June 15, 2023

CEO's Report

Building a Strong Personal Brand: Unleashing Your Authenticity and Influence

One of the many reasons the recent PGA Tour/LIV announcement presents “challenges” to the golf world generally, and the PGA of America, specifically, revolves around branding. You’ve likely noticed our Section has taken a decidedly aggressive posture to differentiating who we are, what we do, and why we do—from them. It’s important that distinctions are made, not just when attempting to clarify during times of controversy, but every day when our supporters and, especially, our customers, might find it too easy to become confused.

In today’s highly competitive and interconnected world, establishing a strong personal brand is essential for professional success. Whether you’re a teaching professional, Director of Golf, or an Associate starting your career in golf, your personal brand serves as your unique identity, differentiating you from the crowd and attracting opportunities. By cultivating and leveraging your personal brand, you can enhance your reputation, increase your influence, and unlock new avenues for growth. In this article, we will explore the key steps to building a robust self-brand that reflects your authenticity and resonates with your target audience.

Define Your Unique Value Proposition: To begin building your personal brand, start by identifying your unique value proposition (UVP). What sets you apart from others in your field? Consider your strengths, skills, experiences, and passions. What expertise or insights can you offer? By clearly defining your UVP, you establish a solid foundation for your personal brand, highlighting the value you bring to the table.
Craft Your Personal Brand Statement: Once you’ve determined your UVP, distill it into a concise and compelling personal brand statement. This statement should articulate who you are, what you do, and the value you provide. It should be clear, concise, and memorable. Use it consistently across your online and offline presence to reinforce your personal brand.
Understand Your Target Audience: To build a strong personal brand, you need to understand your target audience—the people you want to connect with and influence. Research their needs, challenges, and preferences. Gain insights into their demographics, interests, and online behavior. This knowledge will help you tailor your messaging and content to resonate with your audience, increasing the effectiveness of your personal brand.
Cultivate an Authentic Online Presence: In today’s digital age, your online presence is a crucial aspect of your personal brand. Start by establishing a professional website or blog that showcases your expertise and serves as a central hub for your personal brand. Even simpler, register on PGA.coach. Leverage social media platforms relevant to your target audience, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Be consistent with your brand messaging, imagery, and tone across all your online profiles. Also, never forget that the Section is here to provide you with valuable assistance in developing and maintain your online presence.
Share Valuable Content: Create and share valuable content that aligns with your personal brand and resonates with your target audience. This can include blog posts, articles, videos, podcasts, or social media updates. Position yourself as a thought leader in your niche by sharing your expertise and insights. Provide actionable tips, share success stories, and engage in conversations with your audience. Consistently delivering high-quality content will build trust and establish your credibility.
Network and Collaborate: Building a strong personal brand is not just about self-promotion. It’s also about building relationships and collaborating with others. Attend industry conferences, networking events, and online communities where you can connect with like-minded professionals. Engage in conversations, share ideas, and offer support. Collaborating with others can help expand your reach, tap into new audiences, and strengthen your personal brand.
Leverage Testimonials and Case Studies: One of the most powerful ways to strengthen your personal brand is through testimonials and case studies. Ask clients, colleagues, or partners to provide testimonials that highlight their positive experiences working with you. Showcase successful projects or collaborations through case studies. These social proofs validate your expertise, build trust, and demonstrate the value you bring to others.
Continuously Learn and Evolve: Building a strong personal brand is an ongoing process. It requires continuous learning, growth, and adaptation. Stay updated with industry trends, emerging technologies, and new developments. Seek opportunities for professional development, such as attending Section “Stay Involved” webinars, acquiring certifications, or pursuing advanced education. As you evolve and refine your skills, your personal brand will also evolve, ensuring its relevance and competitiveness.

Building a strong personal brand requires time, effort, and consistency. It’s an investment in yourself and your professional future. Embrace your uniqueness, share your expertise, and engage with your audience authentically. By following these steps, you can unleash your personal brand’s power, establishing yourself as a respected authority in your field and opening doors to exciting opportunities. Remember, your personal brand reflects who you are and what you stand for—let it shine and make a lasting impact.

Important Notes and Announcements

Please mark your calendars for the 2023 PNWPGA Mentoring Conference, November 1-2, 2023, Royal Oaks Country Club. This important professional development opportunity will bring together PGA Members, Associates, industry leaders, and subject matter experts across a variety of content pillars, all directly impacting you and your continued growth as a PGA Professional. I am very proud to announce that our friends at TaylorMade Golf and aboutGOLF are committed to presenting sponsorships as well as providing nationally recognized speakers and their industry-leading simulators, respectively, to the two-day event.
Nominations for the 2023 PNWPGA Special Awards are now open: https://www.pnwpga.com/about/section-awards/nomination-forms.

The PNWPGA takes special pride in our partnerships. Together with these sponsors, we ensure that we produce the very best in class Member events and, simultaneously, deepen our respective brands across our industry. My special thanks this month to Mr. Craig Pelzer, title sponsor of the Pelzer Golf Oregon Open Invitational. My personal thanks, too, to our additional partners rounding out the Pelzer Golf Oregon Open sponsor family: Ren Weaver and John Bond with Legendary, Tim Cooper with AndersonOrd, and Mark Hoff, PGA with Garmany Golf. Thank you all for making this year’s second Section “major” a wonderful experience for our Members.

As always, if I or any member of our Section team can serve you, please contact me directly at [email protected].

