SARASOTA, Florida - This year’s Southeast Section Junior Golf Leadership Award winner is Sheryl Maize, Teaching Professional from Palm Aire Country Club, Sarasota, Florida and Crystal Lake Golf Course, Lakeville, Minnesota.
Maize is an LPGA Class A Teaching Professional who has also been recognized as a U.S. Kids Top50 Kids Coach Honorable Mention for the past several years. Dedicated to junior golf development, she is a TPI Level 3 Junior Coach and U.S. Kids Certified Instructor. Maize also serves as the Assistant Men's & Women's Golf Coach at Concordia University in St. Paul, MN during the fall months. She is a former Head women's golf coach at the University of Memphis (TN) and Augsburg College (MN) and an assistant coach for the U of Minnesota.
An accomplished player herself, Maize was a full scholarship athlete and team captain at the top ranked University of Miami(FL) after a successful junior career as a Florida State Junior All American and Florida State High School Champion. She went on to play professionally on the Futures Tour before injuries sidelined her from pursuing her dream of playing full time on the LPGA Tour. A career highlight was competing in the 1999 LPGA Rainbow Foods Classic with her dad as her caddy.
Junior Golf programs are Sheryl’s specialty. She started the LPGA~USGA Girls Golf Club of Lakeville, MN in 2012 and has seen it grow to over 40 members. She offers after school programs, camps and a large youth development programs for juniors ages 7-15. Maize also runs several high school developmental programs during the summers in Minnesota. She is also actively involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) as a speaker and golf clinician at summer golf camps.
Sheryl's strong teaching and coaching background have taken her across the country and around the world to help students of all ages with their games. Maize taught her own Amaizing Golf Schools in Iceland. She is also teaches with Peggy Kirk Bell at Pine Needle's Women's Only Golfari Golf Schools each May. As an instructor for the LPGA Golf Clinics for Women, Sheryl gets to travel the country encouraging women to use golf in business.
“I am blessed and honored to have been recognized for this award”, says Maize. “To be considered a leader in Junior Golf among all of the talented coaches and teachers in our organization it truly humbling. I love making learning fun. My passion is to use golf to inspire and encourage my students in life and golf - whether they are 4 or 94!”
The LPGA T&CP National Awards Selection Committee will now select the overall national award winner in each category from among the section award winners. Best of luck, Sheryl!
Sheryl is currently teaching at Crystal Lake Golf Course in Lakeville, MN and can be reached at 612-802-1691 or amaizing68@hotmail.com. For more information on Sheryl go to: http://www.crystallakegolfcourse.com/lessons-background