BRIAN MORRISON NAMED

2009 NATIONAL PGA MERCHANDISER OF THE YEAR

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Brian Morrison, the PGA head professional at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club, has been named the recipient of the 2009 PGA Merchandiser of the Year Award for Private Facilities.

Morrison, 56, who was elected to PGA of America membership in 1980, is the third member of the Illinois PGA Section to be named a recipient of the PGA Merchandiser of the Year since the award was established in 1978 to recognize PGA Professionals who have excelled as businesspersons/merchandisers n the promotion of golf.

Morrison will be honored at The PGA of America Awards, Jan. 28, 2010, during the 57th PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center’s Linda W. Chapin Auditorium in Orlando, Fla.

A native of Kirkwood, Mo., Morrison grew up some 50 yards from the 16th green at Greenbrier Hills Country Club in St. Louis. He began caddying at age 12 and developed his game steadily before he attended the University of Arizona. He majored in radio and television journalism and graduated in 1975.

The day after graduation, Morrison began a club professional career by first serving at Westmoor Country Club in Brookfield, Wis. He moved in 1976 to Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Mich., and later served under Labron Harris Sr. at Orange Tree Golf Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. Morrison competed on the mini tours in Florida and Arizona during the winter.

Morrison's first head professional position was at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J. from 1983-89, followed by one season (1990) at Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y., before serving seven years as head professional (1991-97) at Baltimore Country Club at Five Farms.

In 1998, Morrison moved to The Landings Club in Savannah, Ga., where he spent three seasons before arriving in 2001 at Olympia Fields Country Club, some 30 miles southwest of the “Loop” in Chicago. Morrison currently oversees a nine-member golf shop staff.

"I'm blessed with a terrific team, who work in a big shop," said Morrison. "We enjoy working together, challenging ourselves to do better than we did the previous year. It helps to have a great club, and one that supports you."

"There is a great deal of pride among the membership, and we keep our theme in the golf shop pointing to the history of major championships that we have hosted – two U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, five Western Opens and one U.S. Senior Open. The colorations and layout of the golf shop are filled with historic photos, saluting Olympia Fields' past while looking to the future with contemporary clothing styles and equipment."

"You need to understand the demographics and buying patterns of your membership. You want the members to feel the golf shop is theirs and it is a source of pride for them as well as the professional staff."

Morrison and his wife, Catherine, live in Flossmoor, Ill., and are the parents of Caitlin, 22, Derek, 19, and Madeline, 12.