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BRAD CLAYTON SELECTED AS
THE CAROLINAS
PGA’S PALMER MAPLES TEACHER OF THE YEAR
December
1, 2008
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Press release courtesy of the PGA Carolina Section.
MYRTLE BEACH,
S.C.
(December 1, 2008)
– Each year, a number of exceptional PGA professionals are
nominated by their peers to be selected as recipients of the
Section’s special awards and honors.
The Palmer Maples Teacher of the Year award goes to the
teaching professional who has performed outstanding service as a
golf instructor. Emphasizing the past five years of the
professional’s career, the professional must demonstrate an impact
on teaching and golf instruction in the Section, involvement in
junior golf activities at his or her facility and the community,
innovative contributions to golf instruction and any articles
written for publication.
This year’s Palmer Maples Teacher of the Year is
Brad Clayton of The Zone
Golf Learning Center (Oxford,
N.C.) and
www.Puzzleduckgolf.org.
Brad Clayton is a Master PGA Teaching
Professional who has devoted his entire career to golf instruction.
Through his teaching facility, The Zone Golf Learning Center which he
opened in 1999, he annually gives 600-700 lessons each year to people
in Raleigh and Oxford, N.C. and while he has had the fortune of
teaching very successful players in his 16-year career, he recognizes
and greatly appreciates the numerous opportunities he’s had in
teaching the game of golf to people of all walks of life.
In 2002, The Zone became the home practice facility for the
Granville County Special Olympics Golf Team and through his countless
speaking and teaching engagements, he has had the opportunity to bring
the game to people who may have never thought it possible to play
golf. Furthermore,
through the trials associated with the loss of his arm in 2000, he has
embraced the opportunity to become an example of perseverance for
people with similar challenges, whether they are physical, mental or
social.
“To have this honor given to me is the most
humbling experience of my career.
I’ve been so fortunate to work with a variety of people and I
always say that if I didn’t need money to live, I would teach for free
because I love it so much.”
Clayton also continually makes himself available
to numerous teaching programs and camps at the Section and National
levels, providing free instruction at five separate Play Golf America
Days, guest instructing for The Wounded Warriors at Camp Lejuene, and
participating in a number of speaking functions and fundraisers
throughout North and South Carolina at various elementary schools,
youth clubs, The First Tee clinics and clinics for children with
disabilities. He has also
contributed to numerous publications including USA Today, PGA.com, the
Oxford Ledger Newspaper, and a variety of tips and video clips on his
website, puzzleduckgolf.org
In the past five years, his service to the
Section through player development programs, continual initiation of
golf instruction programs at his facility and his written
contributions to numerous publications have made him a great example
of what it means to both teach and be a lifelong student of the game
of golf.
Brad continues to share his love for the game of
golf with the 2009 release of his book
Puzzle Duck Golf,
Migrate to a More Efficient Golf Game
,
published by Rampant
TechPress.
To learn more about Brad Clayton visit his web
site www.Puzzleduckgolf.org
or call
919-691-2330.
Clayton, as well as nine other Special Awards and
Honors recipients, including the 2008 Players of the Year, Johnny
Palmer Trophy winner, and our 2008 Hall of Fame Inductee will be
honored at the Carolinas PGA Section’s annual Big Week Special Awards
and Honors Ceremony on February 15, 2009 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
They will be the focal point of a celebration of their
accomplishments and contributions to our Section and The PGA of
America.
About Carolinas PGA Section Awards and Honors
The Carolinas PGA Section Awards and Honors are
distributed each year to the ten Carolinas PGA professionals who not
only excel in their fields of expertise but also contribute to the
growth of the game in the Carolinas, dedicate themselves to
maintaining the integrity of the golf industry in the Carolinas and,
day in and day out, exemplify what it means to be a PGA Professional.
Along with the Palmer Maples Teacher of the Year, other honors
include Golf Professional of the Year honoring the professional who
has excelled throughout his career, the Horton Smith Trophy honoring
those committed to continuing education for PGA professionals, the
Bill Strausbaugh award which honors an exceptional mentor, the
Assistant Golf Professional of the Year, honoring an assistant’s
extraordinary performance, the Junior Golf Leader award, given to a
PGA professional dedicated to growth of the game through junior golf
and the President’s Plaque, awarded to a PGA professional who has
contributed greatly to player development programs.
There are also three separate awards given for Merchandiser of
the Year in the Resort, Public and Private Club categories.
About Carolinas PGA Section
Established in 1923, the Carolinas PGA Section of
the Professional Golfers’ Association has grown to be the largest of
the PGA forty-one sections with almost 2,000 professional members. The
Carolinas PGA Section embraces North and South
Carolina as well as a small portion of southern
Virginia, representing more than 800 golf
facilities. The Carolinas PGA is dedicated to nurturing and improving
the quality of the game for the thousands of golfers using its member
facilities. PGA professionals are responsible for conducting a variety
of golf-related functions which include human resource management,
golf shop merchandising, golf instruction, tournament operations,
junior golf programs, growth of the game initiatives, golf club
repair, administering the rules, public relations and much more. For
additional information, contact Kate Anderson, Media and Promotions
Manager, at (843) 913-2742.
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