To accomplish their mission, Mark has incorporat-ed three pillars into the philosophy.

First, they follow a strategic buying strategy that incorporates val-ue-based pricing and the highest quality of goods at an affordable price. They pride themselves on

of fer ing products that span g e n e ra -tions to i n c l u d e b r i g h t , t e c h fabrics as well as the tradition-al, classic designs.

T h e s e c o n d pillar to his merchandising strategy is that Mark tries to infuse their brand into every aspect of their merchandise sales. Known throughout the golf community for their distinct Bear Paw logo, they have created entire, custom lines of accessories based on the logo.

The final pillar Pfingston has incor-porated is to create unique visual displays. “We catch their attention with the use of great coloring, unique props and striking visual displays to create an appealing environment to make a purchase,” Pfingston said during his applica-tion process.

The Golf Club at Bear Dance is rou-tinely recognized as the Top Denver Area Public Course many times, including this past 2015 season, by Colorado AvidGolfer.

The Colorado PGA is thrilled to recognized Mark Pfingston and The Golf Club at Bear Dance as the 2015 Public Merchandiser of the Year.

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Private Merchandiser of the YearKirk Rider, PGABear Creek Golf Club

Kirk Rider, the PGA Head Pro-fessional at Bear Creek Golf

Club in Denver, Colorado has been named the 2015 Colorado PGA Private Merchandiser of the Year.

Rider, who began his career in 1991 in the golf industry in his home state of Indiana as an Assistant Professional at Broadmoor Country Club in Indianapolis, hired by Dennis Murray to join the staff at Bear Creek Golf Club in 1997. He spent twelve years as an Assistant Professional under Scott Walter before taking over the role of Head Professional and Golf Shop owner at the beginning of 2012.

“I have been very fortunate in all of my 24 years in the golf industry to only be exposed to those golf pro-fessionals who own their own mer-chandise concession,” noted Rider of his career. “It has given me the knowledge and experience to be a successful owner and merchandis-er myself.”

And while he owns the shop at Bear Creek, Rider entrusts each of his staff members to take on ownership of the operation. “I believe it is important to give my staff the responsibility of being a part of the buying plan,” he said. “I give them the opportunity to pur-chase product like it was their own money…and I listen to their ideas and thoughts.”

The team expands outside of the golf shop at Bear Creek to the entire

m e m -bership. “We have a small m e m -b e r s h i p at Bear Creek so it is im-perat ive to create a mer-chandise plan to meet their n e e d s . They are committed and loyal to the golf shop because they know there is nowhere in town where they can get better pricing, a better fit, or more quality products (than at Bear Creek).”

Aside from the team at Bear Creek, Kirk does rely on a few other keys to his merchandise philosophy. He is committed to putting togeth-er the best Custom Club Fitting experience he can and it shows; more than half of the merchandise sold in his shop is custom hard goods. He also works diligently to communicate with his membership and partners with local vendors, like Compleat Lifestyle, to create custom promotions within his shop.

For his success both as a business person and a merchandiser, the Colorado PGA is proud to name Kirk Rider the 2015 Colorado PGA Private Merchandiser of the Year.

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Resort Merchandiser of the YearMike Swan, PGAThe Club at Crested Butte

Colorado is known far and wide as a winter wonderland; right-

fully so. Many places in Colorado sit covered in snow much of the year and enjoy just a brief jaunt into the heat of summer. Nowhere is that more true than in Crested Butte, Colorado which makes it all the more impressive that Mike Swan, PGA Head Professional at The Club at Crested Butte has been named the 2015 Colorado PGA Resort Merchandiser of the Year.

“Being at one of the highest ele-vation golf courses in the United States presents its unique challeng-es”, noted Swan. “We only see real golf traffic at our facility from the end of June until the end of August. A majority of our guests will walk through the shop only once per year.”

When it comes to hard goods, Swan learned that his guests usually have new equipment by the time they make their way to him so he changed things up. “I decided to pair down to one vendor so that I could maximize our dollars spent on hard goods. Because I consoli-dated to one vendor, I receive all of the latest and greatest equipment. ”

Another change he implemented involved doing away with his end-of-year sale by keeping a constant vigil on his inventory. “If I see a par-ticular vendor or style not moving, we will put it on sale immediately and try to move it during our higher traffic months. We slow down so much in the late summer and early fall that even if items are on sale, we

don’t see e n o u g h traffic to move it.”

