jeff ellison

Jeff Ellison, PGA

CEO's Report

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is just around the corner. Sahalee Country Club is looking fantastic and is ready to host a major championship. I encourage you to bring a group from your facility to enjoy the day. Bring your Get Golf Ready class or maybe your PGA Junior League team to help inspire them to love this game the way you do. Tickets are very reasonable and are available at http://www.kpmgwomenspgachampionship.com. Thank you to all who have volunteered, we appreciate your support. Our staff managing the volunteer effort will be at Sahalee all week and will be hard to reach so please, please, please don’t cancel on us! We still need a few more volunteers to help staff the practice facilities. Call Angela Hinzpeter at 360-456-6496 to sign up. Work two shifts and we’ll give you a nice Polo shirt and outerwear piece along with a Section logo hat. Watch the best in the world of women’s golf work on their game!

The Section tournament program is in full swing. The Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational was a tremendous success. Congratulations to 60-year-young Jeff Coston for winning his 20th Section major! Thanks to the tremendous generosity of our Pro-Am players we raised $60,000 for the Folds of Honor. Also a big thank you to all the professionals who played with our amateurs and joined them up at Muckleshoot and again at Meridian. What a great steak that night!

Next up, the Oregon Open Invitational is returning to Brasada Ranch and the Brasada Canyons GC. We are full with a waiting list! We are sorry for those who will not get play but it’s great to see the demand back for our championships. I hope you are taking advantage of the great lodging rates at Brasada Ranch. It’s a special place, the accommodations and the sunsets are unbelievable. Details are on the Oregon Open page on our website: http://www.pnwpga.com/event/2016-oregon-open-invitational.

The Rosauers Open Invitational will visit MeadowWood GC again this year. Bob Scott is really looking forward hosting, especially with a whole year to prepare! The golf course is looking good and we look for great things out of the team at Rosauers. Each year the Rosauers offers our largest purse at $135,000, don’t miss it. Join us for the pro-am and you’ll enjoy wine tasting Tuesday night at Arbor Crest and plenty of ice cream during the rounds. For more information or to enter, visit: http://www.pnwpga.com/event/2016-rosauers-open-invitational.

We will be upgrading our accounting software and server later this month. We pushed it eight years and as mission critical as this system is…your checks are important…it’s time. It’s a big project but we have a plan to minimize any disruption in service and you can count on us to deliver.

Finally, be sure to follow Tim Feenstra, Brian Thornton, Clint Ables, Brian Nosler, Tony Robydek, Jason Aichele, Ryan Malby and Jason Pitt at the PGA Professional Championship, June 26-29 at Turning Stone Resort in New York. Coverage is provided on Golf Channel, why not have it on in the shop? Share with your members that each year you enter the qualifier for this championship as well… and that you are going to make it next year!

Have a great month. The days start getting shorter in just 22 days – so make hay now!

Jeff Ellison, PGA
CEO, Pacific Northwest Section PGA

PGA dues are due on June 30. Please don't miss the deadline! Each year, those of you who have your employer pay your dues end up with late fees as they try to mail the check with their AP run on July 10. Please walk your dues through accounting to avoid the late fee. New this year, you can visit PGA.org and create proxy access for your employer to access your account and pay your dues. This new feature should really help. If you have not seen an invoice…it’s not coming. National sends all but a handful of notices via email. Just log into PGA.org or call 800-4PGA-PRO.

Our first Drive Chip and Putt Local Qualifier will be held June 19 at The Golf Club at Hawks Prairie, followed quickly by nine more qualifiers scattered around the Section. Please promote this FREE program to your juniors and their parents. This unique opportunity is for all kids of every ability. Parents love it as it’s not a full day affair! Direct your juniors to www.drivechipandputt.com to register. Click here for a schedule of our Section Local Qualifiers.

^ Back to Top

Senior Oregon Open Returns to Wildhorse Resort

The team entry for the Senior Oregon Open Invitational goes live on Wednesday, June 1.

The Field & Sponsors
We expect a strong field of competitors for the Senior Oregon Open Invitational this year as we return to the Wildhorse Resort & Casino for our 14th straight year! We will have a full field of 56 teams (224 PGA Professionals and amateurs). This event fills every year and usually has a large waiting list. Please make sure you are aware of the NEW entry priority processing procedure to see what category you fall under.

The Pacific Northwest PGA is happy to welcome our supporting sponsor Titleist with Representatives Brent Rotondo and Jake Sowby.

