CODY BARDEN AWARDED 2008 GEORGIA PGA TEACHER OF YEAR

Atlanta, GA. October, 2008 -- The Georgia Section of the PGA of America recently announced that Cody Barden has been named 2008 Georgia PGA Teacher of the Year. Barden, a seventeen-year veteran of professional golf, is Founder and President of CB Golf LLC and currently the Director of Instruction at White Columns Country Club in Atlanta, Georgia. He is now in his seventh year of service in this position.

Barden's nomination was anchored by his commitment to junior golf instruction and the success of his students at every competitive level. In 2008, his students collected victories on the US Kids Golf Tour, Atlanta Junior Golf Tour, Southeastern Junior Golf Tour, American Junior Golf Association Tour, at The 59th Annual Press Thornton Future Masters Tournament, NCAA, and Nationwide Tour. In addition, Barden has established a very active instruction program at his home club that has received local, regional, and national distinction on Golf Channel, USA Network, and in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He has also contributed instruction articles to FORE Georgia PGA, Golf Georgia, and Atlanta Golf magazines.

Among the many achievements of Barden's students this year was a victory by Jeff Klauk at the Melwood Prince George's County Open on the Nationwide Tour. The victory, along with two runner-up finishes in Panama and Utah, contributed to Klauk, a 30-year-old Floridian, earning his way onto the PGA Tour for 2009. After finishing the tournament by sinking a birdie putt that clinched the win, Klauk said, "I've been working with my coach, Cody Barden, on keeping my mind quiet. Everybody knows out here you've got to really trust yourself and believe." Klauk and Barden have worked together since 2005.

In 2003, Cody first appeared on The Golf Channel's Academy Live instructional show with Jim Courier, ATP tennis professional and former world #1 player. He since has made multiple appearances on the program with a few of his accomplished students, including NFL star Chris Doleman, R.E.M. guitarist Mike Mills, and highly-acclaimed film and television actor David Morse. He also served as on-air PGA analyst for Southern Golf Weekly on Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS) in 2005 and 2006.

Before forming his own company, Cody served for six years as Director of Instruction for the Country Club of Birmingham (AL). Prior to this assignment he served as the Head Men's Golf Coach at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, and was the Director of Instruction at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Concurrent with these responsibilities, Cody served on the instruction staffs for the PGA Tour/TPC Golf Schools, Golf Digest Instruction Schools, and the Nicklaus/Flick Schools.

In 1995 Cody led the Pepperdine University men's golf team to 5 collegiate tournament victories, a top-10 national ranking, and was selected NCAA West Coast Conference Coach of the Year. His players have collectively gone on to win multiple collegiate individual and team titles, an NCAA team championship, All-America recognition, and PGA Tour titles. Cody has coached four individual state amateur champions, a US Walker Cup player, and he currently coaches three exempt players on the Nationwide Tour.

Cody has instructed over 200 golf schools in the United States and overseas. Corporate clients include Merrill Lynch, American Express, Morgan Stanley, Brown Brothers Harriman, Anheuser Busch, CBS, Mastercard, NBC, Motorola, GTE, Dial Corp., Mercedes-Benz, Coca-Cola, and Fidelity Investments.

Cody is a 1991 graduate of the University of Arizona with a bachelor's degree in political science. In 1993, Cody was elected to membership in the PGA of America. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Suzanne.