Issuu

Three Nebraska PGA Drive, Chip, and Putt Qualifiers Moving On to the Finals at Augusta National Three local juniors will be attending the 2015 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club. Nia Station of Omaha, Marcus Holling of Grand Island, and Jason Cruise Jr. of Bellevue each won their age division at Tiffany Greens Golf Club to advance to the finals. They will be competing in the finals on April 5, 2015, the Sunday before the Masters. Click here to see full results from the Regional Qualifier.

Marcus Holling

Jason Cruise Jr.

Nia Station

TED DIGIACOMO Omaha Steaks Holes of the Week Winner 3

Thank you to the Nebraska PGA Staff and Committee Members for strongly recommending and informing us this past offseason of the nationwide trend toward youth golf teams. After my experience this season, I can’t recommend highly enough to offer a youth team opportunity at your facility. I believe this team concept will continue to grow very fast. With the consistent schedule of team practices and tournament events, the kids were engaged and excited about golf all summer long. I noticed obvious improvement in each junior’s playing ability and their knowledge of how to play the game (etiquette) on the course. The 2-person best shot format enables advanced and beginner level juniors to compete together with everyone contributing to the team score. While I was very interested in our section’s “Team Golf”, I am challenged by the fact that my facility is located so far away from the metro areas. A group of professionals in my area (Spencer Golf & Country Club, The Ridge, Brooks Golf Club and Emerald Hills) formed a four team league in PGA Junior League Golf. The kids were really fired up to be a part of a team and have a jersey with their own number on it! I had multiple parents tell me early in the season that their son or daughter told them “I need to practice… I don’t want to let my team down”. It was really fun to see kids showing up at the course at 8:00 am already wearing their team jersey when the event didn’t begin until 3:30 pm. The two times our tournaments had to be rescheduled due to rain, the kids were devastated to have to wait until a later day as they enjoy the events so much. The PGA Junior League offers a nationwide postseason competition after the regular season is completed. Our four team groups formed an All-Star team and traveled to Des Moines Golf & Country Club in August for the State of Iowa All-Star Competition and competed against three other regions. Our team won both of our matches that day to advance to play against the state of Minnesota Champions. The kids had the opportunity to play this sectional match at TPC Twin Cities in Minneapolis and pulled out a win in a very close and exciting match. The team is now headed to Cog Hill Country Club in Chicago to a four team regional tournament for a chance to advance to the National Competition in Georgia. It has been a tremendous opportunity for these kids to play these quality courses and experience the excitement and pressure while bonding as a team. They have gained confidence in their golfing ability and the experiences in both the regular season and postseason have made a difference in whether they will stick with golf in the years to come or choose to focus on other sports and activities. Cog Hill here we come!

Adam Coates, PGA Spencer Golf & CC

NW IOWA ALL STAR TEAM CHICAGO (KTIV) -The Northwest Iowa All Stars junior golf team won their Midwest Regional Saturday with 20.5 points. The All Stars, based in Spencer, Iowa, beat two teams from Illinois and one from Wisconsin. The team will now advance to the PGA Junior League National championship at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia. That tournament is October 23rd through the 26th. Nebraska Section PGA | 610 J Street., Ste 10 | Lincoln, NE 68508 | Ph: (402) 489-7760 | Fx: (402) 489-1785 | www.nebraskapga.com

As the “Experts in the Game and Business of Golf” the power of education is the single most important way to help enhance and transform our industry. Many of today’s thriving industries outside of the golf industry have alluded to the fact that there is a strong correlation between the economic viability of an industry and its education attained by those who work in it. It is a priority of the Section to provide meaningful educational opportunities for you to meet these requirements. To review your current MSR status, please go to www.pgalinks.com and login. Under “your membership data” will be your current credits earned and what is still required. To receive MSR’s for your Player Development Program, please complete the “MSR Report Form” and submit it to Nebraska Section Player Development Coordinator, Joe Canny, PGA at jcanny@pgahq.com or by fax 402-489-1785.

