Carlsbad Golf Center named PING National Fitter of the Year

(PHOENIX) – Club-fitting pioneer and leader PING announced today that Susan Roll and her staff at Carlsbad Golf Center (CGC) in Carlsbad, Calif., have been named the 2011 PING National Fitter of the Year.

First given in 1997, the award recognizes the Authorized PING Fitter who has demonstrated the highest commitment to custom fitting and the promotion of its benefits to golfers of all abilities.

“Susan leads a team at Carlsbad Golf Center that is experienced, well-trained, and passionately committed to PING’s custom-fitting philosophy, and her staff has helped countless golfers lower their scores through properly fit PING technology,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “Because of Susan’s emphasis on customer service, her facility enjoys a large and loyal following. Her promotion of the PING brand in the highly competitive Southern California market has helped her grow, and that’s a credit to her belief in the quality of PING equipment and the effectiveness of our fitting system. She is very deserving of being PING’s National Fitter of the Year.”

As a business owner and fitter, Roll said she values PING’s steadfast ability to turn out one high-quality product after another, making her job easier. “The word I use to describe PING is ‘consistency’. Year in and year out, PING produces a terrific product. Whether it’s women-specific or a better-player’s club, it will look great, feel great and perform great for golfers of all abilities. If I hear PING has a new product coming out I don’t even have to see it, I just know it’s going to be good.”

Roll, who has co-owned CGC with Dana Chaiken since 2003, is a Class A PGA and LPGA Professional and has more than 20 years of clubfitting experience. Her long list of accolades and honors includes Club Fitter of the Year from both the PGA’s Southern California Section and San Diego Chapter. She was recently named 2011 PGA National Merchandiser of the Year-Public Facilities.

Key to her fitting practice, Roll said, is CGC’s 58-bay, lighted range where she can monitor ball flights and make adjustments. Natural and artificial putting and chipping greens, and bunkers complement a full-service operation that includes a pro shop offering fittings and instruction from CGC’s teaching professionals. The pro shop, club fitters, and the range have all been recognized multiple times on “Best Of” lists by national publications.

Roll relies on PING’s Advanced Fitting System (AFS) Interchangeable Fitting Cart and nFlight® Custom-Fitting Software to perform complete-bag fittings with in-depth analysis. She also utilizes the iPING putter app to identify stroke type and fit her customers with the PING putter model that matches his or her stroke. “Extensive” is how she describes the AFS Cart. “Interchangeability gives us flexibility and allows us to be agile, to change all the components quickly and be able to tell the customer, ‘This is the exact club you’re going to play’. Knowing they have the right clubs for them means a great deal to people, and to me.”

She said PING is a prominent piece of her business because the brand inspires an emotional connection. “Time and again, people just light up when they hit PING equipment. They smile. They’re immediately hooked. And if someone has left PING, inevitably they come back and say, ‘Why did I ever leave? I remember this is what it feels like to play well.’ ”

In addition to Roll, CGC’s fitters include Director of Golf/Manager Mug Ogg, Head Professional Monica Stratton, Assistant Professional Les Duer, and PGA Apprentice Professionals Lee Sanudo and Ken Behrs.

Nearly 2,000 authorized PING Club Fitters were eligible for the award. Among the criteria considered by the selection committee are length of time in the program, commitment to on-going training, sustained sales growth and support of the entire PING product line.

Nominating Susan Roll was Rich Mundy, PING Field Representative for Southern California.

For more information on PING, visit www.ping.com.

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