The Colorado PGA will recognize some of its best of 2016 tonight (Nov. 4) at its Awards Gala at Colorado Golf Club in Parker.
Most of the award winners were announced in August (READ MORE), including Leslie Core-Drevecky being named the Section’s 2016 Golf Professional of the Year, its highest honor. Core-Drevecky, the PGA head professional at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora, became the first female president of the Colorado PGA in 2014.
Finalized more recently have been the Colorado PGA’s Players of the Year. Player honorees will be:
— Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year: Geoff Keffer (pictured above), PGA Learning Center at Park Hill. Keffer, who won his first Colorado PGA Professional Championship in September, receives this award for the third consecutive year and for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Others who have been Player of the Year three straight times include Bob Hold (1966-71), Vic Kline (1977-79) and Ron Vlosich (1986-88).
— Senior Player of the Year: Mike Northern, Colorado Springs. Northern, a three-time Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year, claimed the title in the Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship in mid-August.
— Apprentice Player of the Year: Pat Grady, University of Colorado men’s golf assistant coach. Grady won the National Car Rental Colorado PGA Assistants Championship in August and on Sunday he placed 11th in the National Assistant PGA Professional Championship.
Here are the recipients of the Colorado PGA’s special awards for 2016:
— Golf Professional of the Year (overall performance, including leadership, service and promotion of the game of golf): Leslie Core-Drevecky, Murphy Creek Golf Course.
— Teacher of the Year: Steve Patterson, Hiwan Golf Club.
— Assistant Golf Professionals of the Year: Brad Gannaway, Colorado Springs Country Club.
— Bill Strausbaugh Award (mentoring fellow PGA professionals): Dale Smigelsky, Collindale Golf Course.
— Horton Smith Award (exceptional contributions to promote and improve PGA educational programs): Mark Bacheldor, UCCS PGA-PGM.
— Warren Smith Award (special contributions to game of golf, the Colorado PGA, junior golf and their facility): Craig Parzybok, Fox Hollow Golf Course.
— Noble Chalfant Inductee (distinguished service to the Colorado PGA) — Tom Apple, Country Club of the Rockies
— Player Development Award: Trent Wearner, Trent Wearner Golf Academy.
— Youth Player Development Award: Katie Milstead, The First Tee at Green Valley Ranch.
— Private Merchandiser of the Year: Greg Bryan, Roaring Fork Club.
— Resort Merchandiser of the Year: Rich Parker, Kissing Camels Club.
— Public Merchandiser of the Year: Mark Pfingston, The Golf Club at Bear Dance.
— President’s Award: Ed Mate, CGA
— Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year: Geoff Keffer, PGA Learning Center at Park Hill
— Senior Player of the Year: Mike Northern, Colorado Springs
— Apprentice Player of the Year: Pat Grady, University of Colorado
— Charles “Vic” Kline Award (outstanding service and leadership in the Colorado PGA through work on CPGA Board of Directors): Theo Gregory, El Pomar Foundation.
Gott Receives National Clubfitter Honor from Callaway: The people who will be recognized tonight aren’t the only members of the Colorado PGA Section who have been honored recently. Brian Gott, PGA director of instruction at Gott Golf, was named Callaway Golf’s National Club Fitter of the Year on Oct. 17 in San Diego.
Gott opened Gott Golf in 2008 and was named one of Golf Digest’s top 100 club fitters in America in 2015 and ’16. Among the clubs Gott works with in Colorado are Cherry Hills, Castle Pines, The Broadmoor and Maroon Creek.
Gott Golf is based at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.
