ON THE FIRST TEE...
With Nick Dietzen
The long wait is over. So, let’s start at the beginning. It’s fall, the imminent threat of the first snow is near and my mindset that the last round of the year could be any day gets me out a few more times even if it’s not peak golf season. As the fall winds down, I oftentimes play my best and most enjoyable golf of the year. Now best and most enjoy -
able may sound synonymous, but I’ve come to appreciate the differentiation between the two.
I looked back in my scoring record and was not surprised to see my best score was on October 14. I don’t remember anything about that round specifically other than
We challenge you to make new memories on the golf course in 2025.
being surprised that it was unremarkable and boring, but effective in terms of the scorecard. I know that few things are less interesting than talking about your fantasy football team or the blow-by-blow of your 18 holes of golf with another person, but to each of us, our own game is something we cherish, even if we don’t particularly like the results all the time.
The MSGA staff members have submitted some goals for the upcoming season, we encourage you to make a few. Call them resolutions if you will, as April 1 in the Montana Golf Community is our “New Year.” Just like resolutions, you’re more likely to attain them if they’re realistic, something you are looking forward to doing and fun.
Recently, I was attending meetings in Tacoma for the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) and after a dinner had concluded, four of us made our way to the shuffleboard table. We made our teams, Caleb from Idaho, Nick from Montana taking on Rick from Washington and Troy from Oregon. Talent was in short supply, but determination and competitive spirit was abundant. I love shuffleboard, but I haven’t played much recently and I’m always a little hazy on the scoring after a lengthy absence. As you might not be surprised, four golf
MSGA ABOUT US
BOARD OF DIRECTORS - OFFICERS
PRESIDENT................................................... Peter Benson
VICE PRESIDENT.................................. Ron Ramsbacher
TREASURER....................................................... Bill Dunn
PAST PRESIDENT............................................. Carla Berg
WOMEN’S CHAIR........................................ Mary Bryson
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Brett Bennyhoff, Peter Benson, Carla Berg, Mary Bryson, Bill Dunn, Cheri Ellis, Lisa Forsberg, Marcia Hafner, Ron Ramsbacher, Karen Rice, Joe Rossman, Rod Stirling
MSGA STAFF
Executive Director......................................... Nick Dietzen
Tournament Director...................................... Tim Bakker
Membership Operations Director............... Emily Hulsey
Member Services Coordinator......................... Ian Hulsey
Communications & Tournament Manager.... Katie Fagg
Communcations Coordinator.......................... Ty Sparing
Partnerships & Business Development.......... Jess Miller
PARTNERSHIPS
Jess Miller.................................. 1 (800) 628-3752, ext. 5
406GOLF STAFF
Editor in Chief............................................... Nick Dietzen
Consulting Editor........................................ David Bataller
Senior Writer..................................................... Ty Sparing
Graphic Designer............................................... Katie Fagg
Montana State Golf Association P.O. Box 4306
Helena, MT 59604 1 (800) 628-3752 www.msgagolf.org
administrators found ways to ponder on the rules, what types of games might exist. Are there flights or handicaps in the World Series of Shuffleboard (not a thing, but I was close)? Apparently, no one was listening, or I wasn’t being taken seriously about the best of seven match proposal, but when the shuffleboard dust settled, I was on the losing side (sorry Caleb).
Ultimately, the company you keep, the memories you share and remember are now my true measure of how enjoyable a game is to me. I hope that someday in the future I shoot the low round of my life, but that might not happen for a while, and it won’t mean that I won’t have the most fun on the course I’ve ever had. Playing new courses, with old friends or new should be on your list of golf resolutions for 2025. We hope that you check in with us often, learn about
new opportunities and perhaps even brush up on the rules some.
Before we know it, another season will be in the books, and we’ll be waiting for April 1, 2026. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves though, after all, I need to fit in some shuffleboard practice. I’m still salty about the loss, but I realized it’s probably because I wasn’t used to playing at sea level.
May your putts lip in, and your errant drives get a friendly bounce. Golf is back!
THE HISTORY OF THE GREEN MEADOW COUNTRY CLUB
BY TY SPARING MSGA Communications Coordinator
On July 7th of 1899 Montana’s capital city made waves when the local newspaper made an announcement that there was “a movement under way to organize a golf club in Helena.” With land on the westside near Fort Harrison in mind, it was thought to be the first of its kind, as the jubilant author stated golf “is not played anywhere in Montana, and the nearest golf club is at Spokane.”
