Horton Smith Award Nomination Honors Outstanding Golf School Instructors

The Horton Smith Award, established in memory of Golf Hall of Fame professional Horton Smith, recognizes outstanding contributors to golf education. One of the 2006 nominees is Eric Wilson, the director of SDGA golf school The Golf Academy of the Carolinas.

Every year, the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) presents an outstanding contributor to golf education with the Horton Smith Award. In selecting which candidate should receive the award, the PGA analyzes each nominee's moral character, evidence of leadership skills, and the quality of instruction the nominee has contributed to a golf school or golf education program.

The Horton Smith Award honors the memory of Golf Hall of Fame professional Horton Smith. Smith is known for being one of the best putters the golf industry has known. Among his many accomplishments are the 1934 Masters, the 1936 Masters, many PGA Tour victories, and places in both the World Golf Hall of Fame and the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame. Additionally, Smith served as President of the PGA of America in the 1950s and co-authored The Secret of Holing Putts" in the early 1960s.

Among the nominees for the 2006 Horton Smith Award is Eric Wilson, Director of SDGA golf school The Golf Academy of the Carolinas.

It is an incredible honor to just be nominated for this award, and I feel very fortunate and thankful," Wilson says.

A professional golfer with a distinguished track record, Wilson is highly dedicated to passing on the art of golf to his students. With the motto, Golf is a game. Play it and have fun," Wilson teaches his students to not only play golf, but also to understand the physics of the game. Wilson is also the director of South Carolina Special Olympics Golf, and has been involved in some fashion of whether planning, organizing, conducting, or judging many Special Olympics golf events.

Wilson, who began his career with San Diego Golf Academy in 1996, Wilson opened the SDGA -Carolina golf school campus in 1998, where he has remained as director ever since. Wilson is part of a tradition in golf education that has spanned more than 30 years. With golf schools in San Diego, Arizona, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, and Hawaii, SDGA has given more than 5,000 students the education they need to get the golf job of their dreams. To help students get their foot in the door of an exciting golf career, the SDGA-owned golf employment company, GolFutures, successfully places more than 85% of the school's graduates in golf jobs. San Diego Golf Academy is pleased to be able to offer students instruction from outstanding golf educators, such as Eric Wilson, who are dedicated to their students' education and success.