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Teacher of the Year: James Sieckmann, PGA

James Sieckmann is the Director of Instruction at The Golf Academy at Shadow Ridge Country Club in Omaha. An original employee of the club, he has continually served in that role since opening day May 1, 1994. He and his wife Michele have been married for 23 years and have two children. Hannah 19, is studying Nutrition at the University of Nebraska Lincoln and Samuel 17, is a junior at Elkhorn South High School. James is busy at the club with lessons and a vibrant Junior Program with over 150 children, hosting golf schools around the country, coaching 15 tour players on all tours including Smylie Kaufman who played his way into the final pairing with Jordan Spieth in this year’s Master’s. Somewhat surprising to him is how his passion for short game coaching has led to opportunities to share and educate other PGA Golf Professionals. Just since January of this year, James has provided education at the PGA show, as well as for the Wisconsin, Kentucky and Philadelphia PGA Sections. Internationally, he has been the keynote speaker at the Golf Education Asia Coaching Summit in Bangkok and presented for the Titleist Performance Institute in Beijing, China and Seoul, South Korea. In the last two years, he has written two books on short game: Your Short Game Solution and Your Putting Solution that are available at fine bookstores everywhere. His biggest regret is that now that he is Senior division eligible, he has had little to no time fulfill his first love – playing and practicing, though he is hoping for a late in the game comeback - watch out Whitey.

Help support the Nebraska Section PGA Foundation

2 Days to Give! May 25th

May 26th

A common mistake we all make is not accurately tracking all we have accomplished in an entire season full of events, leagues, merchandise sales, lessons, and the like. Too many times we get busy just trying to stay on top of the busy week, month, and year. Often times when I am working with PGA members and apprentices about the specific information they include in their resumes, the information is lacking in numbers, percentages, and sales figures. The descriptions generally are too vague and do not include enough significant information that a potential employer will be impressed with. Remember, the employer is only scanning the resume for approximately 24 seconds, so the information better â€œPopâ€? off of the page. This system is not only for resume enhancement, but in communicating with your employer as well. When you communicate with your employer, owner, or general manager, the ability to arm yourself with accurate information on sales, lessons taught, new customers, and most importantly the dollars spent in these areas, this solidifies you as the expert and a very valuable employee. To many times we are forced to scramble for these numbers or have to give just a general idea or a guess. Over the years of successfully compiling accurate numbers, it is easy to compare areas that you have increased and easy to include when updating your resume. It is a great way to see where you are successful, and also identify areas that need improvement. I would update these records on a monthly basis at the minimum and suggest every two weeks staying on top of all areas. This practice needs to become a habit to be successful. Now is the time to get creative in how you will track and keep record of all areas that you are responsible for. Update and insert the increased areas into your resume annually, and communicate these with your employer. Have fun experiencing and knowing accurately your successes and creating a new habit that will showcase your value. Multiple resources are available at PGA.org. The Employer Communication Plan is an excellent tool that includes professional templates that allow you to create final summaries and are presented in a very professional document. Good luck, and please feel free to reach out to me any time you need assistance or in discussing any issues I can help with! Respectfully, Cory Fletcher, PGA Employment Consultant

Join us as we thank our local Nebraska PGA Professionals. Click here to say #ThxPGAPro

2016

Tournament Schedule 2-May May 9 - Aug 17 May 9 - Sep 14 16-May 23-May 31-May 6-Jun 13-Jun 20-Jun 27-Jun 11-Jul 18-Jul Jul 23-24 1-Aug Aug 1-2 Aug 8-9 22-Aug Sep 9-11 19-Sep 26-Sep 10-Oct

Club Car Pro - 3 Am Nebraska Section PGA Assistant Match Play Nebraska Section PGA Match Play Champ Club Car / Peter Millar Pro 3 - Am E-Z-GO Facility Championship Mizuno Pro/Assistant Championship All Star Pro Golf Pro - 3 Am National Car Rental Pro-3 AM Nebraska Section PGA Foundation Pro-Am HCIS Pro - 3 AM Siouxland Golf Charities Pro - 3 Am Golf Fore The Troops TaylorMade 36 Hole Pro - 3 Am Nebraska Assistants Championship NE PGA Senior Professional Championship Nebraska PGA Professional Championship E-Z-GO/Bushnell Pro 3-Am Wells Fargo Nebraska Open Nebraska PGA Cup Series Championship All Star Pro Golf Team Championship Nebraska Section PGA Pro-Am Championship

