Stafford, VA – Tom Michaels, the former PGA Assistant Professional at Suburban Club (Pikesville, Md.), is the MAPGA’s 2013 Assistant Professional of the Year. This award bestows special recognition on an assistant PGA Professional who, through a commitment to improving opportunities for assistants, has distinguished himself/herself in service to the Section, his/her peers, and facility. Michaels 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 and raised in upstate New York, Michaels discovered golf at the age of 12 when his family moved right across the street from Glen Falls Country Club in Queensbury, NY. He attended the Glen Falls junior golf camps led by PGA Professional Tom Haggerty. Through his teenage years, Michaels worked at Sagamore Resort on Lake George in Bolton Landing, NY and continued to improve his game with the help of Sagamore’s head professional Tom Smack, PGA. He traveled south to attend McDaniel College in Westminster, Md. and played on the golf team. During his time at McDaniel, Tom competed in two All Centennial Conference Championships (2005 & 2006) and received First Team All-Conference honors both years.
Michaels’ golf professional career started in 2007 when he joined the staff at Suburban Club and also became a member of the MAPGA’s Assistant Professional Association (APA). As an APA member and an MAPGA Apprentice at that time, he earned the AHEAD/APA Scholarship for all three of his PGA checkpoints. He became a PGA Member in 2011 and in that same year was elected to be the Assistant Professional (A-8) Director for the MAPGA’s Northern Chapter Board.
As the A-8 Director in the Northern Chapter, Michaels worked with the Section’s A-8 Director Jim Bennett, PGA to coordinate playing and learning opportunities. His focus was to make the APA an educational association that would help all members grow in their respective positions. In 2012, he was honored to be selected as the APA Captain for the Independence Cup which is a Ryder Cup-style tournament versus the Philadelphia Assistant Organization (PAO). The APA went on to defeat the PAO by a score of 26.5 to 13.5 at Spring Creek Golf Club near Charlottesville, Virginia. This was a proud moment for Michaels and a great opportunity to showcase his leadership skills in front of his peers.
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
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