USGA Annual Meeting

I thought Phoenix was going to be warm, but some unseasonable weather has people wearing sweaters and coats. I shouldn't complain, though, after suffering through so many winter storms at home that we've all had to endure in New England. As the plane prepared for landing Thursday afternoon I looked out the window and saw not a speck of snow. 'Now that's pretty novel,' I thought to myself.

I am here for a few days to attend the USGA Annual Meeting. It's been nice to connect with many of my fellow golf administrator friends from other golf associations around the country as well as the USGA staff and committee people whom I know. The Annual Meeting itself is today, Saturday, at 4:30 p.m. where the USGA will have its annual election of officers. The meeting is immediately followed by a reception and dinner where the Bob Jones Award is being handed out. Presented annually, the Bob Jones Award is the Association's highest honor and given out for sportsmanship in the game of golf. This year's recipient is Lorena Ochoa. I think she is a most deserving winner. I had occasion to meet Lorena during the 2006 U.S. Women's Open at Newport CC. I was privileged to be serving as a 1st tee starter during one of the practice round days. I met many of the girls, most of whom were very friendly and congenial. (I don't think their counterparts at the U.S. Open would have been nearly as cordial.) But when Lorena came up to the tee she was more special than most of the other girls. She smiled, looked me in the eye and said, 'Hi, I'm Lorena', as she shook my hand. She was both warm and genuine and I've never forgotten it. I'm looking forward to that part of the evening.

I am a USGA Committee member serving on the Regional Associations Committee. I am on this committee by virtue of being the executive director of the MGA. In addition to representing the MGA here at the meeting, I am also representing the IAGA, the International Association of Golf Administrators. The IAGA is an organization made up of staff members of state and regional golf associations in the US as well as staff from provincial golf associations in Canada. There are also members from a few golf unions and federations such as Mexico. We have our own annual conference and meeting each fall which provides for great educational sessions and networking among peers.

The IAGA has its own board of directors and I was fortunate to be appointed to the board a few years ago. I am currently the vice president and as such, I was invited along with the IAGA president (Robin Jervey from the Colorado Women's Golf Association) to make a brief presentation to the USGA Executive Committee. Other groups invited to make presentations were the PGA Tour, PGA of America, LPGA, The First Tee, CMAA, GCSAA and AJGA. The tours and PGA had 30 minutes while every other group was slotted for 15. The meeting took place yesterday (Friday) and Robin and I were scheduled for 11:15 a.m. Joining us was Jan Garber, the managing director for the IAGA who also works for the Golf Association of Philadelphia.

Robin and I followed Mike Whan, Commisioner of the LPGA. To say I had the 1st tee jitters while I waited outside the giant board room at the Hilton would be an understatement. Our plan was for me to lead off the talk, giving a brief overview of the IAGA and its history while bringing all the assembled up to speed as to who the IAGA is and who we represent. Then I'd hand it off to Robin would speak to some more specific items like describing what state associations do and how we help the USGA to fulfill its mission. We do that, by the way, by conducting USGA qualifiers, rating golf courses and assisting in the process of amateur reinstatement applications. We do other things as well, but those are the core functions of how we assist. Robin was also planning to thank the USGA for its generosity in continuing to fund the P.J. Boatwright, Jr. Program, an internship program utilized by many state associations. The MGA has a Boatwright intern each summer and he/she is funded by the USGA.

USGA President Jim Hyler came out of the room to collect Robin and me and we were invited to sit at the end of a very large u-shaped table. The entire USGA Executive Committee was present as were members of the USGA Women's Committee, Past Presidents and USGA Senior staff, probably 40 or so people in the room. Robin and I were seated at the bottom of the 'U' with a microphone in front of each of us. There were people sitting around the perimeter of the room who could not fit at the table. I felt like I was about to be questioned at a Senate hearing. All eyes were on us. My heart was pounding out of my chest, but I was trying to play it cool. I said hello to everyone and launched into my portion of the talk. My five or so minutes seemed to zip by and I won't lie, I had a little cheat sheet on an index card in front of me with some notes in case I started to choke. Fortunately, I got through my five or so minutes sounding relatively coherent (or so I was told) and making some semblance of sense. When I was finished I turned it over to Robin who did a great job and then we were done. President Hyler asked us each a question and again, we both answered it without getting tongue-twisted. I shook hands on the way out with a few committee members who I know and we were done. Phew, we survived! I actually enjoyed it and I think Robin did, too.

This morning we had an IAGA board meeting which lasted a couple of hours and then I went to listen in on a talk by members of the USGA Green Section entitled 'The Myths and Realities of Firm and Fast: Will This Work At Your Golf Course?' It was very well done and was basically a clarification of the 'Brown Is The New Green' mantra that President Hyler introduced last year in addressing maintenance practices on golf courses as well as sustainability and water concerns . It's a complex issue because we in America have come to expect golf courses to be lush and green when that's not always what's in the best interests of the turf or for playing conditions.

I went onto the USGA web site a short while ago and they've just reprinted an article from a 1977 issue of their Green Section magazine. Written 24 years ago, it could have been written yesterday and is more applicable than ever. Attached below, I think it says it all and it's right on the money. Paste the link into your browser and read it when you have a few extra minutes.

http://usgamuseum.com/about_museum/news_events/news_article.aspx?newsid=178