Award winning PGA professional Jon Woodroffe has notched up another career achievement after being awarded PGA Advanced Fellow Professional status.
The Surrey PGA pro has made a massive impact in the south east as group golf development manager of World of Golf in which thousands of people have taken up golf as a result of his passion for the sport.
“The way golf has struggled has played into our hands because golf developers, owners and operators realise we now have to generate some business to get people back involved,” he said.
“My main goal is to try and turn people on to golf. If they have a bad experience first time round you turn them off and lose them forever. But if they come along to a pro and have a great time you have got them for life.
“Coaching at grass roots is the lifeblood of the industry. We have to realise we are in the entertainment industry and make it as fun and enjoyable, available and as accessible as possible and get rid of the stigma that golf still has in some quarters.”
Woodroffe has twice been a recipient of prestigious awards from the Golf Foundation in recognition of his contribution to grass roots golf winning both the Burroughs and Laddie Lucas awards, the latter with fellow PGA professional Richard Morris.
World of Golf has also earned RangeMark certificate in recognition of its high standards and effort in ushering in a new generation of golfers.
The innovative chain of ranges has carved out a unique reputation for making golf fun with a dinosaur themed putting course at its New Malden site while its popular Schools Go Free campaign has also seen thousands of youngsters take up the sport.
The APAL programme recognises four additional membership status categories beginning with PGA Advanced Professional and moving onto PGA Fellow Professional, PGA Advanced Fellow Professional and PGA Master Professional.
A guide to PGA membership and categories is available at www.PGA.info