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Dear Nebraska Section Professionals, My years as an officer have flown by unbelievably fast. I was once told that time is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes. That is no lie. I’m very appreciative of the opportunity that I have had to be a small part of something very big and very rewarding. The Nebraska Section has many great things going on: the foundation, team golf, YMCA golf, and we are playing for larger purses in our tournaments than we ever have before. We have an incredible staff in David, Renee, Sean and Joe that work tirelessly to make our section the very best it can be. There is no doubt that the Nebraska Section is thriving and believe me when I say it all starts with the staff that we have in place. Thank you very much David and company! I have been very fortunate to have been surrounded by not only the staff but my fellow officers over the last six years. They have taught me many great things and have definitely made me a better golf professional. I thank Chris Thomson, Corey Fletcher, Greg Neujahr, Jared Anderson, Tony Pesavento and Nathan Kalin for all that they have done for me but more importantly, the Nebraska Section. These are some of the finest gentlemen that I have had the privilege to be associated with and to learn from. It takes a village to accomplish all of the things we do in the Nebraska Section. Committees are very important and I can’t say thank you enough to the following chairmen for their service during my presidency: Chris Cover – Membership, Jim White – Junior Golf, Bob Baber – Player Development, Scott Holly – Education and Mike Schuchart – Tournaments. Thank you also to the professionals that served on these committees. We are very fortunate to have such great golf professionals that give of their time. Thank you all!!! As for the rest of my service to the Nebraska Section, I will finish out my next two years as your Honorary President doing what is asked of me and hopefully I will be able to contribute some thoughts and ideas that will help keep the Nebraska Section moving forward. If you have ever considered being involved in our section, I highly suggest you get a hold of David Honnens and sign up for something now. This is the time and I guarantee that you will never regret giving a piece of yourself to something that will do nothing but make you a better professional and person. Thank you for taking the time to read this message. Respectfully submitted, Mike Antonio, PGA Nebraska Section President

To print a copy of the nomination forms: Golf Professional of the Year Teacher of the Year Player Development Merchandiser of the Year Bill Strausbaugh Horton Smith Sales Rep of the Year Facility of the Year Youth Player Development Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Patriot Award Nebraska Section PGA | 610 J Street, Ste 10 | Lincoln, NE 68508 | Ph: (402) 489-7760 | Fx: (402) 489-1785 | www.nebraskapga.com

The Nebraska Section PGA would like to thank Bruce and Laura Lubach on their dedication and service to the Nebraska Section PGA. Bruce and Laura were honored at the 2015 Fall Business Meeting. Bruce will be moving to the Southwest PGA Section as their new PGA of America Employment Consultant. Congratulations Bruce and best wishes to you and your new endeavor.

The Nebraska Section PGA recently held its Fall Business Meeting at Champions Run that featured special guest, Pete Bevacqua, CEO of The PGA of America. Bevacqua shared with the Nebraska Section Membership the long-term strategic plan for the Association focusing on serving the members and growing the game. The Nebraska Section is extremely grateful for Pete taking time out is very busy schedule to show his passion and support for the Sections. The meeting was capped off by the election of officers. Tony Pesavento, PGA of Omaha C.C. is the newly elected President and Nathan Kalin, PGA of Fremont G.C. is the newly elected Vice-President. The Secretary race featured three outstanding candidates, Joe Finnegan, PGA of Shadow Ridge C.C., Mike Cornell, PGA of Champions Run and Gil Russell, PGA of ArborLinks. In the end, Russell of ArborLinks captured this race and is the newly elected Secretary.

Tony Pesavento, PGA

Gil Russell, PGA

Omaha C.C.

ArborLinks

President

Secretary

Nathan Kalin, PGA Fremont G.C Vice President

Mike Antonio, PGA Happy Hollow Club Honorary President

reCAPTCHA Email Verification Tool –

PGA Winter Due to a rapid increase in Championships recent attacks by hackers PGA Golf Club – Port St. Lucie, FL using computerized January-February 2016

“robots” to compromise PGA member pga.com e-mail accounts, the PGA has implemented a security feature, reCAPTCHA, to protect the integrity of pga.com e-mail accounts. The feature requires members, apprentices and PGM University students to complete a login challenge, visual or audio, that is displayed on the screen and helps identify the user as a human, not a robot. This technique is commonly used by businesses to prevent hacking attacks. PGA professional e-mail accounts could be shut down by our third party e-mail provider whenever an attack occurs if this new security feature was not implemented. PGA expects this technique will be used until the industry finds a more convenient way to deal with this security issue. It should be noted that the technique being used learns from and time and will eventually recognize the user, and then no longer require the login challenge. Members, apprentices and PGM University students should contact Membership Services at (800) 474-2776 with any pga.com e-mail access concerns.

Quarter Century Championship - January 6-7, 2016 Senior Stroke Play Championship - January 12-14, 2016 Senior-Junior Team Championship - January 19-22, 2016 Women's Stroke Play Championship - February 2-4, 2016 Stroke Play Championship - February 2-5, 2016 Match Play Qualifying/Seeding - February 8, 2016 Match Play Championship - February 9-12, 2016 Entry deadlines TBD. Click here for more information.

PGA Get Insured Enrollment is available starting November 1st for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As a PGA Professional, you have access to a unique individual insurance platform service at no additional cost. Click here to view the full flyer with more details or click here to find a plan that’s right for you!

