Northern California PGA A San Francisco Pioneer S
an Francisco native Dede Mori- arty heeded the words of former Elkhorn Golf Club head pro and promoter Ty Caplin.
Now, she’s the NCPGA Golf
Professional of the Year. Moriarty, the PGA teaching profes-
sional at Presidio Golf Course and Lake Merced Golf Club, first met the late Caplin back in the mid-1980s. At the time, Moriarty had just left the position of golf shop manager at Contra Costa Country Club to become the assistant pro at Lake Merced GC. During a chat with Caplin, he suggested that Moriarty take her skills to another level. “He told me that I should join the
PGA of America and be a pioneer for women,” Moriarty recalled. “He was very encouraging. I took it to heart and said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to do this.’ It was exciting for a door to open up.” Since then, a lot of opportunities
have opened. In 1995, she became the first female head professional at any golf course in San Francisco (Presidio). This year, the now 62-year-old
Moriarty was honored for her leader- ship, professionalism and service to the NCPGA.
Dede Moriarty is Northern California’s Golf Professional of the Year Before Caplin, the biggest golf influ-
ence on Moriarty was her father, John Prongos. While Moriarty was more focused on other sports, John routinely brought her along to the driving range. The trips to the range as a kid
proved to be influential. Years later while attending San Francisco State, Moriarty made the decision to switch from softball to golf. “I figured that I wasn’t going to play
softball forever, but I also knew that I always liked hitting balls,” said Mori- arty, who grew up near Harding Park. “My father was excited when I became a PGA member.” It’s safe to say that Moriarty made
the right choice. In more than 20 years as a PGA pro-
fessional, she’s won a slew of accolades, including: Top Teacher in California (Golf Digest), Top Teacher in Califor- nia (Golf Magazine) and Top Bay Area Teacher (S.F. Examiner). She also served as president of the NCPGA Section and vice president of the San Francisco Mayors Women’s Golf Council. Moriarty’s mantra as an instructor? Keep it simple. “I try to center around the fun-
damentals, and base my teaching off contact and ball flight,” Moriarty said. “I try to work around people’s abilities. I don’t want to mess them up. It’s about making things easier, and not harder.” Caplin, the guy who helped make it all happen, won the NCPGA Golf Professional of the Year Award in both 1985 and 1986. Now, it’s the pupil’s turn. “I’ve had a great
career because I’ve shared time in both public and private courses,” Moriarty said. “It’s been a great journey.” –Jerry Stewart
68 /
NCGA.ORG / WINTER 2016 M
NCPGA’s 2015 Annual Section Awards
oriarty is among 15 recipients of the NCPGA’s 2015 Annual Section
Awards, which are presented to PGA Pro- fessionals and industry leaders who have excelled in the game and business of golf. Other award winners for 2015 were:
TEACHER OF THE YEAR: Josh Zander, PGA—Stanford Golf Club
BILL STRAUSBAUGH AWARD: Jeff Wilson, PGA—Catta Verdera Country Club
HORTON SMITH AWARD: Tom Morton, PGA—Haggin Oaks Golf Complex
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT AWARD: Will Robins, PGA—Empire Ranch Golf Course
YOUTH PLAYER DEVELOPMENT AWARD: Shelley McGill-O’Keefe, PGA—Spring Creek Golf and Country Club
MERCHANDISER OF THE YEAR – PRIVATE: Brad Streza, PGA—La Rinconada Country Club
MERCHANDISER OF THE YEAR – PUBLIC: Evan Boone, PGA—Poppy Hills Golf Course
MERCHANDISER OF THE YEAR – RESORT: Marianne Atwell, PGA--Pebble Beach Company
PATRIOT AWARD: Eric Lippert, PGA—Pebble Beach Golf Links
CLUB FITTER OF THE YEAR: Paul Wyrybkowski, PGA—Silver Creek Valley Country Club
ASSISTANT APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR: Mike Spiller, PGA—Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Course
GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR: Matt Dillon—Granite Bay Golf Course
SALES REPRESENTATIVE OF THE YEAR: Mike Snowden—Snowden Golf
SPORTS MEDIA PERSON OF THE YEAR: Susan Fornoff—GottaGoGolf
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