That last statement didn’t sit too well with some of the surrounding communities, as the very next day an annoyed writer for the Great Falls Leader claimed “as usual Helena comes in behind and claims to be ahead of all the rest of the state. For the information of the Independent [Record], it would be well to state that the game of golf has been played in Great Falls for some time past and the statement made in the article is an error.”
The Butte Miner also jumped in the fray and reminded the audience that “Butte has a golf club well under way, and Helena intends to follow suit,” while making a note of Great Falls’ displeasure.
Thus began the long and winding history of the Green Meadow Country Club, although it would change locations and names several times over before resting at its current state in the 1940s. (*We should point out here that there’s likely some disagreement on founding dates, some claim GMCC goes back to 1915, others prefer 1943).
While there was much to be excited about with a new golf club forming in Helena, it was also part of a larger movement towards golf in the Treasure State at the turn of the 20th century. Of course, the Butte Country Club which formed in 1899 has long been regarded as the first club in the state, it was quickly followed by golf courses sprouting up in places like Anaconda, Missoula, Livingston, Bozeman, Great Falls and Helena.
By June of 1900 the newly formed Helena Golf Club elected officers and had a partially built course out at Fort Harrison on the west end of town. Al Gaskill, a popular sportswriter in Montana that grew up in this era described the “first golf course in Helena” as “hot, dry and covered with weeds three feet high. Believe me, it was no St. Andrews. They sent the caddies out with shotguns to clear the path of rattlesnakes.”
Nevertheless, by September of that year the name was adjusted to Helena Country Club, and a tournament was organized on the newly laid out links. Local drug-store owner Frank Sutphen was the inaugural champion with a final 18-hole score of 92.
From the outset, the Helena Country Club took a leadership role in the Montana golf scene. It was just a year later in 1901 that the Helena contingent organized the state’s very first inter-city showdown, having extended an invite for Butte Country Club members to
A man tees off at the Pine Hills Course circa 1930.
come over for a match play event, which was dubbed “The State Championship Cup.” They met the arriving Butte players at the depot with a brass band and made several written promises to show their visitors a good time while in the capital city. Helena’s J. Campbell Cory came out the big winner of the event, one of many victories in those days for Montana’s first best golfer.
Along with hosting the first ever inter-city golf tournament in Montana history, the other intentions as the Butte Daily Post detailed was a proposal “to organize the players throughout Montana into a state association.” Initial meetings were held at Helena’s swanky Montana Club, with several cities being represented. W.M. Biggs of Helena was elected as temporary president, and when the meeting was adjourned every expectation was that “the organization will be perfected” later that year.
Despite initial enthusiasm not only for a state association, but for the Helena Country Club as well, a few years later both were just unrealized memories. As original stewards like W.M. Biggs and J. Campbell Cory moved away, a series of economic downturns and bank runs happening in the first decade of the century, along with an historic Montana flood in 1908 that would’ve covered the golf course at Fort Harrison – it’s not too surprising that golf in
Helena went dormant for nearly a decade. It didn’t take long, however, for the golf bug to take hold of the city once again and by 1909 it was the Helena Riding Club that was pushing to join forces with the Helena Tennis Club and prominent golfers from the old course in an effort to build another country club. In a special meeting of the riding club, newly elected president Dr. John Sutphen (Frank’s brother) outlined how the three entities could merge into one organization with a site dedicated to maintaining “a race course, tennis courts and golf links,” along with hosting a series of dances.
While the enthusiasm to revive the old country club in some fashion was there, it took a few years until it became a reality. In 1912, W.M. Biggs returned from California and promptly donated 60 acres of land for the cause. In 1914 it was the Helena Tennis Club that began pushing the agenda for a combined country club, and finally in January of 1915 the Helena Country Club was brought back to life at Fort Harrison with local banker T.O. Hammond being elected president.
A new course was laid out that spring, led by Butte Country Club’s Bob Henderson who supervised many of Montana’s course layouts of this era. There was even a miniature course
An article featuring early Green Meadow CC members in 1915.
for children on site. It was met with much interest, as by summertime there were headlines that ran “Golf Sticks Supplant Guns at Fort Harrison.”
Along with W.M. Biggs’ significant financial and land contributions, several others that were heavily involved with the original Helena Country Club helped push for this newest revival. Given that it was in the same general location, and consisted of many of the original members from 1900, was it not more-or-less the same country club, just dusted off after years of going unused?
