November 15, 2022

CEO's Report

Frank Talarico | [email protected]

Give Thanks and Take Stock

A couple is getting the Thanksgiving ham ready to put in the oven. Suddenly, one of them takes out a large knife and begins cutting off the end of the raw ham – a significant chunk of it. “What are you doing?” her husband asks.

“I’m getting the ham ready to put in the oven.”

“No, I mean, why are you cutting the end off?”

“That’s how my mom taught me to cook it.”

“Why?”

“Because… I don’t know.”

Now curious, she goes over to her mom’s house. “Why do you cut the end off of the ham?”

“Because that’s how Nana does it.”

Now both perplexed, they go over to the retirement home to visit the grandmother.

“Nana, why do we cut the end off of the ham?” The grandma pauses, then a light comes on in her eyes.

“Well, during our first Thanksgiving we didn’t have much money, and it was a tiny kitchen with an even tinier oven, so the only way we could make our ham fit would be to…”

Thanksgiving is not only a time for us all to “give thanks,” it is also a perfect time to “take stock.”  What are you doing now in your business—and in your own professional development—that has outgrown its usefulness? More importantly, what practices have you adopted from other businesses, but don’t know why their practice originated in the first place? Blind habits are wasteful at best. Use this reflective period to think about where you could be cutting off your proverbial ham—and losing opportunities to have a stronger business, and even a brighter professional future. Now is the time.

Speaking of giving thanks…

My thanks to Messrs. Nowlen, Shea, Grothe, and Pruitt for joining me and representing our Section at the 106th PGA Annual Meeting.  Very special thanks to Mr. Doug Doxsie for completing his term as our District 14 Director, also during the Annual Meeting.  Doug’s unwavering dedication and steady leadership is truly an inspiration for those fortunate to know him and work alongside him.  He is a master class in member advocacy.  Thank you, Doug. 

The 106th Annual Meeting not only witnessed the election of the next PGA Secretary, Mr. Nathan Charnes, but also the passage of two critically impactful resolutions.  Notable, the delegation unanimously passed a landmark resolution codifying the PGA’s commitment to diversity across its membership.  I encourage you to click here for a full recap of the meeting.

My thanks to our fantastic partners, without whom 2022 would not have been as successful and as valuable for our members. With the Arizona Sun Pro-Am coming up, my sincere appreciation to Andy Plate, President of Turtleson.  Turtleson offers some of the industry’s most beautiful golf apparel for both men and women.  Those already signed up for the event know the Section and Turtleson have created a private, branded shopping portal for you to select your complementary apparel. 

Additional thanks to Tim Briand and Chris Dunlop with Foresight Sports, the “most trusted launch monitors in the world.”  Tim and Chris are new to our family of supporters in 2022 and will continue their support in the coming years. I encourage you to reach out to them and, if you are planning on playing in the Arizona Sun Pro-Am, stop by and visit them on the practice range.

I’d like to take this opportunity to make a very exciting announcement.  I am very proud to report that Craig Pelzer and Pelzer Golf have agreed to a new, three-year sponsorship agreement with the PNW PGA.  Beginning in 2023, Pelzer Golf will now be title sponsor to the Northwest Open and the Oregon Open.  Also beginning in 2023, Pelzer Golf will become the presenting sponsor of the Hudson Cup matches, joining other notable sponsors like Under Armour (team and staff uniforms) and Glen Cove Trading Company for Hudson Cup (hats) in support of this prestigious event.

Since 1982, Pelzer Golf has strived to make sure your business has everything it needs. For those who might not be familiar with Pelzer Golf, Craig and his team specialize in getting you exactly what you need.  They have a full line of tournament tee gifts to provide for your club and corporate events.  Pelzer Golf also has a full line of custom equipment for you as well; from Mark-A-Ball—the oldest custom ball marker company—to custom tees, mugs, towels, and a variety of other stuff.  They stay up to date on the newest technology and accessories, so you are always “ahead of the curve.”

Visit the Online Member Handbook (ForeTees login) for the full list of 2022 Tournament Sponsors—your thank you notes and emails really help us renew support for your programs.

As always, if I or any of my team can ever be of service to you, never hesitate to reach out at any time. On behalf of the Pacific Northwest Section of the PGA, Happy Thanksgiving!

Frank Talarico, CEO

Team Gants Wins PNW PGA Mexican Fiesta Pro-Am

Tanner T. Montgomery, PGA - Manager of Tournament Operations

While the snow, rain, and cold blew in back home, seven teams from the Pacific Northwest headed south of the border for beautiful beaches, 85-degree weather, and championship golf. From October 30 to November 5, 35 players enjoyed three rounds of golf at the breathtaking TPC Danzante Bay Golf Course and the all-inclusive Villa Del Palmar Beach Resort & Spa in Loreto, Mexico.

The par-72 Reese Jones designed golf course provides a distinct challenge for golfers of every ability, tasking them with diverse beach, cliff, and canyon holes, and enticing them with sweeping vistas at every turn. While the angles of play, challenging bunkers, and ocean breezes tested their skills, the awe-inspiring beauty of the golf course can easily be distracting. Teams tested their games over the three-round tournament, battling thick rough, fast greens, and intimidating tee shots for the chance to claim the title of PNW PGA Mexican Fiesta Pro-Am Team Champions.

At the end of the week, it was the team from West Seattle Golf Course led by PGA Professional Colin Gants with amateurs Robert Chamberlain, Steve Crosier, Tim Heddlesten and Lionel Tamez that came out on top to win the overall team competition.