Champions Run Tiburon GC - GWH Tiburon GC - GWH The Country Club of Linco Shadow Ridge CC Oak Hills Fremont GC Wilderness Ridge Happy Hollow ArborLinks Whispering Creek Firethorn GC Green Valley GC Riverside GC Riverside GC ArborLinks Oak Hills Elks Country Club Quarry Oaks Fremont GC Omaha CC

Omaha, NE Omaha, NE Omaha, NE Lincoln, NE Omaha, NE Omaha, NE Fremont, NE Lincoln, NE Omaha, NE Nebraska City, NE Sioux City, IA Lincoln, NE Sioux City , IA Grand Island, NE Grand Island, NE Nebraska City, NE Omaha, NE Columbus, NE Ashland, NE Fremont, NE Omaha, NE

Click here to Register

2016

Tournament News Lincoln, NE. – Area amateur and PGA Professional golfers teed off for first of two National Car Rental PGA Pro-Am Series at Hillcrest C.C. Professional and Amateur golfers competing in one of Nebraska’s largest Pro-Am’s of the year were treated to near perfect golfing conditions. Ryan Vermeer of Tiburon G.C. capitalized on these conditions to win the low professional title at three-par 69. Vermeer made seven birdies on the day but a couple untimely bogeys and one double-bogey prevented Vermeer from really having a spectacular day. Finishing two strokes back at one-under par 71 was Nick Wanderscheid, PGA of Green Valley G.C. Tony Baranowski, PGA of Shadow Ridge C.C. rounded out the top three low professionals by posting his best finish of the season with an even-par 72.

Omaha, Nebraska –Blustery conditions welcomed participants to the first in-state Nebraska Section PGA Pro-Am of the year at Tiburon G.C. for the Harris Yamaha Golf Cars 27-hole Pro-Am. Ryan Vermeer of Tiburon G.C. used some home course knowledge to pace the professional field by posting a tournament best, three-under-par 105 total over the 27-hole competition. Vermeer made five birdies and an eagle but they we accompanied by two bogies and one double-bogey on his scorecard. 2015 Player of the Year, Shane Zywiec, PGA of Highlands G.C. finished two strokes back at one-under-par 107. Rounding out the top three was Jon Petersen, PGA of Tiburon G.C. who posted a two-over-par 110 total.

2016

Tournament News Omaha, Nebraska – Despite gusty winds and tough playing conditions there was some outstanding golf played at the first in-state Nebraska Section PGA event of the year at The Players Club at Deer Creek. Bryan Hughett, PGA of Norfolk C.C. used a red-hot putter to pace the field with an impressive six-under-par 65 to capture medalist honors. Hughett got off to a solid start with even-par 36 on his front nine. However, his final 9 holes featured six birdies and a sixunder-par 29. Finishing four back at two-under-par 69 was Matt Nice, PGA of The Ridge G.C. Rounding out the top three individual finishers was Ryan Vermeer of Tiburon G.C. who finished at even-par 71. Matt Nice, PGA of The Ridge G.C. inspired his team of Bob Vermeer, PGA and Ryan Vermeer of Tibruon G.C. to capture the team title at 11-under-par 60. This team made nine birdies and one eagle on the day. Hughett’s stellar play propelled his team of Jeff Porter, PGA of ArborLinks and Tony Pesavento, PGA of Omaha C.C. to an eight-under-par 63. Rounding out the top three teams was Adam Bradfield of Country Drive G.C., Tim Kruse, PGA of Golf Galaxy – Omaha and Ted DiGiacomo, PGA of Council Bluffs C.C. with a five under-par 66. The shot of the day went to DiGiacomo, who made an albatross (2) on the par 5, 15th hole.

