The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, the premier AAA Four Diamond luxury inn and golf club located on the campus of Duke University in Durham, N.C., today announced that Duke University Golf Club General Manager and PGA Director of Golf, Ed Ibarguen, has been elected to the 2015 Carolinas PGA Hall of Fame. The Carolinas PGA Hall of Fame is the highest honor given out by the Carolinas PGA (CPGA) to recognize those who have made extraordinary contributions to the CPGA and the game of golf that are judged to be of historical significance.

“I am deeply humbled to receive this amazing recognition by the Carolinas PGA, in an area so rich in golf history and presence,” said 2015 CPGAS Hall of Fame inductee, Ed Ibarguen. “The opportunity to do what I love while serving the golf community is extremely rewarding and I thank all of those who have continued to fuel my passion for the sport.”

With more than 27 years of teaching and coaching experience at Duke University Golf Club, considered one of the top 10 golf courses in North Carolina and located on the campus of Duke University behind the Washington Duke Inn, Ibarguen has been recognized as the No. 2 golf teacher in North Carolina in the November 2015 issue of Golf Digest Magazine.

John Kolls, PGA Class ‘A’ Head Golf Professional at the Duke University Golf Club, is appearing on Golf Digest’s list of top NC golf teachers for the first time at No. 7. John is among the many people that Ed has coached over the years. Before joining the Duke University Golf Club staff in 2007, John won an LHSAA Division 5A State Championship in 2003 and earned First Team All CVAC conference honors while playing on a four-year golf scholarship at St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, North Carolina.

“As a partner of Duke University Golf Club, we appreciate the impact that Ed has made in cultivating some of the best golfers and golf instructors in the state, including John Kolls,” said Jack Schmidt, director of sales and marketing, Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. “We’re honored to join Duke University Golf Club in recognizing both Ed and John for their phenomenal achievements and ongoing contributions to the golfing community in North Carolina.”

The PGA of America is an association with more than 27,000 PGA members and apprentices. In 1991, Ibarguen earned the Association’s highest recognition of PGA Master Professional. Since the program’s inception, only 333 PGA members have achieved the rank of PGA Master Professional. In 2015 for the second time in his professional career, Ed was selected as a finalist for the national PGA Teacher of the Year. He had previously received two national PGA of America awards for his expertise and commitment, the 1995 Bill Strausbaugh Award and the 1998 Horton Smith Award. Ibarguen has also been recognized by his Carolinas PGA peers with seven Carolinas PGA Section awards including the prestigious PGA Professional of the Year (2001), two Carolinas PGA Teacher of the Year (2003 and 1991), the Horton Smith Award for excellence in education (2004, 1998 and 1990), and the Bill Strausbaugh professionalism award (1993). Ibarguen has been identified by Golf Magazine® as one of the nation’s Top 100 Golf Instructors every year since 2001. Ed has also been listed each year as a national Top 50 ‘Grow the Game’ golf instructor by GRAA® Magazine since the inception of this award in 2013.

For more information about the Duke University Golf Club, please visit http://golf.duke.edu/. For more information about Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, visit http://www.washingtondukeinn.com/.