Hayes honored by the LPGA Professionals after more than 35 years as a teaching professional.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (May 26, 2023) Sheri Hayes, an LPGA Master Professional and Lead Teaching Professional/Owner at Riverwalk Golf Club in San Diego, California joins an elite group of her peers as the recipient of the 2023 Ellen Griffin Rolex Award.
The Ellen Griffin Rolex Award, instituted by the LPGA Professionals membership in 1989 to honor the late teaching professional Ellen Griffin, recognizes an individual, male or female, who made a major contribution to the teaching of golf and emulates Griffin's spirit, love and dedication to students, teachers, teaching skills and the game of golf.
"It is with deepest humility that I receive this award,” expressed Hayes. “Ellen was an extraordinary student-centered teacher and humanist in both life and in golf. Her work was an inspiration to all who knew her, and her spirit continues to influence me to this day. There is no one for whom I have more respect. I share this award with all my mentors and students, who I hope have learned not only about golf, but also about themselves. Thank you to Rolex for honoring Ellen Griffin's legacy and celebrating the impact she has had on so many."
Hayes began teaching the LPGA Certification program in 2000, and since then, has intentionally strived to be the best teacher she could be. She believes that golf is like life itself, and that the game is a mirror of who we are. She considers herself a perpetual student of the game, constantly learning and training, while inspiring her students to do the same. She has a tremendous knowledge base and great analogies and demonstrations that captivate her students worldwide.
She is a major contributor in the improvement of the education for teaching professionals, serving as the LPGA Education Chair since 2019. Early on in her career, she realized that research-based golf education is what heightened learning. With the LPGA, she wrote the best in class Integrated Performance Systems which includes some of the most complex topics in the LPGA Education program like ball flight laws, swing components, golf fitness, improvement strategy models, and compensation movement patterns, to name a few. She contributed countless hours creating video and other educational materials to make the curriculum digitally accessible to more people around the world. In the words of Ellen Griffin, “Some people deliver lectures, sermons, or speeches, but the ones you remember are those who deliver themselves.”
Her devotion to golf education, assisting golfers learn the game, and training golf educators is exceptional. It is for that very reason that Hayes has received many recognitions throughout her career, which include being named a Top 50 Golf Teacher by the LPGA and Top 50 Women Golf Instructors by Golf Digest. She was voted LPGA Professional of the Year twice and LPGA Teacher of the Year three times representing the LPGA Western Section. In addition to qualifying for two LPGA Tour events, she was a past member of the Futures Tour and Group Fore Mini Tour.
Past recipients of the Ellen Griffin Rolex Award include: Peggy Kirk Bell, 1989; Linda Craft, 1990; Shirley Englehorn, 1991; Harvey Penick, 1992; Goldie Bateson, 1993; Carol Clark Johnson, 1994; Joanne Winter, 1995; Ann Casey Johnstone, 1996; Dr. DeDe Owens, 1997; Shirley Spork, 1998; Betty Hicks, 1999; Gary Wiren, 2000; Penny Zavichas, 2001; Annette Thompson, 2002; Dr. Barbara B. Smith, 2003; Marjorie Burns, 2004; Pat Lange, 2005; Donna White, 2006; Betsy Cullen, 2007; Lynn Marriott, 2008; Kay McMahon, 2009; Mary Beth McGirr, 2010; Dr. Debbie Crews, 2011; Dr. Betsy Clark, 2012; Kathy Murphy, 2013; Kerry Graham, 2014; Dana Rader, 2015; Pia Nilsson, 2016; Sandy LaBauve, 2017; Jane Frost, 2018; Nancy Quarcelino, 2019; Renee Powell, 2020; Deb Vangellow, 2021 and Carol Preisinger, 2022.
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