Local Qualifiers: Saturday, June 4, 2016 - Hillcrest Country Club, Lincoln Friday, July 8, 2016 - Riverside Golf Club, Grand Island Saturday, July 9, 2016 - The Players Club, Omaha

GROW THE GAME Matt Shaner, PGA General Manager Kearney Country Club Every day as PGA Professionals we look for new ways to bring people to the game of golf. We do free golf clinics to the public, talk with civic organizations about Golf-n-Schools programs or YMCA Sports academies, donating our time to help introduce the game and our facilities to the outside world to GROW the Game. In this day and age, with dual income families, more and more kids activities, it’s hard to show value to young families to join your respective facility. Reaching the wives and kids of those male golfers is an important aspect of converting those single memberships to full family memberships. Five years ago our Ladies League, and Couples golf were very weak. Ladies at our club wanted to have a more social, non-competitive atmosphere when they came out to play golf, so we created a non-traditional golf league for those that did not want to compete in a more traditional league. We created goofy formats or “Flogton Golf” (http://www.growthegameofgolf.org/flogton/) “Flogton” is NOT GOLF spelled backwards. Our formats were very laid back for the ladies to go have fun and get better with their skills, and if our ladies only want to play 3 holes, or 6 holes they can. Whiffs were not counted, if they hit their ball under a tree they moved it out so they could improve their skill of swinging vs having to punch out from trees all the time, and if they hit their ball in a trap they tried to get it out with a swing and if it didn’t work they dropped it out, adding 1 shot to their score, and playing on. We did the same thing with our Couples Golf nights as well, so the ladies did not feel they had to “impress” or feel pressured to perform. Our formats put more pressure on the males, but rewarded the females for hitting good shots and being a part of a team. We recognize the low scores, but normally do a blind draw for our winners or a low score, middle of the pack score and high score. By putting our beginning ladies in a more laid back atmosphere we began to see more of them coming out with their husbands, and friends to play more. We have had very a good response to converting our single memberships, and even our social memberships, to full family golf memberships by introducing the game to their wives in that non-competitive situation. Not only does it help to bring more people to the game, but also creates that family oriented time that all families fight for in the 21st century.

Date

Site

City

Deadline

Player Memo

June 1

Crooked Creek

Lincoln, NE

May 24

Information

June 7

Shoreline

Carter Lake, IA

May 30

Information

June 10

The Bluffs

Vermillion, SD

June 2

Information

June 14

Knolls

Omaha, NE

June 6

Information

June 16

Wilderness Ridge -

Lincoln, NE

June 8

Information

June 21

Miracle Hill

Omaha, NE

June 13

Information

June 22

Floyd Park

Sioux City, IA

June 14

Information

June 24

Riverside

Grand Island, NE

June 16

Information

June 28

Hidden Valley

Lincoln, NE

June 20

Information

June 29

Tara Hills

Papillion, NE

June 21

Information

June 30

Jackrabbit Run

Grand Island, NE

June 22

Information

July 6

Jim Ager

Lincoln, NE

June 28

Information

July 11

Fox Run

Council Bluffs, IA

July 3

Information

July 12

Awarii Dunes

Axtell, NE

July 4

Information

July 13

Dodge Riverside

Council Bluffs, IA

July 5

Information

July 15

Sioux City CC

Sioux City, IA

July 7

Information

July 19

Pacific Springs

Omaha, NE

July 11

Information

July 20

HiMark

Lincoln, NE

July 12

Information

July 21

Two Rivers

North Sioux City, SD

July 13

Information

July 25

Mahoney

Lincoln, NE

July 17

Information

July 28

Lochland CC

Hastings, NE

July 20

Information

August 3

Championship @

Fremont, NE

Invitation

Pictured Above: PGA Junior Series alum, Jordan Spieth

Assistants Championship – August 1 – Riverside Country Club, Grand Island, NE

Senior Championship – August 1-2 – Riverside Country Club, Grand Island, NE

Section Championship – August 8-9 – ArborLinks, Nebraska City, NE

Looking for a keepsake that celebrates the history of the golf professional, past and present? In recognition of your Association's Centennial anniversary, this special-edition coffee table book is for anyone who loves the game of golf as well as those who love it enough to make it their legacy. Get your copy of the PGA's Official Centennial Commemorative Book today!

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Education Corner  

Access the 2016 PGA Merchandise Show videos Access the 2015 PGA Merchandise Show videos  Update PGA.org Profile  Player Development MSR Reporting Form

