Hooray, hooray, it’s the first of May! Outdoor living starts today! It is so nice to see the sun and 80-degree weather, even if it is only for a few days. I hope you have had the chance to get out and teach, play, and enjoy the sun. As expected, my members are out in full force every day this week after one of the longest winters on record. If you’re like me, you have been jonesing to get the season started for the last month!
Last week, Connor Sproull, Dave Owens and I completed our 100-hole marathon for charity. I chose the Ronald McDonald House Charity of Western Montana. Kudos to Molly Cooper for planning another team effort across the Pacific Northwest to raise money for charity and shine a spotlight on our PGA Professionals and all we do for our communities.
Best of luck to the 10 PNW PGA Professionals competing in the PGA Professional Championship this week: Jeff Coston of Semiahmoo G&CC, Derek Berg of PNW Golf Academy, Jerrel Grow of Pronghorn Club at Juniper Preserve, Ross Kukula of Arrowhead Golf Club, Russell Grove of North Idaho College, Mitch Runge of The Home Course, Corey Prugh of the Community Colleges of Spokane, Colin Inglis of Shadow Hills Country Club, Austin Hurt of Wing Point Golf & Country Club and Tim Feenstra of Broadmoor Golf Club. We are rooting for you!
Missoula CC PGA Junior League will start this month. I look forward to the program each year. Sixty kids will begin with evening lessons for three weeks in mid-May, and then the competition will be hosted for five weeks after school gets out for the summer. It is a highlight of the year for our professional team. It was amazing to see the kids that started in PGA Jr League six years ago that are now great players and a strong group of life-long friends. We also just hosted the closing day of our first PGA JAM program on Sunday. It is a testament to all PGA Pros of the value we bring to youth through the game of golf. Good luck with your junior programs this year!
Every Chapter is now in tournament season, and the Section tournaments are taking off. I wish you all the best this year with your own games. Make time to play and enjoy this great game.
I hope you have a spectacular month!