Awards

Michigan's Gary Cottrell receives 2005 PCS Top Shop Award

PCS Certified "Class A" Clubmaker Gary Cottrell, Golfers Advantage, Fenton, Mich. received the 2005 Home-Based Top Shop Award in ceremonies held at the 14th Annual PCS International Symposium and Expo in Louisville, Ky., at the Saturday, March 5, 2005, Awards Banquet.

The PCS Top Shop Awards are chosen from member nominations in two categories - Home-Based, to recognize those clubmakers who work out of their homes or in non-commercial areas, and Retail, to recognize those clubmakers who operate free-standing retail golf shops that incorporate clubmaking, club repair and club fitting. The winners are selected by a committee of PCS members. The Top Shop Awards are judged on shop layout, workflow, appearance, organization, focus on safety, innovations, and creativity.

The PCS Top Shop Awards are in their third year. Previous winners of the Home-Based Top Shop Award are PCS Certified "Class A" Clubmaker Ron Mankin, Lexington, S.C., and PCS Professional "Class A" Clubmaker Pat Kennedy, Burlington, Vt. The previous Retail Top Shop Award winners are PCS Professional "Class A" Clubmaker Claude Giroux, The Village Green Golf Range, Stoney Point, Ontario, Canada, and PCS Certified "Class A" Clubmaker Eric Burch, Parfection Custom Golf, Rockford, Ill.

"One of PCS' greatest strengths is the knowledge base across the membership. This vast knowledge can take many forms such as processes, techniques or innovation," PCS Top Shop Awards Chair Mike Woody, PCS Advanced Professional "Class A" Clubmaker, Woody's Custom Golf, Bethalto, Ill., said. "This incredible sharing of knowledge is at the heart of the PCS, and that same spirit is what the Top Shop Award is all about. This is NOT about who has the biggest shop. This is NOT an equipment contest to see who has the most. Again, this award is all about the sharing of knowledge and using your shop, your ideas, and your innovations to strengthen the PCS membership. The great thing about this award is you can stand up and brag about the accomplishments within your shop, help your fellow clubmakers, and be recognized by the PCS for what you already have done!"

Cottrell's Golfers Advantage encompasses the lower level of his Michigan home. In addition to incorporating a spacious work area that encourages efficient work flow, it includes a complete hitting cage with launch monitor for fittings and an indoor putting green. The shop maintains all safety precautions.

The 14th PCS International Symposium and Expo is the world's largest independent gathering of professional clubmakers and component suppliers. Held at the Galt House Hotel, Louisville, Ky., March 3-6, 2005, the PCS Expo is planned by and for PCS members. It is open to all professional clubmakers. Special discounts are available to first-time, non-member attendees who are sponsored by PCS members. The 2006 PCS International Symposium and Expo will be held at the Galt House Hotel, Louisville, Ky., March 2-5. For information, please contact the PCS Headquarters (800-548-6094).

The PCS Expo attracts more than 300 professional clubmakers and 60 component and clubmaking supply vendors to the annual event. The PCS Expo stresses interactive exhibits where clubmakers can meet in-depth with component vendor representatives and test new equipment. Hitting nets are available for demonstrations. Also included in the program agenda are social events, an Awards Banquet, and a party held at the Louisville Golf manufacturing facility, which affords clubmakers a hands-on tour of the largest surviving persimmon-head production facility in America.

PCS, an independent professional society of more than 1,000 clubmakers, offers three certification exams that combine a written exam and a hands-on skills test. It is the most rigorous, continually updated certification process in the clubmaking industry. PCS members pledge adherence to a strict Code of Ethics that prohibits knowingly selling or representing counterfeit components or golf clubs. As independent Golf Equipment Professionals®, PCS members can recommend any combination of components that best fit an individual golfer's swing. PCS members' expertise provides customers with Tour Fitting for Any Golfer.