Spring is here and, thanks to Mother Nature, many of you are well ahead of budget for the year. Let’s hope the weather continues on this nice trend. We could sure use a decent spring to build the foundation for a great year. Hopefully, your staff levels will be back to full strength soon to match the level of play.
Our Spring Meeting is just around the corner, March 16 at Meridian Valley Country Club in Kent, WA. This will be your last Section opportunity to obtain those all-important PGA Required MSR’s. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, please log into your PGA.org account and review your progress. The period ends on June 15 and Class F is not a good place to land! Our staff his here to help you understand your requirements and will do their best to help you. If it’s been 3 years of inactivity, options will be limited, but there is a way!
On Sunday, March 15 we will honor our 2014 Section and Chapter Award winners at a special celebration at Meridian Valley Country Club. I hope you are able to join us to recognize 15 outstanding professionals. You might just be inspired hearing their stories. Click here to RSVP: https://pnwpga.com/event/pnw-pga-special-awards-ceremony-2/
Three tournament entries are out – Pro-Assistant, Senior Players and the Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational.
Meridian Valley will host the Pro-Assistant Championship on March 16-17. Sponsored by Bushnell, Cutter & Buck and PTE Golf, the Pro-Assistant is always a popular format that allows Head Professionals the opportunity to spend a little quality time with their assistants. With a nice field and our fine sponsors, we always have a strong purse.
Thanks to John Thorsnes, Wine Valley plays host to the Senior Players Championship again this year. This is your chance to play Wine Valley at a little shorter yardage than the Northwest Open. Seniors, bring an amateur friend to this event April 21-22.
Finally, the Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational is our first major of the year. We are very fortunate to enjoy a great five year sponsorship with Muckleshoot and our friends at Meridian Valley Country Club. Chris Manley has done an outstanding job on the Pro-Am and sponsor front, with proceeds from the Pro-Am supporting Folds of Honor. The Pro-Am (May 16-17) and Championship (May 18-20) will make for a fun week!
The PGA Financial Assistance Scholarship deadline is quickly approaching. Due March 15, go to PGA.org for the application. This is also your vehicle to apply for the Bunny Mason Scholarship. Don’t miss out.
If you have not completed the PGA Compensation Survey, please do so before the March 23 deadline. Whether you are at the top of the heap or a little lower, your data is important to providing relevant information to help elevate current and future compensation for you and your fellow professionals. Your data is completely private, with no one being able to pull a report with identifiable information. Your particular situation will not be available to anyone. Log into PGA.org today, you should be able to complete in 15 minutes or less.
We are headed to Las Vegas on Sunday, March 8 for the Holcomb-In-One Las Vegas Pro-Am. Twenty-one teams will be enjoying all that Las Vegas has to offer. As you can expect, Grant Holcomb does a great job as host. Start working now on a team for 2016 – you will have a blast! We also welcome a new sponsor to the Section, CaddyX. This is a new company that offers golf club transport services via UPS – in your own travel cover. Look for more on CaddyX in the future.
You’ll hear two new voices in the office. Cecelia Morales has returned from maternity leave and will be on the phones again each morning. New Tournament and Membership Assistant Michelle Parish is on the fast-track, working with Molly Cooper. We are lucky to have them on our great team.
Have a great March as you play, promote and teach this wonderful game.
Jeff Ellison, PGA
Chief Executive Officer