2022 Alabama – NW Florida Award Winners
The Alabama – NW Florida Section celebrated its 2022 Section Award Winners at Wynlakes Country Club on February 5, 2023.
Micky Wolfe, PGA – Micky Wolfe has been a PGA Member since 2002, and he joined the Alabama – NW Florida Section in 2005. He began as the Head Golf Professional at Canebrake Club in Athens, Alabama in March 2010. Five years later, he became General Manager and Director of Golf. During this time, he has brought PGA Initiatives such as Get Golf Ready, Patriot Golf Day, and PGA Jr. League to his facility. Wolfe places a high importance on junior golf believing that it is the pulse of any club. He is very passionate about junior golf because of the opportunity he was given over 30 years ago to learn and fall in love with the game of golf. He has a “don’t wait” policy for his employees and junior golfers in the hopes that they will help a junior golfer before they ask for help. During his time at Canebrake, he has seen 27 junior golfers receive college scholarships. Each year during his “Summer of Learning” for junior golfers, he brings these college kids back to speak to the younger children about golf and life experiences through golf.
Chet Hallman, PGA – Chet Hallman has been a PGA Member since 1993, and he has spent his entire Membership in the Alabama – NW Florida Section. As a Certified Professional, he believes continuing education is the key to growth and improvement as a PGA Professional. Hallman is certified in Instruction, Golf Operations, and Retail. He has participated in PGA Magazine Conferences, USGA and PGA Rules of Golf Workshops, and AGM Education Conferences. He served as the Section’s Education Chairman for two separate terms, once from 2012-2013 and again from 2018-2020. He has also been published in PGA Magazine’s “Best Practices” section. In addition to this year’s award, he also won the 2009 Section Merchandiser of the Year Award, the 2011 Section Professional of the Year Award, and the 2012 Section Horton Smith Award.
Jeff Jordan, PGA – Jeff Jordan has been a PGA Member since 2000, and he moved to the Alabama – NW Florida Section in 2002. Throughout his time at Mountain Brook Club, he has employed 10 PGM students, and he has worked closely with them on their path to achieving Class A status. He also enjoys helping them find their next internship with the intention of “climbing the ladder” to their dream job. Four Assistant Professionals have worked with him at Mountain Brook Club before taking Head Professional positions elsewhere. Believing that golf professionals should always remain the experts in golf, he has worked with several Professionals and Associates on their golf game. He has also assisted other Professionals with their club’s efforts in upgrading practice facilities and instruction centers. Jordan served as the Tournament Committee Chairman from 2016-2019 and served on the Tournament Committee the two years prior. He has also been awarded the 2006, 2008, 2012, and 2017 Section Player of the Year Award, the 2013 Section Teacher of the Year, and the 2014 Section Professional of the Year Award.
Robbie Blackwell, PGA – Robbie Blackwell has been a PGA Member since 2013 and has spent his entire Membership in the Alabama – NW Florida Section. Throughout his career, he has been involved in growing the game of golf through various programs including an In-School/After-School Golf program. Through this program, he has introduced golf to more than 16,000 junior golfers in this setting. In 2017, he became a PGA HOPE Certified instructor. He hosted a group of wounded veterans for two years when he worked in Prattville. He has implemented Beginner Programs following the “Get Golf Ready” initiatives focusing on getting new golfers involved and helping them not only improve their game but also to feel more comfortable in a golf setting. He contributes golf instructional material to his weekly newsletter at Hoover Country Club. Blackwell currently serves as the Tournament Committee Chairman, Junior Golf Committee member, and is working with the Alabama Golf Associate on the collaborative Junior Golf Alabama programs.
Elizabeth Moultrie – Elizabeth Moultrie started her PGA Associate journey in 2020. She teaches lessons and clinics to the ladies and juniors at her club, along with multiple individual lessons each week. She assists in the day-to-day operations as well as tournaments and other golf events at Hoover Country Club. She has been a PGA Jr. League coach for the past two years, having four juniors qualify for the All-Star Team that made it to the Regional final. She currently serves on the Section’s Junior Golf Committee. Moultrie is an active member of the Section as she strives to grow in her role. She has attended the two previous Assistants’ Summits and Section Annual Meetings. She played in several tournaments where she connected with fellow golf professionals while also improving her golf game. She ended this year as the second-highest-ranked female golfer in the Section.
Chris Biggins, PGA – Chris Biggins has been a PGA Member since 2015. He is a 2014 graduate of the Methodist University PGA Golf Management Program. He has coached PGA Jr. League teams in Birmingham since 2016 and has been tasked with organizing leagues, creating schedules, and acting as the PGA Professional liaison with the National PGA staff. He competes on the G4D Tour, a tour for golfers with disabilities run by the DP World Tour, European Disabled Golf Association, and the European Tour Group. He has created sports programs for kids with disabilities through his involvement with United Ability. Additionally, he is planning a series of clinics with Regions Bank for juniors with and without disabilities which will premier at this year’s Regions Tradition. Biggins has written two PGA Best Practices articles for PGA Magazine this year. He also won this award in 2016, the 2020 Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Award, and the 2021 Player Development Award.
Noah Miller, PGA – Noah Miller has been a PGA Member since 2018. He is a 2017 graduate of the Methodist University PGA Golf Management Program. He created the Operation 36 program at Valley Hill Country Club, and it is the only Certified Location in North Alabama. While this program is typically utilized by junior golfers, it most notably serves as a ladies’ golf program with about 50 ladies involved each semester, many of whom have never even held a club. In season, Valley Hill has been ranked in the top 20 clubs in the network. This is based on the number of golfer profiles created, the number of holes played by participants, and the number of strokes shed while advancing through the different divisions. He has also been a PGA Jr. League Coach since 2018, and some of his participants have advanced to the Regional competition.
Jonathan Gibbons, PGA – Jonathan Gibbons has been a PGA Member since 2013, and he has spent his entire Membership in the Alabama – NW Florida Section. He is both the Head Professional for the Founders Golf Course and the buyer for both facilities at Greystone Country Club. He credits the growth of the Fonuders’ shop to delivering attractive displays with quality merchandise. He sees the golf shop as a tremendous asset to the facility as a revenue driver for the club. The 1,200 square feet of merchandise space is changed every two to three weeks. He combines his knowledge of the products offered and emerging trends with the needs of his customers to maximize sales potential and minimize loss. He also won this award in 2018.
Scott Clayton, PGA – Scott Clayton has been a PGA Member since 2019, and he has spent his entire Membership in the Alabama – NW Florida Section. He focuses on understanding his club’s demographic to better serve them in all aspects of retail. He believes the golf shop is a direct representation of its PGA Professional, always ensuring that the golf shop is orderly, clean, and appealing. He is open to feedback from his members, whether good or bad, regarding what they would like to see and how to improve their merchandising experience. The 612 square feet of merchandise display at Cypress Lakes is shuffled every three months, rotating fixtures, tables, and merchandise. In addition to gathering ideas from his peers, he also relies on social media to understand what other golf shops around the world are emphasizing.
David Watson, PGA – David Watson has been a PGA Member since 2009, and he joined the Alabama – NW Florida Section in 2011. He is a 2009 graduate of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs PGA Golf Management Program. He has created a system where his shop ships fewer shirts per shipment. By bringing in more shipments of less items, he is able to create a better selection for the golf shop. The greater variety of items keeps the shop constantly changing with fresh, new items arriving more often than before. The 1,500 square feet of merchandising space at Kiva Dunes never looks the same for long. While some items may remain on display, the overall displays are changed by shifting items around every time a new shipment arrives. He also won this award in 2016 and 2021.