Lake Spanaway Wins Pro-Assistant Championship; 14th Holcomb-In-One Las Vegas Pro-Am; Oregon Open Invitational and PNW Junior PGA Championship accepting entries; PROfile: Billy Bomar

President's Report

Greg Manley, PGA

Be Amazing!

“You were born with the ability to change someone’s life, don’t ever waste it” – anonymous

As PGA Professionals, we have an amazing opportunity every day to impact a person’s life. For this I am thankful and I know you are too! How have you made that impact?

The Masters is right around the corner and with it comes our golf season. Montana is digging out of snow and the rest of our Section is squeegeeing greens and getting ready. I am sure that merchandise is arriving in your shops and hopefully you have planned ahead and are ready to make a positive impact.

The PGA of America and our Section have many programs that, if you choose to take advantage of them, will help player development at your facility pack a punch. The game of golf is a catalyst for a powerful effect on people’s lives, and I know that each of you were impacted as young people by a PGA Professional at some point. Please find a way to give that back to a young person, a beginner or even an accomplished player.

We are looked to as the experts in the game and we can all make an impact on people’s lives. Find a National of Section program and use it to your advantage. Don’t forget that you have Monte Koch to help you make this impact. The golf world is waiting for you to be amazing! They need PGA Professionals!

See you very soon!

Greg Manley, PGA

Meridian Valley Country Club

President, PNWPGA

CEO's Report

Jeff Ellison, PGA

Thank you to everyone who completed the PGA Compensation Survey. You provided important information to assist yourself and your fellow PGA Professionals understand and enhance their compensation. You should use this information to evaluate and improve your current compensation, but also to evaluate new opportunities. PGA Employment Consultants use this information to help facilities improve compensation levels of open positions. Darrell Livingston and Tifosi are providing sunglasses for a raffle involving those who completed the survey. We will conduct the draw on Monday and we will send the glasses out early next week. Thanks, Darrell!

Your Board of Directors just completed their Spring Board Meeting, doing the work of the Section. They reviewed the Business Plan, analyzed finances, and approved the five chapter business plans and budgets. One action item was to update our dress code for meetings and education. The new language adds a Business Casual designation, updates the outdated “Coat and Tie” to Professional Business Attire and clarifies the intention of “Golf Attire” in meetings. For a complete listing of the new regulation click here.

One other Board action was to approve the Tournament Committee recommendation to align with the PGA of America’s decision to allow shorts during practice rounds. Now professionals will be able to wear shorts in the official practice round before our events. Once the competitions have started, the event dress code will still be in effect.

We have been working with the PGA of America to update our processes, ensuring our credit card procedures are PCI Compliant. The standards set by the Payment Card Industry are designed to protect your personal information and we are making adjustments to make sure we guard your sensitive information. As we complete this process you will notice a few changes. Most importantly, we will no longer accept entries with a credit card number written on the form. Basically, any process that places your credit card number in view of staff will need to be changed. Because of this, we will use an online entry as the proper method of accepting credit cards and we are working on swipe options for on-site payments. Look for more on this soon.

On Sunday, April 2 watch the Drive Chip and Putt National Finals from Augusta National. We have five outstanding young golfers representing the Pacific Northwest – Baylee Hammerickson of Rogue Valley, Mia Herendeen of Glendale, Jack McMullin of Sand Point, Malia Schroeder of Skagit and Jeff Seong of North Shore. Capitalize on the National promotion and share this unique opportunity with your juniors and their parents. We have 11 Local Qualifying sites in the Section. Parents can visit our website or go to www.drivechipandputt.com to see the full schedule. Registration is free!

PGA Junior League is quickly approaching. If you intend to capitalize on this outstanding program in 2017 but have yet to register as a coach, do it now. Leagues are forming and you don’t want to get left out. Contact Monte Koch, mkoch@pgahq.com or in Oregon, Dominic Marconi, dmarconi@pgahq.com for more information. This is a great PGA branded program that has real benefits for YOU.

Grant applications closed on March 30. The committee will be quickly reviewing both the Yamaha Player Development Grants and the Youth Player Development Grants. In total, we have $24,000 to award to deserving programs. I hope you applied for this tremendous Section initiative.

Entries are out for the Senior Players Championship, April 18-19 at Wine Valley, the Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational, May 22-24 at Meridian Valley and the Oregon Open Invitational featuring the National Car Rental Pro-Am, June 13-15 at Juniper. Our thanks to these host professionals and their fine facilities for being our hosts.