PGA Professional Jeff Gustafson of Club Green Meadows won low professional honors while amateur Darren Gourley from Awbrey Glen Golf Club won low amateur honors.

This event was definitely one to remember!  We hope to see more of you at another destination pro-am this winter. 

FINAL RESULTS

District #14 Director's Report

Jeff Lessig, PGA | [email protected] 

For whatever reason during my long tenure as a PGA Member, Governance has been a subject of continuous interest for me.  I guess I’ve just always believed that we can do a better job of representing PGA Members.  It’s the reason I made the decision to get involved in the first place.

And it hit me recently that the only meaningful occupation I’ve ever had is as a green grass golf professional.  So, I hope it’s understandable that that is the lens through which I view our Members and our Association.

It’s a genuine privilege for me to serve as your new District 14 Director representing the Pacific Northwest and Southwest Sections.  For the past year, I’ve been serving my “shadow year” under the tutelage of Seattle Golf Club’s  Doug Doxsie so hopefully, I can hit the ground running.  Doug has been a terrific mentor and I hope to be able to tap into his wisdom as I settle into his chair.

In terms of Members and geography, our two Sections are among the largest in the country.  The Southwest and Pacific Northwest Sections are the fifth and sixth largest of our 41 Sections nationally and together include nearly 2,100 Members.  And our District 14 is fourth largest among our fourteen Districts in terms of Members despite being the only District with just two Sections.

It’s an exciting time with so much opportunity ahead of us – a new PGA of America home in Frisco, TX., a Deferred Compensation Plan that will be rolled out early in 2023, a new Regional Plan that is designed to offer an entirely new level of service to PGA Members and a new commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion within our Association.

Of course, we will be presented with our share of challenges as well.  But I’m confident we will flourish as programs such as PGA Coach, PGA Lead, PGA Junior League, PGA Works and PGA Hope continue to grow.

I look forward to our journey together.

Respectfully,

Jeff Lessig, PGA

PGA Jr. League

Branden Thompson, PGA - Player Engagement Consultant | [email protected]

First, I want to thank all of you for doing a great job making golf enjoyable for your customers.  It’s been a long couple of years and you all deserve a break.  Take some time to play, unwind, and re-energize. Hopefully you get a chance to do that. 

Second, it is time to get ready for the 2023 PGA Jr. League season and registration is open.  See below for the steps to get signed up. 

Registering for 2023 PGA Jr. League

Please register by Dec 31, 2022 so we have as much time for planning as possible.  This helps immensely when it comes to setting up leagues and schedules. 

Existing Coaches: How To Publish A 2023 Program

New Coaches:

  1. Sign Up As A Coach
  2. Create A Location
  3. Publish A 2023 Program

Tip For 2023 – Create an Introduction to PGA Jr. League program that is designed for your new players.  Run it for a few weeks before your regular season and focus on rules, etiquette, and logistics so those players are ready to participate.  It will help all of the players, coaches and parents have more fun in the regular season by helping improve pace of play and skills. 

2023 Planning

I know it is coming into the off-season and some well-deserved down time for all of you.  Keep a few things in mind. 

  • Start planning and organizing your schedule now! If possible, get your course time reserved, games planned out, league organized, etc.  The further ahead you get now, the easier it will be this spring.
  • Program registration will open by November 15th.  Due to the new platform this will be easier than ever.  All you need to do is add the program, everything else is set up. 
  • PDR’s (the former MSR’s) will be posted to those registered coaches in late December or mid-January.  Only registered coaches will receive PDR’s.  If a coach didn’t register, don’t expect to have them posted. 

Thanks,
Branden Thompson, PGA

Convergence Towards Your Best Year as a PGA Professional, Part II: Courage

Monte Koch, PGA Certified Professional, CEIP - PGA Career Consultant | [email protected]

In the previous article, I shared the concept of convergence as a pathway to your “best year (yet) as a PGA Professional.” To do so, I suggested that, just like a great football or basketball team, we need to get our three phases (physical, mental and spiritual) together and be well-aligned to go in the right direction.

I also introduced the concept of stoicism, an intentional way of living, and its "four cardinal virtues": courage, moderation (temperance), justice and wisdom.

For this article, let’s consider the first one, Courage, and how to apply it to our lives as PGA Professionals.

Read more >

Employment Opportunities

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

PNWPGA JOB BOARD NOTICE

Upcoming "Stay Involved" Education Webinars

Nov 17 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am PDT How Bandon Dunes Creates Exceptional Player Experiences, While Optimizing Efficiency – presented by Jeff Simonds, sponsored by Tagmarshal

Nov 29 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm PDT – Coaching and Development – presented by Branden Thompson

Dec 1 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm PDTThe Relevance of the 10K Hypothesis in Golf – presented by Christopher Smith

Upcoming Events

Pelzer Golf Hawaiian Paradise Pro-Am

January 12-19, 2023
Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa
Kaanapali Golf Courses
Enter online

Together, with your support, we can impact the lives of our nation’s heroes. Give with a purpose by donating to the PGA National Day of HOPE campaign between now and November 30. Funds raised will sponsor a Veteran in our local community through PGA HOPE. All funds benefit local PGA HOPE programs and veterans in the Pacific Northwest.

Donate $25 or more and be automatically entered to win one (1) round of golf for two (2) players at Chambers Bay.

Also, check out the opportunities to bid on some cool items in the online silent auction!

LEARN MORE & DONATE

Thank You for Supporting Our Sponsors

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