Ed Ibarguen

Please indicate past awards won/recognitions:
PGA Section Teacher of the Year, GRAA Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, Golf Magazine Top 100, Golf Digest Best in State

Other awards won:
Two National PGA Awards (Horton Smith and Bill Strausbaugh Award). Seven Carolinas PGA awards including Professional of the Year, Teaching, Smith and Strausbaugh. National PGA of America Hall of Fame member (2021), Carolinas PGA Hall of Fame Member (2015)

Total number of individual lessons given per year:
Male: 520+
Female: 290+
Junior: 400+

Total number of individual clinics given per year:
25+

Please indicate any Growth of the Game initiatives your facility/academy has launched over the past year (please give specifics on such programs):
As a PGA teaching staff of seven at the Duke University Golf Club, we are constantly promoting growth of the game initiatives on all fronts of senior, men, women, and junior golfers. We feature year-round 'Get Golf Ready' (Sessions 1 & 2) learning to play group clinics for beginning and/or lapsed golfers, we host national and local junior golf camps throughout the summer. We feature Fuqua MBA and Law school student classes. We host the Duke University Physical Education Classes for undergraduate students. We host the North Carolina Central University men's and women's golf teams. We host junior high school practices and tournaments. We host corporate putting and full swing clinics through the Washington Duke Inn and JB Duke hotel group. We host the sectional Drive, Chip, and Putt. I also volunteer for the Carolinas PGA Section when they have promotional lesson days, presenting at CPGA seminars, players with disabilities range sessions, etc.

Please share any programming you have made to keep your customers & students engaged:
Since we are a public access golf course, the Duke University Golf Club hosts the full gamut of Buckets and Brews, Sip and Swing, half range and full range student events, etc. etc. etc. Our club has a Duke Golf Association that we engage with throughout the year. Throughout the year, we offer free buckets of practice balls to entice golfers to come out and stay engaged in the game at the club. Our practice putting and chipping green is open all day, every day, at no fee to anyone that wants to come and practice. This provides easy opportunities to meet and greet new students within these practice areas.