While all of these l i t t l e t h i n g s h a v e added up to a sig-n i f i c a n t change at The Club at Crested B u t t e , the biggest change came from the overall five-year plan to transform both the aforementioned opera-tion, but also the golf shop itself. In Mike’s first year on the job, he created and developed a proposal that outlined an entire transforma-tion of golf shop. The layout was completely redone, resulting in an increase of 50% more floor space for retail operations and better flow.

“I believe understanding what and who we are is the biggest key to being a successful merchandiser,” Swan had to say. “We need to sell as much as we can in a two-month period without discounting,” he said in reference to what they are. “Having a staff that is educated, friendly and responsible is price-less.”

For his dedication, creativity and hard-work, the Colorado PGA is thrilled to honor Mike Swan as the 2015 Colorado PGA Resort Merchandiser of the Year.

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Assistant Golf Professional of the Yearpresented by TaylorMade/AdidasTristen Fay, PGADenver Country Club

Tristen Fay, the first Assistant Professional at Denver Country

Club, has been named the 2015 Colorado PGA Assistant Profes-sional of the Year.

The Assistant Professional honor is one of the highest honors the Colorado PGA can bestow on a working club professional whose total contributions to the game best exemplify the complete PGA Professional.

Tristen is a leader among the staff at Denver Country Club where it is his goal to help the staff under-stand the operational objectives of the club and to do so in a positive and supportive manner. In his role, he oversees all of the hard good categories at Denver Country Club and piloted a new recruiting and training program for PGA PGM stu-dents.

“Tristen has a passion for not only the game of golf but the overall business of golf,” noted Steve David, PGA Head Professional at Denver Country Club. “He constantly con-tinues to improve his knowledge in products, technology and service.”

Fay’s leadership at Denver Country Club is a by-product of years of

d e d i -c a t i o n . Growing up he w o r k e d his way up th rough the Boy Scouts of America to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, a distinction less than 6% of all scouts ever earn. After entering the UCCS PGA PGM program, Tristen served as the President, Vice President and Class Representative of the Student Society. He went on to hone his skills during internships at Southern Hills Country Club and the Broadmoor. And since his tenure at Denver Country Club began, he has worked for the past three years in the merchandising operation at Augusta National Golf Club during the Masters Tournament.

For his exemplary work in being a complete PGA Professional, the Colorado PGA is honored to name Tristen Fay the 2015 Colorado PGA Assistant Professional of the Year.

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Youth Player Development AwardRudy Castaneda, PGAIndian Tree Golf Club

Following in the footsteps of two of the most revered Colo-

rado PGA Professionals, Rudy Cas-taneda of Indian Tree Golf Course has been named the 2015 Youth Player Development Award winner.

Castaneda is the second PGA Pro-fessional from Indian Tree Golf Club to win the award; Alan Abrams was a four-time winner of the award and earned the PGA of America Junior Golf Leader Award (the award has since changed names). Both Alan and Rudy followed Charles “Vic” Kline at Indian Tree Golf Club. Vic was President of the Colorado PGA for five terms and was named the PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year in 2000.

Rudy took over the Junior Golf program in 2004 but his mark on the program began years before that. “Rudy started as an instruc-tor in our junior golf club in 1985,” noted Abrams. “One year out of high school and he has not missed a year for 30.”

This past year alone Rudy and his staff fielded teams in PGA Junior League; taught a Golf in Schools program at Sunset Ridge Elemen-tary School for 350 juniors; hosted

n e a r l y 1 , 0 0 0 j u n i o r s f r o m other Golf in Schools programs; served as the host facility for eight high s c h o o l g o l f teams; and continued to run one of the most successful and influen-tial junior programs in the Denver metro area.

“Rudy has touched thousands of junior’s lives in very positive ways through golf,” Alan had to say after learning of Rudy’s win. “I am so proud to see his successes and the amount of work he has spent build-ing the program here at Indian Tree GC; it has been inspiring! The Col-orado PGA Junior Leader Award shows he has made his own legacy at Indian Tree Golf Club.”

The Colorado PGA is proud to honor Rudy Castaneda with the 2015 Youth Player Development Award.

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Player Development AwardKyle Voska, PGAThe Links Golf Course

Kyle Voska, a PGA Assistant Professional at The Links Golf

Course, has been named the 2015 Colorado PGA Player Development Award winner. Voska, who moved to Colorado from the Southern Ohio Section, earned the same award there in 2014.

