North Florida PGA

PGA HOPE Expansion

Yours & One Other, the charitable affiliate of the North Florida PGA, is excited to announce that a new PGA HOPE Chapter will launch later this year in Citrus County. The new Chapter joins the four existing Chapters in Jacksonville, Orlando, Sarasota and Tampa. The five PGA HOPE Chapters are expected to serve nearly 180 Veterans this year. There will be two training sessions held for PGA Professionals and Associates to grow the program, and approximately 20 Professionals are expected to be trained. In 2021, five PGA HOPE sessions were held, serving nearly 40 Veterans throughout the North Florida region. The program, which introduces Veterans to the game of golf through a developmental 6-8 week curriculum, was taught by PGA Professionals and left a lasting impact on those who participated. “It was very therapeutic to be outside and learn the game,” said James Hazelton, a 2021 PGA HOPE graduate. “I picked it up really well and looked forward to getting up every Wednesday.” The Citrus County PGA HOPE Session will be held at Plantation on Crystal River in the fall.

Jim Endicott, the Director of Instruction at Royal St. Cloud Golf Links (and 2022 NFPGA Patriot Award Winner), instructing the 2021 PGA HOPE Orlando Session.

PGA Coach & ADM

Bruce Mohler, Dave Garren, Chase Dubin and Stephanie ConnellyEiswerth have recently obtained their ADM certification through PGA.Coach. The American Development Model (ADM) was designed to create positive experiences for sports participants. It strives to create an engaging environment, enabling participants to have a challenging and rewarding atmosphere PGA.Coach provides the tools necessary to expand and manage Members’ coaching business, as well as the expert training to help Members’ adapt and integrate into their existing teaching methods. PGA Winter Series’ Women’s Stroke Play

From off the course to on, our Members achieved some notable triumphs throughout the month. Three Members competed in the PGA Winter Series’ Women’s Stroke Play Championship at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, FL on February 13th. Returning Champion and new North Florida Member Sandra Changkaji performed solidly in her first round, tying for fifth and finishing at +2 (73). She tied with Stephanie Connelly-Eiswerth of Eagle Harbor Golf Club. Rounding out the top 10 was Destiny Lawson of Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club, who tied for tenth place and finished at +6 (77).

Round 2 kicked off on February 14th, and the stakes were high for our three Members to retain their high placement and embrace the momentum from their solid firstround finishes. Connelly-Eiswerth edged out a solid finish, rising to the top spot with an impressive tworound total of +2 (145). Changkaji held steady, concluding the round tied for fourth place at +8 (151). Lawson rose to eighth place and ended with a two-round total of +10 (153).

During Round 3, Changkija soared to first place after a stellar final round of shooting 70 and repeated her 2021 victory, while ConnellyEiswerth dropped to third and tied with Allie Knight of the Tennessee Section. Lawson was able to edge out a top 10 finish and concluded her three rounds of play at +18 (232). Tournament Season is Near

The 2022 Tournament Season is gearing up and rapidly approaching! It is all kicking off with the NFPGA Senior Stableford on March 28th at Esplanade at Azario Lakewood Ranch. The two-day tournament will surely be one to remember, and we are anticipating a triumphant launch to this year’s tournament season!