The Middle Atlantic Professional
Newsletter Date: January 2015
The e-newsletter of the Middle Atlantic PGA Inside this issue: President’s Perspective: Preparing for the 2015 Season Section Direction: Reviewing the Past & Planning for the Future
The 2015 golf season is right around the corner and the MAPGA Section Staff is excited to make it another outstanding year. Be sure to check the upcoming dates for tournaments and meetings.
2015 Award Winners and Hall of Fame Inductee Eyes on Employment: Mentoring Assistant Professionals Player Development Discussion: Creating an Effective Player Development Plan Chapter Chat
Important Dates: February 2 MSR Monday—Springfield G&CC (8am-4pm) February 66- 8 DC Golf Show—Chantilly, VA February 12 Town Hall Meeting—Bayville GC February 23 MSR Monday—Salisbury CC (9am-5pm) March 2 MAPGA Spring Membership Meeting—Fredericksburg, VA March 1010-12 Mid Atlantic Merchandise Show— Gaithersburg, MD March 14 MAPGA Hall of Fame & Awards Banquet—Baltimore, MD
President’s Perspective: Preparing for the 2015 Season MAPGA Members Coordinator / Foundation and Apprentices, Activities Director. This position is critical for us in growing the game I hope you had a at the Section level, in addition to great h o l i d a y helping MAPGA professionals at season and were able to spend the local level. If you are time with your family and friends. interested, please contact 2015 looks to be a very busy Executive Director Jon Guhl about year for the MAPGA. this job opening. He will be First I would like to congratulate accepting resumes by email up to Section Membership Director January 30, 2015. Our goal is to Kelly Lawson and her husband have the new employee in place Chris for the new addition to by March 15, 2015. their family. Leona Rose Lawson was born on January 6th. We The PGA Merchandise show was look forward to seeing our this week in Orlando. This is newest junior golfer on the always a great event to catch up MAPGA Junior Tour in the near with old friends, continue your education, network or just browse future. the many vendors for the latest As most of you are aware, and greatest in the golf industry. I Stephanie Jennings took a new always like to take advantage of job in Michigan. Because of her the many education seminars and departure, we have an opening classes during the show. This is a for a new Player Development great opportunity to get
recertified or to make yourself more valuable at your current or future job. The MAPGA staff and Sponsor Committee will be very busy at the show obtaining new sponsorships for the Section. We also use the time to thank those who have supported us in the past. The monies received from our partners help to provide support to the many programs that we provide you at the Section and Chapter levels. If you do business with a company that doesn’t sponsor a program at this time, please reach out to them and ask them to get involved. It can be for a tournament, continuing education seminar, or a Section or Chapter meeting. (Cont. on page 2…)
The Middle Atlantic Professional—January 2015
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President’s Perspective cont. Please don’t forget, for any new sponsor you bring to the Section you will get a 20% finder’s fee for your efforts. I hope you are all ready and raring to go to make 2015 a banner year. Let’s hope for good weather and make every effort to develop new players and more rounds this year!
John Madden, PGA Growing this great game President, Middle Atlantic PGA
MAPGA Board of Directors
jmrbgcc@aol.com ; 703-759-2640
OFFICERS President John Madden, PGA River Bend Golf & CC Vice President Matthew Schulze, PGA LPGA Kingsmill Championship Secretary J.P. Lunn, PGA Sabre Golf Honorary President John Malinowski, PGA Ocean Pines Golf & CC
DIRECTORS Mark Beran, PGA Brice Busse, PGA Butch Butler, PGA Peter Gardner, PGA Lynne Hunter, PGA John Lyberger, PGA Jeff Maynor, PGA Josh Tremblay, PGA Andy Weissinger, PGA
2015 Official Tournament Request Form If you are planning on holding an event at your facility that includes 10 or more MAPGA Professionals and any number of amateurs, or 17 or more MAPGA Professionals only (an Official Tournament), then you MUST complete the 2015 Official Tournament Request form. This also includes any event at your club that you are not "running," but involves MAPGA Professionals and amateur players (MISGA, a Charity event, etc.). For complete information and to view the 2015 Official Tournament Request Form, please CLICK HERE. You can also access this form on the MAPGA website in the "Tournament Forms" tab under the HERE Tournaments section. If you have any questions, please contact Tournament Director Jeremy Greiner at 540-720-7420 ext 117 or at jgreiner@pgahq.com
The Middle Atlantic Professional—January Professional—November 2015 2014
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Section Direction: Reviewing the Past and Planning for the Future As
it does every year, the beginning of the new year always lends itself to reviewing the past and looking to the future. The Section does that through our Business Planning process. We gather the full Board of Directors at the Section office in early December, thoroughly review the previous year, then set goals for the following year. The staff then writes a business plan to achieve those goals, and a budget that aligns with the plan.
