IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kelly Elbin Feb
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IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kelly Elbin Feb. 28, 2012 561/624-8445 [email protected] LEGENDS BOB TOSKI AND DENNIS WALTERS HIGHLIGHT MARCH CALENDAR FOR THE PGA MUSEUM OF GOLF SPEAKER SERIES PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Bob Toski, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour who went on to a legendary teaching career; and 2008 PGA Distinguished Service Award recipient Dennis Walters will be the featured guests in March for the PGA Museum of Golf Speaker Series. Each will take part in a fireside chat beginning at 5:30 p.m., in the Museum, located at I-95, Exit 121 (St. Lucie West Blvd.). Toski will be featured on Friday, March 16; and the inspirational Walters will be the special guest on Friday, March 23. The events are both open to the public, with complimentary admission. Toski, a member of both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, competed in 21 majors, and finishing tied for ninth in both the 1950 and 1954 PGA Championship. The 1954 leading money winner on Tour, Toski became one of the nation’s leading instructors and a member of the World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame. Among his pupils are Tom Kite, Bruce Crampton and Judy Rankin. Elected to PGA membership in 1947, Toski learned to play the game as a caddie at Northampton (Mass.) Country Club. He left the Tour while at the peak of his game at age 30, wanting to spend more time with his family. A pioneer in golf video instruction, Toski wrote several books and appeared on NBC Sports broadcasts in the 1980s. Later, he teamed up with Mike Fetchick to capture the 1990 and 1992 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf on the current Champions Tour. Walters is one of only 11 PGA Honorary Members, joining the likes of Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. He dreamed of playing on the PGA Tour, until a freak accident in 1974 left him a paraplegic. While his dream to play on Tour was shattered, Walters pledged to never give up playing the game of golf. With that positive attitude, a remarkable public career began. The first thing Walters had to figure out was a way to play golf again. Since he could not stand, he started by hitting golf shots from his wheelchair. He then progressed to a swivel seat mounted on the passenger side of a golf cart. Since 1977, Walters has made more than 3,000 appearances and performed in all 50 states, Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom. Walters and his sidekick “Bucky,” a mixed terrier, appear in approximately 100 shows each year at the PGA Championship, PGA Tour events and golf courses around the world. Walters has performed for and with the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Tiger Woods. The recipient of the Ben Hogan Award from the Golf Writers Association of America for his triumph over tragedy, Walters uses his own personal experience as an example to challenge each person in the audience to do something in their life that perhaps they thought was impossible. Attendees of both events will also be able to review the Museum’s new exhibits, which include apparel worn by reigning PGA Champion Keegan Bradley, when he won at Atlanta Athletic Club in August; plaques and memorabilia honoring the seven recent inductees into the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame; and the PGA Cup, featuring the Llandudno International Trophy, which was retained by the United States over Great Britain & Ireland in September. Museum hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily through Easter. Admission is free year-round. For more information, visit www.pga.com/museum or call 800-800-GOLF (4653). The PGA Museum of Golf is located at 8555 Commerce Center Drive, adjacent to the PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance, in PGA Village. About PGA Village The Ryder, Wanamaker, and Dye Courses form a trio of world-class courses at PGA Golf Club, at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Having been ranked among the best golf resorts in America, PGA Village also features the award winning, 35-acre PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance and the PGA Museum of Golf. PGA Golf Club exists to be one of the premier public-access resort facilities in America, complete with a Private Members Club, and serves as the home club for our 27,000 men and women PGA Professionals. For more information, please visit pgavillage.com. About The PGA of America Since its founding in 1916, The PGA of America has maintained a twofold mission: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf. By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, The PGA enables its professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the multi-billion dollar golf industry. By creating and delivering world-class championships and innovative programs, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. As The PGA nears its centennial, the PGA brand represents the very best in golf. The PGA of America, 100 Avenue of the Champions, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418.