March 12, 2007; Phoenix Arizona: Club fitting pioneer and leader PING announced today that Donnie Massengale and the staff at Massengale Golf Academy in Spring, Texas have been honored as the 2006 PING National Fitter of the Year.
The national award, first given in 1997, recognizes the authorized PING Fitter which has demonstrated the highest commitment to custom fitting and the promotion of its benefits to golfers of all abilities. Massengale Golf was chosen from nearly 2000 eligible PING Club Fitters throughout the United States.
"The Massengale Golf Academy personifies PING custom fitting," said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. "Their commitment to custom fitting excellence is second to none. They invest the time to educate golfers about the benefits of properly fit clubs. This time and effort, combined with the proven results of custom fitting, leads to lower scores and loyal customers. The Massengale Golf Academy is the total package; their outstanding service and commitment to game improvement is an example for all."
Located on Augusta Pines Golf Club, Massengale Golf Academy was founded in 2000 by the late PGA and Senior Tour winner Don Massengale Sr. and his son Donnie. The exclusively PING facility features state of the art technology such as Vector launch monitors and V1 Pro Swing Analysis software, but always takes advantage of its outdoor facility to ensure the most precise fitting.
"We learned early on that if we wanted to provide our clients the best opportunity for game improvement, we needed to offer custom fitting," said Massengale. "We joined the PING team because of their great fitting tradition and knew that they would continue to produce products that could be customized to fit all of our client’s wide variety of needs. We are confident that whenever PING comes out with a new product, it will outperform its predecessor. Quite Frankly, PING was a perfect fit for us."
"This is a great honor that my Dad and Cole Smith deserve credit for. I just wish my Dad was here to share this with me, because I know he would be proud."
Nearly 2,000 authorized PING Club Fitters were eligible for the award. Among the criteria considered by the selection committee are length of time in the program, commitment to on-going training, sustained sales growth and support of the entire PING product line.
Nominating Massengale Golf Academy for the honor was Bryant Hiskey, PING Field Representative for Eastern Texas.
PING Regional Fitter of the Year Name City State
Redstone Arsenal Jon Samuleson Huntsville AL
Redstone Golf Course
Country Club of North Jeff Dotson Pinehurst NC
Carolina
Edwin Watts Golf #30 Sam Ybarbo San Antonio TX
Fairways and Greens Walt Chapman Knoxville TN
The Eagle Zone The Staff Greenville SC
Polo Club of Boca Raton Sherry Zimet and Justin Dean Boca Raton FL
Massengale Golf Academy Don Massengale Spring TX
Donnie Massengale, Cole Smith
Maple Ridge Golf Club Mike McCollum Columbus GA
The Villages Golf Academy Chris Plummer The Villages FL
Edwin Watts Golf-Pensacola #4 Matt Stillings Pensacola FL
Beau Chene Country Club Fred Schroeder Mandeville LA
Greensboro Country Club Jim Deaton Greensboro NC
Belleview Biltmore Golf Club Pat McClanan Maser Belleair FL
Bill Shriver, Chuck Eade
Marietta Country Club Jon Hough Kennesaw GA
Edwin Watts Golf-Naples #2 Peter O’Rourke, Guy Porter Naples FL
Brian Carle
Forest Lake Club John Winterhalter Columbia SC
Double Eagle Golf The Staff Cordova TN
US 1 Golf Center Michael Warobick Rockledge FL
John Wells Golf Shop Tim Terwilliger Pasadena CA
Denver Country Club Tom Connell Denver CO
Hogan Park Golf Course Greg Sikes Midland TX
Geared For Golf Paul Bayhouse Campbell CA
Granite Bay Golf Club Doug Cody Granite Bay CA
Tualatin Country Club Sean Fredrickson Tualatin OR
The Quarry at La Quinta Derek Lane La Quinta CA
The Palms Golf Club Brian Morgan Mesquite NV
Doug Walters
Carlsbad Golf Center Jeff Eucee Carlsbad CA
Westbrook Village Golf Club Bob Marsh Peoria AZ
The Desert Mountain Club BJ Gray Scottsdale AZ
Ron Olsen
Golf Universe Jason Slatter Spokane Valley WA
The Golf Shop at Broadmoor Dan and Janet Hill Seattle WA
China Lake Golf Course Roland Reese Ridgecrest CA
Kapalua Golf Club The Staff Lahaina HI
Cottonwood/Palo Verde Country Mike Wright Chandler AZ
Club
Southside Country Club Mike Yelovich Decatur IL
Bearpath Golf & Country Club Steve Haagenson Eden Prairie MN
The Legend of Brandybrook David Bobber Wales WI
Sycamore Valley Golf Range Leon Faucett Mount Vernon MO
The Oaks Country Club Rick Reed Tulsa OK
PING Regional Fitter of the Year Name City State
Gleneagles Country Club Art Haberstroh Plano TX
Glynns Creek Golf Course John Valliere Long Grove IA
Miles of Golf The Staff Ypsilanti MI
Minot Country Club Todd Lee Minot ND
Zigfield Troy Mark Arentsen Woodridge IL
River Crest Country Club Mac Spikes Fort Worth TX
Harbour Trees Golf Club Lon Kinney Noblesville IN
Centennial Acres Golf Course John Nagel Sunfield MI
Northmoor Country Club Adam Rosuck Highland Park IL
Holmes Park Golf Club John Craw Lincoln NE
Allegheny Country Club The Staff Sewickley PA
Suffield Country Club Stan McLennan Suffield CT
The Medallion Club Scott McInerney Westerville OH
Lakewood Country Club Greg Coe Russell Springs KY
London Downs Golf Club Kevin Wilmouth Forest VA
Glen Oaks Country Club Tim Shifflett Old Westbury NY
Glen Oak Country Club Harvey Williams Clarks Summit PA
Greater Golf Training Center Craig Mabee Endicott NY
Fresh Pond Golf Course Bob Carey Cambridge MA
Army-Navy Country Club Keith Beaver Arlington VA
Shady Hollow Country Club Gregg Matthus Massillon OH
Greenacres Country Club Ron Chmura Trenton NJ
Stony Hill Custom Golf Scott Ward Bethel CT
Whirlaway Golf Center The Staff Methuen MA
Night Hawk Golf Center Josh Gumlia Gambrills MD
Blue Ridge Country Club Peter A. Micklewright Harrisburg PA
For additional information, contact Pete Samuels (602) 687-5487.
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Contact:
Pete Samuels
(602) 687-5487
