Nebraska PGA August 2015 Newsletter by David Honnens

WANDERSCHEID REPEATS AS NEBRASKA PGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPION

Nick Wanderscheid, PGA See Full Story Here

2015 PGA Professional National Championship Qualifiers: Jim White, PGA MP; Matt Meuret, PGA; Nick Wanderscheid, PGA; Shane Zywiec, PGA & Bryan Hughett, PGA

2015 NEBRASKA SENIOR PGA CHAMPION - Jim White, PGA MP

Jim White, PGA MP See Full Story Here

2015 Senior PGA Professional National Championship Qualifiers: Tom McAndrew, PGA; Troy Harder, PGA; Bryan Hughett, PGA; Tom Hearn, PGA & Jim White, PGA MP

2015 NEBRASKA PGA ASSISTANTS CHAMPION - Ryan Vermeer

Ryan Vermeer See Full Story Here

2015 National Car Rental Assistant Championship Qualifiers: Alex Carper & Ryan Vermeer

No Fool like an Old Fool This year for the Folds of Honor and Patriot Golf Day, I will be continuing a tradition that I started 10 years ago before I got to the Nebraska Section. A little history first. Every golf course I have been at, I have tried to engage the membership in various charities that we might be able to help. It started in Palm Desert, CA, where I played 300 holes with cart in one day in July (never did say I was the brightest.) With this accomplished, the challenges kept coming. Both in Las Vegas and in Sedona, AZ I hit 5000 golf balls on the range. This works out to a hit about every 7.5 seconds for 10 hours. Yes, there were a lot of pitching wedges towards the end. Since coming to College Heights CC and the Nebraska PGA Section I have continued the challenges with playing 200 holes with cart two different years. The Folds of Honor was the charity of choice for these challenges. Two years ago, to “celebrate” my 60th birthday, I decided what better way than playing, carrying (small bag with 4 clubs) and walking 60 holes. I didn’t know what to expect but we raised a good chunk of change for Patriot Golf Day. Last year, the charity of choice was the Susan G. Koman “Rally for the Cure” in partnership with our Women’s League. The challenge was made and I played, carried and walked 100 holes. This took about 12 ½ hours as I had to run home at some point to let the dog out. I ended up walking about 27 miles and 65,000 steps. All that have played College Heights CC know that this course is far from being flat. Short yes, but not flat. This year, I’m back to help out the Folds of Honor again. I will be attempting to get in as many holes as I can during the day. The goal on Sept. 8th will be around 120 holes. Straight yardage on our course is about 18.5 miles per 100 holes. I wish I was walking a straight line all day, but that just isn’t going to happen. Factor in the steps from green to tee and am hoping to reach the 30 mile mark by sunset. It is very exciting to see the membership get involved, not only with their contributions but their support by playing along for a few holes at a time. Wish me luck and don’t even ask me about scores.

Remember, it’s all for a great cause.

Cliff Yohe, PGA Head Golf Professional College Heights Country Club

Presented by:

Congratulations, Riverside Golf Club Stingrays! 2015 NJGT TEAM Golf Champions! Often called Nebraskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home for Junior Golf, Fremont Golf Club played host to the 2015 NJGT TEAM GOLF Championship. A 16-team field of our top TEAM GOLF teams competed in a pooled competition ending in a round robin championship for the coveted NJGT TEAM GOLF Championship Belt.

EMPLOYMENT CORNER THINK

I received the above inspirational thought from the PGA of America. Many of us were taught to think before we speak; you have two ears and one mouth for a reason; actions speak louder than words. You can go on and on with this type of thought but I thought the caption was especially poignant. But today, I want you to THINK about an action plan- doing something! I want you to THINK about what you are doing relating to your job and how you are communicating with your employer. Are you THINKING they are noticing all the great tournaments you are running? Are you THINKING they are noticing rounds are up? THINKING your Get Golf Ready program hit a home run? THINKING revenue is exceeding expenses by large margins? (Hint- they are not noticing!!) Today, right now, go to pga.org. Highlight “Employment” and the page will open to “Golf Operations Employer Communication Planning”. Start using the Executive Summary if you are not already doing so. Scroll down some more and you will see the Revenue Scorecard. This a great tool as well! The entire page has helpful, potentially career changing tools to assist you. No more THINKING! JUST DO IT! Bruce Lubach, PGA, is the PGA of America Employment Consultant for the Colorado, Iowa, Midwest, Minnesota and Nebraska Sections. He can be reached at: blubach@pgahq.com or (402) 261-3604.