The rest of the original 1915 membership reads like a who’s who of place and street names in Helena: Power, Marlow, Holter, Cruse, Floweree and Kessler to name a few. The gold-rush city that had the most millionaires per capita in the nation at one point towards the turn of the century apparently still had a little bit of capital left to create a state-of-the-art country club.
It was an immediately popular destination as one writer for the Montana Record-Herald described, “every day after work hours, doctors, lawyers, bankers, merchants and men
A Green Meadow CC membership advertisement from 1974.
of the other professions would pile into their automobiles and *hie themselves to the Country club house don their golf togs and start whanging away at the pesky ball.” (*Yes, “hie” is a word)
The restarted Helena Country Club was short lived at the Fort Harrison location, as by 1919 club officers bought land farther west near Colorado Gulch with the intention of building a new, modernized golf course and clubhouse. As the always humorous Al Gaskill wrote, “well, after the Royal and Ancient got a really firm grip on the silk-stocking crowd, they decided to build a real golf club and that’s how the Helena Town & Country Club came into being…They never quite got away from the rattlesnakes, however.”
What became known as the Pine Hills Course was quickly considered one of the more highly regarded links in the Pacific Northwest. It was the first course outside of the Butte Country Club to host the Montana State Amateur Championships in 1921, and repeated as host in 1925, 1933, 1938 and 1942. It took another 42 years before Helena hosted a state event again, at Green Meadow in 1984.
For historians of Helena, there is going to be a bit of confusion here. Brace yourselves.
There was another golf club that was formed in the foothills of Mount Ascension in the early 1920s called the Hogan’s Alley Golf Club, which later moved to the center of town and renamed itself the Last Chance Golf Course. It was a group of reformed rabble-rousers that started the club and it was a pre-cursor to the present-day Bill Roberts Municipal Golf Course. For most of the 1930s, both the Pine Hills Course out by MacDonald Pass, and the Last Chance Golf Course were consolidated under a single “Helena Town & Country Club” brand. Essentially the Last Chance course was absorbed by the Country Club and the name was changed to reflect the new situation. Except in the latter part of the decade the city of Helena claimed ownership rights of the Last Chance Golf Course, and after several years of legal wrangling, the Helena Town & Country Club was down to just the one course out at Pine Hills.
To make matters more confusing, the Helena Town & Country Club realized it needed a site with better water access and bought a new plot of land in 1943, its present-day location, where the former Central Park used to be. Two years later by the time Green Meadow was ready for play, the Helena Town & Country Club leased the site to the Montana Club and
T.C. Power on tee box with Aubrey Holter watching at the Pine Hills Course. (Aub Kirkland via HelenaAsSheWas.com)
sold the land out at Pine Hills.
Like Theseus’ ship, all the parts had been replaced and yet a certain continuity remained.
On the other end of all this moving around and changing of names, a real sense of permanency was produced. The site was to be renamed “Green Meadow Country Club,” and legendary Montana golf architect Gregor Macmillan came in to design the original 9-hole layout (currently holes 1, 9-13, 16-18). Opening up for limited play in 1945, and fully open by 1946, the club has continued to be a staple in Helena, and the broader Montana golf community. Despite forty years of wandering the rattlesnake plagued western end of Helena, Green Meadow finally found a place to grow old.
The Green Meadow Country Club has certainly seen it all over the years. In the 1960s it modernized by constructing electrified storage buildings that housed golf carts and other supplies. In the 1970s Green Meadow split up from the Montana Club. Soon after the separation Seattle Landscape architect William Teufel came in and designed another nine
holes, making it one of the premiere championship courses in Montana. Finally in 1984 Green Meadow hosted a State Amateur event in Helena for the first time in 30 years. A trend that continues into our present day.
Along with hosting a multitude of tournaments for the Montana State Golf Association, Green Meadow regularly provides a course for high school events and even recently in 2022 was given the honor to host the prestigious Girls Junior America’s Cup which brought out some of the very best young female golfers in the nation.
80 years later and the Green Meadow Country Club is thriving more than ever. With one of the largest memberships in the state, the course had nearly 8000 rounds played on it in the year 2024. Not to mention providing a widely-praised youth clinic, led by current PGA Pro Ryan Cutter. With great golf, great staff, frequent events hosted in the clubhouse, and the top-notch food at the restaurant on site, it’s no wonder people love the place!
