February 1, 2022

President's Report

Wow… I am envious of the teams that participated in our Pelzer Golf Hawaiian Paradise Pro-Am! Sunny skies and warm temperatures are appealing. A special thanks to all our sponsors that made this a great event. Vegas is right around the corner in March; I am sure our sponsor, Grant Holcomb, has a great event planned as well.

Budgets are done at the Section and Chapter levels, programs and events are being finalized, and we are excited to celebrate our 100th anniversary as the best Section in the PGA of America.

2022 will present many challenges; hopefully, Covid-19 will find its way into the rearview mirror. But I think Covid has also forced many of us to think more about our workplaces. We are all seeing the impact of the “Great Resignation.” I recently read an interesting article in the Harvard Business Review that addresses two of my favorite areas, Inclusion and Belonging.

The company EY Inclusion surveyed 1,000 American adults about “belonging.” Not surprising, most people look to their homes first (62%) as the place with the greatest sense of belonging. The workplace is next at (34%), more than neighborhood communities (19%) and places of worship (17%). Creating workplace communities is imperative. I am going to suggest a simple way to help with this. Check in with your colleagues. A simple, “How are you doing today?” or, “Anything I can help you with?” The survey found that 39% of respondents feel the greatest sense of belonging when their colleagues checked in with them personally and professionally. This was true across genders and age groups. The critical piece in checking in, no surprise, was listening. If you ask someone how they are doing, be prepared to listen if they decide to share. Remember, you are not asking because you want to share your sage wisdom. Just simply listen to them.

As we get ready for another busy season, I want to share one last thing ‒ make your workplace fun. You all know about OGO (Oh Great One); I won’t belabor the value. It has created a lot of fun and energy in our shop.

I decided to steal an idea I read in President Obama’s book A Promised Land. There is a part in the book where he is scheduled to visit some community organizers. It had been a long day on the campaign trail; he was tired and not looking forward to the meeting. With people milling around and not much energy in the room, a woman walked in and shouted “Fired Up!” The crowd responded with “Ready to go!” This was repeated several times. President Obama commented on how the energy in the room immediately went up. I tried it, and it works. Anyone on our staff can do it if they feel we don’t have the energy we need to be the best we can be. The caveat is you have to yell it. FIRED UP! You have to mean it and have purpose in your voice.

I am confident our 100th year as a Section will be our best yet!

As always, please stay safe, reach out, and contact someone you have not seen or talked to in a while.

Thank you for your time and all that you do,

Howie Pruitt, PGA
Director, Golf Operations, Aspen Lakes GC
President, Pacific Northwest Section
[email protected]

Pelzer Golf Hawaiian Paradise Pro-Am

Tanner Montgomery, PGA, Manager of Tournament Operations

The Pelzer Golf Hawaiian Paradise Pro-Am took place on January 13-20, 2022. The Pacific Northwest PGA had 11 teams on Maui for seven days, enjoying the sunshine, whether that was poolside or right there on the beach. We even found some time to squeeze in a golf tournament.

The Pro-Am is a five-man team of one professional and four amateurs playing stableford competitions. The three-round event took place directly across the road from the resort at the Kaanapali Golf Courses. The Royal Kaanapali and the Kaanapali Kai are known for both their incredible views and challenging design.

The Royal Kaanapali Course hugs the shoreline before winding its way to the West Maui Mountain foothills. Legendary Arnold Palmer was quoted as saying that the 18th hole was one of the best and most challenging finishing holes he had ever played.

The Kaanapali Kai Course features subtle, undulating greens with natural canals, trenches and lava rock boundaries which lie along many of the holes. The course is also beautifully landscaped with native flowers such as the Hawaii state flower Hibiscus, not to mention the prevalent Norfolk pines and coconut trees that border many fairways with sweeping views of the West Maui Coast.

Teams played Saturday, January 15 on the Royal Kaanapali Course, then Monday, January 17 on the Kaanapali Kai Course, before returning to the Royal Kaanapali Course to give it one more shot in the final round on Tuesday, January 18.

We are proud of the relationships we have with Pelzer Golf Supplies as our title sponsor as well as ProTag, Radmor, and 4ORE Nutrition as our supporting sponsors.

The team led by PGA Professional Darren Black of Rainier G&CC with amateurs John and Carol Zukerman and Steve and Polly Elliott came out on top at the end of the week, winning the overall team competition.

