Athletics

PGA instructor Tom Crombie ready to take golf program to the next level

Class A golf professional can hone players’ skills

Penn State New Kensington golf coach and PGA golf professional Tom Crombie offered a swing tip to a customer at the Stoney Creek Driving Range. Credit: Bill Woodard / Penn StateCreative Commons

Tom Crombie, the new head coach for Penn State New Kensington’s men's and women’s golf program, is eager to get out the alignment sticks, plug-in the analyzer and offer improvement tips. As a Class A PGA professional instructor, Crombie wants his New Kensington Lions to take advantage of the opportunities available to them to tweak their swings and enhance their games.

“My goal is to improve the players’ golf techniques and strategies while helping to build confident mental attitudes while having fun,” said Crombie, who earned his “A” license in 2000.

Crombie took over in December after Bill Woodard stepped down after 11 seasons. Woodard remains on Crombie’s staff as assistant coach.

The PGA golf professional brings more than 20 years of instructional experience to the position. For the past four years, Crombie has helped managed Stoney Creek Golf Center where he provides private golf instruction and teaches a variety of group lessons for adults and juniors. Stoney Creek, located on Kerr Road in New Kensington, is a full-service facility that is open year-round. It has 23 lighted tee stations, 10 of which are covered and heated. The facility is perfect for campus golfers whose class schedules vary.

Crombie earned an associate degree in business management at Robert Morris University, where he was a member of the Colonials golf team. He came to Stoney Creek in 2009 after 10 years as professional instructor at McDains Family Golf Center in Monroeville and two years as director of instruction at Chestnut Ridge Golf Course in Blairsville.

"I've always had a desire to coach, and I look forward to helping the kids on our team become better players,” Tom Crombie said. "I would also like to make inroads with the local high school golf coaches in order to recruit players to become part of the Penn State New Kensington golf team."

Crombie inherits three starters from last year’s team that finished third in the Penn State University Athletic Conference championships and 12th in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association national tournament. Senior Chuck May and sophomores Cory Bobak and Liam Fitzgerald give the first-year coach a solid foundation on which to build the program.

The addition of Crombie moves the campus golf program to the next level. Veterans and incoming freshmen will have access to professional instruction that will not only enhance their play for the season but can carry on long after their collegiate careers.

"Tom’s long history of teaching the game will help our golfers improve their skills," said Dave Murray, director of athletics. “His PGA status should help our program with recruiting."

In addition to Stoney Creek, student-athletes can hone their skills at two other golfing venues – the on-campus practice facility, which features a driving net and an artificial chipping and putting green, and the off-campus home course at the Links at Spring Church in Apollo.

The New Kensington Lions open the 2103 season at home with the Bernie Guss Classic at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, at the Links at Spring Church. All eight PSUAC conference teams will play in the tournament. The schedule features six tournaments culminating with the 36-hole PSUAC conference and USCAA national championships on Oct. 7 and 8 at the Penn State Blue Course in State College, Pa. A year ago, New Kensington’s No. 1 player, Adam Stawski, won the PSUAC individual title and finished fifth nationally. After the fall semester, Stawski, a USCAA All-American and Academic All American, moved on to Penn State's University Park campus to complete his bachelor’s degree in math.

Crombie lives in Penn Trafford, Pa., with his wife, Trisha, and their three children: Carlin, Gracey and Rosie. He can be contacted at 724-544-7749 or tgc12@psu.edu via email.

For the full golf schedule, visit http://psnkathletics.com/sports/golf/2013-14/schedule.

For more about Stoney Creek, visit http://stoneycreekgolfcenter.com/index.php.

Last Updated June 19, 2013

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