Many thanks to all those who have helped keep Green Meadow special over the years!
A map of early Green Meadow CC from 1946.
GREEN MEADOW COUNTRY CLUB: A SPECIAL PLACE
BY DEREK HOFER Green Meadow Country Club General Manager
The property is what makes the place special. You are literally less than one mile from Helena city limits, however it feels like you are in a rural part of Montana. With Ten Mile Creek running through the course, and the wind rustling through the trees, the hustle and bustle of city life transforms into a quiet and thoughtful experience at Green Meadow. It really is quite peaceful, and you can sense the course has ties to Old Montana, along with possessing the natural beauty Montana is known for.
The Green Meadow Country Club is a primarily flat course with most elevation contours around the tricky green complexes. It’s relatively short and the ball flies well in a town that sits at 4,000 feet. There is a fair amount of water, creek crossings and ponds, and much
lost ball potential for errant shots due to the surrounding creek bottom habitat.
For daily play in summer conditions the grounds crew consistently provides 10.0-10.4 green speeds, which has been a wonderful fit for membership. Tightly mowed approaches and collars further complicate the acute need for a delicate touch. If groomed for more championship level conditions, Green Meadow becomes nasty, real fast. The unsuspecting golfer playing aggressively under these conditions generally leaves the property on the wrong side of their handicap potential.
One of the more unique and challenging holes on the course is the par-five eighth hole. The first two sets of tees are nestled between mature trees offering a narrow shoot. The tee shot brings trouble into play with lost ball opportunities both left and right. If your drive is safe, an expansive pond requires a precise
Jasmine Koo teeing of hole 8 during the 2022 Junior Americas Cup.
second shot to find the fairway with trees left and the pond stretching nearly the entirety of the right side of the hole. If you can negotiate both shots safely, the green complex offers one of the largest and most undulated on the course. Be sure to keep your approach below the hole, but not too far, as the false front will send a short approach back into the fairway. While a circle on your scorecard is possible, there are a lot more boxes (and double boxes) on hole eight!
Green Meadow is a terrific walking course that sits on outstandingly beautiful property. The BNSF Railroad also dissects the course and provides a little of that old Montana feel, having been built long before golf was played in the surrounding area. Of course, while it provides its own ambience for those train lovers among us, it can be a bit of a character builder for those easily distracted by the rumbling engines that roll through from time to time.
Beyond their own member events, Green Meadow Country Club regularly hosts MSGA Championships and notably hosted the Girls
Junior Americas Cup in 2022. What a great tournament that was!
As a community-driven organization, the club hosts fundraising events for organizations like the Disabled American Veterans, along with providing a venue for Carroll College, the YMCA, and St. Peter’s Health. Living together in a tight-knit town like Helena, Green Meadow recognizes how important it is to serve the community and continually strives to be a valuable member of the capital city.
Along with the golf and the fundraising events, the Food and Beverage Department also hosts many get-togethers and parties for not only club members but also businesses and other individuals from the Helena community. As the MSGA staff can attest to, the food is top-notch! (See 406Foodies)
Nearing it’s 80th anniversary on the property, the Green Meadow Country Club carries a proud tradition of Montana golf, and service to the Helena community. Here’s to another 80 years!
The veiw from the #1 tee box.
SPRING GOLF FAQ
BY EMILY HULSEY MSGA MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR
As Montana moves from the “inactive” season to the “active” season on April 1st, golfers will probably encounter weather or course conditions unique to the spring season. How does this affect your game? Here are some frequently asked questions to consider.
My ball landed in a patch of dirt with no grass – do I get relief?
First determine whether the area is flagged as ground under repair. The golf course determines this, not the golfer. If free relief is allowed, the area will be clearly marked with paint or stakes.
Are aeration holes considered ground under repair?
Aeration is common in the spring but generally not considered ground under repair. However, relief may be permitted if a Model Local Rule is in effect. Check with your course before your round.
Can I play using preferred lies if the course is wet and muddy?
Preferred lies (aka winter Rules) are permitted if the course has the Model Local Rule in effect. In that case, golfers might be permitted to lift, clean, and place their ball. Each course will determine the size of the relief area,
No matter where you play golf, winter will have an impact on course conditions.
USGA
whether 6 inches or a club-length from the original spot, no closer to the hole. It is recommended the course allow this only in fairways because of the significant advantage it could give on other areas of the course.
