GOLFTEC Vice President of Instruction & CEO take top honors in Colorado PGA Section awards
Throughout GOLFTEC’s 25 year history, there have been many milestones and achievements we’ve been recognized for- Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Sports, Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies, PGA National Patriot Award, Best Teachers in your State, Top Clubfitter in North America and many more.
And now, there are two incredible honors we can add to that list. Vice President of Instruction, Nick Clearwater, was named the 2020 Colorado PGA Teacher of the Year and CEO Joe Assell was awarded the prestigious Warren Smith Award.
Colorado PGA Teacher of the Year
Nick Clearwater, Vice President of Instruction for GOLFTEC, received the 2020 Colorado PGA Teacher of the Year award. Clearwater has been a speaker, presenter, and instructor all over the world and has been awarded every honor offered to teachers by Golf Digest. The Golf Channel has shown over 300 videos he has scripted, been featured in, and produced as well as another 300 he produced for other coaches. Clearwater also spearheads GOLFTEC’s free lesson program for aspiring PGA Professionals to help them pass their PAT with any of their 400 corporate coaches, his team, or himself.
“TO BE NAMED TEACHER OF THE YEAR FOR COLORADO IS A HUGE HONOR. LIVING IN COLORADO, WORKING AND TEACHING HERE, IT MEANS A LOT TO ME TO HAVE THE LOCAL SECTION RECOGNIZE THOSE EFFORTS WITH THIS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD. HELPING PEOPLE PLAY BETTER GOLF IS AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO AT GOLFTEC, AND DRIVES NOT ONLY MYSELF, BUT ALL OF OUR 700+ COACHES EACH AND EVERY DAY. I’M VERY GRATEFUL TO BE ABLE TO DO WHAT I DO EVERY DAY, AND THIS JUST REINFORCES I AM ON THE RIGHT PATH.”
Nick Clearwater, GOLFTEC VP of Instruction
In addition to leading the education of all of our 700+ GOLFTEC Coaches across the globe, Nick Clearwater makes regular appearances on Golf Channel with drills and tips on instruction, equipment, and club fitting. He’s also contributed to multiple Golf Digest articles along with different content efforts on all of the GOLFTEC media channels.
Warren Smith Award
Joe Assell, GOLFTEC CEO and Co-Founder received the Warren Smith Award – the Colorado Section’s lifetime achievement award. The Warren Smith Award is given to a PGA Professional for his/her outstanding contributions to the game and to the Section. Assell has served two, three-year terms on the Colorado PGA Board of Directors and has been on the Colorado PGA Finance Committee for over 15 years, giving back to the Section and the organization as a whole that means so much to him.
“I AM HUMBLED AND HONORED TO RECEIVE THE WARREN SMITH AWARD FOR 2020. AS A PGA MEMBER, I GET UP EVERY DAY AND RUN A COMPANY PROVIDING GREAT LIFE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR HUNDREDS OF OTHER PGA PROFESSIONALS. WARREN SMITH MENTORED SO MANY AT CHERRY HILLS, THE SAME CLUB WHERE I STARTED, AND WHERE THE IDEA FOR GOLFTEC WAS BORN. TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS, IN MY OWN WAY, AND HELP THE NEXT GENERATION OF PGA PROFESSIONALS AND BE RECOGNIZED WITH AN AWARD BEARING HIS NAME? THAT MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME.”
Joe Assell, GOLFTEC CEO & Co-Founder
25 years ago, Joe Assell, a Mississippi State PGA Golf Management intern and aspiring PGA Professional saw the future of golf instruction in the basement of Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver- where an idea about how to bridge the gap between golfers, golf lessons, and technology was born. Watch the video to the right to see Assell’s journey from an intern at Cherry Hills Country Club to the Warren Smith Award winner.