New Entry Priority in 2016
a. Exempt players* CLICK HERE to view the exemption list.
b. The balance of the field will be filled by remaining professionals using following ranking priority**:

Number of events (Sr. WA Open, Sr. Players’, Sr. OR Open, Sr. PGA***, WA Open, OR Open, Rosauers Open, NW Open, PPC) played in prior calendar year, January to December.
Professionals with the same priority in “1”, by number of tournament rounds posted in the PNWPGA Handicap System.
Professionals with the same priority after “1” and “2”, by date of the latest prior year score in PNW Section Handicap System.

* The early deadline for category A is three weeks after entries have opened at 5:00 PM. (Wednesday, June 22).
** All entrants will be on waiting list until the close of entries to ensure correct ranking, then confirmed according to priority.
*** Sr. PGA will count twice in this ranking list.

Wildhorse Resort and Casino:
The Senior Oregon Open has returned to Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Pendleton, OR for the fourteenth straight year! Wildhorse championship golf course was designed by John Steidel. Nestled at the base of mountains and wide open terrain, the course is modeled after a traditional Scottish links-style course with plenty of bunkers and tall grass lurking to make you work a little harder than usual. Each hole is surrounded by spectacular, unobstructed vistas with gentle rolling hills and fairway mounds reflecting the foothills of the Blue Mountains.

Learn More

^ Back to Top

Compete for the Section Championship Title!

National is now accepting entries for the PNW PGA Professional Championship at Astoria G&CC on September 20-22, 2016. The entry deadline is Wednesday, August 31 at 11:59 PM. You may register for this event through PGA of America Membership services at 800-474-2776, www.pga.org or www.pgatournaments.com. Please pay attention to the 11:59 PM entry deadline for this event!

Your Section Championship & Qualifier for the National PGA Championship

This championship confers the title of “The Pacific Northwest Section Champion”. It is the most important and elite PNW PGA tournament of the season.

Eligibility: You must be employed in one of the following classifications as of August 31 to be eligible to play in the PNW PGA Professional Championship: MP, A-1, A-2, A-4, A-5, A-6, A-7, A-8, A-9, A-10, A-11, A-12, A-13, A-14, A-15, A-16, A-17, A-18, A-19, A-20, A-21, A-22, A-23, A-24, LMA and LMMA.

Advancement: The top seven finishers in our PNW PGA Professional Championship will advance directly to the 50th PGA Professional Championship, supported by Club Car, Mercedes-Benz USA and OMEGA, held at the PNW’s very own Sunriver Resort’s Crosswater and Meadows courses, Sunriver, Oregon on June 25-28, 2017.

That’s right! We are playing for spots to advance to the National Championship held within our own Section next June! Additionally, the low 20 scores at the 2017 PGA Professional Championship will earn a place in the 99th PGA Championship.

Learn More

^ Back to Top

National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship

National is now accepting entries for our National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship at Fairwood G&CC on Monday, August 8. We will play 36 holes. The entry deadline is Wednesday, July 27 at 11:59 PM. Please pay close attention to the entry deadline for this event. There will no longer be a late entry option to this championship. The PGA of America recently changed to the entry process to a 5-year calculation which determined spots we are playing for and purse calculations.

You may register for this event through PGA of America Membership services at 800-474-2776, www.pga.org or at www.pgatournaments.com.

You must be employed as an A-8 or as an Apprentice (including Apprentice Head Professional) as of July 27 to be eligible to play in the Section National Car Rental PGA Assistant Championship. The top three qualifiers will advance to the 2016 National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course, October 27-30, 2016.

Learn More

Rosauers Open Invitational

Liberty Lake, WA – MeadowWood GC
Umpqua Bank Pro-Am: July 13-14
Championship: July 15-17, 2016

Details

PNW Senior PGA Championship

Salem, OR – Illahe Hills CC
September 7-8, 2016

Details

^ Back to Top

Coston Wins Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational

Coston Putts to Win

By Mitchell DeKruif – PNW PGA Tournament Intern

Kent, Washington – Meridian Valley CC – 6,658 Yards – Par 72

Meridian Valley CC hosted the 90th Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational, in which a full field of PNW PGA Professionals and amateurs competed for the coveted trophy. Jeff Coston (Semiahmoo G&CC) has stood in the winner’s circle often over his impressive career, this time narrowly edging out fellow PGA Professional and defending champion Darren Black (Rainier G&CC) and amateur Erik Hanson (Sahalee CC) by one shot with rounds of 71-65-73.