The title of this article, borrowed from the 1966 epic western film starring Clint Eastwood, refers to three situations that occurred during the 2016 Masters Tournament. The Good refers to the hole-in-one by Louis Oosthuizen during the final round. The Bad refers to a two-stroke penalty incurred by Zach Johnson during the second round. The Ugly refers to Billy Horschel’s ball being moved by the wind during the third round. The Good: The above four photographs (courtesy of CBS Sports) illustrate what happened to the balls of Louis Oosthuizen and J.B. Holmes on the 16th green during the final round. The first photograph shows J.B. Holmes’ ball at rest within a couple of feet from the hole as Oosthuizen’s ball is curving down the slope towards the hole. The second photograph shows the position of the two balls just after Oosthuizen’s ball collided with Holmes’ ball. The third photograph shows Oosthuizen’s ball disappearing into the hole with Holmes’ ball rolling just past the hole, and the fourth photograph shows Holmes’ ball at rest below the hole. Rule 19-5 [Ball in Motion Deflected or Stopped by Another Ball] states, “If a player’s ball in motion after a stroke is deflected … by a ball in play and at rest, the player must play his ball as it lies.” Thus, Oosthuizen scored a hole-in-one because his deflected ball ended up in the hole. As for Holmes, Rule 18-5 [Ball at Rest Moved by Another Ball] states, “If a ball in play and at rest is moved by another ball in motion after a stroke, the moved ball must be replaced.” Thus, Holmes had to replace his ball on the spot where it originally came to rest; he then putted it into the hole for a birdie. The Bad: 2007 Masters champion, Zach Johnson, missed the cut by one stroke due to a two-stroke penalty that he incurred during the second round. With his ball resting in Rae’s Creek short of the 13 th green, Johnson’s wedge barely touched the water as he was making his backswing. Rule 13-4 [Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions] states, in part, “… before making a stroke at a ball that is in a hazard (whether a bunker or a water hazard) … the player must not … [t]ouch the ground in a hazard or water in the water hazard with his hand or a club …” The penalty for a breach of this Rule in stroke play is two strokes. When applying this Rule, it is important to remember that the backswing is not part of the stroke. The Definition of “Stroke” states, in part, “A stroke is the forward movement of the club made with the intention of striking at and moving the ball ….” [Emphasis added] The Ugly: During the third round, Billy Horschel cleared the pond fronting the green on the par-5 15th hole with his second shot, ending up left of the green. His subsequent chip came to rest about 13 feet from the hole. After he marked, lifted and replaced his ball, and while surveying his putt for a birdie, a gust of wind caused the ball to start rolling off the green and into the water hazard. As shown in the adjacent photograph courtesy of CBS Sports, Horschel watched in amazement as his ball rolled by and must have been thinking that the “Golf gods” owed him one for such cruel and unusual punishment. According to Rule 18-1 [Ball at Rest Moved by Outside Agency], if a ball at rest is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced. Unfortunately, for Horschel, wind is not an outside agency! See Decision 18-1/12 [Ball Replaced and at Rest Is Thereafter Moved by Wind] which indicates that a ball moved by wind must be played from its new position. With his ball now in the water hazard, Horschel used one of the options available under Rule 26-1 [Relief for Ball in Water Hazard], namely playing a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played, i.e., chipping again from left of the green. He chipped close to the hole and, one putt later, walked off the green with a bogey 6 when, just a few minutes before, he was looking to make birdie on the hole! 21

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Employment Changes Employee

Current Class Current Facility

Prev. Facility

Prev. Class

Justin Herron

B-13

Pacific Springs Golf Course

Ashland Golf Club

B-1

Alex Janssen, PGA

A-1

Sioux City Country Club

A-8

William Keane, PGA

A-1

Sioux City Country Club

A-8

Jared Keenan, PGA

A-1

Crooked Creek Golf Club

A-8

Mitch Merrill, PGA

A-4

Sioux City Country Club

A-1

Ricky Reynoldson, PGA

A-4

Crooked Creek Golf Club

A-1

Eric Wheeldon

B-8

Fremont Golf Club

James River Country Club

B-8

Joseph Finnegan, PGA

Thomas Everett, PGA

Scott Harmelink, PGA

Kyle Huse, PGA

Tyler Lane

Jonathan Hoesing, PGA

Timothy Kruse, PGA

Mark Mooberry, PGA

Brian Steventon, PGA

Kyle Bullerman, PGA

David Honnens, PGA Executive Director dhonnens@pgahq.com

Sean Oâ€™Neill, PGA Tournament Director soneill@pgahq.com

Seth Scollard, PGA

Kevin Doby, PGA

Thomas Potvin, PGA

Kirk Hogen, PGA

Thomas Jeffers, PGA

Loudan Steffes, PGA

Jacob Burling

Cliff Yohe, PGA

William Keane, PGA

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

Renee Tyson Operations Manager rtyson@pgahq.com