WHAT:

Online Education - Golf 2.0

WHAT: 2014 Merchandise Show

INFO:

Click Here for Log In

WHEN: October 26, 2014

MSRs:

3 MSRs - Toward PGA Required WHERE: Champions Run, Omaha

MSRs:

2 MSRs

WHAT:

Fall Education

WHAT: 2014 Fall Meeting

WHEN:

October 26, 2014

WHEN: October 27, 2014

WHERE:

Champions Run, Omaha

WHERE: Champions Run, Omaha

MSRs:

TBD

MSRs:

WHAT:

Nebraska Golf Summit

WHEN:

November 6, 2014

WHERE:

Hillcrest Country Club, Lincoln

MSRs

TBD

3 MSRs

“Quarry Oaks has been open for 18 years now and while golf is still our core business, we have diversified and found new ways to generate revenue and utilize this amazing piece of property we have”, said Joe Sutter PGA. “About 6 years ago we were approached about hosting an off road trail run by the local running store in Omaha, we had 500 runners the first year, the event is held in November on a Sunday morning so it did not interfere with golf. The event has grown to over 2,500 runners and generates some nice revenue in the winter.” “We also host our own run in the spring on a Saturday evening that has seen as many as 2,000 runners.” “We also have our own Honey production company at Quarry Oaks, we produce about 500 jars of honey a year – well actually the bees do, and we sell it out of our golf shop for $10 a jar. We have a bee keeper that assists us, as we are still learning the craft, but Brian Steventon, PGA and I will take over the whole operation in the upcoming years.” We feel it is incredibly important to re-invent yourself every few years and try to do different things to make certain you add value to your facility, we think these extracurricular activities accomplish that goal.

Joe Sutter, PGA Quarry Oaks Golf Club Director of Golf

Posting Your Player Development MSRs The off-season for the Nebraska Section is approaching fast and it is time for all of us to take a breather and catch up on many important items while also preparing for next year. One important thing to do this fall is make sure you receive your MSR credits earned this golf season. It is crucial to stay on top of your Member Service Requirements each season to ensure you maintain PGA Membership. To check your current status, you may click here. In June 2011, The PGA of America announced it would now award MSR credits for Player Development. The credits for Golf 2.0/Player Development must be earned via the reporting of actual creation, activation and engagement of golfers into programming that supports Golf 2.0 initiatives and related program administration. These player development credits count toward the â€œRequiredâ€? category just like meetings and education have in the past. The key is you must report your programs to receive credit. There are a number of ways to report your player development programs and we will highlight them below. 1. Did you post your programs to ACTIVE? Programs posted on PGA of America websites through ACTIVE Works are actually ready for MSR posting. You simply have to go in and select which PGA Professionals at your facility receive the credits. Visit the MSR Center on PlayGolfAmerica.com and select your program and you will be prompted through a series of screens to award MSRs.

2. MSRs for Player Development Programs not Posted on PGA of America Websites Visit the MSR Center on PlayGolfAmerica.com To continue reading the about the various ways to report your player development programs, please click here.

EMPLOYMENT CORNER Staying Relevant – What Can I Do? PGA Professionals who have been at the same facility, in the same job, or in similar jobs for most or all of their entire career may struggle with becoming complacent or with keeping up with the ever changing demands of the business. This is especially true as careers edge toward retirement. Staying relevant and productive is the key to late stage career success. I would also suggest this is true for ALL professionals regardless of where you are in your career. Becoming complacent, getting in a rut or getting too “comfortable” in any position or facility can be dangerous. Keeping things fresh and staying relevant are things we all should strive to do on a regular basis. Five keys to staying relevant are: 1. Take Inventory – Take a fresh look at who you are, what you have accomplished and where you want to go next. Be frank and honest in your evaluation and ask for a third party’s opinion to get a true picture. 2. Set Goals – Establish specific personal and professional goals for both the short term (current year) and long term (e.g. next career move and/or retirement). Evaluate and measure your progress at periodic intervals to keep you fresh and moving forward. 3. Embrace Education – Learning keeps you up to date and helps prevent stagnation. The PGA Certified Professional Program is a tremendous value that enables you to stay relevant in your specific career path or a newly desired career path. 4. Shake Things Up – It is too easy to fall into the trap of doing things the same way year after year, especially if it seems to be working. Resist the natural tendency to be afraid of change. Incorporate something new in each area of your personal life and each program area in your job to remain fresh and vibrant. 5. Stay Active – Remain active in your association. Continue to attend meetings, play in tournaments, and consider serving as a volunteer at the chapter, section or national level. At any stage of your career but especially after you have several years under your belt, you have much to offer. You will have much to gain by continuing to broaden your network of professional friends and fellow professionals. For veteran professionals, age and experience can be viewed as good or bad in the marketplace. Use these five keys to stay relevant and make both your age and your experience work for you. For less experienced professionals who are early in their careers, understand staying relevant, never resting on your laurels, separating yourself from your peers and being on the cutting edge will serve you well over your entire career. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions about this information or any other employment related matter. Bruce Lubach, PGA, is the PGA of America Employment Consultant for the Colorado, Iowa, Midwest, Minnesota and Nebraska Sections. He can be reached at blubach@pgahq.com or (402) 261-3604.