This win was Coston’s fifth Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational title, tying him with legend Chuck Congdon in the most Washington Open Championships of all time. The victory also put his major win total at 20, more than any other Pacific Northwest Section Professional. When asked what winning his 20th section major meant, Jeff responded, “It feels great to win at 60. It feels great to reach goals. It felt great to stuff a wedge on the last hole to win.”

Stuff a wedge on the last hole he did! Coming to 18, he was deadlocked with competitors Erik Hanson and Darren Black. Black was already in the clubhouse after carding a gutsy 67 that included four birdies and an eagle. Coston’s thought process on the tee was, “I own par 5’s. This is my time.” Hanson was on the green with 20 feet for birdie when Coston stepped up to hit his approach shot from 80 yards. It landed with an eruption from the crowd as his ball stopped within two feet of the hole. After Hanson two-putted for par, Coston tapped in for the tournament-winning birdie.

The Washington Open Invitational Pro Am, a five man 2-net shamble best ball team event took place the weekend prior to the championship. Congratulations to the sponsor team from Blue Moon Belgian White lead by PGA Professional Tony Robydek for winning the Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Pro-Am title. This unique Pro Am is partnered with a wonderful charity called the Folds of Honor. It is an organization that provides scholarships to spouses and children of American soldiers who laid down their lives in service of this nation. Thanks to the generosity of our great sponsors, Meridian Valley CC members, playing participants and local community members the event raised over $60,000 for Folds of Honor.

A big thank you goes out to the Meridian Valley staff for a beautiful golf course and wonderful accommodations. We look forward to returning in 2017 for the playing of the 91st Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational. For more information on the tournament go to http://www.pnwpga.com or to learn more about the Folds of Honor head to http://www.foldsofhonor.org.

Final Results

Points Lists

Candidates for Secretary

What do you see as the biggest challenge to our mission to “serve the member and grow the game?”

fredrickson

Sean Fredrickson, PGA

Grow The Game. Serve the Pacific Northwest Professional.

Those two sentences drive our Section. It’s our mission statement and it needs to be embedded in our DNA. Every decision we make, every action we take, should serve the membership and grow the game of golf.

I’ve been asked to answer the question, "what I see as our biggest challenges to our mission statement of serving the membership and growing the game." I can answer this question with one word—meh...

For starters, I want to be clear about one thing. Our first and foremost goal must be to serve the membership. I firmly believe if we FIRST serve our Professionals, we will be inspired to grow the game. If you are following along, I’ve stated this before. I often feel as if we’ve been given an earful of “grow the game” programs for as long as I can remember. What I don’t seem to recall as easily are the programs that make me a better PGA professional.

I work hard every day to be the best Golf Professional that I can be. I play the game as much as I can, I teach the game as much as my schedule allows, and I promote the game daily.

While I don’t live my life thinking my Section owes me anything, I expect my Section to be there for me and to offer me the same commitment I offer the game of golf. Our Section must lead the way and must grow more informed, inspired, and motivated Golf Professionals to grow the game of golf. If our Section takes care of us, we will take care of the game.

meh. My kids use that “word” often when they are talking about something they could care less about. I asked my son Hayden what that meant to him. After hearing him say “meh” and seeing the gestures he made while saying the word, I completely understood. Meh, is a feeling.

meh. That one word is the biggest challenge our Section faces in serving the Professional and growing the game of golf.

Apathy is indifference. Indifference is an obstacle. I read once that the opposite of progress is not regress, it is indifference. I think that is an appropriate statement when we talk about the challenges we face as an association.

If we all took a moment to think about why we got into the golf business, I think most of us would say it was for the love of the game and the people that play the game. That passion and love is what drove you down the path to be a golf professional. Some of us love to play, some love to teach, some love to create an atmosphere for others to enjoy the game. Hopefully we ALL love the game.

When you chose to be a Golf Professional, you chose a career in golf. Whether you realized it at the time, you agreed to be an ambassador for the game. You agreed to safeguard the game and to cultivate its longevity. Guess what, Golf needs you now more than ever.

Our Section also needs you. We need you to play more golf, we need you to teach the game to more golfers, and we need you to promote the game every chance you get.
If you make that level of commitment to the game of golf, you should expect the same commitment from your Section staff and its board of directors. You should expect your Section leadership to create programs that make you successful. You should expect more opportunities to learn from one another and you should expect your Section board to work hard to promote each and every one of you.

meh. If you use this word when talking about your role as a PNWPGA Section Golf Professional, I hope my words have made you think about your chosen profession. If you use this word when talking about your Section’s staff and board members, I would ask that you provide me with an opportunity to change your perspective.

