C E N T R A L N E W Y O R K
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
PAGE 3
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE STAFFING UPDATES
PAGE 4
SPRING MEETING INFO
PDR OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP INFO
PAGE 5
PGA REACH CNY UPDATES INNAUGURAL BIRDIE BASH PGA HOPE PRO-AM
PAGE 6
NEW PARTNER UPDATES
PAGE 8
EDUCATION HUB MEMBER LINKS PDR CYCLE INFORMATION
PAGE 9
JLG DEADLINES
JLG TEAM KIT DELAY
DCP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
PAGE 10
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Discenza named Player Development Director
Discenza started his new position in early March His main responsibilities
will be handling all matters pertaining to the Section’s Junior Tour He will also be responsible for administrative matters, promotion and advancement of PGA Jr. League; Drive, Chip, and Putt qualifiers; PGA Family Golf and CNY PGA Players Card
Wells named Career Consultant
“My goal has always been to get every single person onto the golf course, and what better way t
han to help PGA Professionals spread the word,” she said. “Getting people into this great industry, helping mentor and guide people, and building relationships with my peers ”
Member Survey
The Annual Member Survey is now live! All members Click the link in your email from PGA of America with the subject line "Share Your Opinion on PGA of America Member Offerings" or click on the "The the Survey" link on your dashboard/PGA App
Earn up to two PDRs and help us shape how we approach the offerings that we provide our members on a yearly basis
TOURNAMENT UPDATES
With the first tournament of the year approaching, I wanted to remind everyone of a few changes new to 2025
The Assistants will now have a division on select Monday events They will mirror the Senior Division When registering for an event, please make note of the new options when selecting your registration. You will now see the options of Regular Division, Regular + Senior, Regular + Assistants, All 3 Divisions, Senior Only, and Assistant Only.
Class A Members will still earn first right into an event and then any Associates will be accepted into the event if there are still spots available
Senior Women Professionals over the age of 70 are now eligible for a forward set of tees.
Registrations are open for the following upcoming events:
Season Long Team Contest (Registration ends May 10th)
Turning Stone Pro-Am Series #1 Spring Pro-Pro
I am excited for another great season!
Dylan Plis, PGA Tournament Director
Spring Meeting of the Membership!
Please join us on April 21st at the Spring Meeting of the Membership The meeting will begin at 9:00am at Turning Stone Resort Casino. Special guests PGA of America President Don Rea and Colgate Football Coach Curt Fitzpatrick will be in attendance Register here
BECOME A MEMBER CLUB!
Be on the lookout for your Member Club packet in the mail! This program supports PGA REACH CNY. Your contribution is key to growing the game of golf in Central New York. Thank you to those of you who continue your support and we are hopeful more of you will consider participating as we grow this great game with our youth.
CNY PGA Scholarship
Congratulations to the 2024 Scholarship recipients Braeden Smith and Jack Tucker!
The application for 2025 is now available on our website and by clicking here. Students must meet the folllowing requirements to apply: Children, grandchildren, step-children, step-grandchildren of Central New York PGA members (living or deceased) 1.
Graduated from High School as of September 1st, 2025 2
Planning to or attending a college or university as of September 1st, 2025 as a full-time student (graduate students are eligible). 3
Application deadline is July 25th, at 5:00pm.
PGA Financial Assistance Fund Scholarship
We are pleased to announce application for the 2025-2026 academic year is available now. To be eligible, students must possess a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4. Furthermore, they must be a child or grandchild of a PGA Member in good standing and not have exceeded the maximum limit of two scholarships during their undergraduate studies The application can be accessed via this link, https://aim applyists net/Account/LogOn?ReturnUrl=%2fPGA
PGA REACH CNY at the Crunch
Join us April 12 as the Crunch take on Laval at 7pm Visit
www syracusecrunch com/golf for $22 tickets Use promo code GOLF when checking out A portion of every ticket will be donated to PGA REACH CNY!
We hope to see you there!
