ORLANDO, Fla. – January 24, 2024 – The PGA of America announced its 2024 National Award Winners today at the PGA Show in Orlando, Florida. Connie DeMattia PGA becomes the sixth Illinois PGA Member to win a National Award in the past five years.
“Our 2024 PGA of America Award recipients have dedicated their lives to helping countless individuals enjoy this game we all love, and they do it exceptionally well,” said PGA of America President John Lindert, PGA Director of Golf at the Country Club of Lansing in Lansing, Michigan. “I have had the opportunity to get to know several of our winners over the years and they truly are a great representation of what our more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals do on a daily basis. To stand out among their peers is an incredible achievement.”
DeMattia, who is the Director of Instruction at Cantigny Golf in Wheaton, Illinois has been named the 2024 PGA Youth Player Development Award winner. This prestigious award is given to a PGA of America Golf Professional who has made extraordinary contributions and achievements in the area of youth player development. DeMattia has been with Cantigny Golf since 2007, where he is responsible for managing and directing arguably the largest youth golf program (ages 4-18) in the Chicagoland area. DeMattia has leveraged his experiences as a competitive golfer to pioneer a rock-solid process for engaging youth golfers. Throughout his career, his objective has been to build young golfers’ self-confidence, establish proper fundamentals, and build on competitive experiences. DeMattia has created a process for guiding them through a holistic development progression that considers the physiological, psychological and kinesthetic aspects of the game. Prior to Cantigny Golf, DeMattia served as the Director of Instruction at Medinah Country Club from 2000 to 2006.
“It truly is an honor to be recognized by the Illinois PGA and the PGA of America for Youth Player Development,” said DeMattia. “As this year’s National recipient, I look forward to the opportunities of highlighting the wonderful golf programming we have developed at Cantigny Golf. It will also allow me to draw attention to the incredibly talented group of PGA & LPGA professionals with whom I work besides at Cantigny. Their dedication to excellence and support of the curriculum has made all the accolades and recognition possible.”
DeMattia was the recipient of the 2019 Illinois PGA Youth Player Development Award, which marked his third career special award honor at the Section level (Teacher of the Year, 2010 & Player Development Award, 2020). Nominated by the Illinois PGA Special Award Committee for the 2024 National Award, DeMattia becomes the first Illinois PGA Member to win this award nationally.
About the PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of nearly 28,000 PGA Professionals who work daily to grow interest and inclusion in the game of golf. For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGA.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
About the Illinois PGA/Illinois PGA Foundation
The Illinois Section of the PGA of America is a professional organization serving the men and women golf professionals in northern and central Illinois who are the recognized experts in growing, teaching and managing the game of golf. The Illinois PGA is responsible for the administration of competitive golf tournaments, educational opportunities, support programs and growth of the game initiatives. With over 840 members and apprentices, the Illinois PGA is one of the 41 regional Sections that comprise the PGA of America. The Illinois PGA Foundation focuses its community efforts on promoting the goodwill and growth of the game with an emphasis on activities that benefit youth. Foundation initiatives include: GolfWorks Illinois, Youth-based Scholarship Funds and the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame. For more information about the Illinois PGA and the Illinois PGA Foundation, please visit www.ipga.com and join us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
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