Electing me as your Section Secretary means that you believe that I will hold you to the highest standard. It means you believe that I will work tirelessly to develop programs to make you successful. It means that you understand that I am dedicated to serving you the Section Professional so that in turn, you can grow this amazing game of golf.

Thank you for your time and I would appreciate your vote for Section secretary.

harrington

Dan Harrington, PGA

Baseball is my theme for this month’s article. With the Mariners riding high near first place and most of us riding fast and furious into the summer, I see similarities between our Northwest ball club and our mission to “serve the member and grow the game.” For the past decade-and-a-half, the M’s have been challenged to serve the baseball community and grow the fan base with their personnel decisions and poor play on the field. Similarly, as golf professionals we have had a series of challenges (economic downturn, level number of total golfers, and most recently the loss of Tiger Woods on tour) that have thrown us all a curve ball in growing the game of golf.

Wherever there is a challenge there exists a solution for improvement. The best way to fulfill our mission to “serve the member” is to frequently serve up a fastball over the middle of the plate and let eager golf professionals crush it out of the park. This past Saturday I stopped by Auburn Golf Course in Auburn, Washington and had the pleasure of meeting PGA apprentice Jeremy Sagle. After a brief conversation, I was happy to hear something I already knew, his PGA Head Professional Chris Morris was mentoring him successfully on the path toward membership. I was able to encourage Mr. Sagle to consider joining one of our Chapter committees that matched his primary career-related passion, in this case tournament operations. I’ve always felt that not enough good pros get involved and participate in governance and committee work. My solution to this is easy; communicate to and involve members and apprentices frequently. Make sure they know about the programs and issues that directly, and indirectly, affect their professional way of life. This is the way most organizations, including our Section and Chapters, function best.

We could steal a page out of the 2016 M’s playbook in growing the game. Dramatic walk-off home runs, a solid pitching staff, and a different offensive hero every night grows the number of fans in the stands at Safeco Field. Similarly, the University of Washington Women’s recent televised NCAA team championship, the KPMG this month at Sahalee, and the continued success of Drive, Chip, and Putt & PGA Junior League Golf will certainly inspire continued growth of youth, particularly young women, to the game. The golf professional behind all of these players needs to be more frequently put in front of the camera to capture the efforts of members of our professional community. It will be my goal as Section Secretary to further highlight and call attention to these pros that make an enormous difference to grow the game. I also know that communication, in several forms and approaches, is the only effective way to get the word out.

The biggest challenge to our mission of growing the game is to resist taking the easy walk to first base. In other words, taking the status quo approach to our profession. While it is easy to “go with the flow” and “do the same things the person before me did” at your place of employment, the invariable end result is a program that has no identity and ultimately low participation levels. My focus as Section Secretary would be to devote my energies in ever improving education and mentorship programs. Delivery of creative, outside the box training programs would provide all of us the opportunity to jazz up the current programs and events we run at our clubs. Challenge yourself to come up with a new, innovative approach to a program, a clinic, an event, or even the way you work with staff. Some ideas will be a huge success; a larger number might fail. After all, even Robbie Cano only gets a hit three out of every ten times up to the plate!

As I penned in last month’s article, the role of a Section officer will require that he be a strong Leader, a clear Communicator, and most of all possess experience as an effective Motivator. To assist you the golf professional, I will deliver the tools and support for you to serve the members of your club and grow the game as a whole. Let’s Play Ball!

Dan Harrington, PGA

Holk's Highlights

Tommy Berg

Tommy Berg Nominated by: Tim Fraley

Facility: Awbrey Glen GC
Hometown: Grew up in Kelso, WA, currently Bend, OR.
PGA Member Since: 2008

A lifelong golfer, Tommy Berg started in the golf business while still in college, working as a cart attendant. The following year, he was promoted to supervisor and moved up to the golf shop. He became a PGA Professional in 2008 and has been working at Awbrey Glen since 2010.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work for some outstanding professionals in my career, including Mike Oberlander (Ironwood CC, Palm Desert, CA) and Doug Doxsie (Seattle GC). I learned a lot from both Mike and Doug about planning ahead, preparing early and being available and visible for members.”

Because Tommy Berg is so available and visible to members, Tim Fraley nominated him to be featured in this article. “Tommy consistently provides quality service to members and staff as the Associate Head Professional,” said Fraley.