How do temporary greens impact my round?
The same Rules apply on a temporary green that is marked and prepared as such.
How do spring conditions affect posting my score in these situations?
I can’t finish my round. If you play 9-holes (front 9 or back 9), you can post a 9-hole score. If you play between 10 and 17 holes, you can post that score too, if you use the hole-by-hole feature to indicate which holes were played.
There were tough playing conditions. The playing conditions calculation (PCC) will likely
trigger more often during the spring. It compares the scores posted each day to the expected scores of the players who posted them. If the scores are significantly higher (or lower) than expected, an adjustment is automatically applied. Remember to post your score the same day you played so that it’s included in the calculation!
Preferred lies were in effect due to wet/soggy conditions. You can still post your score! Remember to check if this Model Local Rule is in effect before playing your round.
The greens were recently aerated. Unless the course temporarily suspends score posting because of poor putting surfaces, putt and post your score as usual. The “automatic two-putt” local rule is not acceptable for handicap purposes. You can, however, pick up your ball if you’ve reached or exceeded your net double bogey limit (par + 2 + strokes received). Click here for more information about net double bogey.
Ground under repair? Aeration holes? Temporary greens? Golfers may experience these common Spring course conditions.
“THE AUGUSTA SYNDROME”
BY PETE GRASS
CERTIFIED GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT (RETIRED)
As early April comes along each year, golf course Superintendents and their staff sometimes become a bit overwhelmed by what most of us in the industry know as “The Augusta Syndrome.” It is not a medical disorder, although it certainly can cause anxiety, high blood pressure and general stress-related conditions. The syndrome emerges with The Masters Invitational being televised each year, around the time several courses in MT are either still covered in snow, or the turf is still dormant.
The symptoms are often caused by questions such as, “how come our course doesn’t look like Augusta National?” Or “how much of a budget increase would it take to get Augusta like conditions?” Or, “if we plant a different type of grass will our course look like Augusta?” Get the picture? Questions and comments like these happen every year, not because the person speaking is trying to be mean or disrespectful, but because they have no idea what it takes to maintain a golf course, let alone the most iconic one in the US (if not the world).
I have been extremely privileged to have attended The Masters nine times and seen firsthand that it is even more spectacular in person than what you see on TV. That said, as part of the GCSAA (Golf Course Superinten-
Pete Grass (center) spoke at a recent Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Convention.
dents Association of America) Board of Directors delegation, I had access to many things the average “patron,” the Augusta word for fan, is not allowed to see.
When asked “what is Augusta National like in person?” my very generalized reply is “to me it is the Disneyland of golf courses.” What you see is absolutely real, but it is so detailed and “perfect” that it almost seems artificial. Even with hundreds of thousands of patrons traversing the grounds that week, heavy rains and severe thunderstorms that can come with very high winds, the course remains very close to perfection each day. You may have seen over the years where one or several mature trees were damaged or toppled by winds, and by the next morning the damage is removed, area renovated and new grass is in place (not magically done by the turf fairy).
It all starts at the nerve center of any golf course, the turfgrass maintenance facility
and the humans and equipment that operate from there. Along with that is the course infrastructure that you don’t see because it is all underground, installed little by little each year to make continual improvement in course conditions. These are both things that allow the beauty to happen each year. In addition to the “normal” maintenance staff, tournament prep week and play week adds close to 100 extra volunteer staff that include many former Augusta National turfgrass interns and Assistant Superintendents. They use hundreds of pieces of loaned equipment like mowers, blowers, etc. and the extra technicians it takes to maintain them properly. They rely on the things underground that you don’t see (something that is true at most golf courses, like an irrigation systems, miles of piping and wiring). Augusta National has installed what few other courses have, including sub-surface drainage systems that can pull excess moisture from the ground and remove it to maintain the desired
Pete Grass wants us all to remember that every golf course in America can't look like Augusta National Golf Club - but it's on us to find each course's beauty.
firmness of the playing surfaces and patron walkways. The other major thing that you can’t see are systems under certain greens/tees that have issues due to sunlight or unusual seasonal temperatures. Up to and during the tournament, they may either need a little extra soil warmth or cooling to optimize turfgrass health and growth. You may have heard about similar systems in use at professional sports natural turf fields in the northern US like Lambeau Field in Green Bay and Invesco Field in Denver. I believe they are also common now at European Soccer pitches.