we will be emphasizing the POY lists. SHOUT OUTS -Congratulations to Mike Dickson, PGA; Linda Gaudi, PGA; Adam Harrell, PGA; and Meredith Loosse, PGA for being named to the US Kids Top 50 Teachers list. It’s always great to be recognized for your efforts. - Chris George, PGA; Bernie Najar, PGA; Janet Phillips, PGA; Joe Plecker, PGA; Trillium Sellers Rose, PGA; Adam Smith, PGA; and Chuck Will, PGA were all recently recognized as 2014 GRAA Top 50 Growth of the Game Teaching Professionals. Pretty impressive that seven of the top 50 are from our Section! Thanks for leading the way.
- Town Hall Meetings. Please follow News & Notes and/or MAPGA.com for schedule updates as the schedule is still a work in progress. In February, I will travel to all parts of the Section to facilitate discussions on any topics you desire, encourage pro-to-pro interaction, and perhaps share some Section news as well. Hope to see many of you at one of these sessions! - Spring Membership Meetings will be here before you know it. Mark your calendars for March 2 for the Spring Section Membership Meeting, and March 23 (Central), March 30 (Southern), and April 27 (Northern) for the Chapter Meetings.
I would like to focus on a couple of highlights. First, based on the - The MAPGA Hall of Fame will success of our Junior Golf induct Allen Wronowski as its Grants, we will be awarding -Congratulations to Bernie Najar, class of 2015 and honor its Player Development grants to PGA from Caves annual award winners at our MAPGA members who have Valley Golf Club annual Hall of Fame/Awards programs that develop new on being named Banquet on Saturday, March players at their facilities, with a to GOLF 14th at the Baltimore Marriott total of $15,000 being awarded Magazine's Top Inner Harbor at Camden Yards. to worthy programs. We are 100 Teachers in We hope you can join us! establishing, through our America for 2015-16. Invitations should be in your Foundation, a new hands by the end of January. developmental Junior Tour for kids aged 6-9, tentatively called WHAT’S NEXT? the Mini-Mulligans Tour. You will - As you hopefully know by now, Hope your holidays were restful also see some new two-day June 15th of this year marks the and you are ready to make 2015 events for juniors, as we end of the current MSR cycle. As your best year yet! Remember, continue to grow the programs of this writing, only about 50% of “The way we have always done it” for more competitive juniors. On you have completed your is the enemy of progress! Please the tournament front, we will requirements. Please make a let me or the officers know what continue the National Car Rental plan now to gain your needed we can do to help you even more. events, with one being a Procredits, to include attending your Scratch, and the other being a Spring Section and Chapter Very respectfully, little different this year, a Pro-Net Meetings, as well as the event. We also have a new remaining MSR Mondays and Jon Guhl sponsor for our Player of the seminars that are offered on Executive Director Year events, OMEGA Watches, so various topics.
CENTRAL
NORTHERN
SOUTHERN
MAPGA Staff (540) 720-7420
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jon Guhl, ext. 125 DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Stacey Smith, ext. 121 TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR Jeremy Greiner, PGA, ext. 124 JUNIOR GOLF DIRECTOR Bob Heintz, ext. 128 MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR Kelly Lawson, ext. 126 COMMUNICATIONS Eric Southard, ext 101
The Middle Atlantic Professional—January Professional—November 2015 2014
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2015 Award Winners and Hall of Fame Inductee The MAPGA Board of Directors and Awards Committee are proud to announce the 2015 Middle Atlantic PGA Hall of Fame inductee and award winners. All the winners are recognized by their peers as being exceptional role models. Each recipient will be honored on March 2, 2015 at the Section Spring Meeting and on March 14th at The Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor for the annual Hall of Fame and awards banquet. Congratulations to the following honorees: Hall of Fame Class of 2015 - Allen Wronowski, Folds of Honor Foundation From November 2010-12, Allen Wronowski served as the 37th President of The PGA of America, following two years of service each as PGA Vice President and PGA Secretary. He is currently serving as the PGA Honorary President. In 1999, the Middle Atlantic PGA named Wronowski its Section Golf Professional of the Year; and in 2002, he earned the MAPGA Bill Strausbaugh Award for his behind-the-scenes work on employment efforts for the members of the Section. Wronowski was also named the 1984 MAPGA Assistant Golf Professional of the Year. 2015 Award Recipients Professional of the Year
John Lyberger, PGA
Congressional CC - Bethesda, Md.
