PGA Golf Club, PGA Country Club Earn 'Rolling Out the Green Carpet' Certification

The three Championship golf courses by Tom Fazio and Pete Dye that comprise PGA Golf Club at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and the Jim Fazio-designed course at the nearby private PGA Country Club, have all individually earned Rolling Out the Green Carpet certification from the National Women's Golf Alliance (NWGA).

The certification program assesses golf facilities on standards and best practices that make the facility welcoming and attractive to women. A trained NWGA evaluator and three female guests play an 18-hole round to evaluate the facility on five key areas of focus: Golf Course Playability, Customer Service, Golf Course Amenities, Facility Amenities and Golf Programs. Facilities that achieve a score of 80 percent or higher in at least three of these areas receive certification.

The Wanamaker Course received 4-star status. The Ryder Course, Dye Course and the nearby private PGA Country Club course each received 3-star Rolling Out the Green Carpet certification. Valid for three years, the designation also comes with publicity and marketing, including an insignia to use with promotional materials and advertising.

"We are especially proud that all four of our golf courses at PGA Golf Club have earned this important recognition from the National Women's Golf Alliance," said PGA Golf Club General Manager Jimmy Terry. "The Rolling Out the Green Carpet report was extremely thorough and provided valuable insight on how we can best provide an exciting and engaging experience for women golfers at PGA Golf Club, while further enhancing course playability and their overall enjoyment of the game."

Sandy Cross, director of Women's & New Market Initiatives for The PGA of America, adds that the program aligns with the Golf 2.0 "Connecting with Her Playbook" to grow the game, which encourages facilities to become NWGA certified. "It is important that courses that are doing the right things to attract more women be recognized and leverage this distinction. This will help women more easily locate facilities that respond to their value set, attract new women to the game and keep them in the game."

"We salute PGA Golf Club for Rolling Out the Green Carpet for women golfers," said Jan Bel Jan, ASGCA, a founding partner of NWGA and president of Jan Bel Jan Golf Course Design. "The PGA of America's commitment to serving the needs of female golfers is demonstrated by the excellent golf experience that these courses provide. They are leading by example for other facilities throughout the country."

To learn more about Rolling Out the Green Carpet program, see www.nationalwomensgolfalliance.com.

Contact: NEOhioGolf@yahoo.com