Paul Haase earns honor as '08 Michigan PGA Teacher of the Year |
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Veteran PGA professional and instructor Paul Haase might not remember every student he’s ever taught, but he recalls all of his notable lessons - and not just the ones he’s given.. “I had my first lesson at age 14,” says the winner of the 2008 Michigan PGA “Teacher of the Year” award. “It was with Don Tinum at Redford (now Rogell Golf Course) in Detroit. He worked on my grip.” Since then, thousands of golfers have put themselves in Haase’s capable hands for their own instruction. The veteran professional has long been one of Michigan’s most successful and popular instructors at the Kendall Golf Academy, located at Miles of Golf near Ann Arbor. Haase has been with the Kendall Academy since 1998, primarily in a teaching role over the duration of those years. “My association with Dave Kendall and Chris Mile has made things easy for my students and me,” says Haase. “We’ve got everything any golfer could ever need right here and I’m proud of the success rate our teaching staff of professionals has.” Haase’s own success and reputation allow him to stay in Michigan throughout the winter, where his lesson book is no less crowded in the cold months than it is during the summer. In fact, Haase gave 163 lessons in January alone! Noted for his work across all age groups, Haase says his journey as an instructor is never boring. “I like to see what people think about the golf swing,” he says. “To me, I’ve always been fascinated by the misconceptions so many golfers seem to have about the mechanics of the swing.” But not all of Haase’s students are lacking in swing knowledge. He’s worked with numerous professionals and top amateurs, including highly-regarded senior amateurs Bill Zylstra (Golfweek’s second ranked senior amateur in the U.S.) and John Lindholm, the former Michigan Amateur champion and 2007 Michigan Golf of Hall Fame inductee. In 2005, Haase paired with Zylstra to win the PGA Senior Pro/Senior Amateur championship. “Paul’s recognition with the Michigan PGA award was a long time coming, but that just made it all the more deserved,’ says Dave Kendall. “We always crowd in to hear him talk about the golf swing and his students are completely devoted to him.” Kendall is a two-time Michigan PGA Teacher of the Year (2000, 2004.) Haase and Kendall are two of the eight full-time professionals on the Kendall Academy teaching staff. Last summer, Golf Digest ranked five Kendall instructors in its Best Teachers in Michigan ranking. A comprehensive golf operation offering a retail store, practice and teaching facility, and club-fitting center, Miles of Golf is located at 3113 Carpenter Road in Ypsilanti, just 1.5 miles northeast of the US-23/I-94 interchange. The Miles of Golf offices can be reached at (734) 973-9004 or toll-free at (877) 973-9005. Additional information is available on the web site www.milesofgolf.com. Teacher of the Year was just one of the awards announced by the Michigan PGA Section's Special Awards Committee for 2008. The rest are as follows:
Golf Professional of the Year - Mike Areddy, Travis Pointe Country Club, Ann Arbor
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