One of the funniest comments I heard that basically tells the story of what I have tried to relay in this article was a conversation with Brad Owen, the recently retired Director of Agronomy at Augusta National. Myself and a few others were in his office during tournament week talking about that years’ renovations, when someone asked, “can you tell us what is planned for next year?” Brad’s reply was, “sorry, we are not allowed to discuss any planning that may be in the works.” The same person then asked, “I don’t suppose you can tell us what your budget is?” To our amazement, Brad immediately replied, “Sure I can. We have an unlimited budget, and we exceed it each year.” I know he was being facetious, but also in some ways accurate. In other words, we get what we need to meet expectations. There may only be a handful of golf facilities (if any) in the world where that might also be the case.
Even though I have not seen it in person, I have been told by people that have worked there that you would not believe what the course looks like in the Summer (See Photo). The course is closed and allowed to go dormant, far from the lush green that most everyone would expect year round. Judging something by a snapshot in time and not knowing all information falls under my favorite motto, “what don’t I know, before I pass judgement.”
The take home message from all of this is that when you, as a golfer, start to compare one facility to another, hopefully now you will
have a little bit different filter to run your thoughts through. I know many of you have a “home” course where you either pay a membership to belong to or just play regularly. When you play somewhere different, on vacation or just across town, remember what you DON’T KNOW, before you start commenting about that facility. When you pay $35 to play somewhere and wonder why it is not like Augusta National, that is on you, not the facility that is providing a price point that allows many folks who can’t afford those conditions but still love to play the game. Even at more expensive facilities around Montana, I hope you can appreciate that they do not have the same financial abilities to provide Augusta-level conditions. I am proud to say that many do come close in many ways, however. Appreciate what we do enjoy here in Montana: pretty good golf courses for pretty reasonable costs.
1. Who introduced you to golf?
My parents introduced me to golf at a very young age. I grew up constantly receiving swing advice from my dad. He was my first coach and, in his opinion, my best coach!
2. Who influenced you most in your golf life?
I have been blessed to have many influential mentors in my golf life. The one that influenced my golf life the most, though, was my freshman coach from Helena High, Bob Tipton. When I started golfing for Helena High, I thought that it would be all about technique because I was finally part of the “big leagues.” However, I was very surprised to learn from Coach Tipton that winning or losing is not the main point of the game. The golf course can actually be a place of worship. By this, I mean the golf course can be a place where I give glory to the Lord by loving those around me and using the talents He has given me to glorify Him.
Although I have a deep love for golf, at the end of the day it is just a game. Tipton taught me that the person you are on the course matters far more than the score on your card. When I’m gone nobody will
remember my handicap or my stats, but they will remember if I was joyful, loving, and kind. Tipton was the first coach to show me this. Even now when I get off the course after a round, I can still hear his voice saying, “Well did you have fun?”
3. What is your favorite memory as a golfer at Carroll College?
My favorite memory as a golfer for Carroll College was our last tournament this past fall at Bill Roberts. Our women’s team set a school record. We knew we could do it after our first round, so there was some anticipation going into our final round. I was the first one off the course after our final round. It was memorable watching each one of my teammates come in with their scores and finding out we did it! I am so proud of each of my teammates for putting up some of their best scores. It was a great way to end the season!
4. What is your favorite course in Montana and why?
My favorite course in Montana is the Double Arrow Golf course in Seeley Lake. I grew up playing the Double Arrow in the summer and it is where I fell in love with golf!
5. What is a dream course you'd like to play once?
I would love to play Augusta National.
6. What is your dream celebrity foursome (living or dead)? Why would you choose them?
My dream celebrity foursome is Nelly Korda, Michelle Wie West, Tiger Woods, and Scottie Scheffler. Nelly Korda and Michelle Wie are admirable women on and off the course and a huge source of inspiration for me. Tiger is always fun to watch because the way he plays is truly an art form.
Scottie is my favorite player on the tour because of his humility. You can tell he knows his identity is not in his performance, but in who God created him to be.
Celi Chapman (right) with Carla Berg at the 2023 Montana State Women's Amateur
7. What’s your most memorable moment on a golf course?
The first moment that comes to mind is the final putt to win state my junior year of high school. I remember making the final putt and looking up from the green to see my coach, Anna DeMars, giving me the biggest smile I had ever seen. I remember walking off the green and asking her “did I do it?” and she just beamed and said, “I think you did.” It was a big moment for both of us after chasing the state title for so long. I think her smile was bigger than mine! It was special to experience that success together, but I knew she would’ve had the same smile even if I hadn’t won.
