Rob Stocke

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

Other awards won (if provided):
Georgia PGA North Chapter Teacher of the Year, GRAA Elite Master Status, FCC Master Instructor

Total number of individual lessons given per year:
Male: 600
Female: 500
Junior: 200

Total number of individual clinics given per year:
120

Please indicate any Growth of the Game initiatives your facility/academy has launched over the past year (please give specifics on such programs):
We had several new members join Long Cove Club over the past 24 months – many were new to golf, so we began an Introductory Golf program, which covered everything from driving/parking the cart, etiquette, to how to play various shots. This has been very successful, and long time players/members are very appreciative that new players understand the game. We had a huge turn out for our Fold of Honor tournament, unfortunately, I was planning on a 24-hours of instruction to coincide with this, but I had surgery and had to postpone until next year.

Please share any programming you have made to keep your customers & students engaged:
2024 has been a unique year for me. The first 6 months of the year I was on record pace for lessons, averaging 120 lessons per month. Then, in August, I had to have surgery to remove prostate cancer, which put me out of commission for 3 months. Fortunately, the surgery was successful, I’m on the road to recovery, and back in business. I’m expecting to finish the year stronger than ever.

It’s always a challenge creating new and interesting programs for the membership – so much has already been done! However, this year I created a new program that has been extremely fun and has been embraced by the membership. I called it “Golf Geeks,” and it is an informational deep dive into technology, and a behind-the-scenes look at how I use technology to assist my players. Each month is a new topic; some of which are: “Forces and Torques – how players can improve by using the ground,” “The Art & Science of Putter Fitting” (featuring our SAM Putt Studio & Perfection Platform), and “Golf Shafts – how determining the proper shaft for players makes all the difference,” Many of our members love learning about all the technology we have in “The Cove” our two year old learning center, and many of them are passionate about their game and learning more. This was just one of the many programs I offered to the members at Long Cove Club this year. Additionally, we did private lessons, weekly clinics for all levels of the game, club fitting, and on-course instruction.