Chapter Meetings kick off on Sunday, February 16 with the Inland Empire Chapter Meeting at the Coeur d’ Alene Resort. President Sean Fredrickson and I will be there to hear from you and also share a few things that are headed your way this season. An officer and I will attend every spring meeting so please seek us out to ask questions, privately or during the meeting. We are there for you!
Sean and I have the 5:00 AM flight out of Spokane on Monday and will join the other officers and our District 14 Director Doug Doxsie in Atlanta for the PGA Super Regional Meeting. Our task is to begin vetting the four candidates for PGA Secretary. It will be a jam packed two days sorting out the best professional to lead our Association. Don Rea of the Southwest Section, our former District 14 Director is one of the candidates. To learn more about Don and all of the candidates just log into your pga.org account. If you know any of them personally, please give Sean or Howie a call.
On March 22, we will celebrate our 2019 Special Awards honorees at Tualatin Country Club. This is a fun and informative evening learning about the best in our business. Please join in the celebration!
Register for the Awards Ceremony
Your Board of Directors will also gather on the 22nd to continue their quest to provide you with the very best service of any Section in the country. Reach out to any officer or board member prior to the meeting if you have any suggestions or concerns. The festivities continue on March 23-24 with the PNW Pro-Assistant Championship and the Spring Meeting on the evening of the 23rd. There is no pre-registration for the Spring Meeting, with dinner at 6:00 and the meeting at 7:00.
With the change to the World Handicap System, your Board approved moving our process for professional handicaps under the WHS. Effective February 1, we began the conversion to WHS. Professionals may opt to maintain a handicap at their facility, join one of three clubs the Section is establishing (MT, OR and WA) or decline to maintain a handicap. OR and WA are ready, MT will be ready soon as they are working through a couple of issues.
Click here for complete information on this process
Applications went out last month for both the Yamaha Player Development Grants and the Junior Funds’ Youth Player Development Grants. A total of $24,000 is available to help support YOUR programs. Our thanks to Ben Foreman of Yamaha for his continued support. Additionally, the Junior Fund grants are made possible by the support of the Winco Portland Open and to all of you who contributed to the 1% Club. Applications for both are due no later than March 13.
Click here for the applications
The PGA Financial Assistance Fund Scholarship awards scholarships to the children and grandchildren of PGA Members. A few years ago, a change was made to spread the wealth. If you have not received an award in the past, apply again! With this application, children of Section members are also applying for the Bunny Mason Scholarship – two chances to win!
Apply here (requires pga.org login)
The Section has a rich history of fantastic destination pro-ams. We just wrapped up an 18-team event at Mauna Lani on the Big Island of Hawaii and will be joining Holk for the sold-out Holcomb-In-One Las Vegas Pro-Am in March. New for 2020, we are putting the final touches on a contract to visit our friend Brad Myrick at his place in Loreto, Mexico. Look for details very soon….two words for you: “All Inclusive”.
Here’s to an early spring and I’ll look forward to seeing all of you at your chapter meeting. As always, lean on your terrific Chapter and Section staff to help you navigate your PGA membership.
Jeff Ellison, PGA
CEO, Pacific NW Section PGA