AUGUSTA, GA (Nov. 21, 2008) – Club Car Chairman Phil Tralies, whose business leadership and support for the game has made the Augusta manufacturer one of the most respected brands in golf, has been named the recipient of the PGA Ernie Sabayrac Award for lifetime contributions to the golf industry.
Tralies, who joined Club Car in 2001 as president and CEO and was named chairman in January 2008, has guided the company to prominence in domestic and global markets. Under his leadership, Club Car launched a number of new products into the golf market, resulting in significant market share gains. He also expanded the company's global presence with sales in Europe and Asia and transformed Club Car from a company focused on golf to one that manufactures small vehicles that also serve commercial and consumer markets.
Tralies has served as a popular ambassador for golf, lending Club Car's support to a number of the game's allied associations. He also was instrumental in forming an employee golf program that provides free golf lessons to Club Car associates and encourages their participation. The program has received industry-wide recognition as one of golf’s most successful grassroots efforts to grow the game.
"Phil Tralies' record of service to the golf industry extends beyond the success that he has brought to a company and its employees," said PGA of America President Jim Remy. "Through Phil's expertise, he also has elevated the standards of the game in servicing both the PGA Professional and the amateur player. It is that same spirit that was a trademark of Ernie Sabayrac, a man who opened doors to empower others to maintain golf's stature in the marketplace. The PGA of America is very proud to present Phil Tralies with the PGA Ernie Sabayrac Award."
Tralies will be honored at The PGA of America Awards on Jan. 29, 2009, in conjunction with the 56th PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. The program will feature all 2008 PGA national award winners.
"I am very humbled by this honor and I find that it is an extension of Club Car's attention to its customers to include PGA Professionals," said Tralies. "I had been retired from the golf industry, but returned in 2001. I am pleased that I came back. While we were, and continue, in a very tough economic market, I believe that a lot of the success that we have enjoyed is, in large part, due to our relationships with our customers."
The Ernie Sabayrac Award was created to reflect The PGA of America's commitment to golf industry manufacturers and distributors and to recognize the mutually beneficial relationship that has thrived for more than 50 years. The award was first presented in 1994 to its namesake, the late Ernie Sabayrac, a prominent figure in the origin of the PGA Merchandise Show and a pioneer in the development of golf shop merchandising among PGA Professionals.
A native of Philadelphia, Tralies began his golf career in 1979 with Textron Inc., a global, multi-industry company which included E-Z-GO and Jacobsen. Tralies left Textron in 2000 to form P.J.T. Golf Capital LLC, a company focused on golf course financing for owners and operators.
Tralies is a member of the executive committee of GOLF 20/20, the industry's comprehensive growth of the game initiative. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the Club Foundation of the Club Managers Association, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Finn Corporation and the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute.
To learn more, please contact us or visit: www.clubcar.com.
About Club Car:
Club Car manufactures a wide range of electric- and gasoline-powered vehicles for the golf, utility, transportation, private owner and rough terrain markets. Based in Augusta, Ga., Club Car is part of Ingersoll Rand, a global diversified firm providing products, services and solutions to enhance the quality and comfort of air in homes and buildings, transport and protect food and perishables, secure homes and commercial properties, and increase industrial productivity and efficiency. Driven by a 100-year-old tradition of technological innovation, we enable our customers to create progress and a positive impact in their world. For more information, visit www.ingersollrand.com.