“Kyle is unique not only because of his playing ability but his ability to communicate,” noted Bill Loef-fler, PGA member and owner of The Link Golf Course. “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that customers and students grav-itate toward great players. But watching him teach and develop female golfers and grow our junior program is really awesome.”

Since his relocation to The Links Golf Course, Voska has focused his attention on two underserved demographics: juniors and ladies. For juniors, he has developed new junior golf leagues, a junior golf academy, and re-designed all of the junior camps at the facility. These simple changes have resulted in a significant increase in not only be-ginning golfers at the club, but all levels of talent.

For the ladies, he has launched a Lady 9ers League, five Golf Fore Women classes, and nine On-Course Women’s classes. The

Lady 9ers L e a g u e was fea-t u r e d recent ly in PGA Magazine w h e n t h e y highlight-ed the fifty-plus members who now come out and compete in a fun, social atmosphere on Sunday after-noon.

“I’m very creative and driven when it comes to developing new programs and improving existing ones,” noted Voska. “I hope I’ve inspired my fellow PGA Profession-als to think outside the box and do what’s best for their current facility to grow the game.”

In addition to his efforts in Player Development, Kyle is also an ac-complishd golfer.

For his dedication to growing the game and making an impact in people’s lives, the Colorado PGA is privileged to name Kyle Voska the 2015 Player Development Award winner.

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Teacher of the YearDennis Murray, PGAValley Country Club

Dennis Murray, PGA Instructor at Valley Country Club, has

been named the 2015 Teacher of the Year. Murray, a PGA member for 35 years, has spent summers in the north and winters in the south teaching the game of golf at notable facilities such as Denver Country Club, Columbine Country Club, Torrey Pines Golf Course, Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club, Teton Pines Country Club, Angel Park Golf Club, Lake Arrowhead Country Club, Bear Creek Golf Club, The Ridge at Castle Pines, Innisbrook Resort, Harmony Pre-serve in Florida and several other facilities in a professional golf career that began in 1975.

“Dennis knows more about sports psychology than most golf instruc-tors,” noted former Cherry Hills Country Club Head Professional Clayton Cole. “His research in this area combined with his experience as a tournament player gives him the ability to apply his knowledge as needed for all learning styles in his students.”

Coach Murray has developed “Natural Learning” programs for all skill levels with the simple goal of getting beginners “hooked on the game of golf,” and helping every student “play their best golf all the time.”

Based on the inspiration he gained from becoming a Certified PGA Pro-fessional in Teaching and Coaching in early 2015, Murray is now working

on de-veloping a new golf in-struction m o d e l t i t l e d “Uncom-pl icated G o l f . ” This new t e a c h -ing and learning program will be focused on making the golf swing easier to learn for entry level players and easier to teach for PGA Profes-sionals and Apprentices.

In addition to his lengthy teaching career, Murray has a storied playing career as well. He attended Florida State University on a Golf Scholar-ship, played on the PGA Tour and South American Tour, was the 1982 Colorado PGA Player of the Year, and won the 1987 Rocky Mountain Section PGA Championship and the 1990 Southern Nevada PGA Championship, among many other tournament wins. He is the first member of the Colorado PGA to win the Player of the Year award and also earn the distinction of being named Teacher of the Year.

For his dedication to the game of golf, the Colorado PGA is thrilled to name Dennis Murray the 2015 Colo-rado PGA Teacher of the Year.

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Warren Smith AwardAlan Abrams, PGAIndian Tree Golf Club

Based on his entire career as a PGA Professional, Alan

Abrams, PGA Director of Golf at Indian Tree Golf Club has been named the 2015 Warren Smith Award winner. The award is given annually to a PGA Professional for special contributions to the game of golf, the Colorado Section, junior golf, and their facility; Abrams epitomizes each and every one of those qualities.

“I hope I inspire by walking the talk,” noted Abrams. “My tenure as a PGA Professional is one of the proudest and most humbling ac-complishments of my life.”

A native of Greeley, Colorado, Abrams grew up at Highland Hills Golf Course. He won the men’s club championship when he was 17, set the course record 63 in 1977 that stood for 25 years. A stalwart on the University of Northern Col-orado golf team, he graduated with a teaching degree in 1976, but two years later decided to make golf a career and turned professional.

After brief stints assisting at High-land Hills, Eaton Country Club and Vila DePaz in Phoenix, he landed at Indian Tree in 1980 and under the tutelage of legendary golf guru Vic Kline, Abrams unswervingly kept his focus on juniors, but quietly moved up the ladder. He became head professional in 1991 and in 2004 to the present he added Operation

Manager to his bountiful resume.

