LynnBlakeGolf Forums - PGA Professional Rick Murphy to Appear May 21 on “The Golf Fix”

Attachment 2884

May 15, 2012
Randy Stutzman, PGA of America (rstutzman@pgahq.com), 561-624-8438
Tammy Boclair, Alday Communications (tammy@aldaycommunications.com), 615-791-1535, x26
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PGA Professional Rick Murphy to Appear May 21 on “The Golf Fix”

Murphy is a golf industry leader in growing the game
through free 10-minute lessons and other Play Golf America programs

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Rick Murphy, owner and PGA Director of Instruction of the Rick Murphy Golf Academy in Greensboro, N.C., will appear on Golf Channel’s “The Golf Fix” Monday (May 21) at 7 pm ET to promote Welcome to Golf Month. Murphy earned his appearance on the show by winning the 2011 PGA Free Lesson Month contest for having the most validated PGA Free Lesson Month cards. For the second consecutive year, Murphy and his staff provided a free 10-minute lesson for the 7,561 attendees at a local minor league baseball game. More than 5,500 people attended the game during the 2010 lesson.

“We had an arrangement to advertise the golf academy at the baseball stadium and during games, and that grew into us setting up a studio at the park,” Murphy said. “It seemed like the next step was to try and get the entire crowd involved in what we were doing. We’ve done the free lessons for two years now and both events have been a tremendous success.”

Murphy’s first ballpark lesson landed him an appearance on the Golf Channel program last year, where he got a first-hand look at major television production and the teaching enthusiasm of the show’s host PGA Professional Michael Breed.

“It was an incredible experience for me,” Murphy said. “I really didn’t know what to expect and Michael and I didn’t really plan anything beforehand. We just talked golf and about the PGA’s programs and it went great. Hopefully, it spurs other PGA Professionals to think about creative ways to spread the word about the game.”

Murphy and his staff are active in promoting the game to new golfers throughout the year, especially during Welcome to Golf Month. His academy has recently added a second location at Greensboro National Golf Club and has plans to create shorter tees on the course for TEE IT FORWARD. Murphy’s staff of seven PGA Professionals also organizes junior programs, senior programs and is currently planning women’s programs, including golf fashion shows and wine tastings. The facility participates in the PGA Sports Academy, to introduce golf skills, sportsmanship, fitness and nutrition for young players, and has recently partnered with Silver Sneakers, a program that encourages physical activity for seniors.

“Everything we do is about developing a customer base and bringing new people to the game of golf,” Murphy said. “We’re trying to reach out to people who have an interest in the game or are familiar with the game, but just don’t know how to get started. Our goal is to offer something that will make a new golfer say, ‘I should try this.’”

Murphy has been a PGA Professional since 1981 and has worked for more than 30 years teaching the game of golf in North Carolina. He has received numerous awards including Carolina PGA Teacher of the Year in 2009 and Carolina PGA Professional of the Year in 2008. He has been recognized by Golf Digest as one of the top 10 teachers in North Carolina six times and by Golf magazine as one of the top teachers in the southeastern United States.