I’d like to start by thanking Chris Nowlen for giving me the opportunity to write this month’s article. He only has 13 more before I take over this and many other of his responsibilities. This gives me an opportunity to practice my writing skills and recap the events that we most recently hosted at Suncadia.
What a great week we had, starting with our Fall Section Board Meeting. In addition to all the officers, we had the privilege of special guest Mike Ray from the PGA joining us to give updates from his seat as Regional Director. Monte Koch and Patrick Oropallo also gave very informative updates on growth of the game programs and employment.
I’d like to thank General Manager Jarred Jeffries, Head Professional Adam Alldredge and the members at Tumble Creek for allowing us to take over their course for four days. The PPC was an outstanding event at a course that was not only in fantastic shape, but a true test for the best players in our Section. Congratulations to champion Austin Hurt and the other six qualifiers, Brandon Drake, Derek Berg, Corey Prugh, Scott Erdmann, Liam Kendregan and Jeff Coston for their excellent play. The PNWPGA will be very well represented for the National Championship.
The Pro-Pro/practice round was a fun way to ease into the tournament and the Garmany Majors Shootout afterwards was very exciting. 16 players hit shots from the 10th tee box area down to the 18 green. It looked to be about 120 yards, but as close as the balls finished to the hole, it seemed like a chip shot. Four players made the first cut. The second round narrowed it down to two, and Birk Nelson from Orange Whip took home the title and an ultimate golf getaway experience to Portugal. His combined three shots totaled 6’6”. Truly impressive. I can remember several 30-foot putts during the week that I didn’t get that close.
The fall dinner & meeting took place at Dru Bru Brewery in Cle Elum. In addition to a great turnout of our membership, we had several special guests. Mark Hoff gave a dynamic recap of Garmany’s opportunities for unique and personal golf experiences around the world. They can customize just about any golf experience you desire. Jared Bouchey from Farmers Insurance spoke about the different offerings his company can provide both personally and for businesses. The highlight was when he handed Chris Koch a huge check for $5,000 for his ace. Rob Clark also received a $5,000 check, but unfortunately couldn’t attend the event.
Frank Talarico gave a very informative recap on Section affairs. The takeaway is that we are in very good shape and recognized nationally as one of the best sections in the country in multiple categories. We offer our membership not only an unbelievable tournament calendar, but many educational offerings and growth of the game programs as well.
One of my favorite parts of the meeting was listening to Patrick Oropallo speak. He is genuine, always has our best interest in mind and is very good at what he does. I’m going to take his words to heart and really evaluate this past year. My offseason is rapidly approaching, which will give me not only the opportunity to reflect on 2023, but plan for 2024 and take stock of changes I’d like to make personally and professionally. I hope to complete the certified program for Golf Operations prior to our spring golf season. There is strength in knowledge. The more you have, the better your business will run. You will feel more empowered and as a result be more valuable to your employer. Win, win, win.
What are your plans for this offseason?
Cheers,
Bill Shea