Alan was put in c h a r g e of the junior golf program at Indian Tree GC s h o r t l y a f e r joining the staff and nurtured the program from a startup to one of the most successful junior pro-grams in the country. In 1993 he was honored for his accomplish-ments when he earned the PGA of America Junior Golf Leader Award.

A past president of the Colorado PGA, Abrams served two terms on the Board of Directors before his election. He is a three-time Colorado PGA Golf Professional of the Year, four-time Colorado PGA Youth Player Development Award Winner, and has been recognized with a number of other Colorado PGA awards. In 2013, Alan was in-ducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

The Colorado PGA is delighted to name Alan Abrams the 2015 Col-orado PGA Warren Smith Award winner.

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Horton Smith AwardAndy Hilts, PGAGolfTEC

Andy Hilts, the Vice President of Instruction and Education

at GolfTEC, has been named the 2015 Colorado PGA Horton Smith Award Winner. This is the second time Hilts, a graduate of the Mis-sissippi State University PGA-PGM program, has won the award, having also earned the distinction in 2008.

Hilts, a PGA Professional since 2001 and a PGA Master Professional in Instruction, is instrumental in the development of the 450 PGA Pro-fessionals that GolfTEC currently employs. He develops content for the to their two-week GolfTEC University as well as develops new and innovative programs for their current coaches.

Hilts began his career in the golf industry as an instructor at GolfTEC – Naperville. In 2001 he moved to Colorado and joined the team at GolfTEC – Aurora and later at GolfTEC – Denver Tech Center. He joined the GolfTEC-Headquarters team in 2006.

In addition to developing a training program for more than 1,000 in-structors at GolfTEC, Hilts has been a presenter at a number of PGA of America Teaching Summits. He has written countless articles for publi-

c a t i o n s like Golf Magazine and Golf D i g e s t and was n a m e d the 2005 C o l o r a -do PGA Te a c h e r of the Y e a r . He was named a “Best Young Teacher in America” by Golf Digest and is con-sistently named a Golf Digest Best in State Teacher.

“By constantly learning and growing myself, I can help other coaches do the same,” noted Hilts. The more educated they are as coaches, the better the lessons they will teach.”

Given annually to a member who has made exceptional contributions to promote and improve The PGA’s educational programs, the award is named after former Masters Cham-pion and PGA of America President Horton Smith.

The Colorado PGA is proud to name Andy Hilts the 2015 Colorado PGA Horton Smith Award Winner.

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Bill Strausbaugh AwardKevin Sanger, PGAColorado Springs Country Club

For his efforts in mentoring fellow PGA Professionals in

improving their employment situ-ations and through service to his community, Kevin Sanger has been named the 2015 Colorado PGA Bill Strausbaugh Award Winner.

“Kevin has a very humble, team ori-ented spirit that encourages others to work together” noted Colorado Springs Country Club Director of Golf Ty Thompson. “While he loves to be “in the mix” with his staff and lead by example, the macro approach he takes to management allows those under his leadership flourish in ‘their style’.”

Sanger, the PGA General Manager at Colorado Springs Country Club, has spent his career being a leader by dedicating himself to be a mentor with the foundation of truth, honor, compassion, and respect. Under his direction at Colorado Springs Country Club, a number of his staff has moved onwards and upwards into new positions, including Col-orado PGA Board members Cathy Matthews-Kane, who took over as the Club General Manager at the Country Club of Colorado and Ty Thompson, who moved up to the Director of Golf position at Colora-do Springs Country Club.

Prior to his position at Colorado Springs Country Club, Kevin began

his career in the golf in-dustry at The Golf Club at Heather Ridge in D e n v e r. He started there as an Assis-tant Pro-fessional before moving up to hold the Head Professional and General Manager positions before taking over as the General Manager at The Pinery Country Club in Parker, CO.

Kevin joins a long list of recent award winners from Colorado Springs Country Club. The PGA Professionals have received the Assistant Professional of the Year, Merchandiser of the Year, and now a Bill Strausbaugh winner over the past few years.

For his efforts in mentoring fellow PGA Professionals in improving their employment situations and through service to his community, the Colorado PGA is honored to name Kevin Sanger the 2015 Colo-rado PGA Bill Strausbaugh Award Winner.

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Golf Professional of the CenturyCharles “Vic” KlineIndian Tree Golf Club

The Golf Professional of the Cenutry will be presented on

Saturday, November 14, 2015 at the Century of Golf Gala. Along with five other luminaries of Colora-do Golf, they will be recognized as People of the Century at the event, which is being held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the CGA, which was founded in 1915.