8. If you could change one thing about the game of golf what would it be?
If I could change one thing about the game of golf, I would make it so you can take free relief from divots in fairways.
9. What advice would you give to beginner golfers?
Fall in love with the game! Don’t stress about your performance too much. When you enjoy the game simply for playing it, the low scores come eventually!
Bonus: Lay up or go for it? Go for it!
Celi Chapman is looking to build on her 2022 Class B Championship as a sophomore at Carroll College.
BY TY SPARING MSGA COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
Montana State Bobcats at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational
The MSU golf team recently flew all the way over to Lahaina, Hawaii for the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational. Held March 25-26, the Bobcats had three rounds at the Royal Ka’anapali Golf Course against sixteen other competitive teams.
The stacked field was evident given that the Bobcats combined for the ninth-best team score in program history, and yet they still finished in 15th place at +25 (889).
MSU was once again led by Lauren Greeny who started her week off with an early eagle in round one and followed that up by carding 13 birdies over the course of the rest of the tournament. The back-to-back reigning Montana State Women’s Amateur champion ended up in 26th place at +1 (217).
Following Greeny in the top half of the 98 player field was Scarlet Weidig who ended up in 46th place at +6 (222). Weidig collected an eagle herself during the third round, to go along with seven birdies throughout the event.
An eagle for two different players are great, but they were outdone by a hole-in-one by Becca Tschetter, who closed out her third round with an ace on the 17th hole.
Becca Tschetter's third round hole-in-one on the 17th hole helped the Bobcats combine for the ninth-best team score in program history.
MSU Athletics
Montana Tech Women’s and Men’s Golf Teams at the Warrior Spring Classic
The Montana Tech golf teams were over in Lewiston, Idaho recently for the Warrior Spring Classic. Held March 24-25 at the Lewiston Golf & Country Club, the women’s team had two rounds of golf while the men played three.
With six total teams in the field, three of whom coming in ranked in the top thirty nationally, the Montana Tech women’s team finished in fourth place with a total score of +96 (672). They were able to shave ten strokes off their first-round performance of 341 which allowed them to overtake the fourteenth ranked North Idaho squad.
Playing in a field of 41 individuals, the Orediggers were led by Sami Benson who finished in eleventh place at +18 (162). Joining Benson in the top half of the field was a trio of teammates, Franchi Ceartin, Kodie Hoagland, and Emma Woods, who all tied for 20th place at +28 (172).
Host school Lewis-Clark State won the team event at +50 (626) and also had the top performing individual in Giulia Belfontali who won the event with a final score of +4 (148).
For full Montana Tech women’s results, CLICK HERE.
On the men’s side of things, Montana Tech played three rounds in a field of eight teams. They finished in sixth place at +40 (904).
They were led by former two-time Montana State Junior Champion, Tyler Avery who finished in fourteenth place at +7 (223). Avery registered nine birdies over the three rounds. Joining him in the top half of the leaderboard was Gabe Witham who finished up at +11 (227).
Lewis-Clark once again swept the awards, winning as a team at -17 (847), and the individual title went to Alex Navarro who finished up at -12 (204).
For full Montana Tech men’s results, CLICK HERE.
Chloe Green / L-C State Athletics
Franchi Ceartin and two teammates all tied for 20th place at the Warrior Spring Classic in Lewiston, Idaho.
Rocky Mountain College Men’s Golf at The Battle
The #18th ranked Rocky Mountain College men’s golf team was down in Bullhead City, Arizona from March 24-25 for The Battle. Held at the Laughlin Ranch Golf Course, RMC competed over three rounds against a loaded field full twenty teams, eleven of whom came into the tournament ranked in the top twenty nationally.
Overall, the Battlin’ Bears had a strong showing, finishing in eighth place as a team with a three-round total score of +58 (922).
Leading the way for RMC was Jared Smith who tied for 16th overall at +10 (226). Smith’s
third round of +1 (73) saw him card four birdies, which propelled him up the leaderboard by fifteen spots. Following Smith in the top half of the field was Kristjan Burkelca who finished tied for 40th overall at +17 (233). Burkelca was certainly helped by two eagles carded on the front nine of his second round.
