VACAVILLE, Calif. – The Northern California Section of the PGA is pleased to announce that Steve Gardner, Titleist Sales Representative of Acushnet Company is the recipient of the 2014 NCPGA Sales Representative of the Year Award. The award is given to an individual for their service to Northern California PGA Professionals, their merchandising team members, and to the Section.
According to Gardner, the key ingredients to being a successful sales representative are “honesty, integrity, partnership, product expertise and trust.”
Gardner has 24 years of experience as a golf sales representative. Since 2000, he has served 100 accounts from San Francisco to the Monterey Peninsula representing the Titleist, Pinnacle, Vokey and Scotty Cameron brands/products through Acushnet Company as a Titleist Sales Representative. He has many success stories of assisting facilities with everything from increasing golf ball sales exponentially to providing training and club fitting education, helping their professionals become the “go to” club fitters in their areas.
Gardner works with PGA Professionals as a business partner to help maximize hard goods issues such as inventory, turns, profitability, merchandising, demo days, tournament tee prizes, product knowledge and education, and Personal Use Discount requests.
“I believe that it is important to spend time with assistant professionals and other shop personnel to provide new product introductions and education along with all competitive product analysis,” said Gardner. “I really enjoy getting to know the assistants on a personal level and always encourage them to get further involved in the PGA of America and support their efforts in getting through each level of the Professional Golf Management program on the way to their PGA election.”
“Steve has been a tremendous partner and supporter of the NCPGA and its PGA Professionals and apprentices,” said NCPGA Awards Chairman Mark Naylor, PGA. “He is a true professional who values the statement: ‘Customers do not care how much you know until they know how much you care’.”
Gardner has donated product to numerous organizations and events including The Navy SEALS Foundation event at Half Moon Bay Golf Links, the American Heroes charity event at Monterey Peninsula Country Club, and Patriot Golf Day at Bayonet & Black Horse Golf Club in Seaside, Calif.
Gardner is among 19 recipients of the NCPGA’s 2014 Annual Section Awards. Section awards are given to PGA Professionals and industry leaders who have excelled in the game and business of golf. The NCPGA will recognize its 2014 Annual Section Award winners on Sunday, December 7 at the NCPGA Special Awards Ceremony & President’s Dinner at Silver Creek Valley Country Club in San Jose, California. This event, a highlight for the year, will be held the evening prior to the NCPGA Annual Meeting. There are more than 200 golf professionals and industry leaders expected to attend. E-Z-Go Textron is a presenting partner and PGA Resort & Spa and Bluebird Wines are supporting partners of the Awards Ceremony.
His other accolades include 1996 Master Sales Council – Spalding Sports Worldwide Top 5 Sales Representative for the South Florida Section, and Acushnet Gold Circle Award for the Illinois Section in 1999, followed by the Northern California Section in 2007, 2010, and 2013.
About the Northern California Section of the PGA of America (NCPGA)
Organized in 1920 to promote interest in the game of golf, the birth of this association was heralded as an important step to the advancement of the game in this district. The Northern California Section is one of the forty-one designated Sections of the PGA of America, the world’s largest working sports organization. With over 1,100 dedicated PGA Professionals and apprentices at over 500 golf facilities in Northern California and Northwestern Nevada, the association continues to have a positive impact on the game of golf and communities both regionally and nationally. For more information, please visit www.ncpga.com.
Contact:
Jennifer Noel – jnoel@pgahq.com
Nancy Maul – nmaul@pgahq.com
(707) 449-4742