Vic has served on the Colorado Section Board of Directors for over 30 years (as president four different times), as well as on every Section committee. He served as District 9 Director for two different terms, 1985-87 and 1996-99; Board of Control 1994-96; PGA Properties Board 1996-00; and PGA Board of Trustees and PGA Audit Committee.

“If you treat individuals in a manner in which you expect to be treated, the performance you receive in return will be of the highest level,” Vic de-scribed as being his belief in good leadership.

Vic has been the recipient of several p r e s t i -g i o u s a w a r d s in the Colorado S e c t i o n i n c l u d -ing the W a r r e n S m i t h A w a r d 2009; Horton Smith 1973; Profession-al of the Year 1975 and 1993; Player of the Year 1975, ‘77, ‘78, ‘79, and 1981; Bill Strausbaugh Award 2004; and President’s Award 1997 & 1999. Plus, he received national recognition as the 2000 PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year. He was also elected to the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1990 and the national PGA of America Hall of Fame in 2005. Vic is retired from Indian Tree Golf Club.

The Charles “Vic” Kline award is presented annually to a member of the Section Board of Directors. The award is presented in r e c o g n i -tion of outstanding service and leadership to the Section. Overall performance as a member of the Board of Directors and image as a golf professional are some of the criteria considered for this award.

The Colorado Section PGA honors Vic as a PGA Life Member and for his many accomplishments with the annual award named in his honor, the Charles “Vic” Kline Award.

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When Jim Hajek was growing up on a farm in Tyndall,

South Dakota (population 1,242), his uncle gave him and his siblings a set of golf clubs.

“I was around 12, and the clubs didn’t come close to fitting any of us, but we got to hit them in our backyard, which was the size of a football field,” says Hajek, PGA head professional at Fossil Trace Golf Club in Golden, Colorado, and the 2015 PGA Merchandiser of the Year for public facilities.

But it wasn’t until he graduated from the University of South Dakota with a degree in education and did a year of substitute teaching that Hajek was really exposed to the game. The local Tyndall public course, Bon Homme Country Club, needed a manager and Hajek was offered the job. “I was running the golf facility that summer, the grounds, food & beverage, every-thing,” he recalls. “Because my family had been in the town for 100 years, we used my mom’s recipes in the restaurant, and it all worked. The club grew to twice the size it had been, and I played every day and fell in love with the game.”

Hajek had married his college sweetheart, Lisa, whose job soon transferred her to Denver. He fol-lowed her there, landing an assistant job at Foothills Golf Course before being promoted 18 months later to

first as-sistant at sister fa-cility The Meadows G o l f Club in Littleton, Colorado. Then it was back to Foot-hills for his first head pro-fessional job, where he spent the next nine years overseeing one of the busiest golf courses in the state.

“With a staff of 63, I had no choice but to learn to multitask,” Hajek says. “It was during my time at Meadows that (PGA Head Profes-sional) Pat Tait showed me the im-portance of merchandising, saying it is one of the things we can do to set ourselves apart. It is something we have control over.”

In 2003, Hajek had the opportunity to become PGA head professional at a brand new public golf course called Fossil Trace – with a beauti-ful clubhouse and top-notch golf course designed by Jim Engh. “The city set it up as a business, 100 percent self-sustained. We never wanted to spend tax dollars here, and 12 years later, we have never taken a red cent,” he says. “Most organizations put up rules and road

PGA of America Public Merchandiser of the YearJim Hajek, PGAFossil Trace Golf Club

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blocks, make you jump through hoops. Thankfully, they let us do what we do.”

In fact, Fossil Trace was an instant hit. The course opened on July 31 and every tee time – seven days a week – was booked through Nov. 2 of that year, when it snowed. And it’s pretty much gone that way ever since. “We have comment cards, and one guy said he had been playing golf for 50 years and it was the most fun he ever had,” Hajek says. “In my opinion, he couldn’t say anything better than that. It’s a game; it’s supposed to be fun.”

Hajek oversees a golf shop staff of 45, and an overall staff of 100, with golf course superintendent Noy Sparks, PGA assistant professional and tournament organizer Adam Finch, and merchandise manager Jane Schwab being keys to the operation’s success. There are many one-on-one meetings and compre-hensive email communication so every- one on the team is on top of things every day. At a facility that typically sells out seven days a week and hosts 50 or 60 major events annually, communication is key.