Winning the team event was thirteenth ranked Wayland Baptist, who also hosted the event. They finished up at +23 (887). Two golfers shared the individual title, Wayland Baptist’s Leonard Lebrun and Ottawa University Arizona’s Kolby Shackelford. They ended up with scores of even par (216).
For full results of The Battle, CLICK HERE
Rocky Mountain College's Jared Smith tied for 16th overall at +10 at The Battle in Bullhead City, Ariz.
UHV Athletics
Arizona Snowstorm Spoils the Red Rocks Invitational for the Grizzlies
The University of Montana golf team was back in action March 14-16 at the Red Rocks Invitational in Sedona, Arizona. The Grizzlies showed up to the Oakcreek Country Club ready to compete for 54 holes, thinking that they had left the inclement weather behind, but what they got was an unexpected snowstorm which reduced the Invitational to a combined 18-holes, played over the course of three days.
Competing against 18 other teams, players got nine holes in during the Friday first round before the surprise turn in weather forced a
suspension of play for the rest of the day and Saturday too. Tournament officials decided to have the golfers play nine more holes on Sunday, with the combined single round dictating the winners.
In the shortened version of things the Griz finished in 18th place as a team at +37 (326). They were led by Hannah Ports who finished in 71st at +6 (78), Raina Ports in 85th at +8 (80), and freshman Bella Johnson who finished in 103rd at +12 (84).
Not much to take away from this year’s Red Rocks Invitational, but for full results, CLICK HERE
Elle Higgins and the University of Montana women's golf team had one day of play snowed out in Sedona, Ariz.
VailSports Images
HOW TO SHARE THE COURSE SAFELY WITH THE MAINTENANCE STAFF
BY GEORGE WATERS ASST. DIRECTOR, GREEN SECTION EDUCATION
Golf courses have been busier than ever in recent years, with tee sheets booked from dawn till dusk. In 2024, we set a record for the most rounds ever played on U.S. courses according to the National Golf Foundation –545 million!
This is great news for golf, but it also means that courses need more maintenance than ever and it’s harder for the staff to avoid play while getting their work done. Golfers almost inevitably cross paths with the maintenance team during their round and doing so safely is every golfer’s responsibility. Too many course maintenance workers have stories about getting hit with golf balls and there is a very real risk of injury. The good news is that you can greatly reduce the risks by doing a few simple things.
Make sure workers see you before hitting.
If staff are working on the hole you’re playing or they are in a vulnerable location nearby, make sure they see you before hitting. They are trained to be on the lookout for golfers, but they are also focusing on their work and may not notice that you are ready to hit. Usually, yelling “fore” is enough to get someone’s attention, but there are times when the staff is using noisy equipment or wearing ear protection that makes it hard for them to hear. Giving a
wave or waiting a couple of extra moments for them to look up usually does the trick.
Be patient as they move out of the way.
When a course maintenance worker does see you, it might take them a minute to get safely out of the way. Some tasks can’t be stopped immediately, or employees may need to remove equipment that could interfere with play. For example, they may need to pull a hose off the green while hand watering, or complete a mower pass before they can safely move to the side. Be patient; there’s no reason to hit early while someone is in the process of getting to a safer location.
Always yell “fore” if your shot is headed toward someone or out of sight.
Regardless of whether you think a staff member sees your group, always yell “fore” if a shot is heading toward them. It’s easy for people to lose sight of an incoming shot and they may not have seen you hit in the first place. An extra shout and wave can make all the difference. You should also yell if your ball is heading out of sight. You never know if there are golfers or workers on the other side of those trees or over that hill, and if you can’t see them, they probably can’t see you. If they hear a shout, they might at least have time to duck and cover.
It's no fun getting hit by a golf ball while working on a course. I can tell you from first-
hand experience that it hurts. There is also a real risk of injury. Keep an eye out for workers, try to make sure they see you before hitting in their direction, and yell “fore” if there’s even a slight risk that your ball could be close to someone. These simple things help take care
of the people who are working hard to care for our courses. Our educational poster “Sharing the Golf Course With the Maintenance Staff” is a great resource for courses to display in their golf shop, clubhouse or locker rooms to help promote safety.
Click Here for more from the USGA Green Section Record ‒including the latest articles and videos on sustainable management practices that produce better playing conditions for better golf.
Making sure that maintenance workers see you before hitting in their direction is a key part of sharing the course safely.
USGA
