Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. – The PGA of America honored its three 2019 PGA Merchandiser of the Year Award recipients—Sara Muldoon, PGA; Duncan Simms, PGA; and Scott Kirkwood, PGA—during the PGA Magazine PGA Merchandiser of the Year Conference Saturday night at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.

Hosted by David Marr III, the event celebrated the achievements of PGA Members who have made extraordinary strides to further the game and industry. The awards ceremony served as a kickoff to the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show Week.

“These award winners are the most ultimate in character and dedication,” said PGA President Suzy Whaley, PGA. “Their journeys in golf are something that we all aspire to. They’re the best of the best. These are our very highest honors.”

“Each of our award-winning recipients does something extra special that sets them apart with their merchandising and business acumen,” added PGA Secretary John Lindert, PGA, as he addressed the crowd of over 200. “They are trendsetters and innovators who set the bar for excellence in the golf retail space extremely high. And they’re also the ones who give back to their profession because of their commitment to the PGA Member and the game of golf.”

2019 PGA Merchandiser of the Year Awards Celebration Clip Reel (Jan. 18, 2020) from PGA of America on Vimeo.

Sara Muldoon, PGA, a Philadelphia PGA Section Member and Director of Golf at Hershey (Pa.) Country Club, is the recipient of the 2019 PGA Merchandiser of the Year Award – Resort Category. The award is designed to recognize those PGA Professionals who have excelled in business and merchandising for the promotion of golf. A three-time winner of the Philadelphia PGA Section Merchandiser of the Year Award – Resort Category (2015, ’16, ‘18), Muldoon has worked at Hershey Country Club since 1995. Her commitment and passion has helped the Club record an 11.4 percent increase in total sales over the last four years. Her implementation of creative promotions, combined with her belief in the importance of training her staff in customer service, have been key to the shop’s success.

Duncan Simms, PGA, a Southern California PGA Section Member and Director of Golf at Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine, Calif., is the recipient of the 2019 PGA Merchandiser of the Year Award – Public Category. Since Simms assumed responsibilities for the Oak Creek golf shop in 2015, it has experienced an increase of 46 percent in total merchandise sales. This was achieved by consistently adapting the product mix in the shop, empowering staff to make decisions and implementing creative sales promotions. The operation also has a Cool Clubs fitting station, and its revenue-sharing agreement brings additional merchandising revenue to the facility. As a result, Simms and his staff work closely with Cool Clubs to promote the service to customers and students in their golf program. Simms is extremely proud to have a strong sales team supporting him and has found a way to generate a sales environment where his team members are entrusted to make decisions, while equipped with a number of creative tools to close a sale.

Scott Kirkwood, a 12-year PGA Member in the South Florida PGA Section and Golf Director at the Ocean Reef Club, in Key Largo, is the recipient of the 2019 PGA Merchandiser of the Year Award – Private Category. The award recognizes PGA Professionals who have excelled in business and merchandising in the promotion of golf. A native of Gullane, Scotland, Kirkwood’s golf shop at Ocean Reef Club has consistently grown its sales, making an impressive $2.2 million in 2018 alone. Kirkwood has created new programs and offers for Ocean Reef’s Membership, increasing merchandise dollars per round from $29 in 2010 to $69 in 2018. In addition, he has increased hard-goods sales by $295,000 over the past three years, actively competing with online retailers. He is recognized for his intense commitment to Member satisfaction, building loyalty with both customers and staff.

The award winners were part of a class of 12 recipients of the 2019 PGA of America National Awards. The other nine honorees were presented their awards at the 2019 PGA Annual Meeting last November.

2019 PGA of America National Awards Recipients:

• PGA Golf Professional of the Year: Eric Eshleman, PGA, Country Club of Birmingham (Ala.)
• PGA Teacher of the Year: Kevin Kirk, PGA, The Woodlands (Texas) Golf Performance Center
• Bill Strausbaugh Award: David Reasoner, PGA, Ridgewood Country Club – Paramus, N.J.
• Horton Smith Award: Todd Sones, PGA, Todd Sones Impact Golf – Vernon Hills, Ill.
• Deacon Palmer Award: Randy Jones, PGA, Club Car – Richmond, Texas
• Patriot Award: Judy Alvarez, PGA/LPGA, Monarch Country Club – Palm City, Fla.
• PGA Player Development Award: Liz Cooper, PGA/LPGA, Springfield (Va.) G. & C.C.
• PGA Youth Player Development Award: Scott Wilson, PGA, Bay Meadows Family G C. – Traverse City, Mich.
• Herb Graffis Award: South Florida PGA Section
• PGA Merchandiser of the Year–Resort Category: Sara Muldoon, PGA, Hershey (Pa.) C.C.
• PGA Merchandiser of the Year-Public Category: Duncan Simms, PGA, Oak Creek G.C. – Irvine, Calif.
• PGA Merchandiser of the Year-Private Category: Scott Kirkwood, PGA, Ocean Reef Club – Key Largo, Fla.
  

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