Jim Parella

Please indicate past awards won/recognitions:
GRAA Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, Other (Indicate specific awards below in 3-a)

Other awards won:
2024 National PGA Junior League Game Changer award for Player Engagement

Total number of individual lessons given per year:
Male: 400
Female: 150
Junior: 300

Total number of individual clinics given per year:
50

Please indicate any Growth of the Game initiatives your facility/academy has launched over the past year (please give specifics on such programs):
As the Director of Instruction of Cedarbrook Country Clubs for the past 5 seasons, I’ve seen our PGA Junior Grow 500%, our Ladies program grow 40%, and Instruction Revenue grow over 50%. With membership at an all time high, I believe my instruction and programs have played a massive part in the success we’ve not only had with member retention but the high volume of new members coming from other clubs for the teaching and kids/women’s programs. With plans for a full teaching facility in the works, I plan on creating more programs, more content and more opportunities to host my peers and special guest instructors to display and drive what we’re doing here at the club.

Lastly, I’ve recently created an in-house Junior mentor program. We‘re fortunate to have so many successful high school upper-classmen and young college players who are some of the best players in the area. My intention is for each one of them to mentor a younger student, for example someone just getting into tournament play or trying to make their high school team, mentor them in all areas as in what to expect, how to practice and prepare and even taking them out of the golf course. These mentors can not only help shape these young players but also be rewarded with equipment or items from that golf shop that I will provide. This is something I didn’t have growing up and as much knowledge as I can provide I believe the experience and advice of players closer to their age is priceless.

Please share any programming you have made to keep your customers & students engaged:
For our women we offer a program twice a week called Ladies Nite Out where each week we do an hour of instruction then follow it up in the main dining room for drinks and appetizers to discuss what we learned and keep the players engaged. We run this program throughout the winters as well indoors in our simulator room to keep them going year-round. Also, in the winters I bring in a fitness expert for a few weeks to walk the ladies through proper stretching, warmups and exercises to help prevent injuries and strengthen their golf muscles.
Our Juniors have year wrong instruction including spring, summer, fall and winter clinics, summer PGA Junior League, Fall In-house junior league, Junior Thursday, Junior Golf camp as well as our multi-sport camps. We're currently in the process of adding a Winter in-house junior league as well.
For the men (and women) we're adding a 2-day short game school that will include two full days of all aspects of the short game, on course instruction and lunch. Our membership is full of a large waiting list and our member retention is top notch. Soon we will be adding a year-round teaching facility which will only enhance our programs and drive or numbers up even higher.