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The Spirit of Golf Foundation Announces Award to Honor Eddie Merrins

Orlando, Florida (January 17, 2006) – The Spirit of Golf Foundation has announced that on January 26th, 2006 at their annual board meeting to be held at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida, Eddie Merrins, affectionately known as the "Little Pro," will be given the inaugural "Eddie Merrins Award." This will be an annual award given by the Spirit of Golf Foundation to an SGF Certified Coach who most closely aligns their professional and personal attributes to the guidelines established by the Eddie Merrins Award Selection Committee. The following characteristics represent a portion of these guidelines:

  • Has illustrated through their coaching efforts that the intrinsic values of the game, integrity, honesty, sportsmanship and consideration for others, have been modeled in the presence of their team members and other coaches.
  • Has demonstrated at the highest levels the ability to develop, organize and conduct a successful golf program at their facility.
  • Along with having had a successful season, their team members excelled individually at local and state competition levels. A successful season is defined as the possibility of having had more wins than losses, successful in the sense of recruitment, community relations, retaining as many team members as possible, positive relationship with the team’s home course, support of the school body – administrators and students – and, most assuredly, evidence of the team members growing as good citizens.

    The Eddie Merrins Award Selection Committee is comprised of: the SGF Executive Director and five National Federation of High Schools state executive directors. Nominees for this award may be submitted by high school principals, athletic director or another SGF member coach. A nominating form will be distributed to each school that has an SGF Certified Coach.

    The Spirit of Golf Foundation will also give the inaugural "Spirit Award" at this meeting. The Spirit Award is an annual award given by the Spirit of Golf Foundation to a scholastic administrator, community youth leader or patron supporter of SGF. The individual will have demonstrated various levels of the following characteristics:

  • An extraordinary vision paralleling the philosophies and attitudes of the Spirit of Golf Foundation;
  • A positive influence on the growth of SGF, furthering SGF’s mission and creating greater awareness of the foundation in either the business, education or golf industry;
  • Direct assistance in the acquisition of sponsors, corporate partners, sustaining partners or other avenues which added to the foundation’s endowment fund;
  • Proactive assistance SGF in events or workshops on local, state or national level.
  • Furthered the mission and goals of the foundation by creating a greater awareness of the foundation’s benefits and services.

    The selection of the Spirit Award winner is determined by the SGF Board of Directors.

    "The Spirit of Golf Foundation is thrilled to honor Mr. Eddie Merrins for his unparalleled contributions to coaching golf and to the game. We know that each coach who receives the Eddie Merrins Award in the years to come will be proud to know that they are following in the very large footsteps of a giant in the game of golf," said Bill Madonna, SGF’s Director of Instruction. "The Spirit Award is unique for associations affiliated with the game of golf. Our first honoree will be surprised to receive this because this person has contributed to the future of SGF by assisting at the local and national level to bring awareness of our mission to many coaches, athletic directors and superintendents. We invite any SGF member or friend to our ceremony to be held around 10:15 am on Saturday, January 26, 2006 at the Convention Center, Room 414D."

    The Spirit of Golf Foundation, an Orlando, Florida-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was founded in 1996 to foster professional development among coaches and instructors who teach golf to young people. SGF was formed to create a niche specifically for secondary academic golf team coaches and physical education teachers or organizational counselors who wish to participate in a national professional coaching association and to benefit from its offerings. Educational conferences as well as local certification workshops are part of the offerings to SGF members.

    For more information about SGF, call toll-free 1-888-466-2423 or go to the website at www.spiritofgolffoundation.org.

    Contact:
    Nancee Long

    (telephone) 407-354-1295

    (e-mail) info@spiritofgolffoundation.org

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