AUGUSTA, GA (June 18, 2009) – Native American youngsters participating in a clinic prior to the start of the 2009 PGA Professional National Championship later this month in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M., will learn more than how to improve their golf game. In fact, golf instruction will take a back seat to career advice for more than 120 middle and high school students expected to attend, according to Club Car’s Fred Palmer, who is among those leading the clinic.
“The odds are stacked against anyone who thinks they’re going to make a living playing golf professionally,” said Palmer, Club Car’s vice president of national accounts and a longtime supporter of junior golf in Georgia. “We want to encourage young people to think about all of the career opportunities that golf presents beyond competing on a professional tour.”
Palmer will join 15 PGA Professionals from the Sun Country PGA Section and officials from New Mexico State University’s PGA Golf Management University Program at The PGA of America-sponsored clinic. The 42nd Professional National Championship, the premier event for PGA club professionals, will be played June 28 – July 1 at the Twin Warriors and Santa Ana Golf Clubs in Santa Ana Pueblo, north of Albuquerque.
In addition to the 28,000 PGA Professionals who teach the game and help run the golf operation at their clubs, Palmer said career opportunities include management companies that operate courses, service companies that support a facility’s information technology and marketing functions and accountants, attorneys and property appraisers who specialize in golf.
“The golf industry is bigger – and offers a lot more opportunity – than some people think,” Palmer said. “It also needs bright, innovative and hardworking young people today more than ever who can help the business of golf and the game of golf be more successful.”
Palmer is an example of someone who considered a playing career in golf, but found a business career instead. “I played college golf (University of North Carolina), but I pretty soon realized that my future was not as a tour player. But I loved golf and I wanted to find a way to stay near the game,” he said. Palmer joined Club Car in 1985 and is responsible for the company’s relationships with management companies, multi-course ownership groups and the U.S. government.
Club Car has been a presenting sponsor of The PGA Professional National Championship since 1997 and has been involved with the showcase event for PGA Professionals as a sponsor since 1993.
About Club Car
Club Car, a business of Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited, a diversified industrial firm, Honors the Game in its service to customers and support of the golf industry. Club Car is the exclusive premier partner of the National Golf Course Owners Association in the U.S. and NGCOA Canada’s exclusive Golf Car Supplier and Platinum Partner. Club Car is also a sponsor of the European Golf Course Owners Association, a Silver Partner of the GCSAA and a Corporate Advantage Partner of the Club Managers Association of America. It is the Official Supplier of Golf Cars and Utility Vehicles to the 2010 Ryder Cup, the Official Golf Car and Golf Utility Vehicle and an Official Sponsor of the PGA European Tour, the official supplier of golf cars and utility vehicles to PGA Tournament Players Clubs, and leading sponsor of the PGA Professional National Championship, The First Tee and the Executive Women’s Golf Association.
Club Car provides fleet, turf, hospitality and financing solutions for golf, agricultural, recreational and industrial markets. For more information on Club Car, go to www.clubcar.com. Based in Augusta, Ga., Club Car is part of the Industrial Technologies sector of Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited. Ingersoll Rand (NYSE: IR) is a global diversified firm providing products, services and solutions to enhance the quality and comfort of air in homes and buildings, transport and protect food and perishables, secure homes and commercial properties and increase industrial productivity and efficiency. Driven by a 100-year-old tradition of technological innovation, we enable our customers to create progress and a positive impact in their world. For more information, go to www.ingersollrand.com.
About The PGA of America
Since 1916, The PGA of America’s mission has been twofold; to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf. By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, the Association enables PGA Professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the multi-billion dollar golf industry. By creating and delivering dramatic world-class championships and exciting and enjoyable golf promotions that are viewed as the best of their class in the golf industry, The PGA of America elevates the public’s interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. The PGA of America brand represents the very best in golf.
Contact:
Bill Bryant, Bryant Marketing Communications
(678) 366-3232, bbryant@bryantmarcomm.com
