For Immediate Release

Contact: Daniel Wackershauser, Marketing and PR Specialist
Phone: 608.822.2303
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: February 9, 2024

Kennedy’s passion for student success leads to PGA award

Three-time award winner

West Allis -

Scott Kennedy, Golf Course Management instructor at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, was recently selected for an award from the Wisconsin Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (WPGA). Kennedy, an East Dubuque, Illinois native, was recognized with the PGA Professional Development Award. 

The award is designed to give special recognition to an individual PGA professional for outstanding and continuing contributions to professional education.

This year’s group of award winners are being honored for their expertise, leadership and performance in the golf business. Each of the 11 PGA professionals exude enthusiasm for the game of golf and are dedicated to making it better. The recipients will formally receive their awards during the annual WPGA Special Awards Dinner held at Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin on Feb. 28. The Wisconsin PGA awards are supported by the Wisconsin Golf Sales Association and PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

This is the third time Kennedy has won the award – 2004, 2014 and 2024. It was once called the Horton Smith Award for Education. “The award recognizes the fact that we have over 40 PGA professional across the country that have been through the Golf Course Management program and that is a significant milestone,” he said.  “I simply look at it as recognition for a job well done, but most of the real work is done by our graduates who have paid attention and gone on to do great things. Our students/interns work for great professionals who pass their knowledge and experience on to them. I just act as a conduit and facilitator to keep the process moving.”

“Once again our committee was blown away by the quality of applicants we received,” said Jeff Ellingson, former WPGA president and committee chair. “Every award was very competitive, with several deserving candidates in each category. This year’s class of winners is a perfect representation of what Wisconsin PGA Golf Professionals bring to the game day in and day out.”

Kennedy started in the golf industry in the spring of 1989 and became a Class A PGA Member in 1993. He has been a part of the Golf Course Management program on campus since its inception and was part of the DACUM committee that helped develop the curriculum. Work on the program began in 1998 and Kennedy began teaching in 1999.

Golf Course Management: www.swtc.edu/golfcourse

About the Wisconsin PGA
The Wisconsin Section is one of the 41 sections that comprise the regional entities of the PGA of America. Over 500 members and associates belong to the Wisconsin Section, stretching from areas in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to almost the entire state of Wisconsin. Annually, the Wisconsin Section conducts over 40 professional events, operates their foundation – PGA Reach Wisconsin, and participates in several growth-of-the-game activities including PGA Junior League, Drive, Chip and Putt and PGA HOPE. The Wisconsin PGA Office is located in West Allis, Wisconsin.

| Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, is one of 16 institutions that comprise the Wisconsin Technical College System. Southwest Tech offers more than 60 programs in a wide variety of disciplines. Courses are offered on campus, online, HyFlex and in a blended format. The college provides apprenticeship, certificate, technical diploma, and associate degree programs that respond to district workforce needs and prepare student for family-sustaining jobs and career advancement. |