We are fortunate to have two sponsors at the Senior Players Championship this month – Ken Allen of Club Glove and Andy Hollister of Page & Tuttle will be supporting this championship. Also, join me in welcoming two of Darrell Livingston’s companies – Tifosi which was mentioned above and GT Golf Supplies who will support the Northwest Open Invitational in August.

Like all of you, I’m looking forward to a little sunshine. Let’s hope with April and The Masters we shift to great weather and full tee sheets. If the team or I can ever be of service, please don’t hesitate to call. We are here to fulfill the “serve the member” portion of our mission statement.

Jeff Ellison, PGA
CEO, Pacific NW Section PGA

New Quarter Century Members

Jim M. Chianello, PGA
Chris J. Garrison, PGA
Scott J. Krieger, PGA
David R. Wetli, PGA

Pros on the Move

by Michelle Parish - Tournament & Membership Coordinator

Employment Changes

Geoffrey E Buchanan (B-8) - from Unaffiliated to Butte CC

Greg Carter, PGA (A-1) - from Unaffiliated to Ocean Shores GC

Tony Cuchessi, PGA (A-8) - from Unaffiliated to Indian Canyon GC

Mark S. Easley, PGA (A-8) - from Pendleton CC to Lewis River GC, Inc.

Brad C Ebberson (B-1) - from The GC at Black Rock to Hayden Lake CC

Rick E. Fehr, PGA (A-14) - from Gregg Rogers' Golf Perf Center to Willows Run GC

Christopher A. Gonzales, PGA (A-20) - from Riverside G&CC to Pacific Golf & Turf

Douglas M. Gullikson, PGA (A-20) - from Meadow Park GC to Srixon/Cleveland Golf

Chad H Gunn (B-8) - from Unaffiliated to Downriver GC

Benjamin R. Halter, PGA (A-8) - from Unaffiliated to Sahalee CC

Dan S. Harrington, PGA (A-1) - from Unaffiliated to Jackson Park GC

Robert W. Lane Jr., PGA (A-8) - from Unaffiliated to Classic GC

Lorie A. Mulhern, PGA (A-24) - from Unaffiliated to Golf Nutrition Performance.

Tony C. Robydek, PGA (A-6) - from Pro Golf Discount - Tacoma to Meadow Park GC

Brandon C Sladek (B-8) - from Sandpines GC to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

Nicole C Ward (B-8) - from Unaffiliated to Bend G&CC

Class Changes

Joshua J. Cantrell, PGA (Moose Run GC) - from A-13 to A-4

Issac D. Henry-Cano, PGA (Fairwood G&CC) - from A-8 to A-1

Casey T. Keyser (Northern Pines GC) - from B-6 to B-8

Robert C Myles IV (Prairie Falls GC) - from B-8 to B-1

Timothy J. Parsons, PGA (Liberty Lake GC) - from A-6 to A-14

New Apprentices

Jake D Fowler (B-8) - Persimmon CC

John T. Perrine (B-8) - Sudden Valley G&CC

Zachary S Robertson (B-8) - Olympia C&GC

Ashley M Smith (B-8) - Iron Horse GC

Newly Elected Members

John F. Cassidy III, PGA (A-8) - The Home Course

Aaron A. Moe, PGA (A-8) - The GC at Black Rock

Bryce T. Poulin, PGA (A-14) - Camas Meadows GC

Andrew G. Silvestri, PGA (A-8) - Pronghorn

Cory A. Valentine, PGA (A-1) - Eaglemont GC

Transfers OUT of Section

Travis A. McCutchan, PGA (Lagardere Unlimited) to Southwest

Resigned

Louis W. Bennett (A-1)

Ryan J Fordham (B-8)

Deceased

Kenneth A. Still

Mike Fosnick, Bushnell Sponsor Sally Schmitz and Shane Prante

Lake Spanaway Duo Wins Pro-Assistant Championship

By Molly Cooper, PGA

The Lake Spanaway team consisting of Head PGA Professional Mike Fosnick and Assistant Professional Shane Prante won the Pro-Assistant Championship by one stroke. The duo fired rounds of 64-65-129, 13-under par in the Four-Ball competition. The two-day event was held March 20-21 at Glendale CC in Bellevue, Washington.