Teacher of the Year
Pat Coyner, PGA
Baltimore CC - Timonium, Md.
Assistant of the Year
Geoff Montross, PGA
International CC - Fairfax, Va.
Bill Strausbaugh Award (club relations & community service)
Mark Beran, PGA
Woodholme CC - Pikesville, Md.
Horton Smith Award (education)
Don Frost, PGA
Clustered Spires GC - Frederick, Md.
Player Development
Mike Kenny, PGA
Falls Road GC - Potomac, Md.
Youth Player Development
Adam Fishman, PGA
Montgomery County Golf—Rockville, Md.
Merchandiser of the Year (Private)
Bob Wampler, PGA
Cattail Creek CC - Glenwood, Md.
Merchandiser of the Year (Public)
Billy Fritz, PGA
Renditions GC - Davidsonville, Md.
Merchandiser of the Year (Resort)
John Mlynarski, PGA
Harbourtowne Resort - St. Michaels, Md.
David Wortman Citizen of the Year
Mike Lauler
Fort Belvoir Wounded Warriors - Fort Belvoir, Va.
Earle Hellen Sportsmedia Award
Tim Koelble
The Herald-Mail - Hagerstown, Md.
Salesperson of the Year
Jim Percherke
FootJoy
Tony Marlowe Junior Scholarships
Julie Luo Efrem Perry
Centreville, Va. Woodstock, Md.
Program Advertisements and Congratulatory Messages for the 2015 MAPGA Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet If you would like to acknowledge or congratulate an award or scholarship winner, please contact Eric Southard in the Section office at (540) 720-7420 ext 101 or at esouthard@pgahq.com. The deadline for placing ads and messages is February 16, 2015. Space is limited so get your ad or message in early. Invitations to the banquet will be sent out in late January and we encourage you to attend the banquet. You may view and print a PDF version of the advertising form by CLICKING HERE
The Middle Atlantic Professional—January Professional—November 2015 2014
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Eyes on Employment: Mentoring Assistant Professionals As
part of your New Year’s resolutions, you may be designing your career plan and make sure that you are investing your time and energy into a strategy that best prepares you to compete in today’s golf marketplace. One important method to improve your current position is to improve your team performance. The Assistant Golf Professionals on your team have the ability to make you a star.
Don Sweeting is an Employment Consultant for the PGA Successful companies realize their of America.
aren’t enough hours in the day to get your assistant as an instructor for it all done.” Mentoring your Philosophy & Swing Concepts Assistant Golf Professionals will reduce this sentiment. Effective - Ask your assistant to work with the golf course set up crew for delegation allows you to be more Turfgrass Management productive, utilize your skills and expertise where needed, deal with - Assign a budget project to your high priority issues and have more assistant (i. e. the golf range time for yourself and your family. expense budget) for Business Planning & Operations
employees are one of their most valuable assets. Workforce has to He can be contacted at be a positive reflection of your dsweeting@pgahq.com company. Organizations that train (704) 440-8025 and mentor their employees tend to thrive. Productivity increases with mentoring. A person who is properly Mentoring your Assistant trained is far more productive. Professionals requires motivating your team. It is important to EMPLOYMENT Productivity Equation: demonstrate enthusiasm, interface CHANGES Classroom Instruction + On the Job with your employees, celebrate Training = Increased Productivity accomplishments, offer incentives, treat your employees with kindness In addition, Employees who are and listen. To be effective, properly trained tend to stay, Simplify your life and working for the same employer communicate regularly, schedule a “lesson” with your assistant, review submit your longer. They also use fewer sick on the job performance, review the employment changes days. It is the perceived difference education progress, conduct regular between a job or a career, formal performance reviews on a electronically employees have jobs, Assistant semi-annual basis. Demonstrate your through the Professionals are in a learning, commitment by visibly displaying developing, and training process PGA's ONLINE certificates of completion and by toward a career. providing timely rewards and CHANGE FORM at recognition. A few Mentoring PGALinks. Electronic Additional reasons to mentor your examples: submission is fast A s s i s t a n t P r o f e s s i o n a l s . Professionals with reputations for - Utilize an upcoming tournament and helps you avoid effective apprenticeship programs that could serve as the focal point attract better employees. Those any applicable of Tournament Operations who apply for the “tougher” jobs are fines by reporting those who are willing to make a long - Create an inventory and marketing changes within ten term “career” commitment to campaign for club repair services for Golf Club Design & Repair success. You will develop a days of your new reputation in the industry as a - Utilize a demo day for clubfitting status. source for qualified personnel and sessions in Analysis of the Swing provide better career opportunities. - Have your assistant write a rules tip or article in the member How many times have you come newsletter or newspaper for Rules across these comments from Head of Golf Professionals; “I feel like I have to do everything.” “If I want it done - Conduct a group lesson and use right, I have to do it myself.” “There
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G ive your assistant th e responsibility of creating various holiday merchandise displays for M e r c h an d i s e & I n v en t or y Management.
