Stafford, VA – Adam Fishman, of Montgomery County Golf in Rockville, Maryland has been selected as the Middle Atlantic PGA’s 2015 Youth Player Development Leader. This award bestows special recognition on a PGA Professional who is a leader in youth golf, reflects the image and qualities that youngsters can emulate, and provides opportunities for youth to learn and play golf. Fishman will be honored in front of his family, friends, and peers at the annual MAPGA Hall of Fame and Awards banquet on Saturday March 14, 2015 at the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland.
While it’s evident that Adam’s work experience is vast, it has been his time spent with Montgomery County Golf that has given him the opportunity to inspire the future of golf through his development and support of youth programs. Adam is involved with various Junior Golf programs such as PGA Junior League Golf and The First Tee of Montgomery County, MD and he serves on the PGA President’s Council on Growing the Game. His ability to inspire and his motivation to teach have made him the deserving recipient of the 2015 Youth Player Development Award.
Originally from Silver Spring, Maryland, Adam grew up in Potomac, Maryland, four miles away from Falls Road Golf Club. When he turned 13, Adam’s parents purchased him a golf lesson series with the teaching professional at Falls Road Golf Club. Adam started watching golf on television at the tail end of Arnold Palmer’s career and fell in love with his “swagger.” Palmer was a huge factor in Adam learning to play golf and to eventually make a career in the industry.
In 1995, Adam’s mentor and close friend, PGA Life Member Chuck Walker promoted him to Assistant General Manager/First Assistant at Falls Road Golf Club, and worked there until 2003 when he took the same position at Hampshire Greens in Silver Spring, Maryland. After only two years as Assistant General Manager at Hampshire, Adam earned his PGA membership and was promoted to PGA Head Professional. He served in this position until 2007.
Adam has been involved with Montgomery County Golf (MCG) for 19 years and has been a passionate and innovative junior golf leader. His contributions to junior golf programs nationally and in the Middle Atlantic Section include serving as the MCG PGA Junior League Golf Communications Director, serving as the MCG Training Manager, and helping implement the MCG Boy Scouts of America Golf programs. Being the Communications Director for the MCG PGA Junior League Golf, Adam is in charge of marketing, scheduling, and coordinating the nation’s largest PGA Junior League Golf Program. This spring, under his leadership, 140 10-13 year olds participated in MCG’s two leagues. In addition, Adam created and piloted a 7-9 year old league for the national PGA Junior League Golf office using a six hole match format that will be introduced next season. This developmental league sold out with 36 participants getting an early start in PGA Junior League Golf. Recognizing the popularity and success of the spring program, Adam has organized a fall league for both age divisions with 104 kids signing up to play.
As MCG Training Manager Adam teaches every MCG employee a customer service training course that he has created. This course not only focuses on providing the best experience in public golf, but allows all employees to promote all of MCG’s junior golf programming. This classroom exposure has helped MCG become the largest provider of PGA Junior League Golf in the country, a leader in Get Golf Ready programming, and has helped the MCG Family Golf Program ($10.00 per person including cart after 5pm at any site) see its third consecutive year of growth in rounds.
In addition, Adam helped implement the MCG Boy Scouts of America Golf Merit Badge program and the MCG Cub Scouts of America Golf Belt Loop and Pin Program. As an Eagle Scout, Adam recognized this amazing opportunity to give back to scouting while growing the game of golf and helping youth build character, responsibility, and respect. Over the past two seasons, Adam has introduced the game of golf to over 200 scouts. This successful program was recognized with a pro to pro article in the January 2014 issue of PGA Magazine resulting in Adam assisting six other PGA Members in becoming BSA Golf Merit Badge Counselors.
With golf seeing little or no growth over the past five years, success stories from programs such as PGA Junior League Golf, Drive Chip & Putt, The First Tee, and the MAPGA Junior Tour need to be told. By speaking at the 2014 East Coast Junior Golf Summit, and attending events such as Chapter meetings, and The First Tee Mid-Atlantic Regional Network Meeting, Adam has been able to promote the success of programs at MCG to other PGA professionals. He feels his success comes from creating engaging activities that kids enjoy and thinking outside the box when it comes to way golf is played.
Though this is his first MAPGA Award, Adam has earned numerous awards including being named as a Top 100 Get Golf Ready Facility/Instructor three consecutive years from 2009-2011, winning the Montgomery County Revenue Authority Grow the Game Award in 2009, as well as the MCRA Over and Above Award in 2012. Adam has also been a member of the 2005 and 2007 PGA President’s Council on Growing the Game. Adam hopes his significant accomplishments in youth player development inspire other PGA Members to get involved.
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:
Eric Southard
esouthard@pgahq.com
(540) 720-7420 ext. 101