Going into the final round, Fosnick and Prante had a two-stroke lead over the teams from Iron Horse GC, Oswego Lake CC, Columbia Edgewater CC and Eaglemont GC after posting a first round score of 64, 7-under par.

During the final round, the team of Head PGA Professional Mike Montgomery with Assistant Professional Derek Berg came from behind posting birdie after birdie. Throughout their round, the duo made 11 birdies and a bogey for their four-ball team score of 61. Although it was close, it wasn’t quite enough to catch up with Fosnick and Prante.

“Being able to go out and compete against other teams, build rapport and rely on each other in a team format is a neat way to spend a couple of days with your boss,” Prante reflected after their win. He has been working with Mike for two years, first at Fort Steilacoom GC and then later at Lake Spanaway. The twosome won the Western Washington Chapter Assistant Championship back in 2015 when Shane first went to work for Mike.

Asked how they enjoyed knowing where their team stood throughout the final round with using the Golf Genius Mobile Live Scoring App, Fosnick said “I think Golf Genius brings a great dynamic to our section events. Living scoring created an element of suspense that was really fun to experience.”

“There is no better feeling than knowing that last putt falling in clinched the win. Mike Montgomery and Derek Berg were just tearing up the course and we both were relieved not to face them in a playoff,” said Fosnick.

When asked how the golf course showcased their strengths, Prante replied, “Glendale CC is a position golf course off the tee and really rewards good iron play and putting. Mike is a good driver of the ball and my short-game and putting can be rewarded there when execution is on.”

For their victory, Fosnick and Prante earned $2,750 and the title of 2017 PNW Pro-Assistant Champions. In addition to their first-place check, Sally Schmitz gave both men a Bushnell new rangefinder and hat. All participants also received a Cutter & Buck shirt from Brian Dickson.

Our thanks to Sally Schmitz of Bushnell, Bryan Dickson of Cutter & Buck, Troy Flateau of Golf Genius, Matt Pollitt of PTE Golf, and David Nelson and Andrew Workman of Hole-In-One Insurance for their support.Special thanks to host Head PGA Professional Kenney Boyd and his staff – especially to superintendent Steve Kealy and his crew for a fantastic golf course.

View final results: https://2017secproassistant.golfgenius.com

Larry Buss – Greg Sanders – Billy Bomar – Mike Bergt – Dave Faulk

14th Holcomb-In-One Las Vegas Pro-Am

By Molly Cooper, PGA

Twenty six teams, for a total of 130 players, participated in this year’s Holcomb-In-One Las Vegas Pro-Am at The Las Vegas CC, Chimera GC and – perennial favorite – Anthem CC. All players enjoyed a week of great golf in fantastic weather.

Congratulations to PGA Professional Billy Bomar’s team from Prairie Falls GC with amateurs Dave Faulk, Mike Bergt, Larry Buss and Greg Sanders. They took the title of 14^th Holcomb-In-One Las Vegas Pro-Am Champions after winning by five points over the sponsor team of Grant Holcomb, John Anderson, Mike Wrightson and Perry Ponti, led by PGA Professional Mark Garder from The Creek at Qualchan.

This team win marked the second time Bomar’s team has won this championship. They won this event in 2015 as well.

Congratulations to Billy Bomar for also winning the overall professional division by one point over Jason Aichele from Meadow Springs CC. Low amateur gross stableford honors went to Greg Sanders of Alaska Golf Association, who won by five points over Bjorn Bjorke of McCormick Woods GC. Branden Reynolds of Hayden Lake CC won low honors in the amateur net field in the stableford competition by three points.

Grant Holcomb along with John Anderson of Antigua/Slazenger, Ed Kowachek of Sun Mountain Sports, Mike Wrightson of Imperial Headwear, Travis Teeple of Play Kleen, Bill Porter of Certifresh Cigars, and Jon Sjostrom of Range Servant sponsored this event, making it our best year yet. Each participant in the event received two Antigua pieces – a golf shirt and pull over, a Sun Mountain rain hat, a Play Kleen Towel, Certifresh Cigar and a cart blanket from Imperial Headwear.

Thanks to Grant Holcomb for another great year, our fourteenth year with Grant as our sponsor! For those of you that have yet to experience the Holcomb-In-One Las Vegas Pro-Am, it’s a great one and Grant is “ALL IN” for next year, so start working on your team and join us March 11-15, 2018!