Brought to you by:

Career Services
Carol Pence, PGA
(510) 706-1583
[email protected]

How Well Do You Know Your Customers?

Here’s an old adage:

If you lose more customers than you keep, this is not good.
If you don’t know how many you’re losing versus keeping, this is even worse.
If no one’s asking the question or caring about the answer, you’re sliding down a slippery slope.

Successful businesses know that understanding what customers need and want is critical in delivering on it. Knowing what drives your customers to support or leave your facility is critical information to have. Figuring out the best metrics for your facility may take time to settle on, however, determining how best to serve your customers is also key. Yes, a focus on measuring sales and total rounds is important. Knowing your customer should be at the top too.

The ones that come around the most are the easiest to get to know and perhaps are your best also. It is the next tier of customers that you should target to garner more business. It doesn’t take big marketing efforts as they already come to the facility. Just conversation and a little note taking.

So what do you need to find out from them?

scg

Members on the Move

Michelle Parish
Tournament & Membership Assistant

Employment Changes

Chad R. Carlson, PGA (A-1) - from Bill Roberts GC to Green Meadow CC
Gordy Graybeal, PGA (A-6) - from Unaffiliated to Auburn GC
Kyle W. Kuchs, PGA (A-6) - from Unaffiliated to Wildwood GC
Nathan J. Miller (B-8) - from Bill Roberts GC to Green Meadow CC
Danny R. Moore, PGA (A-1) - from Willamette Valley CC to Creekside GC
Matthew B Nosbaum (B-8) - from Deer Park GC to Circling Raven GC

Classification Changes

Colin J. Carlson, PGA (The GC at Black Rock) - from A-8 to A-1
Tara M. Tokonitz, PGA (Pumpkin Ridge-Ghost Creek) - from A-1 to A-8

New Apprentices

Britney M. Hayes - Polson Bay GC
Kyle A. Poore - Missoula CC
Benjamin T. Pope - Suntides GC

Newly Elected Members

Taylor E. Greenhood, PGA - Aldarra GC
Taylor M. Kahlman, PGA - Rock Creek Cattle Co.

Transfers OUT of the Section

Ryan D. Christopherson, PGA - from Creekside GC to Wisconson
Randall B. Connelley, PGA - from Unaffiliated to Southern Texas
Todd H. Demarest, PGA - from Unaffiliated to Carolinas
Patti Marquis, PGA - from Interbay Golf Center to Colorado

Transfers INTO the Section

Brad C Ebberson (B-8) - from S. California to The GC at Black Rock
Mark S. Fenech, PGA (A-14) - from Southwest to The Wilderness Club
Brett E Gilmore, PGA (A-1) - from S.west to Pumpkin Ridge-Ghost Creek
Melissa D. Hatten, PGA (A-8) - from S. Florida to Rock Creek Cattle Co.
Kyle A Hosch (B-8) - from S. California to Corvallis CC
Micah L Jacobsen (B-8) - from S. Florida to Rock Creek Cattle Co.
Daniel J. Lierman-Burns (B-8) - from S. California to The GC at Black Rock
Tyler A. Martin, PGA (A-8) - from S. California to Whitefish Lake GC
Evan J. Mitchell, PGA (A-8) - from S. California to Rock Creek Cattle Co.
Evan H. Neihaus, PGA (A-8) - from S. Florida to Rock Creek Cattle Co.
Matthew J. Penny, PGA (A-8) - from Rocky Mountain to Gozzer Ranch Golf & Lake Club
Robert J Shoemaker (B-8) - from Aloha to The GC at Black Rock
Lee R. Kanzler, PGA (A-13) - from S. Ohio to Chena Bend GC

New Quarter Century

Pete A. Dixon, PGA

Reinstated Members

Kelly A. Walker, PGA

Mitchell DeKruif
Tournament Intern

Introducing Mitchell DeKruif

My name is Mitchell DeKruif and I am the PNW Section PGA tournament intern. I grew up in Minnesota loving to play golf. I hope to turn that passion into a career. I will be a senior next year at UNLV as a member of the PGM program. My hobbies include golf, running and hiking. My career aspirations consist of learning as much as I can, with the ultimate goal of becoming a Director of a PGM program at an accredited university.

Financial Services
Blake Parrish
Senior VP, Portfolio Mgr.
(503) 619-7237
[email protected]

Your Best Guess

What do we value? Why is money important to you?Check out this thought-provoking article from the New York Times.

Certified Financial Planner Boardof Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.”

^ Back to Top