Vermeer Captures Scholarship Pro-Am Omaha, Neb.â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ryan Vermeer of Tiburon G.C. got off to a hot start by eagling the par 5 second hole to kick-start his round and ultimately post a five-under-par 67 to capture the Nebraska Section PGA Scholarship Pro-Am presented by Club Car. Vermeer finished the front nine with birdies on #8 and #9 to turn in in four-under-par 32. Vermeer capped of his round with a closing birdie on #18 for his fourth birdie of the day. Host PGA Professional, Greg Neujahr posted his best round of the season with an impressive three-under-par 69. Rounding out the top five, was Devon Kastler of Ashland C.C. with a one-under par 71 and Shane Zywiec, PGA of Seward C.C. and Kevin Drew, PGA of The Field Club of Omaha finished at even-par 72. In the two-net on the front and one-net format on the back was a shoot-out with two teams tying at 16-under-par. Denis Vontz, PGA of Highlands G.C and his amateur partners, Bob Borders, Dan Mlnarik and Mike Snitily; Tim Kruse, PGA of Golf Galaxy of Omaha and his amateur partners, Don Kruse, Bill Cemer and Dan Meyer. This event benefitted the Nebraska PGA Scholarship Fund which awards scholarships to the children and grandchildren of Nebraska Section PGA Members. Founded in 2007, this fund has awarded $50,250 to 67 children or grandchildren of Nebraska Section PGA Members. The Nebraska Section PGA is truly appreciative to presenting sponsor Club Car and regional representative, Don Brudny for sponsoring this terrific event. We also appreciate our supporting sponsors, Vinnie Krikac of State Farm Insurance Agency, OMEGA, Bushnell Golf, bolle, All-Star Pro Golf and National Car Rental for their continued support of the Section tournament program all season long. Lastly, special thanks to Director of Golf, Greg Neujahr, PGA, Golf Course Superintendent, Greg Jones and the entire professional team at Champions Run for hosting this tremendous event. Click here to view more

Bubba Watson's wayward drive on the fifth hole during the final round of the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits ended up in a less than ideal lie in the rough. Bubba noticed that his ball had come to rest on an ant hill, so he tried to persuade a Rules Official that he was entitled to relief without penalty. Here's the gist of their conversation: Rules Official: It's not fire-ants ... so there's no relief for them.... It's basically a loose impediment. Bubba: OK, but I have a question for you. Since the animal ... it is an animal, right? .. do you agree with that? ...it's burrowing ... it's digging a hole ... how would it not be [a burrowing animal]? ... it's either an ant bed or it's an animal digging a hole. I mean it's either one or the other. Rules Official: They're not classed as a burrowing animal. Bubba: OK, so even though they are digging in the ground, they are not considered "burrowing?" Rules Official: No. Bubba: So, they're "tunnel-making" ... that's what we're calling them this week? The Rules Official was absolutely correct in his responses to Bubba's “antics” and requests for relief. According to its Definition, "A "burrowing animal" is an animal (other than a worm, insect or the like) that makes a hole for habitation or shelter, such as a rabbit, mole, groundhog, gopher or salamander." [Emphasis added] Thus, even though an ant is an animal, and, even though it burrows or tunnels under ground, it is not a "burrowing animal" according to the Rules. Since an ant is not a burrowing animal, Bubba was not entitled to relief from an ant hill without penalty under Rule 25 Abnormal Ground Conditions. So what, if any, relief is available from an ant hill through the green? According to Decision 23/5 [Ant Hill], an ant hill is a cast or heap made by an insect, and a player is entitled to remove an ant hill under Rule 23-1. Rule 23-1 [Loose Impediments - Relief] states, "If the ball lies anywhere other than on the putting green and the removal of the loose impediment by the player causes the ball to move, Rule 18-2a applies." In other words, if your ball moves as a result of you removing loose impediments, you will incur a one-stroke penalty and you must replace your ball. Please note that, if Bubba’s ball had come to rest on a fire-ant hill or mound, then the Rules Official would have granted relief and Bubba would have been allowed to drop a ball away from the ant hill. Decision 33-8/22 [Local Rule Treating Ant Hills as Ground Under Repair] states, in part, “A fire-ant's mound or hill is removable, but its removal will cause the fire-ants to swarm out of the ground. When this occurs, anyone in the vicinity is in danger of being bitten by the ants, and the bite of a fire-ant can cause serious illness. If a Local Rule giving relief from fire-ants has not been adopted and a ball is so close to a fire-ants’ mound that the player is in danger, the player is, in equity, entitled to relief as prescribed in Decision 1-4/10 [Dangerous Situation; Rattlesnake or Bees Interfere with Play].”