- Conduct an event to raise money for an education program - Attend section/chapter meetings and events with your assistant There are benefits to you as the Mentor. Builds a strong team, promotes loyalty and longevity. Makes professional staff productive, motivated and increases your ability to attract employees on reputation. A record of hiring and training quality staff enhances the value you provide to your employer and customers. Mentoring supports your coaching, communication, leadership and management skills. Helps you give back to the industry and Ass ocia t ion. You gain professional, personal growth and renewal. Provides the reward of seeing those that you mentor succeed and become mentors themselves.
(Cont. on page 6…)
The Middle Atlantic Professional—January Professional—November 2015 2014
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Eyes on Employment cont. Important Reminder – 2015 PGA Compensation Survey
Know Your MSR’s The current MSR cycle will come to a close on June 15, 2015. All PGA Members (except A-3, A-5, Retired, and Life Member) are required to satisfy the following MSR’s in order to remain in good standing with The PGA of America: • 54 Total MSR’s • 36 of 54 must be PGA Required MSR’s **PGA Members who have attained 25 years of active membership and are at least 65 years of age before the start of the Professional Development Program shall be required to earn only 12 credits from the PGA Required category.** You may check your MSR status through the home page of PGALinks.com.
Make sure that you and all members of your professional staff complete the 2014 PGA Compensation Survey on PGALinks beginning January 16, 2015. Your participation will help provide you and your fellow PGA Professionals with accurate compensation information when you need it for negotiations, job searches, and budgeting. It will also assist those of us who work with employers on your behalf in our efforts to upgrade compensation for all PGA positions. All individual responses are completely confidential, so please take a few minutes and complete the survey. More details are available on PGALinks. Best wishes for 2015!
Don Sweeting is an Employment Consultant for the PGA of America. He can be contacted at (704) 440440-8025 or by ee-mail at dsweeting@pgahq.com
PGA’s Program Manager supported by Active Networks is your one-stop marketing source for successful player development programs. SIGN UP TODAY!!
The Middle Atlantic Professional—January Professional—November 2015 2014
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Player Development Discussion: Creating an Effective Player Development Plan The first step is to choose a purpose for Player Development at your facility.
Your primary goal could be to create a higher level of engagement with your core golfers, to develop the next Rory McIlroy, or to create new customers for your golf shop. This will shape the type of learning and playing opportunities that you will offer to your customers. Studies done by the PGA and NGF show that clubs that commit to player development are more financially sound and subsequently pay their professionals more. If you are unsure what your customers want, ask them. You can set up an electronic survey; many Point of Sale providers have them built in, companies such as Survey Monkey offer free, easy to use solutions, and even Facebook has ways to poll visitors. Another way to get less numerical, but equally valuable, information is hosting focus groups. Whether you choose to hold a more traditional focus group, or just offer a round table coffee, it is vital that you allow your customers to speak freely about your business without defending the operation. The easiest way to do this is to have someone outside your staff whom you trust moderate the meetings. Of course, there is just the old-fashioned conversation and listening to your customers.
Mike Aldrich, PGA is the Player Development Regional Manager for D.C., MD, & VA. He can be contacted at (703) 728-9033 maldrich@pgahq.com. “Studies done by the PGA and NGF show that clubs that commit to player development are more financially sound and subsequently pay their professionals more.”
