Jordan Young Named 2013 PGA Player Development Award

IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bob Denney

September 3, 2013 561/624-8582

MICHIGAN PGA PROFESSIONAL JORDAN YOUNG NAMED

RECIPIENT OF 2013 PGA PLAYER DEVELOPMENT AWARD

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Jordan Young of Flat Rock, Mich., who’s drive to coach and teach led him to become both a Section and national education contributor, has been named the recipient of the 2013 PGA Player Development Award.

Young, 42, the PGA director of instruction at Fox Hills Learning Center in Plymouth, Mich., is an eight-year member of The PGA of America and is the first member of the Michigan PGA Section to be named recipient of the PGA Player Development Award, (formerly The President’s Plaque), which was established in 1982, and in 2006 became a special award that supports Play Golf America initiatives.

Young will be honored during The PGA of America Awards ceremony Jan. 22, 2014, during the 61st PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center’s Chapin Theater in Orlando, Fla.

“We are blessed with a talented class of national award recipients who have always represented our Association at the highest level,” said PGA of America President Ted Bishop. “They have been natural-born leaders and impact-makers in their respective fields. Whether it is in the golf shop, on the lesson tee or in front of community leaders, we are proud that this award class serves as the gold standard in the industry.”

Born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, Young was a downhill skier in his early teen years before he went through a wide range of injuries that convinced him that he would be better served devoting his time to golf. Young was introduced to the game at age 9 by his maternal grandfather and became skilled to play collegiately at Eastern Michigan University. Following graduation in 1994, Young competed on the Canadian Tour from 1995 through 1998. He returned from the Tour to work in private golf clubs in Canada for the next 12 years.

Young, a Canadian citizen, applied for permanent U.S. residency in 1997, and is in his seventh season at Fox Hills Learning Center, a model in Play Golf America programming. Under Young’s direction, Fox Hills developed a Junior Performance Center; launched a Junior Golf Camp in 2009 that now features more than 120 participants; hosted a winter golf school; coordinated women’s programs; fitness programs; a high school coaches’ “Open House;” secured a clubfitting and custom repair specialist; built community outreach with the local Plymouth (Mich.) Rotary chapter; and advanced its social media technology by promoting Global Golf Lessons.

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“I am honored and humbled to receive such an award, especially on a national level,” said Young. “I know how hard PGA Professionals work around the country in an attempt to promote and grow the game. I am just proud to be named as one of the leaders in this large group of talented individuals.”

Young also serves as assistant men’s golf coach at his alma mater, Eastern Michigan University. He is in his second term on the Michigan PGA Board of Directors and in his second year at president of the Section’s Eastern Chapter. He was the 2012 Michigan PGA Teacher of the Year, the 2011 Section Horton Smith Award recipient and the 2009 and ’11 Section Player Development Award. He has been named to the U.S. Kids Golf Top 50 Instructor list in 2009, ’11 and ’12.

“I am very lucky to have kids to work with, many of whom are on their way to becoming professionals,” said Young. “I have enjoyed all opportunities to advance my instruction and to encourage our facility’s team of professionals to participate in instructional opportunities in the state.”

In 2009, Young founded the Michigan PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit, with his first feature speaker, the late Jim Flick, the legendary PGA Golf Professional Hall of Famer. Young was chair of the Summit Committee through 2010 and continues to serve on the committee that annually engages more than 300 Section professionals and contributes $10,000 annually for Section education programs.

Last winter, Young helped plan and coordinate the first Motor City Golf and Travel Show in Detroit. The event attracted nearly 10,000 attendees. “This is about giving back, and I did this for the Section and for the members, which in turn directly affects our students and juniors around the state,” said Young. “My goal was to provide an opportunity for us all to become better PGA Professionals, better instructors and most importantly, better ambassadors of the game.”

Young and his wife, Kristin, live in Flat Rock, Mich., and are parents of a son, Dylan.

Other recipients of 2013 PGA of America Awards who will be honored Jan. 22, 2014, are:

Michael Doctor of Camillus, N.Y. – PGA Golf Professional of the Year
Lou Guzzi of Glenside, Pa. – PGA Teacher of the Year
Daniel Pasternak of Morristown, N.J. – Bill Strausbaugh Award
John Hughes of Haines City, Fla. – Horton Smith Award
Nicole Weller of Savannah, Ga. – PGA Junior Golf Leader

Furthermore, The PGA of America will present two national awards on Nov. 23, at the 97^th Annual Meeting at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina in San Diego, Calif. The recipients: