Stafford, VA – The Founder of Eastern Shore Golf Magazine, Ray Taranto, has been selected by the Middle Atlantic PGA to receive the 2013 Earle Hellen Sports Media Award. This award bestows special recognition on an outstanding member of the media who best exemplifies a commitment and service to golf and sport reporting and who demonstrates the same genuine appreciation for the role of the PGA Professional as was demonstrated by the late Earle Hellen (formerly of the Newport News Newspapers). Taranto will be recognized in front of his peers at the MAPGA Hall of Fame and Awards banquet to be held on March 9, 2013 at the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg, Md.
Born in Silver Spring, Maryland, Ray Taranto was introduced to the printing industry by his father, John, who worked in the Government Printing Office. He had an intense passion for sports at an early age and was first introduced to golf at the age of 18 when he played in a charity golf event with his father. Taranto worked in the golf industry for a few years; first as an Assistant Golf Professional at Ocean Pines Golf Club in Berlin, Md.; then as a Golf Shop Manager at The Bay Club, also in Berlin. During his time at The Bay Club, he conceptualized and published his first edition of Eastern Shore Golf Magazine in 2007. The popularity of Taranto’s bi-monthly publication started to spread across the Eastern Shore and into the entire Delmarva Peninsula area. Now in its sixth year, Eastern Shore Golf Magazine prints an impressive 60,000 copies per year.
Outside of being a publisher, Taranto is the founder of the Tour on the Shore which is in its sixth year and is the fastest growing amateur golf tour on the east coast with over 1,400 rounds played in 2012. In 2010, he also founded the Eastern Shore Golf Hall of Fame which honors individuals who have at least 25 years of involvement in golf from the Eastern Shore-Delmarva Peninsula. Taranto’s charitable contributions include being on the Board of Directors for both the Big Brothers Big Sisters Eastern Shore Golf Classic and the Seaside Christian Academy Dwayne Purnell Memorial Golf Tournament.
About the Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA of America
The Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA (MAPGA), located in Stafford, Virginia, is one of 41 Sections of The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA), headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. As a part of The PGA since 1925, the MAPGA consists of over 1,100 members and apprentices in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and small portions of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Together, the MAPGA golf professionals, volunteers and staff support the mission of The PGA to promote enjoyment and involvement in the game of golf and to contribute to the game’s growth by providing services to PGA Professionals and the golf industry.
Contact:
Stephanie Jennings, PGA
sjennings@pgahq.com
(540) 720-7420 ext. 116
