Dan Harrington: What I Would Change in the Section and Chapter Operations

As I sit down to write this month’s article, I have just seen two major championship trophies hoisted into the air and one almost perfect team become a bridesmaid. The champions, both clear cut examples of perseverance, Dustin Johnson and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The bridesmaid, a team that despite winning over 92% of its games in the regular season, did not win the trophy. The Cavs won a title for Cleveland for the first time in 52 years, DJ won his first major in what felt like his 52nd major attempt, and the Golden State Warriors were about 52 seconds away from winning back-to-back titles. How do these three at all relate to our PGA Section and your PGA Chapter? Most of us would agree that it takes fortitude and often years of experience to build, manage, and ultimately achieve an “operational Championship.”

I enjoy being a member of a PGA Section that year after year is a winner, in my opinion, about 92% of the time. Will we win an operational “title” in 2016? Is there really a trophy at the end of year for the PNW Section or does the other 8% represent an on-going collective effort to achieve perfection? Our Section wins with great efficiency due to the amount of sweat equity and professional expertise expended by our knowledgeable staff as well as guidance from Section officers and Chapter Directors. At this level I feel change, both internal and external, is inevitable. As your Secretary, I would serve you the golf professional by collecting and presenting your suggestions to the Section board and committees for consideration. An ever-improving, transformative operation that retains and trains its members and apprentices is the one that comes closest in my mind to “winning the championship.”

As a member of the Western Washington Chapter since 1996, I’ve seen several changes in our operation over the years. We all know the golf landscape, the profession, and the business has changed in twenty years. One thing that hasn’t changed, and something I would strive to continue improving, is education and its relationship to career path mentoring in our Section. I know firsthand that our Chapters do a good job planning and delivering quality, timely education topics and that our PGA Northwest regional career services consultant Carol Pence does an amazing job assisting golf professionals and employers alike. Beyond this it’s “Yer on your own Kid.” This is why I would continue enhancing our current Education Committee operational structure so that the Section and Chapters may work more closely than ever before. As Section Secretary it would be my goal to guide what I like to call a “Section Super Committee” to deliver the same highly intensive and participatory education and career enhancement education opportunities to all Chapters. This can be done by obtaining and implementing current technologies to better broadcast educational materials and bring the members of our vast geographical Chapters together.

My newest hero is Dustin Johnson. After numerous leads on the final day of major championships, as well as battling personal issues, he has emerged as the poster child for perseverance. All of us at some point have experienced bumps in the road in life, our profession, or attainment of personal goals. In this breath our Section and Chapter operations need to continue moving forward through any change or adversity that presents itself. My personal lifetime leadership goal has not wavered …continuing as an officer of our winning, yet ever-improving Section. Thank again for your time. Please reach out to me anytime with your comments.

 

Dan Harrington, PGA

undrpar1@yahoo.com

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