2025 PGA HOPE CNY Pro-Am
Limited spots are still available for PGA Professionals and Associates interested in participating in this year's HOPE
CNY Pro-Am, scheduled for May 27th at Bellevue Country Club If you are interested in playing, please register soon by clicking here, as spots are filling up fast The event includes prizes, all-day food, raffles, a skins game, closestto-the-pin awards and contests All funds raised will directly support our military pillar, enabling us to serve veterans through golf programs in the Central New York section
The event is scheduled for a 1pm shotgun with registration beginning at 11:30am at Bellevue
CC Please reach out with any questions and we hope to see you at Bellevue!
INAUGURAL BIRDIE BASH PROMISES A DAY OF GOLF & GIVING
Syracuse, NY- PGA REACH CNY is pleased to announce the inaugural PGA REACH CNY Play Yellow Birdie Bash, a prestigious event scheduled for Monday, September 15th at Owasco Country Club This distinctive occasion presents an opportunity for PGA of America Professionals to contribute significantly to the community beyond the realm of golf
With a 8:30 AM shotgun start, 18 teams of two, will engage in a 44-hole day of golf, utilizing a two-person team scramble format. The objective is to achieve the maximum number of birdies, collectively striving to raise $50,000 for two local charitable organizations within a single day. Teams may consist of two PGA Professionals or one PGA Professional and one amateur
In advance of the event, participating teams will solicit pledge donations per anticipated birdie from members, family, friends, and golf enthusiasts All proceeds generated will benefit PGA REACH CNY and Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. As an affiliate of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, Upstate Golisano will leverage this community support to enhance the well-being and health of children in the future
The success of this initiative is contingent upon the substantial support of sponsors and PGA Professionals Individuals and businesses interested in partnering with the PGA REACH CNY Play Yellow Birdie Bash are invited to contribute here: https://charity.pledgeit.org/PGAREACHCNY
*For CNY PGA Professionals: We will be having a video call on Tuesday, May 6th with a more thorough dive into the event along with expectations If you are interested, please reach out to Joe Tesori at jtesori@pgahq com
NEW PARTNERS FOR 2025
STITCH GOLF
GIFT PARTNER FOR PGA REACH CNY
SUPPORTING: BIRDIE BASH
PGA HOPE PRO-AM
CNY PGA PRO-PRO
ONCORE GOLF
GIFT PARTNER FOR PGA HOPE CNY PRO-AM
EASTSIDE GOLF
SUPPORTING:
JR. LEAGUE GOLF ALL STARS
PGA REACH CNY CENTER CITY CAMPS
MEMBER INFORMATION
OFFICE CLOSINGS
The office will be closed Monday April 21st for our spring meeting of the membership. Please save the date and join us!
PGA MEMBER LINKS
CNY PGA Membership Directory
Section & Foundation Partners
Workday Home Page
Workday Help Video Northeast Region Education Hub
PDR CYCLE
The NEW PDR cycle period is 6/16/22 - 6/15/25. Click here to see the PGA Professional Development Requirements chart for ways to earn credits. Check out our new Northeast Region Education Hub for more PDR opportunities.
PGA JR. LEAGUE
Please be sure to register your team as soon as possible! Deadline to register as a coach and participate in a multi-facility league is April 21!
Please notify Brittany or Mike if you plan to participate in the Spring League I have confirmations from Skaneateles and The Pompey Club.
Team kits are experiencing increased delivery times. Please keep in mind your anticipated delivery date is now 24 days from the date of your Team Kit order submission.
Thank you for growing the game!
JUNIOR TOUR
Any facility interested in hosting a Jr. Tour Event next season please reach out! We are planning our schedule now!
DRIVE, CHIP & PUTT
Congrats to Junior Tour player & CNY DCP Qualifier Tommy Goodelle on winning the Regional Qualifier at the Ridgewood Country Club!
Tommy represented Central New York at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday. He placed 2 in his division and won the chipping division A A big congrats to Tommy!
The sunshine is practically here! I want to take a moment to welcome Mike Discenza to our team! I am so excited to see his passion come to life. He’s going to bring all of our Player Development initiatives to the next level and make our association and our community a better place. I would like to sincerely thank everyone for giving me the opportunity to make those programs come to life the past four years, and for allowing me the opportunity to grow into a position tailored to me. I’m excited to tell our story!
As always, thank you all for your constant efforts to grow the game!
Brittany Wowelko,
I don’t know if it’s really a tradition, but my favorite thing about the Masters is the sandwiches..All of them”
-Dustin Johnson