2016 PGA/USGA Rules of Golf Workshop Online registration for a 2016 PGA/USGA Rules of Golf Workshop begins Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015.You can register via phone beginning Monday, Oct. 26. More information

2015 PGA Tournament Series Make plans NOW for the 2015 PGA Tournament Series presented by Golf Advisor. The PGA will accept entries for the 2015 PGA Tournament Series beginning October 21. Six competitive events have been scheduled for November/December at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, with $10,000 sponsor dollars added to each event’s purse. These 2-day events are a great way for players to compete against other PGA Professionals, win money and possibly accumulate national Player of the Year points in the process. Click here to see the schedule and to register.

Vermeer and Zywiec End Season On High Note Ryan Vermeer of Tiburon G.C. and Shane Zywiec, PGA of Seward C.C. ended the season on high note finishing first and second respectfully at the E-ZGO/Bushnell Golf Pro-Am at Oak Hills C.C. Vermeer posted a two-under-par 69 and did so in style by finishing with birdies on #16 and #17 and a par on #18 to close with a three-under-par 32. Vermeer’s solid play all season helped him in capturing the 2015 Apprentice OMEGA Nebraska Section Player of the Year Award. Zyweic continued his solid play by posting at one-under-par 70. Zywiec also birdied the par 5 #8 hole which also secured the season long OMEGA “Holes of the Week” challenge. Zywiec also wrapped up the inaugural Professional OMEGA Nebraska Section Player of the Year Award. This is Zywiec’s third consecutive Player of the Year Award. View More

25th Annual

Vegas Classic February 22-24 Click to view/print the flyer and entry form!

On this Halloween, while you are munching on all of your leftover “trick or treat” candy, see if you can identify the “trick” (incorrect) statements versus the “treat” (correct) statements in the following Rules situations: 1. Upon arriving at the 1st teeing ground, you count your clubs and discover that you have 15 clubs in your bag. There is no penalty if you declare one of the clubs to be out of play and place it on the floor board of your golf cart before you begin your round. 2. While addressing your ball in the fairway on the 4th hole, you accidentally nudge your ball with your club and it moves. You are aware that you have incurred a penalty for moving your ball in play, but you are not aware that you must replace your ball before playing your next stroke. Thus, you sign and return your score card including only a one-stroke penalty for the 4th hole. For this transgression, you are disqualified. 3. While waiting for the putting green on a par-3 to clear, you reach into your golf bag for a weighted “doughnut” which you put on a club that you then swing to help you stay loose. There is no penalty. 4. When it comes to putting, you struggle with the “yips,” but you have found that you can putt effectively by anchoring the butt end of a long putter against your sternum. The penalty for doing this is disqualification. Answers: 1. Trick Decision 4-4c/1 [Excess Club Declared Out of Play Before Round and Placed on Floor of Golf Cart] advises that there is nothing in the Rules that allows you to carry, during a round, an excess club declared out of play before the round. Thus, there is currently a penalty under Rule 4-4a [Maximum of Fourteen Clubs - Selection and Addition of Clubs] for possessing more than 14 clubs when starting a round. However, effective January 1, 2016, this Decision will be revised to indicate that there is no penalty under these particular circumstances. 2. Treat According to Rule 6-6d [Scoring in Stroke Play – Wrong Score for Hole], the current penalty for unknowingly (or knowingly) returning a score for any hole lower than actually taken is disqualification. However, effective January 1, 2016, the following Exception will enable you to avoid the disqualification penalty when you were unaware that you had incurred a one-stroke or two-stroke penalty: “If a competitor returns a score for any hole lower than actually taken due to failure to include one or more penalty strokes that, before returning his score card, he did not know he had incurred, he is not disqualified. In such circumstances, the competitor incurs the penalty prescribed by the applicable Rule and an additional penalty of two strokes for each hole at which the competitor has committed a breach of Rule 6-6d. This Exception does not apply when the applicable penalty is disqualification from the competition.” 3. Trick Decision 14-3/10 [Use of Training or Swing Aid During Round] indicates that you would be in breach of Rule 14-3 [Artificial Devices, Unusual Equipment and Unusual Use of Equipment] for using an artificial device to assist you in your play. The current penalty for a breach of Rule 14-3 is disqualification. However, effective January 1, 2016, the penalty for breaching this Rule will change to loss of hole in match play, or two strokes in stroke play, for the first offense; and disqualification for any subsequent offense. 4. Trick Currently, there is no penalty for anchoring a club against your body while making a stroke. However, effective January 1, 2016, new Rule 14-1b [Anchoring the Club] will impose a loss of hole penalty in match play, or a two-stroke penalty in stroke play, whenever you anchor the club, either “directly” or by use of an “anchoring point” while making a stroke. Nebraska Section PGA | 610 J Street, Ste 10 | Lincoln, NE 68508 | Ph: (402) 489-7760 | Fx: (402) 489-1785 | www.nebraskapga.com

Lawrence Davies, PGA Thomas Erlandson, PGA Tyler Rolf, PGA Kent Lyons, PGA John Morrison III Douglas Bengston, PGA Gil Russell, PGA Wade Foreman, PGA Kevin Sullivan, PGA Timothy Sheridan, PGA William Schellen, PGA Troy Harder, PGA Larry Romjue, PGA Clayton Anderson, PGA Douglas Dunbar, PGA Robert Baber, PGA Jared Kalin, PGA

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Joseph Sutter, PGA Derrick Ceder, PGA Shane Zywiec, PGA William Jacobsen, PGA Timothy Rowland, PGA Michael Brown, PGA Brian Bussinger, PGA Brandon Wedding Todd Anderson, PGA Timothy Nelson, PGA Carly Ulrich, PGA Chad Gill, PGA Justin Henry, PGA Kevin Drew, PGA Sonya Freese, PGA Bob McCormack, PGA

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

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

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

Renee Tyson Operations Manager rtyson@pgahq.com