Once you have developed an overall goal for your program, consider how many customers you can effectively engage. A simple way to organize your programs is by dividing your customers into four basic types. People who are just thinking about trying the game need very different learning and playing opportunities from experienced golfers who carry a six handicap. The largest number of golfers fall into the recreational category. They tend to use golf as a way to connect with friends, family and colleagues. Golf is NOT the end, but a means. One of the largest gaps is in providing appropriate learning and “competitive” opportunities for this group. Take a look at your tournament and instructional offerings and see how many events you offer that meet this important group’s need to connect; let them form their team in a scramble and consider fun, group instruction opportunities. Finally, consider your resources and prioritize your programs by their ability to meet your goals for the facility. The most common roadblock is staffing (aka time). If you think there is demand well beyond your current resources, consider expanding your staff to accommodate the needs of your customers. There may be enough demand and resultant income to warrant hiring another PGA Professional or hiring more shop help to so your current Professionals to deliver these programs. If you would like to develop or refine your player development efforts, contact Player Development Manager Mike Aldrich, PGA for a complimentary consultation.
The 2014 The Middle Middle Atlantic Atlantic Professional—November Professional—January 2015
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Central Chapter Update by President Josh Tremblay, PGA
The Central Chapter Spring Meeting and Pro-Pro presented by Callaway Golf and Signature Golf will be held at Springfield Golf & Country Club on Monday, March 23rd. Please save the date and start looking for a partner for what promises to be a great start to the 2015 season. Be on the lookout for some more information coming from Tournament Chair Geoff Montross, PGA on the rest of the 2015 events and plan to sign up for the 2015 Central Chapter Match Play! With the MSR cycle ending in mid-June, this is the time of year to make time for education and meetings. There are still two more MSR Mondays in February as well as other opportunities such as the event at Bethesda CC on February 3rd led by Pat Bedingfield, PGA and John Scott Rattan. Following the Spring MAPGA Section Meeting on March 2nd in Fredericksburg, there will be a presentation by putting guru Marius Filmalter that will be very informative! Finally, don't miss out on the knowledge and energy brought by our Player Development Regional Manager, Mike Aldrich...schedule a meeting with him to plan for success in 2015.
Northern Chapter Update by President Mark Beran, PGA The first of three MSR Mondays was held on January 5 at Woodholme Country Club. It was a great turnout for the inaugural event as the attendees received knowledge about education on several topics, including leadership from former PGA of America and MAPGA President Allen Wronowski, PGA. Sponsor Alex Weber from GolfMDs highlighted the list of remaining speakers. There will be a BioSwing Dynamics Level 1 Certification Seminar at Caves Valley Golf Club on February 9th & 10th. Presenters will include Mike Adams, E.A. Tischler and Bernie Najar, PGA who was recently named to GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers in America for 2015-16. For more information on this event, please CLICK HERE.
Southern Chapter Update by President Andy Weissinger, PGA As many of you know registration opens this month for the 2016 Drive, Chip & Putt Championship.
This event has grown by leaps and bounds in the two years the local qualifiers have taken place. Once again this year the Golf Channel will be televising the final stage of this competition the Sunday before the Masters from Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. We are fortunate enough to have 4 of the local and one of the sub-regional qualifying sites in the Southern Chapter for the 2016 Championship.
A great way to help your junior golfers get ready for this competition while increasing your revenues and providing a program to engage your juniors and in turn their entire families is to hold branded Drive, Chip & Putt clinics. Taking advantage of the national branding of this very popular championship you can get word out to your juniors in a way that will help them get ready for the competition. This is a very standardized competition which leads itself to very easy to run clinics focused on these specific shots. You can have a clinic for each skill or have one clinic that covers all three. There is plenty of time now to get the word out and hold several clinics of various kinds. As always you should use this program to be a feeder program for your summer camps, PGA Sports Academy and family golf programs that continue all season long. All of the information about the DCP Championship can be found at www.drivechipandputt.com The qualifiers in our Southern Chapter and their dates are as follows: Local Qualifiers Friday June 12, 2015 – The First Tee of Chesterfield Wednesday June 17, 2015 – Bayville Golf Club Friday July 17, 2015 – Golden Horseshoe Saturday July 18, 2015 – The Wintergreen Resort Sub-Regional Qualifier Wednesday August 12, 2015 – Salisbury Country Club
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MISSION: The mission of the Middle Atlantic PGA is to promote growth in the game of golf, to provide ongoing education and professional development for our members, and to actively improve employment opportunities for PGA Professionals across the region.
VISION:
1 PGA Dr. Stafford, VA 22554 Phone: (540) 720-7420 Fax: (540) 720-7076 E-mail: midatl@pgahq.com
The Middle Atlantic PGA… a member-driven association providing leadership across the golf industry.
PGA Professionals: Experts in the Game and Business of Golf
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THANK YOU TO OUR 2014 PARTNERS. THE 2015 PARTNER LIST WILL BE UPDATED SOON DIAMOND LEVEL
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