TP

Tom is the owner/operator of Parto’s Golf Learning Center in Youngstown, Ohio. He purchased the property, which was an old cornfield, in 2006. Through Tom’s love for the game of golf and his entrepreneurial foresight, he envisioned and ultimately created, a beautiful teaching environment that is wrapped up in a 25 acre driving range and Par 3 facility. It is a complete learning center which tests all facets of the game including a chipping area/sand bunker and a putting green.

Tom began his love of golf as a teenager and was the Champion in the 1986 Plain Dealer’s Northern Ohio Golf Association’s Junior Golf Champions Tournament.

After high school he went on to Edison State College in Ft. Myers, Florida on a golf scholarship.

Tom has worked in the golf industry for over twenty-five (25) years. He became a PGA Class A Member in 2004 and has spent the past nineteen (19) years teaching the game to others.

Tom was the Head Golf Professional at Bonita Springs Golf Club in Bonita Springs, Florida from 1997 – 2004. While there he developed a junior program that started with only five kids but after a few short seasons, that number grew to over 100 participants.

Tom was elected the President of the Bonita Springs Optimist Club in 1999. The following year he was awarded by the Board of Director’s of Optimist International with the Distinguished President Citation for outstanding civic duty pursuant of enhancing youth-oriented community involvement.

In 2008 and 2009, Tom was awarded two grants via the USGA to provide a golf facility, instruction and equipment for the inter-city kids of Youngstown. He would go to the schools in the winter to teach the children the game and then in the summer the children would come out to Parto’s to continue their instruction and experience playing on the course.

He started a golf league at Parto’s for the physically and mentally challenged adults who attend The Purple Cat Organization in the local area.

Due to his teaching involvement with challenged adults, the Fairhaven Workshop for physically and mentally challenged adults chose Parto’s as one of their employee work program sites. This program afforded their students to come to Parto’s to work in various job responsibilities in the summer and receive weekly paychecks.

Tom has taught many types of players with different types of disabilities including aspergers, autism, amputees and a blind gentleman.

He loves the challenge of teaching and showing them that anyone can learn the game. He believes anyone regardless of any personal challenges can learn the game of golf and enjoy it as much as he does.