December 1, 2020

President's Report

I don’t know about you, but I feel like Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day.” It feels like we have been here before. Who would have thought in March that our Thanksgiving traditions and activities would be in jeopardy? But here we are. Once again, we have to deal with closures and restrictions. I know I am tired of the virus and its impact on our lives. But, we have over 250,000 people who could not participate in Thanksgiving; there were simply empty chairs for those who died from Covid. As difficult as these times are, we must continue to follow the guidance issued by our states and also be diligent about practicing good public health practices. Don’t forget your and other’s mental health as well —check in with your friends, your relatives, and your neighbors. A simple, “How are you doing” can mean a lot.

I mentioned in my last article about using this time to work on your personal leadership development. In the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen Covey outlines these habits. Habit number 7 is “Sharpen The Saw.” If you are trying to saw down a large tree using a hand saw, the more you saw, the more the saw becomes dull. You can continue to saw, or you can take time to sharpen the saw. The point is this, during the peak golf season, taking time to sharpen the saw rarely happens. Now, we can take the time to sharpen our saw. Learn something new! If it’s a new language, try Babbel.com. Want to improve your Excel skills; take a class on Udemy.com. Improve your cooking skills or learn how to direct a movie, go to Masterclass.com. I am not endorsing any of these sites, but I use them to sharpen my saw. Learning something new is great for your mental health.

We have added new members to the Section board. Bill Shea is the new Section Secretary and Chris Nowlen is the new Section Vice-President. We will have a virtual Winter Planning meeting in December; Frank and Rebekah are hard at work developing our 2021 Section budget that will be discussed and approved at the meeting.

While our tournament programs are winding down, I would like to recognize our Player of the Year award winners.

Shane Prante, PGA, Assistant Player of the Year
Jeff Coston, PGA, Omega Senior Player of the Year
Brady Sharp, PGA, Omega Player of the Year

Applications for the 2020-2021 PGA Financial Assistance Fund Scholarship are now available on PGA.org. Open to children and grandchildren of PGA members, these scholarships help incoming college freshmen as well as existing college students with much needed funding for their education.

In closing, while 2020 has been a crazy year, we still have many things to be thankful for. Stop and reflect on the positive.

Be safe, take care of yourself and others around you, and have a happy holiday season!

Howie Pruitt, PGA
Director, Golf Operations, Aspen Lakes GC
President, Pacific Northwest Section
Cell: 541-390-7875
[email protected]

Holk's Highlights: Player of the Year Award Winners

Shane Prante, PGA
PNW PGA Assistant Player of the Year

Won the National Car Rental PNW PGA Assistant Championship
2^nd Place at Western Washington Chapter Assistant Championship
T-11^th at the Oregon Open Invitational
T-14^th at the Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational
T-36^th at the Northwest Open Invitational
T-65^th at the National Car Rental PGA Assistant Championship (National)

Jeff Coston, PGA
OMEGA PNW PGA Senior Player of the Year

Won the Senior Oregon Open Invitational
Won the PNW Senior PGA Professional Championship
2nd place at the Senior Washington Open Invitational (won low PGA Professional)

Brady Sharp, PGA
OMEGA PNW PGA Player of the Year

Won the Oregon Open Invitational
Won the Central Washington Chapter Championship
T-2^nd at the PNW PGA Professional Championship
T-5th at the Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational
T-21st at the Northwest Open Invitational
Earned a spot to the PGA Professional Championship next spring

FINAL Points Lists

View Full Points Lists

OMEGA Player of the Year

1. Brady Sharp - 485
2. Corey Prugh - 335
3. Darren Black - 281

Assistant Player of the Year

1. Shane Prante - 570
2. Colin Inglis - 540
3. Brady Sharp - 532.5

OMEGA Senior Player of the Year

1. Jeff Coston - 450
2. Tom Sovay - 277.5
3. Mark Keating - 270

"Stay Involved" Education Series

All times listed in Pacific Standard Time

December 2 @ 11 AM: "Building Your Junior Golf Program" - presented by Jason Aichele
December 8 @ 12 PM: "Why We Buy" - presented by Jacob Lippold
December 10 @ 11 AM: "Leveraging The New Demand: Dynamic Pricing Leadership Principles" - presented by Monte Koch
December 16 @ 1 PM: "Early Career Success: Job Campaigning" for Associates only - presented by Monte Koch
December 17 @ 2 PM: "Inaugurating 17U Into Your PGA Junior League Program" - presented by Branden Thompson
December 18 @ 2PM: "Considerations When Purchasing or Leasing a Cart Fleet" - presented by Bill Morach

Full Schedule

A New Way to Contact the Tournament & Membership Team!

Have you or a potential Associate at your club ever had a question for the Tournament & Membership department, but were unsure who to contact? With our office continuing to work from home at this time, we wanted to create a place where you can go to ask these questions and get a response from your PNW PGA Tournament & Membership team. Click here for more information.

Virtual PGA Show

2021 Teaching & Coaching Summit, Presented by OMEGA
The 2021 Virtual summit will bring together leaders in golf and sport to discuss the value of coaching and its future. Click here for registration info, pricing and more.

2021 PGA Merchandise Show
The 2021 Virtual PGA Show is scheduled for January 26-29. The platform will become available for appointment-scheduling in mid-December. Click here for a current schedule of events.

Employment Opportunities

Monte Koch, PGA of America Employment Consultant

These are primarily “PGA Professional” only positions posted on the PGA Career Services Job Board: https://jobs.pga.org

Internship, non-PGA positions, strictly retail and “franchise” ownership positions will not be listed here.Please visit jobs.pga.org to see these types of opportunities.

Note: these are listed as of 7 AM, October 30, 2020. Positions listed here are not guaranteed to be available. Visit jobs.pga.org to see the most current listings.

Assistant Golf Professional Positions (Full-time, not Internships)

GOLF COURSE ASSOCIATE – Maplewood Golf Course, Renton, WA

Teaching and Coaching Positions

INSTRUCTOR/CLUB FITTER – Gregg Rogers Golf Performance Center, Bellevue, WA
JR GOLF DIRECTOR & FULL TIME INSTRUCTOR – RedTail GC, Beaverton, OR

Management Positions

Note: not all positions like these will be posted here in all cases; instead, postings here will, generally, be at the request/approval of the Employer.

HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL – Twin Lakes Village Golf Club, Rathdrum, ID
HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL – Meadow Lake Golf Course, Columbia Falls, MT
HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL – Gig Harbor Golf Club, Gig Harbor, WA
HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL – Awbrey Glen Golf Club, Bend, OR
HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL – Glendoveer Golf & Tennis, Portland, OR
HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL – Meridian Valley Country Club, Kent, WA
HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL – Washington National Golf Club, Auburn, WA
HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL – The Wilderness Club, Eureka, MT

It's Time to Say Goodbye to Your Careerlinks Profile

CareerLinks is Phasing Out Soon! Take Just a Few Minutes and Update Your Job Preferences Today

If you want to see current job opportunities, you need to update your Job Preferences on PGA.org. Unlike the old CL profile, this just takes 2-3 mins (not 20+).

By updating your "Job Preferences" on pga.org, you'll start to see open positions similar to your preferences listed on your PGA.org dashboard (see picture below).

We are asking PGA Members and Associates to make these updates by clicking here, even if you aren't an active job seeker.