The Colorado PGA or its members earned a PGA of America national award each of the past five years, which, to say the least, is not an easy rate of success to maintain moving forward.
But the Section not only has extended its “win streak”, but it’s gone one better.
The PGA of America recently announced its 2012 national award winners, and two Colorado PGA members made the list. Dale Smigelsky, the director of golf at Collindale Golf Club in Fort Collins, was named PGA Merchandiser of the Year for Public Facilities. And George Kahrhoff, head professional at The Country Club at Castle Pines in Castle Rock, earned the Merchandiser award for private facilities.
So that makes seven national PGA awards in six years for the Colorado Section.
“I think that speaks volumes about Colorado golf,” said Eddie Ainsworth, executive director of the Colorado PGA since 2008. “Our PGA professionals continue to be seen as the best of the best. Colorado is leading the country, from our golf courses to our PGA professionals.”
Smigelsky and Kahrhoff (left and right, respectively, in photos above) will receive their awards Jan. 18 in Orlando, Fla.
The honors for Smigelsky and Kahrhoff give the Colorado PGA 16 national PGA awards dating back to 1958. The Section’s recent win streak has included Danny Harvanek (2007 Junior Golf Leader), Clayton Cole (2008 Bill Strausbaugh Award for mentoring fellow PGA professionals), Kyle Heyen (2009 President’s Plaque for player development), Ann Finke (2010 Junior Golf Leader), and the Colorado Section as a whole (2011 Herb Graffis Award for extraordinary and exemplary contributions in player development). And the Section has continued to be at the forefront in player development in 2012, specifically through the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program — a joint initiative with the Section’s partners in Colorado golf, including the CGA and CWGA — and the national Get Golf Ready campaign.
The PGA of America announced a total of 11 national award winners for 2012. Only Colorado and Connecticut earned two national honors each.
Two times previously, Colorado PGA members have garnered national Merchandiser of the Year awards. Keith Schneider of Castle Pines Golf Club earned the honor in the private category in 1990, and Russ Miller of the Broadmoor Golf Club was named in the resort category in 2003.
In the Colorado PGA’s Section awards, Kahrhoff has twice landed Merchandiser of the Year honors — in 2006 in the resort category at Sonnenalp Golf Club in Edwards, and in 2010 in the private category at The Country Club at Castle Pines. Smigelsky was the Section’s 2010 Merchandiser of the Year for Public Facilities for his work at Collindale.