Implementation of Rule 14-1b Rule 14-1b goes into effect on January 1, 2016. To help prepare and educate you on the changes so that you are better able to provide accurate information to your own club members, owners and leaders, please read the FAQ document we've prepared.

New Member Service Requirement Explained PGA of America Secretary Suzy Whaley explains the Member Service Requirement for the current cycle, which ends June 15, 2018. Watch the video

PGA Tournament Series presented by GolfAdvisor Entries will be accepted beginning Oct. 21. Six competitive events will be held in November/December at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie with $10,000 sponsor dollars added to each event's purse. See the schedule

PGA.org replacing PGALinks.com PGALinks.com will be shut off as of September 9, 2015. Utilize the "filters," located on the landing pages on PGA.org, to help narrow your search for content. Go to pga.org

99th PGA Annual Meeting Opening Session New Name for PGA Professional Championship Formerly the PGA Professional National Championship the newly-titled 49th PGA Professional Championship will be conducted next June at Turning Stone Resort. Read more

The 99th PGA Annual Meeting will be taking place November 8-14 at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The Opening Session will be held on Wednesday, November 11th. Review the synopsis of the proposed resolutions and the partial schedule. Go to PGA.org

Reward Your Employees at No Cost

contributions. Watch now

PGA Vice President Paul Levy describes how he rewards his PGA Professionals with Golf Retirement Plusâ&#x201E;˘ partner

2015 Nebraska PGA Tournament Schedule Date

Tournament

Info

Sep 11-13

Wells Fargo Nebraska Open Elks Country Club - Columbus, NE

Info

Sep 21

Nebraska PGA Cup Series Championship Quarry Oaks - Ashland, NE

Info

Sep 28

All Star Pro Golf Team Championship Fremont GC - Fremont, NE

Info

Oct 12

E-Z-GO/Bushnell/Bolle Pro 3-Am Oak Hills - Omaha, NE

Info

September 11-13, 2015 Elks Country Club Columbus, NE

For More Info

Click Here

2014 Winner Chris Thompson

David Vannier, PGA

Randy Carlson, PGA 9/1 Bob VanderZee Jr., PGA 9/3 Brian R. Kuta, PGA 9/5 Kevin Chesnut, PGA 9/6 John O. Craw, PGA 9/9 Jerad M. Palmer, PGA 9/9 Jacqueline R Stevens, PGA 9/10 Brian P. Winge, PGA 9/11 Sean T. Riley, PGA 9/13 Bradley V. Goetsch, PGA 9/14 Skip Tredway, PGA 9/14 Daniel J. Fox, PGA 9/15 Don G. Graham, PGA 9/16

Joseph R. Madsen, PGA 9/16 Anthony P. Thiner, PGA 9/18 Jeffrey R. Nielsen, PGA 9/20 Ted P. DiGiacomo, PGA 9/21 Nicholas J. Onken 9/22 Andrew J Smeal 9/23 Tim J. Fox, PGA 9/25 Michael J. Zadalis, PGA 9/25 Scott A. Ethington, PGA 9/29 Devon E Kastler 9/29 Jonathan D. Benson, PGA 9/30 Adam L. Coates, PGA 9/30 Robert T Gaulke 9/30

STAFF David Honnens, PGA Executive Director dhonnens@pgahq.com

Sean Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill, PGA Tournament Director soneill@pgahq.com

Joe Canny, PGA Junior Golf Director/ Player Development Coordinator jcanny@pgahq.com

Renee Tyson Operations Manager rtyson@pgahq.com