View final results: https://2017holcombinone.golfgenius.com

Oregon Open Invitational Returns to Juniper GC

Redmond, OR – Juniper Golf Club - 6,971 yards, full field will be 48 teams of four

Team entries are now available for the Oregon Open Invitational at Juniper Golf Club on June 13-15. Entries close Wednesday, May 24, so hurry and get your team entry in now before this popular event fills!

Oregon Open Invitational Online Team Entry

Oregon Open Invitational Team Entry (PDF)

The Field & Sponsors:
A competitive field of 192 players is expected to be on hand for the 2016 Oregon Open Invitational, hosted by Juniper Golf Club starting on Tuesday, June 13. 96 professionals and 96 amateurs will be competing as four player teams in both team and individual competitions. Last year’s champion PGA Professional Ryan Benzel of Sahalee CC is expected back to try and capture another win against a strong field of professionals and amateurs.

What’s better than getting to pick your own team and getting to play in a Pacific Northwest PGA major championship? All you’ve got to do to play is get a team together of two PNW PGA Professionals and two amateurs.

The Pacific Northwest PGA is proud to have a supporting field of sponsors including National Car Rental, Bridgestone Golf, Greg Norman, AMA Golf/Sun Dog, Sun Mountain Sports, Skechers and Abby’s Legendary Pizza.

Schedule of Play:
The Oregon Open is a 54-hole individual competition, beginning Tuesday, June 13 with tee times from 7:30 am - 2:30 pm off the first and tenth tees. Additionally, there is a 36 hole (best 2 of 4 net) team competition and pro-am four-ball. The second round will be followed by a cut and repairing of the top 70 players and ties.

Play Juniper Golf Club:
Juniper GC originally opened in 1952 as a 9-hole course. In 1987, PNW PGA Hall of Fame member Tim Berg redesigned the course into an 18-hole layout. The current layout was designed by the late esteemed golf course architect John Harbottle Jr. in 2005 and honored by Golf Digest as one of America’s Best New Courses in 2006. Additionally, from 2008-2012, Juniper has been rated one of the “Best Places to Play” in Oregon by Golf Digest.

History of the Championship:
Years back, when sheep mowed the fairways at Waverley CC, George Smith, a Scot from Oakland, CA won the Oregon Open’s inaugural championship including a course record 74. Little did he know that some of golf’s most prestigious names were to follow in his footsteps such as Tommy Armour, Horton Smith, Chuck Congdon, Bob Duden, Bill Eggers, Jerry Mowlds, Pat Fitzsimons, Rick Acton, Peter Jacobsen, Jeff Coston, and Mike Davis. And only three men have won the title three or more times; Bill Porter (3), Rick Acton (4), and Bob Duden (8). The tournament scoring record is held by Brian Nosler at 198, set in 2009 at Brasada Canyons.

Don't Miss Your Chance to Play in the Washington Open Invitational!

Meridian Valley CC – 6,658 Yards, Par 72
Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Pro-Am – May 20-21
Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational – May 22-24
Field size -136 professionals, 32 amateurs
pro online entry | pro entry form (PDF) | flyer

There are spots left in the Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational at Meridian Valley CC, May 22-24. Don't miss your chance to play in this 54-hole individual stroke play NO CUT championship!

We hope everyone will start their season off right and take this opportunity to play this beautiful one of a kind championship golf course in one of our Section’s most prestigious events!

This event pulls in many of our great players from around the Northwest. Expected to return and defend his title is PGA Professional Jeff Coston of Semiahmoo G&CC. Also expected back is 2015 Champion Darren Black of Rainier G&CC, and 2014 Champion John Cassidy of The Home Course. They are expected to go up against 2013 Champion Chris Griffin of Griffin Golf and former two-time champion PGA Professional Tim Feenstra of Broadmoor GC, who won this event in 2007 and 2011.

Encourage Your Juniors to Play in the PNW Boys and Girls Junior PGA Championships!

We are accepting entries for the 2017 Pacific Northwest Section Junior PGA Championship Qualifier at Canyon Lakes GC, Kennewick, WA on June 3-4, 2017. Please let your junior golfer’s at your club know about our upcoming tournament. It’s a wonderful opportunity for your junior golfers to become involved in competitive golf.

Boys online entry form | Boys PDF entry form

Girls online entry form | Girls PDF entry form

Championship Qualifier Information
Stroke play competition based on the lowest gross scores. The age divisions are: 12 & Under, 13-15, and 16-18.

