Dean Snell, TaylorMade M2 Driver, Knuth Golf High Heat 3-Wood Among ING Industry Honors Winners

(ORLANDO, FL) – Dean Snell, Founder of Snell Golf and creator of many of the leading golf balls of the past 25 years, was among the winners in the 24th edition of the ING Industry Honors, announced at the PGA Merchandise Show.

Called by many the “Academy Awards of the Golf Industry,” the ING Industry Honors program recognizes outstanding achievement in the golf business. The non-profit, media-based networking organization International Network of Golf conducts the awards program.

Nominees in 11 categories are submitted throughout the year from anyone in the golf industry. Sub-committees that include experts in each category then trim the entries to the top three in each category. ING members then vote electronically to determine the winners, who are announced and recognized at the Industry Honors Presentation Press Conference. Holly Geoghegan of Golf Marketing Services is the committee chair.

In his long and storied career Snell has been involved in the creation of golf ball successes like Titleist Pro V1 and TaylorMade Tour Preferred. In 2014, Snell decided to inject innovation into golf balls in another way - by reducing costs and going to a direct-to-consumer sales model through Snell Golf that allows him to provide Tour-level performance at a fraction of the price. 2016 saw Snell Golf explode with record sales growth and amazing brand recognition among golfers.

The Product Ingenuity for Golf Equipment categories saw two companies top the voting in back-to-back years. The TaylorMade M2 driver won in the Market Leaders division following the M1 victory a year ago. And Knuth Golf took top honors in the Emerging Companies division with its High Heat 3-Wood after winning the category last year with its High Heat driver.

The Player Development category winner was Topgolf, the highly successful global sports entertainment community with 30 venues serving 12.2 million guests annually and introducing new golfers to the game.

A complete list of winners is below. The presentation took place Thursday in the ING Hospitality Room, and was sponsored by PGA Golf Exhibitions. For more information, visit www.inggolf.com.

WINNERS & NOMINEES – 2016 ING INDUSTRY HONORS
Business Achievement
- Winner: Dean Snell, Founder and CEO of Snell Golf, Inc.
- Other Finalists: Chip Brewer, CEO, Callaway Golf; PGA of America

Digital/Video Marketing
- Winner: Frogger/Revolution Golf
- Other Finalists: Power Package/Golf Pulp Media; Tathata Golf

Player Development
- Winner: Topgolf
- Other Finalists: International Women’s Golf Day; Youth On Course

Print Advertising – Products & Services
- Winner: Callaway – “A Champion Is Born”
- Other Finalists: True Temper Project X; TaylorMade Golf

Print Advertising – Travel & Real Estate
- Winner: Bandon Dunes – “Golf As It Was Meant To Be.”
- Other Finalists: Golf Cape Breton; Turning Stone Resort

Product Ingenuity – Emerging Companies-Golf Equipment
- Winner: Knuth Golf High Heat 3-Wood
- Other Finalists: Golphin Clubs; Snell Golf Balls

Product Ingenuity – Emerging Companies-Misc. Products
- Winner: Zero Friction DistancePro GPS Glove
- Other Finalists: Biion Golf Shoes; GolfBuddyLD2 GPS Watch

Product Ingenuity – Emerging Companies-Technology
- Winner: Arccos 360 Shot Tracker
- Other Finalists: 18Birdies; Golf GameBook

Product Ingenuity – Emerging Companies-Training Products
- Winner: Swingclick PLUS
- Other Finalists: Laser Putt; Swing Wizzard

Product Ingenuity – Market Leaders
- Winner: TaylorMade M2 Driver
- Other Finalists: Cleveland Smart Sole 2.0 Wedges; PING Crossover

TV Commercial
- Winner: PGA Tour Superstores: “Just Another Sunday” – with Jason Day
- Other Finalists: AT&T; Puma