February 8, 2008: Phoenix Arizona: Club fitting pioneer and leader PING announced today that Rob McNamara, head professional at Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been named 2007 PING National Fitter of the Year.
The national award, first given in 1997, recognizes the authorized PING Fitter who has demonstrated the highest commitment to custom fitting and the promotion of its benefits to golfers of all abilities. McNamara was chosen from nearly 2000 eligible PING Club Fitters throughout the United States.
“Rob’s passion for PING and his dedication to his membership have combined to make him the perfect choice for this honor,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “His commitment to finding the right fit for his members leads to life-long PING players while earning him a reputation as a leader in his profession. Beyond his own operation, Rob is a great PING ambassador throughout the Mid-Atlantic PGA Section where he reaches out to golfers and his fellow PGA professionals to help raise awareness for the importance of custom fitting.”
A two-time winner of PING Regional Fitter of the Year Award (2001 & 2005), McNamara has been a PING supporter since playing college golf at Louisiana State University where he earned All-America honors three times. He’s been part of the PING Fitting Program since 1999. His 27-hole facility services more than 1500 members from around the world.
“The combination of PING’s industry-leading fitting and superior product makes our job easier,” said McNamara, who’s been at Farmington CC since 1994. “I have complete confidence in the product I’m fitting. It basically sells itself. I play the product so I know it works. As a fitter and a teacher, the tools and process allow me to demonstrate the difference fitting can make in our member’s games.
“The business model is also ideal for my situation,” added McNamara, who in 1998 purchased the shop at Farmington. “We don’t need to carry large inventories of PING product. We basically fit someone on the range using the iron fitting cart and metal woods and place the order. PING ships it within 48 hours and everyone is happy.”
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 Rob McNamara and Farmington Country Club for the honor was Brent Kendall, PING Field Representative for Virginia.
2007 PING Regional Fitters of the Year
PING Regional Fitter of the Year
Name
City
State
Plaza Golf Shop
Todd Pallis
Torrance
CA
Country Club at Castle Pines
John Ogden
Castle Rock
CO
Hillcrest Golf Club
John Vickers
Durango
CO
The Golf Mart-South San Francisco
Skip Perry
So. San Francisco
CA
Stockton Golf & Country Club
The Staff
Stockton
CA
Salem Golf Club
Lee Hoffman
Salem
OR
Desert Island Country Club
Carol Hogan
Rancho Mirage
CA
Uinta Golf
Sean Smith
Salt Lake City
UT
The Santaluz Club
Calay Swift
San Diego
CA
Ken McDonald Golf Course
Dale Anderson
Tempe
AZ
Blaisdell Performance Systems
Gary Blaisdell
Scottsdale
AZ
Yellowstone Country Club
Bob Eames
Billings
MT
Gold Mountain Golf Complex
Scott Alexander
Bremerton
WA
Pacific Golf Academy
Susan Ericson
Honolulu
HI
Tucson Country Club
Michael Haywood
Tucson
AZ
River Park Golf Center
Dennis Lincoln
Fresno
CA
Pro Am Golf Superstore
Jim Goodmon
Columbia
MO
Oak Ridge Country Club
Tom Kristo
Hopkins
MN
Oneida Golf & Country Club
Jim Schultz
Green Bay
WI
Fayetteville Country Club
Bill Agler
Fayetteville
AR
Texarkana Country Club
Art Romero
Texarkana
TX
Irv Warren Memorial Golf Shop
Andy Devine
Waterloo
IA
Pro Golf Downriver
Frank Messana
Southgate
MI
Headwaters Country Club
Jeff Anderson
Park Rapids
MN
O Pro Shop
Orville Frye
Tuscola
IL
Leonard Golf Links
Steve Russell
Fort Worth
TX
The Golf Headquarters
Brad Dubois
Plainfield
IL
Golf Emporium
Mark Hill
Rockford
MI
Westermoreland Country Club
Hans Larson
Wilmette
IL
Simon Allan
Sioux City Country Club
Mitch Merrill
Sioux City
IA
Wolf Creek Golf Club
Rodney Wray
Olathe
KS
Corsi’s Indoor Golf
Joe Corsi
Greensburg
PA
Country Club of Pittsfield
Bradley H. Benson
Pittsfield
MA
Edward Grooms
Ed Grooms
Lancaster
OH
Lancaster Country Club
Hunting Creek Country Club
Brad Morrow
Prospect
KY
Lawrence Country Club
Peter Procops
Lawrence
NY
Orange Country Club
Jim Doyle
Middletown
NY
Teugega Country Club
Steve Nacewicz
Rome
NY
Pine Oaks Golf Club
Joe Ricci
South Easton
MA
Leigh Bader
Fredericksburg Golf Center
Steve Lovelace
Fredericksburg
VA
The Sharon Golf Club
Dwight Axtell
Sharon Center
OH
Roxiticus Golf Club
Todd Hojnacki
Mendham
NJ
PING Regional Fitter of the Year
Name
City
State
Darien Golf Center
Peter Herzog
Darien
CT
Bob Keleher
Indian Mound Golf Club
Jonathan Rivers
Center Ossipee
NH
Bretton Woods
James Napier
Germantown
MD
Pagoda Golf Area
David B. Rupp
Sinking Spring
PA
The Country Club of Birmingham
The Staff
Birmingham
AL
First Tee Golf Shop
The Staff
Goldsboro
NC
Edwin Watts #32
James Bond
San Antonio
TX
Golf Capital Learning Center
Greg Wyatt
Crossville
TN
The Cliffs Communities
The Staff
Travelers Rest
SC
Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club
Chris Holtrop
Boca Raton
FL
Galveston Country Club
The Staff
Galveston
TX
The Learning Center @ Sea Island
The Staff
Brunswick
GA
Learning Center
Country Club of Mobile
Woody Woodall and Jon Zeimet
Mobile
AL
Wade Hampton Golf Club
The Staff
Cashiers
NC
Interlachen Country Club
Jay Kennedy
Winter Park
FL
Capital City Golf Club
The Staff
Atlanta
GA
Golf Guys of Bonita Springs
The Staff
Bonita Springs
FL
PGA Golf Club
Eric Hogge
Port St. Lucie
FL
Fort Jackson Golf Club
The Staff
Columbia
SC
Ellendale Country Club
The Staff
Houma
LA
Hot Springs Country Club
Barry Howard
Hot Springs
AR
Cateechee Golf Club
Jeff Gotham
Hartwell
GA
For additional information, contact Pete Samuels (602) 687-5487.
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