PGA Professional Jason Aichele of Meadow Springs CC won low professional honors narrowly over Darren Black.

Amateur Will Forte from Coeur d’Alene Resort GC won low amateur honors while Bob Stevens from Stanford University GC won low net amateur.

FINAL RESULTS

Associate Updates for 2022

Carrie DeGree, PGA, Education Committee Chairman

Recently the Education Committee held a meeting to discuss our current AMP Education Credit requirement and a change was made to the existing structure. The Board approved to continue allowing Stay Involved Webinars to count towards the AMP Education credit. However, you will need to attend two Stay Involved Webinars to fulfill your AMP Education requirement. You may also attend a single in-person approved Chapter or Section Education that is at least two hours in length.

*For those of you that already attended a Stay Involved Webinar in 2022, you are grandfathered into the 2021 requirement and have fulfilled your AMP Education credit for the year.

Please keep a lookout for your Chapter’s emails regarding local in-person education opportunities. We are very excited that the Chapters are going to resume in-person educations!

On February 9, the OPGA Corvallis Education Workshop takes place at The Corvallis Club. Click here for more information and to register.

Exciting news, the Sweet 16 Education will be held at Coeur d’Alene Resort on February 20-22! Click here for more information and to register.

Last, our Stay Involved Webinar series has some great educations planned through March and will then pick back up in the fall after a break during the regular season. Go to https://www.pnwpga.com/member-services/education/ to review the upcoming educations and watch for emails coming out from the Section promoting them.

As always, we hope that you will take advantage of the fantastic learning experiences that the Chapters and the Section are offering. We hope you will do more than is required to continue growing into an amazing PGA Professional.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our PGA Membership team: Molly Cooper, PGA ([email protected]), Denise Taylor ([email protected]), and Robin Lindsey ([email protected]).

I also am available for any Education questions at [email protected].

Holk's Highlights: Brandon Richardson, PGA

This month we profile Brandon Richardson, PGA. In addition to being ADM Certified, Brandon has completed the PGA Specialized Professional Program in Teaching and Coaching.

Facility: Golf with Freedom Lesson Center

Hometown: Junction City, OR

PGA Member Since: 2011

How did you get started in your golf career and who were your mentors?

At age 11, Brandon had won his first tournament and started playing in local and regional junior events around the Pacific Northwest. He continued to develop his game and had a successful high school career, including three District titles and one State title. The highlight of his playing career came in 2006 when he earned a spot in the Nationwide Tour’s Oregon Classic at Shadow Hills Country Club, his home course, by winning the Pacific Northwest PGA Section Qualifier.

“I dropped out of college to pursue playing and coaching in 2003. I was playing mini tours part time and started out as an assistant instructor, coaching junior camps and private lessons for the PGA Director of Instruction at Fiddler’s Green.”

Brandon joined the PGA as an apprentice in 2006, and became a Class A PGA Member in 2011.

“Joe Rauschenburg, Mark Keating, Fred Shoemaker and Jo Ann Hardy have been extraordinarily influential in my development as a coach and as a human being.”

Upcoming Events

Sweet 16 Education Seminars

February 21-22, 2022 @ Coeur D'Alene Golf & Spa Resort
Earn up to 16 PGA Required MSR’s/AMP Education credit for Associates!

PNW PGA "Stay Involved" Education Opportunties

sponsored by OpenRounds

The Game of Golf, the Life of Teaching and Anything Else about Golf Because It Is an Amazing Game!

February 2 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am Pacific
presented by Jeff Coston, PGA
This webinar will be held via Google Meet
Receive 1 PGA Required MSR or 1/2 AMP Education Credit for attending

You Can’t Make This Up—Rules of Golf Situations That Have Happened at Your Club

February 16 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Pacific
presented by Kathy Brown, PGA
This webinar will be held via Google Meet
Receive 1 PGA Required MSR or 1/2 AMP Education Credit for attending

MORE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

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

PNWPGA JOB BOARD NOTICE

We Are All Feeling the Crunch of Inflation - Be Proactive About Keeping up Your Compensation!

PLEASE click the link below to access and complete your compensation profile (you will need to login to http://PGA.org).

Don't hesitate to call or email me if you have any questions or difficulty in completing your profile. Thank you for your contribution to this important tool used to impact compensation for you and your peers!

https://account.pga.org/compensation-profile

Regards, Monte