SOUTH FLORIDA PGA

Naples, Fl. – The Cadillac Pro-Am benefiting the South Florida PGA Foundation, hosted at The TwinEagles Club, once again brought together PGA Professionals and amateurs for a day of competitive golf and meaningful impact. This year’s event raised over $10,000 to support the Foundation’s programs throughout South Florida. The South Florida PGA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Section, is dedicated to changing lives in the South Florida community through the game of golf. Funds raised from this event directly support the Foundation’s three pillars: youth, military, and families. A full field of 25 teams, each comprised of one PGA Professional and three amateurs, competed in an 18-hole, team two-best-ball format. A separate low professional Stableford competition was also conducted, giving PGA Professionals an additional opportunity to compete individually. Taking home top honors with a score of 16-under was the team from Colonial Country Club, led by Tim Jankowski, PGA, and amateurs Dale Barina, Dale Ewalt, and Mike Scroggins. In the Low Professional Stableford competition, Justin Bertsch, PGA, claimed the title with a total of 50 points. The 2025 Cadillac Pro-Am was presented by Cadillac and supported by The Baldwin Group and COURSE RECORD. The South Florida PGA Foundation extends its sincere gratitude to The Club at TwinEagles, including General Manager Bob Radunz, PGA, Director of Golf Justin DeFont, PGA, and the entire staff for their outstanding hospitality and support in hosting this year’s event. Leaderboard

The first paycheck PGA member Cody Sinkler ever earned came from a small-town golf course in Three Rivers, Michigan. Nearly two decades later, he found himself at another public course, this time not as an employee hired to fill a role, but as the person responsible for building an entire golf operation, brand, and identity from scratch. That full-circle journey, from Pine View Golf Club to The Park in West Palm Beach, Florida now frames the significance behind his newest recognition, being named the 2025 South Florida PGA Merchandiser of the Year – Public, an honor that represents far more than retail success. It reflects a vision, a mission, and a deeply personal connection to the place where his career began. At just 16, Sinkler wasn’t thinking about the PGA of America, merchandising plans, or running a nationally recognized operation. He didn’t even play golf. He simply needed a job. Pine View Golf Club, an unpretentious local public golf course was close to home, and that was enough. He cleaned carts, picked the range, handled trash runs, and stayed long after his shift ended, drawn to the unique energy of a public golf course. “What I remember most is the atmosphere,” he said. “It felt like a community. Pine View was where everyone went to be part of something.” What began as a job became a passion. Sinkler worked throughout high school and college, taking on increasing responsibility and learning the ins and outs of daily operations. That path ultimately led him to become a B-1, Associate head golf professional at just 22 years old, an unusually early leadership milestone that shaped his confidence and accelerated his growth in the industry. Even after earning a degree in supply chain management, Sinkler made a defining choice, passing up an opportunity with an aerospace company to pursue a full-time career in golf. That decision, he said, was fueled by the same love for the game that started at Pine View. After college, Sinkler’s career took him to Florida, where he joined the staff at Quail Ridge Country Club in Boynton Beach, Florida and spent nearly six years refining his operational approach, deepening his leadership experience, and developing a strong interest in merchandising. A season at Kalamazoo Country Club (Michigan) broadened that interest, giving him exposure to a top-tier retail environment and the artistry behind great visual presentation. It was through these experiences that he discovered that golf merchandising wasn’t just selling products, it was storytelling. It was about creating an emotional connection between a facility and the people who walked through its doors. But even as he advanced professionally, Sinkler was searching for a role with deeper purpose. The Park offered exactly that. A public golf facility built around accessibility and youth development, The Park represented something rare in the industry as a mission-first model that used golf as a tool to create opportunity. “It reminded me of Pine View,” he said. “A place where anyone could show up and feel like they belonged, only with a mission to help kids in ways my hometown course simply didn’t have the resources to do.” Sinkler was hired as the very first golf employee, stepping into a project still in its early construction stages. Rather than maintaining an existing framework, he had the responsibility and creative freedom to build one. “It wasn’t about following a playbook,” he said. “We were writing it.” When The Park opened its doors in April 2023, excitement was high, but something huge was missing. A visual identity. “We didn’t have a logo,” Sinkler said. “Everything in the shop simply said ‘The Park.’ We needed something that represented the energy of this place.” That identity arrived a few months after opening in the form of a neon green parrot, drawn from the flocks that spontaneously fly across the property every day. The reaction was instant. Items featuring the parrot sold out within days. Guests asked specifically for “the parrot hat.” The 350-square-foot golf shop quickly became a signature part of the experience. Today, The Park is projected to surpass $1.5 million in retail revenue, well beyond its initial $500,000 projection in year one. “We wanted a brand that felt alive,” Sinkler said. “Something fun, bold, and uniquely us. The parrot became that.” Even with the merchandising success, Sinkler remains most proud of The Park’s purpose. The facility reinvests around $1 million annually into youth programming, providing mentorship, academic support, internships, and athletic opportunities for local kids. “A public golf course gave me my start,” he said. “Now I’m helping build a place that gives those same opportunities on an even bigger scale. That’s the part that means the most.” He’s equally focused on his staff, helping PGA Associates move through the program, offering guidance, and supporting the next generation of golf professionals. “Developing people is a huge part of what we do,” he said. “It’s what keeps the culture strong.” Sinkler doesn’t naturally pause to celebrate accomplishments, but what he has been able to build at The Park while reflecting on where he started, the recent recognition allowed him to feel a level of success that is special. “It hit me that everything I’m doing now traces back to that first job,” he said. “I learned what a public golf course can be. Now I get to help build one that pushes that idea even further. That’s a full-circle moment.” The Merchandiser of the Year Award highlights a standout retail program, but the story behind it reaches deeper. A kid who fell in love with golf at a local muni, grew professionally through years of hard work and consistency, and ultimately helped bring an entirely new golf experience to life. At The Park, that story continues one operation, one idea, and one bright green parrot at a time.