Michael Vanover

Please indicate past awards won/recognitions:
Other (Indicate specific awards below in 3-a)

Other awards won:
PGA Assistant of the Year – South FL Section, 2017; PGA Assistant of the Year – Southwest FL Chapter, 2019; Callaway National Fitter of the Year, 2022; Callaway Top 100 Fitter, 2018-2026; Ping Power Fitter, 2024-2026; Ping Top 100 Club Fitter, 2017, 2019; GRAA Top 50 Club Fitter

Total number of individual lessons given per year:
Male: 350
Female: 400
Junior: 20-30

Total number of individual clinics given per year:
5-10

Please indicate any Growth of the Game initiatives your facility/academy has launched over the past year (please give specifics on such programs):
Over the past year at Grey Oaks we have offered the PGA Hope program, free clinics on National Women's Golf Day, and teaching symposiums to other golf professionals in our area. I recently became PGA Hope certified and have taken great pride in offering golf lessons to our local veterans. This year we had 20 graduates from the PGA Hope Program and we are planning to offer it again next year. Our complimentary clinic on Women's Golf Day had over 30 participants and was extremely well received. I also administered a series of educational events for other golf pros and staff from the Naples and Fort Myers area. I offered ideas on my teaching and club fitting philosophy to other professionals so that they can assist in growing the game at their clubs. I did this through live club fittings and lessons, as well as classroom style PowerPoint.

Please share any programming you have made to keep your customers & students engaged:
We are very fortunate at Grey Oaks to offer a great amount of programming through our Performance Center and InRange system. This year we offered InRange events with food and beverage in our new pergola on the driving range. Members can reserve the area, play golf games, and enjoy food and beverage, while being guided by PGA Professionals with instruction, to create our own Top Golf experience at the club. I also created our own Big Break Series, leading our break 100 clinics. These clinics were extremely well received and often sold out. New offerings this year also included clinics called Putt Lights Out and Wine and Wedges. Each year we try to make golf instruction and the Performance Center look new and fresh to attract new students. This year we added new V1 video cameras and software, and are currently upgrading our systems to the new Trackman AI. These improvements are highlighted in our member emails and social media post to show how we are continually investing in our performance center and instructional programs.