District #14 Director's Report

Jeff Lessig, PGA - National Director, District #14 | [email protected]

Our Turf

Let’s start here. “PGA” is a misunderstood set of initials. Perhaps your interactions since the announcement of the PGA Tour/DP World Tour/Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF)/(LIV) merger/partnership/corporation/unification have been similar to mine.

We know that for more than 50 years, since 1968, the PGA Tour and the PGA of America have been two separate organizations. Yet, despite our efforts to distinguish the two and forge our own identity, in the public mind “PGA” seems to represent just one thing. Reputable, established national news outlets displayed our logo while simultaneously expressing shock and outrage at our “partnership” with Saudi Arabia that has virtually nothing to do with us. Even friends and family that I thought knew the difference have asked me “why?” and intimated that a slice of the “blame” is mine. I’m guessing many of you have had similar encounters.

Following the announcement, that same evening the PGA Board of Directors and senior PGA staff met for an impromptu zoom session that ended up going two hours. To President John Lindert’s credit, it took the form of an open mic forum where each participant was afforded an opportunity to express their surprise, reactions and thoughts and to suggest ways forward in both the short and long terms. It’s fair to say that a wide range of opinions was expressed but ultimately a consensus emerged, that being, to resist the temptation to jump headlong into the news tornado and allow its considerable dust to settle.

At this writing, so little detail is known and the causes and effects are unknowable other than one obvious certainty – it’s about money.

Our opportunity, in my judgment, is for the PGA of America to stand tall upon higher ground. To use this pivotal moment to contrast our Association – our turf – from the tangle of money changers by continuing to reinforce our mission – teaching children, helping to rescue veterans, growing our game by extending our reach to those who historically may have been excluded from it and to serve the interests of our industry and our Members.

Idealistic? Sure. Naïve? Maybe. But in a few months in Rome, Italy, we will offer a smallish gold cup that symbolizes the best of what our Association and our sport is about. We’ll listen to the greatest players in the world wax righteous about how much it means to them. And we’ll have an opportunity and an obligation to end some of that confusion surrounding “PGA” and validate what it means to us.

Jeff Lessig, PGA

FREDDY Intern Spotlight

The FREDDY initiative (Forming Relationships to Expand Diversity and Develop Youth) is now in its third year, with 13 FREDDY interns across the Section. The goal of this internship is to provide opportunities for youths and young adults, offering them a chance to gain experience in the golf industry at green grass facilities. Individuals in the FREDDY Initiative are mentored by PGA Professionals and their staff as they gain first-hand knowledge of the golf industry.

Trace is a recent graduate of Tigard High School and will be attending Portland Community College in the fall. He intends to transfer to the University of Oregon after two years at PCC.

“Once I pursued a job at TCC I became very interested in the game of golf, but even more interested in the business side of golf and behind the scenes of how everything works,” said Cancelosi. “Working at TCC has been something I’m grateful for every day, the staff and membership we have is nothing short of astounding.”

In his free time, Trace enjoys golfing with friends, hanging out with family, going on adventures, cooking, and watching movies!

Player Engagement

Patrick Oropallo, PGA - Player Engagement Consultant | [email protected]

Strategic Planning for Success: PGA's Deferred Compensation, Fall Programs, and Measuring Your Value

As you all know, earlier this year, the PGA of America introduced a supplemental retirement offering called “Deferred Compensation.” It’s a great plan for several reasons. First, it’s incredibly easy to sign up for; it takes less than 5 minutes. Plus, you earn credit or points for activities you’re already involved in, like Player Engagement programming.

To give you a better understanding, I’ve created a simple graphic that shows the various ways you can earn points. Many of you are already participating in PGA Jr. League, PGA Family Golf, Drive, Chip & Putt, or PGA Coach, so why not take advantage of this opportunity? Remember, you need 200 points to qualify for the program, and anything beyond that adds to your supplemental retirement. If you have any questions specifically about Deferred Compensation and how it ties into Player Engagement, feel free to reach out to me. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find out and get back to you promptly.

By the way, don’t forget that the PGA has rolled out a fantastic Apple and Android App that you’ll need. It allows a fellow professional to attest to your activities, which is how we verify your points. It’s a simple process: sign up, get rewarded for your hard work, download the app, and have a fellow professional attest to your activities. That’s all it takes to boost your retirement plan. Congratulations on taking this step.

Now, let’s think ahead and plan for a Fall offering of PGA Jr. League at your facility. Your players have already paid a $99 GameChanger fee, which covers all PGA Jr. League activities for the calendar year. So, why not leverage this by offering a Fall Program? Keep in mind that fall programs may be shorter due to daylight and weather, so you can adjust the pricing accordingly. This way, you can keep the players you impacted during the spring and summer seasons engaged throughout the fall. Don’t forget to report this activity for your Deferred Compensation points!

If you have any questions about Deferred Compensation related to Player Engagement Programs, or planning for a Fall PGA Jr. League Program, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Patrick Oropallo, Certified PGA

Where Eagles Dare (to Lead), Part II

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

In part one of this series, I wrote about “Daring to Lead” with Integrity by drawing inspiration from different sources including “Dare to Lead” by Brene Brown, “Integrity: Without it Nothing Works” by Michael C. Jensen and the innovative thriller “Where Eagles Dare” by Alistair MacLean.

Daring to lead in the golf industry means authentically representing oneself, both personally and professionally, and creating a distinction between public and private life. Another aspect I discussed is the importance of integrity in daring to lead. Integrity is defined as honoring one’s word and ensuring it is whole and complete.

Now, for part two. Let’s consider the manner in which leadership is demonstrated in the workplace. I will focus on three key aspects: delegating responsibility, reporting value through compensation profiles, and proving value through player development reports.