The golf shop is just 790 square feet, so Hajek keeps the offerings tight, with six to seven men’s staples and two to four smaller groupings, and five to six women’s lines with one smaller grouping. He believes in testing new brands each season, bringing in 36 pieces that, if they move well, will get more space in the shop going forward.

“It offers the opportunity for someone new to step in and we don’t get in rut,” he says. “Our client base is coming from all around the country on any given day, so we need a variety of men’s and women’s lines and price points to possibly capture that sale.” Fossil Trace has a full golf shop year round. Hajek, who saw shop sales increase 16 percent in 2014 over the prior year, wants people to know they’re in the retail business – that it’s not just an after-thought. “We have stuff at Christ-mas, and if you come out to play on a 60-degree day in February, you’ll find a full shop,” he explains.

It’s all part of creating a great ex-perience at Fossil Trace, Hajek says, adding, “We’re not just looking to provide a simple round of golf, which can be done at 100 places within 20 miles of us. I want people to leave here thinking, ‘I don’t know why, but that was fun, more enjoyable than I would have expected. The whole experience was just phenomenal.’

“And to do that, every member of the staff has to do their job. There’s only one way to be perfect; we know we won’t hit it, but in striving for it, we will achieve excellence.”

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Joe Assell, the Co-Founder, President & CEO of Den-

ver-based GolfTEC, has been named the 2015 Colorado PGA Golf Professional of the Year.

Assell’s contributions to the game of golf through GolfTEC are mon-umental, to say the least. He leads the company on a day-to-day basis overseeing overall strategy and multiple divisions within the company, including finance, legal, sales, technology, and marketing. The company, launched in 1995, has experienced rapid growth, often times by more than 50% annually, to become the undis-puted leader in golf instruction. The company has expanded into Canada, Japan, and Korea and today brings in over $75 million in annual sales.

While the success of GolfTEC has been enormous, Joe feels that his performance as a PGA Profes-sional is rooted in two key areas: player development and men-toring. In terms of player devel-opment, GolfTEC delivered more than 700,000 lessons in 2014 and by lowering the handicap of nearly 100,000 people, has in-creased golfers skills and abilities. As far as mentoring goes, GolfTEC started with one employee in 1995 and today employs approximately

450 PGA Members and Ap-prent ic-es and a n o t h e r 150 who a s p i r e to join the PGA r a n k s ; c o l l e c -tively that n u m b e r amounts to just more than 2% of all the golf professionals in the US. Joe makes it a point to schedule lunch with the GolfTEC Coaches when they come to their two-week GolfTEC University.

Joe, who graduated cum laude with a B.B.A. in Marketing from the PGA - Professional Golf Man-agement Program at Mississippi State University and was recently named to the list of the Top 100 Graduates in the 100 Year History of the Mississippi State Business School. Joe served on the Colo-rado PGA Board of Directors from 2001 to 2004 and was re-elected to serve a second term from 2005 to 2007. He continues to serve to this day on the Colorado PGA Finance Committee and prides himself on helping the Section

Golf Professional of the YearJoe Assell, PGAGolfTEC

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operate with a balanced budget due to sound financial principles.

On the national level, Joe currently sits on the PGA of America Work-force Taskforce Committee and has spent time serving on the Get Golf Ready Advisory Board, the Player Development Advisory Board for Golf 2.0, and the PGA Member Benefits and Marketing Committee.

This isn’t the first time Assell has been recognized by the Colorado PGA. He earned the Teacher of the Year Award in 1998; the Charles “Vic” Kline Award in 2006; and the Bill Strausbaugh Award in 2012. Outside the Colorado PGA, Joe has earned many other honors. Along with his business partner and fellow PGA Professional Mike Clinton, Joe won the 2008 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Rocky Mountain Region, was named a Top 40 Under 40 by the Denver Business Journal, and earned the Young Alumni of the Year Award from the Mississippi State University College of Business.

In addition to his duties in the golf industry, Joe’s influence extends well outside the Colorado PGA and the PGA of America. He has served on the Associate Board for the Boys and Girls Club of Denver and he has a seat with the Cen-tennial Club, a group of business professionals dedicated to bring a PGA Tour event back to Colora-do. Additionally, he spent time on the planning committee for both the 2013 Solheim Cup at Colora-do Golf Club and the 2014 BMW Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club.

The Colorado PGA is truly honored to name Joe Assell the 2015 Colo-rado PGA Golf Professional of the Year.

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