Rob McNamara of Farmington CC Named National PING Club Fitter of the Year

PHOENIX, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Club fitting pioneer and leader PING announced today that Rob McNamara, head professional at Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been named 2007 PING National Fitter of the Year.

The national award, first given in 1997, recognizes the authorized PING Fitter who has demonstrated the highest commitment to custom fitting and the promotion of its benefits to golfers of all abilities. McNamara was chosen from nearly 2000 eligible PING Club Fitters throughout the United States.

"Rob's passion for PING and his dedication to his membership have combined to make him the perfect choice for this honor," said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. "His commitment to finding the right fit for his members leads to life-long PING players while earning him a reputation as a leader in his profession. Beyond his own operation, Rob is a great PING ambassador throughout the Mid-Atlantic PGA Section where he reaches out to golfers and his fellow PGA professionals to help raise awareness for the importance of custom fitting."

A two-time winner of PING Regional Fitter of the Year Award (2001 & 2005), McNamara has been a PING supporter since playing college golf at Louisiana State University where he earned All-America honors three times. He's been part of the PING Fitting Program since 1999. His 27-hole facility services more than 1500 members from around the world.

"The combination of PING's industry-leading fitting and superior product makes our job easier," said McNamara, who's been at Farmington CC since 1994. "I have complete confidence in the product I'm fitting. It basically sells itself. I play the product so I know it works. As a fitter and a teacher, the tools and process allow me to demonstrate the difference fitting can make in our member's games.

"The business model is also ideal for my situation," added McNamara, who in 1998 purchased the shop at Farmington. "We don't need to carry large inventories of PING product. We basically fit someone on the range using the iron fitting cart and metal woods and place the order. PING ships it within 48 hours and everyone is happy."

Nearly 2,000 authorized PING Club Fitters were eligible for the award. Among the criteria considered by the selection committee are length of time in the program, commitment to on-going training, sustained sales growth and support of the entire PING product line.

Nominating Rob McNamara and Farmington Country Club for the honor was Brent Kendall, PING Field Representative for Virginia.

                    2007 PING Regional Fitters of the Year


      PING Regional Fitter
           of the Year                 Name                 City       State

         Plaza Golf Shop           Todd Pallis            Torrance      CA
     Country Club at Castle
              Pines                 John Ogden          Castle Rock     CO
       Hillcrest Golf Club         John Vickers           Durango       CO
       The Golf Mart-South                                So. San
          San Francisco             Skip Perry           Francisco      CA
         Stockton Golf &
          Country Club              The Staff             Stockton      CA
         Salem Golf Club           Lee Hoffman             Salem        OR
      Desert Island Country
              Club                 Carol Hogan         Rancho Mirage    CA
           Uinta Golf               Sean Smith         Salt Lake City   UT
        The Santaluz Club          Calay Swift           San Diego      CA
        Ken McDonald Golf
             Course               Dale Anderson            Tempe        AZ
      Blaisdell Performance
             Systems              Gary Blaisdell         Scottsdale     AZ
       Yellowstone Country
              Club                  Bob Eames             Billings      MT
       Gold Mountain Golf
             Complex             Scott Alexander         Bremerton      WA
      Pacific Golf Academy        Susan Ericson           Honolulu      HI
       Tucson Country Club       Michael Haywood           Tucson       AZ
     River Park Golf Center       Dennis Lincoln           Fresno       CA
     Pro Am Golf Superstore        Jim Goodmon            Columbia      MO
     Oak Ridge Country Club         Tom Kristo            Hopkins       MN
      Oneida Golf & Country
              Club                 Jim Schultz           Green Bay      WI
      Fayetteville Country
              Club                  Bill Agler          Fayetteville    AR
     Texarkana Country Club         Art Romero           Texarkana      TX
       Irv Warren Memorial
            Golf Shop              Andy Devine            Waterloo      IA
       Pro Golf Downriver         Frank Messana          Southgate      MI
       Headwaters Country
              Club                Jeff Anderson         Park Rapids     MN
           O Pro Shop              Orville Frye           Tuscola       IL
       Leonard Golf Links         Steve Russell          Fort Worth     TX
      The Golf Headquarters        Brad Dubois           Plainfield     IL
          Golf Emporium             Mark Hill             Rockford      MI
     Westermoreland Country
              Club                 Hans Larson            Wilmette      IL
                                   Simon Allan
       Sioux City Country
              Club                Mitch Merrill          Sioux City     IA
      Wolf Creek Golf Club         Rodney Wray             Olathe       KS
       Corsi's Indoor Golf          Joe Corsi            Greensburg     PA
         Country Club of
           Pittsfield           Bradley H. Benson        Pittsfield     MA
          Edward Grooms             Ed Grooms            Lancaster      OH
     Lancaster Country Club
      Hunting Creek Country
              Club                 Brad Morrow            Prospect      KY
      Lawrence Country Club       Peter Procops           Lawrence      NY
       Orange Country Club          Jim Doyle            Middletown     NY
      Teugega Country Club        Steve Nacewicz            Rome        NY
       Pine Oaks Golf Club          Joe Ricci           South Easton    MA
                                   Leigh Bader
       Fredericksburg Golf
             Center               Steve Lovelace       Fredericksburg   VA
      The Sharon Golf Club        Dwight Axtell        Sharon Center    OH
       Roxiticus Golf Club        Todd Hojnacki           Mendham       NJ
        Darien Golf Center          Peter Herzog           Darien       CT
                                    Bob Keleher
                                                           Center
      Indian Mound Golf Club      Jonathan Rivers          Ossipee      NH
          Bretton Woods             James Napier         Germantown     MD
                                                           Sinking
         Pagoda Golf Area          David B. Rupp           Spring       PA
       The Country Club of
            Birmingham               The Staff           Birmingham     AL
       First Tee Golf Shop           The Staff            Goldsboro     NC
         Edwin Watts #32             James Bond          San Antonio    TX
      Golf Capital Learning
              Center                 Greg Wyatt          Crossville     TN
                                                          Travelers
      The Cliffs Communities         The Staff              Rest        SC
        Royal Palm Yacht &
           Country Club            Chris Holtrop         Boca Raton     FL
      Galveston Country Club         The Staff            Galveston     TX
      The Learning Center @
            Sea Island               The Staff            Brunswick     GA
         Learning Center
                                 Woody Woodall and
      Country Club of Mobile         Jon Zeimet            Mobile       AL
      Wade Hampton Golf Club         The Staff            Cashiers      NC
       Interlachen Country
               Club                 Jay Kennedy          Winter Park    FL
      Capital City Golf Club         The Staff             Atlanta      GA
       Golf Guys of Bonita                                 Bonita
             Springs                 The Staff             Springs      FL
          PGA Golf Club              Eric Hogge        Port St. Lucie   FL
      Fort Jackson Golf Club         The Staff            Columbia      SC
      Ellendale Country Club         The Staff              Houma       LA
       Hot Springs Country
               Club                 Barry Howard         Hot Springs    AR
       Cateechee Golf Club          Jeff Gotham           Hartwell      GA



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