Yardages expected to play are:

Boys 16-18 – 7026 yards
Boys 13-15 – 6211 yards
Boys 12 & Under – 5533 yards
Girls 16-18 – 6211 yards
Girls 13-15 – 5533 yards
Girls 12 & Under –5533 yards

*Any junior who wishes to qualify for the Junior PGA Championship must play 36 holes from the same tees as the 16-18 year old age division. If a junior is interested in trying to advance, they do have the option to play in the 16-18 age division.

The winning Boy and Girl Champion from each of the 41 PGA Sections will participate in the Junior PGA Championship. New this year the Boys Championship will be held at the Country Club of St. Albans, St. Albans, Missouri on July 31 – August 3, 2017.

The Girls Championship will be held at the Country Club of St. Albans, St. Albans, Missouri on July 18 – July 21, 2017.

Section Champions are identified based on the lowest gross score in the 16-18 age division.

Canyon Lakes GC
Canyon Lakes Golf Course was designed by John Steidel. It has hosted many competitive championships since it opened in 1981, including the PNW PGA Championship, plus many boys and girls high school state championships. Canyon Lakes GC has won many awards including being rated Four and 1/2 Stars by Golf Digest (is the only 4 1/2 Star Golf Course in all of Eastern Washington) and is tied as the highest rated golf course in Washington State.

After Party Fun Times
Juniors will want to plan on sticking around after the final round at Canyon Lakes GC for a fun ice cream social before the awards ceremony.

Holk's Highlights: Billy Bomar

Facility: Prairie Falls GC

Hometown: Grew up in Mesa, AZ, spent 25 years as a golf professional in Anchorage, AK and is currently owner/operator at Prairie Falls Golf Club in Post Falls, ID.

PGA Professional Since: “I am currently a 33-year apprentice, which I am pretty sure is a record that no one will or wants to ever break. I am still waiting for Jeff Ellison to give me my quarter century award,” jokes Bomar.

Bomar started golfing at age 5, thanks to his grandmother who was an avid golfer and club champion. He recalls great memories of her, “She was a great player and I still have the scorecard from when I finally beat her when I was 13. Pretty sure she missed a few putts the last couple holes.”

Learn the full story

Cover Letters that Grab Attention

Carol Pence, PGA of America Employment Consultant

To stand out from a stack of cover letters, it is important to focus on the results you can deliver. Remember… all employers listen to the same radio station: WII-FM. That stands for “What’s In It for Me?” They do not want to read what your desires are in the position, instead it is all about what you can for them. Below are some tips for convincing them that you are the right person for the position.

The opening paragraph should explain what you can do for the club. It tells the reader why you are writing and why you are the best person for the job. The first sentence should set you apart. It could be a quote or a sentence about your personal vision or attitude towards life. Make sure to include why you are excited to submit, why you are seeking the job, and how you will contribute.

Getting Creative with the "Why"

Monte Koch, Player Development Regional Manager

In February 2017, the PNWPGA Section hosted two Player Development Section Workshops. Each of these two-day workshops were all about understanding and more deeply engaging with our customers (or members) based on their why for playing golf (not the reason the facility or club believed they played golf.)

Let's look proactively at the 2017 golf season and at some of the ideas about engagement like these professionals did, including:

Masters Par 3 Contest - Greg Manley, Meridian Valley CC
"The results were awesome. Our first year, we had 46 players participate and it really helped kick off the season."

Wednesday Ladies' Group - Dennis Dolin, Colwood GC
As a way of getting visibility for myself, I tried this group concept out and it grew. In 2015 and 2016, the results were even better.”

Couples Chip 'n Sip - Cameron Fife, Bellingham G&CC
"Participants say they have met new friends, previously unengaged spouses have found more joy in the game and have a desire to remain a part of the Club."

Read the details!

Spending Habits

Blake Parrish

"A kid grows up a lot faster on the golf course. Golf teaches you how to behave" -Jack Nicklaus

Have you ever hit the ball so badly that you only hit seven greens in regulation and a handful of fairways? Ruined your round and score, right. But what about the up and down percentages and total putts? I can’t tell you how many times I immediately blamed my ball striking as the reason for poor scoring when in fact it was short game statistics at fault. Well, the same goes for spending habits. When we deal with clients on a goals-based approach without conducting extensive cash-flow analysis, we miss way too much of the real picture. I prefer to approach clients first and foremost on a cash-flow basis before we ever bring goals into the conversation.

But, Houston, we have a problem.