SFPGA PROFESSIONALS TO BE HONORED AT 2013 AWARDS DINNER
ATLANTIS, FL – Legendary South Florida PGA Professionals and local golf advocates Don Law and Jim McLean are the newest members elected to the SFPGA Hall of Fame. Both men will be honored at the SFPGA Annual Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner in November (location and time to be announced). Law and McLean will be the 30th and 31st inductees since the SFPGA Hall of Fame was created in 2002.
The SFPGA Hall of Fame recognizes individuals that have significantly impacted the golfing lives of the south Florida community through dedication and contributions to the game of golf. Individuals are first nominated by a nominating committee and then voted on by a committee made up of current Hall of Fame members and SFPGA Executive Board members.
Don Law of Boca Raton has dedicated his entire professional career to educating and developing the next generation of junior golfers. PGA member since 1993, Law has rapidly become the face of junior golf in South Florida.
“To see a kid new to golf light up with a sense of success is what turns my gears,” says Law. “I took over a junior program in Anchorage Alaska in the summer of 1987 and it really changed my life and career; it’s all I’ve wanted to do ever since.” Throughout Don’s tremendous tenure in golf, Law has singlehandedly provided thousands of juniors with the opportunity to learn, play, and enjoy the game of golf.
Through his service as the South Florida PGA Junior Golf Chairman for 12 consecutive years, Law has overseen the tremendous growth of many junior golf programs on a local level. Don Law not only manages four of his own golf academies in South Florida but also oversees all golf instruction at Club Med Academies in Port St. Lucie. In partnership with his wife, Diana, Law also organizes and operates a US Kids Golf local tour in Port St. Lucie. Law was one of the founding members of the SFPGA Junior Tours and has been instrumental in promoting and growing the tour from 103 members in its inaugural year (2001) to two elite tours and nearly 500 members in 2013.
In 2012, Law received the highest honor in junior golf development by earning the PGA of America’s 2012 Junior Golf Leader Award. The award was established in 1988, recognizing the PGA Professional who is a leader in junior golf and who reflects the ideals of those who work with the youth of the game. Law has also served on the PGA National Junior Committee for 3 years.
In addition to being nationally recognized for his dedication to growing the game through junior golf, Law in no stranger to receiving honors at the Section level. Law was named the South Florida PGA Golf Professional of the Year in 2011 as well as receiving the Section’s Junior Golf Leader award in 2001, 2007, 2009, and 2010. Law was awarded the Bill Strausbaugh Award in 2006 which recognizes the professional whose overall commitment is to promoting the game, the Association, and fellow PGA Professionals.
“I am extremely honored to join the great line up of exceptional members of our Hall of Fame,” says Law. “To be recognized in this way is far beyond any dreams I had when I wanted to join the PGA. I must be the luckiest guy alive!”
For his innumerable contributions to junior golf development on both a local, Section, and national level, Don Law will be honored as a Class of 2013 inductee into the South Florida PGA Hall of Fame.
J
im McLean is recognized for his outstanding contributions to the growth of the game in South Florida and nationwide through his impressive achievements on the course and off. Through instruction at Jim McLean Golf Schools across the nation, McLean is recognized as one of the industry’s leading teaching professionals.
McLean’s playing achievements include being one of the few people in history to qualify for the US Junior, US Amateur (4 times), US Open (2 times) and US Senior Open. McLean competed as a member of the PGA Tour in 1982 and has competed in and made the cut at the Masters. Additionally, McLean has qualified for the PGA Professional National Championship on 10 occasions.
A PGA member since 1978 and PGA Master Professional since 1990, McLean’s impressive professional career is highlighted by the honor of being named the PGA of America’s National Teacher of the Year in 1994. He was also named the South Florida Section PGA Teacher of the Year in both 1996 and 1998. In 2011, McLean shared his research and instruction expertise at the SFPGA bi-annual teaching symposium. Some of McLean’s other impressive accolades include: Member of the National PGA Teaching Committee, National PGA Education Committee and National PGA Awards Committee. McLean is an Instruction Editor for Golf Digest and an Instruction Editor and Advisor for The Golf Channel since its inception in 1995. He was the Master Instructor for Golf Magazine from 1990-1997 and was an Instruction Writer for Golf Illustrated for five years.
McLean is also recognized for his achievements in golf media through instruction tools, methods and research on the golf swing. Coined terms such as the X-Factor and Y-Factor have influenced the way PGA Professionals across the nation teach the golf swing. His Eight Step video is the all-time best-selling video on the Golf Channel and the #1 golf DVD in America. McLean’s ‘Eight Step Swing’ book was ranked by Sports Illustrated as one of the top golf instruction books of the 20th century.
In addition to being recognized for his work with national golf media, McLean is known for his extensive work with many of the industry’s top teachers including Jimmy Ballard, Butch Harmon, Bob Toski (SFPGA Hall of Fame, Class of 2006) and many more. He also receives acknowledgment for his impressive work with more than 100 PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and Senior PGA Tour players including Tom Kite, Sergio Garcia, Cristie Kerr, Gary Player, and Keegan Bradley.
Since 2006, McLean has also showed unwavering support for growth of junior golf in South Florida by providing two annual scholarships for one boy and one girl in South Florida to attend the Junior Elite Golf School at the Jim McLean Golf School at Doral. Provided through the South Florida PGA, this scholarship has provided 14 talented juniors the opportunity to receive first-class instruction at one of the Junior Elite Golf Schools provided throughout the summer. His contributions have propelled these talented juniors of South Florida to further their golfing abilities and passion for the game.
For his enormous impact on the golf community through teaching both in South Florida and across the nation, the South Florida PGA welcomes Jim McLean as a member of the South Florida PGA Hall of Fame, Class of 2013.
The South Florida PGA Section will induct both Don Law and Jim McLean as part of its Annual Awards and Hall of Fame dinner in November.
To see a full list of all SFPGA Professionals who make up the South Florida PGA Hall of Fame, CLICK HERE.