New record number of entries from over 14 countries in events 5th year
Deltona, FL, February 3, 2015- For the fifth straight year, the Little Linksters™ Association for Junior Golf Development (501c3) in partnership with The Littlest Golfer Inc. has crowned the winners in four age categories as having the best “Pee Wee” golf swings in the world. In this event however, the kids competing were in age groups that are not very typical in the world of junior golf events. The age group divisions were 7-8 years, 5-6 years, 3-4 years and even an under 3 age group. Parents were encouraged to send in videos of their Little Linksters™ and have them judged by an elite panel of judges.
The judges this year included:
• Jack Nicklaus- considered by many as the greatest that has ever played the game, Jack has set the standard in professional golf. His record 18 major championship wins continue to be the benchmark by which the best in the game measure their careers. Jack was inducted into the inaugural World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974, was named Sports Illustrated’s Individual Male Athlete of the 20th Century, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom-the highest honor bestowed on a U.S. civilian. He is a global businessman, acclaimed course designer, philanthropist and advocate for junior golf programs worldwide.
• Keegan Bradley- in the short time Keegan has been a PGA Tour professional, he has quickly risen to the top of the golf world. In 2011, Keegan won the PGA Championship and was named Rookie of the Year. He is and will likely be a Ryder Cup and President Cup member for many years to come.
• Mark Bradley, PGA-PGA professional at the Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club in Jackson, WY, Mark is the father of PGA Tour standout, Keegan Bradley.
• Frank Nobilo- a proud native of New Zealand, Nobilo had a very successful playing career that included 15 worldwide wins. Nobilo was an International Team member for the 1994, ’96 and ’98 playings of The Presidents Cup. Today, Nobilo is a prominent Golf Channel personality, anchor and analyst on the all-golf network.
• Allen Wronowski, PGA- the 37th President of the PGA of America, Allen now serves as Honorary President of the largest working sports organization in the world. Allen recently retired from Hillendale Country Club in Phoenix, MD, where he served for 35 years. Allen now serves as the Director of Golf Development & Resources for the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides scholarships to family members of service men and women who have died or were disabled while defending our country.
• Nicole Weller- Multiple award-winning PGA and LPGA professional. Most recently, Nicole was named the 2013 PGA and LPGA National Youth Player Development award winner. Nicole is the Director of Instruction at the Landings Club in Savannah, GA. Nicole is the author of Stick to Sports “Let’s Play Golf,” as well as the company’s new Golf Flash Card Game.
• Chuck Evans- Golf Magazine Top 100 Golf Instructor, Golf Digest Top Teacher in America, and the Face of Medicus Golf. Chuck is the author of the acclaimed golf book “How to Build Your Golf Swing.”
The contest is the brainchild of Little Linksters™ founder, multiple award winning PGA Professional, Brendon Elliott.
“I could not have asked for more in our fifth year, we were extremely happy with the outcome. It was extremity difficult for our judges as there were many, many kids that entered that had amazing golf swings. It is always so cool to see the entries as they come in, especially from place from around the globe. The point of this contest however is not solely about finding the best swings but rather letting a younger demographic have FUN with golf and to prove to those that don’t believe in starting golf at such young ages that this is something we as an industry should focus on.”
~Brendon R. Elliott, PGA, Little Linksters™ Association for Junior Golf Development founder
The winners in each age group are as follows:
In the Under 3 Division:
1st Place- Bobby Dodge (Age 2) Kissimmee, FL
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/nwCbWAvaWPw
THANK YOU VIDEO: http://youtu.be/F7vhRLn2hZE
2nd Place- Keaton Hitchcock (Age 2) Frisco, TX
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/7JjFM1kzUCo
T-3rd Place- Hudson Abeijon (Age 2) El Dorado Hills, CA
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/nnGFcn_sr20
T-3rd Place- Jaxon Queen (Age 1) Forsyth, IL
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/vlo3BItmyZI
In the Under 3-4 Division:
1st Place- Caden West (Age 4) Granada Hills, CA
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/VcADNr0eUAI?list=PLFQ4hnvNsXLbIFi9_Wd6eKlEvIUrdbw9x
THANK YOU VIDEO: http://youtu.be/5yb_h5Nwagc
2nd Place- Emma Molina (Age 4) San Diego, CA
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/Bvq8FKiduCU
T-3rd Place- Hollis Bear Johnson (Age 4) Chicago, IL
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/Qf69FyJnDe4
T-3rd Place- Bradley Pollak (Age 3) Washington, DC
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/E5Xn4pXfN4U
In the Under 5-6 Division:
1st Place- Taylor Wilson (Age 5) Highlands Ranch, CO
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/uIt9–adO-c
THANK YOU VIDEO: http://youtu.be/NiVdZeCvdGg
2nd Place- Gianna Clemente (Age 6) Colorado
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/hiNdJ16egJE
T-3rd Place- Graden Lomax (Age 6) Massachusetts
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/7HB-zB9RdXw
T-3rd Place- Tatjana Andracenko (Age 6) Florence KY
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/HKewGDLTDRY
In the Under 7-8 Division:
1st Place- Brady Grogan (Age 8) Harwich Port, MA
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/j7-Aa7L8SgU
THANK YOU VIDEO: http://youtu.be/pPw_AT3DGYU
2nd Place- Kelly Zhao (Age 8) Ontario, Canada
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/2vhAqwlIKoM
3rd Place- Madison Moman (Age 7) Palm Beach Gardens, FL
ENTRY: http://youtu.be/fhumy2H9p-8
To see a compilation of all the entries in the 4th annual competition, proceed to the following link: http://youtu.be/jhDWDps9YfQ
The contest was co-sponsored by the Littlest Golfer Inc. and the lucky winners were announced at the Littlest Golfer booth at the 2015 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando on Wednesday, January 21st.
The winners in each age group will receive a prize package including the following items:
• The Littlest Golfer gift pack
• Cleveland/Srixon Golf Gift Pack
• U.S. Kids Golf Full set of Clubs and other accessories
• Exemption & Entry Fee into 2014 FCG International (Formally San Diego Junior Masters)
• The Golfer’s Footprint swing trainer
• MVP Sports Training Aid Gift Pack
• Almost Golf play anywhere pack
• Athletes Nation online lessons
• Star Putter training aid
• Kwik Golf gift pack
• My Mini Golf gift pack
• Swinggait Swing Trainer
• Stick To Sports “Let’s Play Golf” Book
• Little Linksters™ coloring book and prize pack
“It was allot of fun to judge these swings from the kids” said Keegan Bradley, a judge for the first time in the annual competition.
PGA & LPGA Professional Nicole Weller added “What an incredible honor to not only be included in this year’s line of judges Brendon assembled for the 2015 Best Pee Wee Swing Contest but also to observe such amazing entries from youngsters having fun with golf from around the world. Introduce the concept of golf at a very early age!”
More about the Little Linksters™ Association for Junior Golf Development:
The Little Linksters golf program in Central Florida is designed specifically for children ages 3 to 8 years old. The program is taught in a fun and interactive way, using both traditional and non-traditional instructional methods to ensure children’s first introduction to golf is FUN! The Little Linksters mascots Floppy, Birdie & Bogey are featured in the programs instructional coloring book and training aids.
The Little Linksters Association for Junior Golf Development, a 501c3 nonprofit in conjunction with AAU, is continuing to develop a national program that will enable teaching professionals from across the country to grow their business and the game of golf with a proven program that combines a child-friendly approach, a complete program curriculum, and uses items from some of the industry’s best training aid and junior golf equipment companies.
The Association’s newest project, called G.O.A.L.S. (Golf Outreach Advances Life Skills) is specifically aimed at introducing children ages 3-12+ with special needs to the game of golf. In doing so, children will learn valuable life skills that will help them throughout their life.
To help the nonprofit, Little Linksters Association for Junior Golf Development contact them at nonprofit@littlelinksters.com
To donate go to: http://littlelinksters.com/little-linksters-associatio-for-junior-golf-development/
For more information about the “Best Pee-Wee Golf Swing in the World” Video Contest or the Little Linksters Association for Junior Golf Development, please visit www.littlelinksters.com or contact Brendon Elliott at Brendon@LittleLinksters.com or by phone at (321) 278-1612.
The Little Linksters™ Association for Junior Golf Development was named the 2013 ING Player Development Award winner.
More about PGA Professional Brendon R. Elliott:
Elliott, is a 2010, 2011 & 2012 US Kids Golf Top 50 Kids Teacher, a 2013 US Kids Golf Master Kids Teacher, a 2012, 2013 & 2014 Top 50 Growth of the Game Instructor as named by the Golf Range Association of America, the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 ECC Junior Golf Leader, the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 NFPGA Junior Golf Leader award winner and the 2014 & 2015 ECC Horton Smith award winner. He was a finalist for the PGA’s National Junior Leader award in 2012, 2013 & 2014. In January 2014, Little Linksters™ was named the 2013 ING (International Network of Golf) Player Development Award winner. Elliott has appeared in or been a contributor for numerous golf media articles with publications such as Golf Business magazine and PGA Magazine. His contributions have included topics ranging from Social Media to Junior Golf. Elliott was a guest on the Golf Channels Morning Drive in April of 2013 along with Dottie Pepper and Alan Wronowski. The threesome spoke on many different junior golf initiatives that are available to children of all ages.
Elliott is a sought out speaker on Junior Golf with a focus on children ages 8 and under. He spoke at the 2012 Proponent Group Annual Conference in October of 2012 which was held at Cog Hill Golf Club near Chicago. The event was held in conjunction with the 2012 Ryder Cup. Elliott is scheduled to speak at the 2013 Southeastern Junior Golf Summit at Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta on November 4, 2013. He was also a presenter at the 2014 PGA Youth & Family Golf Summit held during the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL. Elliott is the President of the East Central Chapter of the NFPGA Section. He is also a NFPGA Section Board member. He is Chairman of the ECC Junior Golf Committee as well as the NFPGA Junior Golf Committee. Brendon also is a member of the PGA of America’s 2012-2014 National Youth Player Development Committee and the 2012-2014 Public Relations & Communications Committee.
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Brendon R. Elliott, PGA at 321-278-1612 or email at nonprofit@littlelinksters.com
Contact:
Brendon R. Elliott, PGA
321-278-1612
321-278-1612
nonprofit@littlelinksters.com
www.LittleLinksters.com