FISHER, CALCAVECCHIA INTO GOLF HALL Golf for Jerry Fisher started with a paper route in Beatrice. A 10-year-old delivering the Lincoln Star, Fisher was asked by a subscriber whether he wanted to make some extra money as a caddy on Ladies Day at the Beatrice Country Club. “I didn’t know what caddying was and I certainly didn’t know anything about golf,” said Fisher, who is one of five who will be inducted into the Nebraska Golf Hall of Fame on Monday at the Country Club of Lincoln. Fisher, who later became a longtime pro at CCL, picked up golf bags, started hitting golf balls in his spare time and eventually, you couldn’t get a club out of his hands. “I don’t know if I could do 72 holes in a day, walking, heck, even in a cart, like I used to when I had a day off,” said Fisher, who eventually got a job at the Beatrice Country Club and later went to college at Hastings. “I played almost every day — anytime I had a chance.” Fisher, who will turn 70 in December, eventually got a job as head pro at the Meadowbrook Course (no longer operational) in Hastings. After a few years, he moved to the assistant pro job at the Country Club of Lincoln under Bud Williamson. “They hired an assistant from Texas, but on March 1, that guy’s first day, we had a lot of snow,” Fisher said. “Bud found a note on the door that the new assistant couldn’t handle snow and was headed back to Texas. Buddy Williamson Jr. called up Fisher and said there was a job opening. I came to Lincoln.” After a year as assistant, Fisher became head pro and worked and taught at the club until 1992. “It’s funny because when I told Bob Legenza, the head pro at Beatrice, that I wanted to become a pro, he said, ‘No way. You love to play golf too much.’” There are lessons, running the shop, managing a staff to run the range, taking care of club members, running tournaments and so many other duties, that golf is about the last thing club pros get to do. “I loved it and I was fortunate to coach the Nebraska women’s golf team for some time, too,” said Fisher, who later helped build Crooked Creek Golf Course, and worked in sales with Slazenger. “They talked about how we stole the Big Eight title in 1983 when we had a team of five Nebraska girls (Cathy Nelson, Jan Stanard, Shelly Godeken, Kari Mangan and Carin Roberts) winning in Oklahoma.” Fisher still gives lessons and does club regripping, club fitting and some club repair. He gets in a weekly round with longtime friends. “I shot a 70 this summer and almost shot my age, and I’ll keep trying, but I know I can’t play the way I once did,” he said. “I still try to coach — myself. Like don’t use a wedge from 2 feet off the green, no coach would tell you to do that. And 'play your shot,’ not the next shot or the one before, just this one right here. “But you know, I’ve learned we’re all lousy coaches when we coach ourselves.” For reservations for Monday's afternoon golf and 7 p.m. dinner at the Country Club of Lincoln, contact the Nebraska Golf Hall of Fame at nebraskagolfhalloffame.com. Four others will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year: * Mark Calcavecchia, a Laurel native, won the 1989 British Open, played on four Ryder Cup teams and claimed 13 wins on the PGA Tour and two on the Champions Tour. Calcavecchia left Nebraska when he was young but recalled the days when he’d go swimming, ride his bike to the course in Laurel, and play 36 holes barefoot while still in his swim trunks. Click here to continue reading. Nebraska Section PGA | 610 J Street, Ste 10 | Lincoln, NE 68508 | Ph: (402) 489-7760 | Fx: (402) 489-1785 | www.nebraskapga.com

E-Z-GO Facility Championship at Shadow Ridge bogey free seven-under-par 64. Zywiec started his Omaha, NE. –Some familiar round off hot birding his names headlined the E-Z-GO first two holes and added Facilities Championship and another birdie on hole #7. finished with an unusual finish Zywiec continued this with four PGA Professionals momentum on his inward finishing tied for first. Jon nine by posting three birdies Petersen, PGA of Tiburon to cruise to the Laser Link G.C., Jim White, PGA MP of Golf Pro-Am title. West Nine & Learning Center, Finishing two strokes back Greg Neujahr, PGA of at five-under-par 66 was Ryan Vermeer of Tiburon Champions Run and Shane Zywiec, PGA of G.C. View more. Highlands G.C. all posted a solid round of two-under CHRIS THOMPSON CAPTURES THE 23RD par 70 to capture a share of the E-Z-GO Facilities NEBRASKA OPEN Championship at Shadow Ridge C.C. Ryan Vermeer of Tiburon G.C. and Kevin Drew, PGA of The Field Club of Omaha finished at one-under par 71 and one Columbus— stroke back. View more. NE, Chris Thompson of WANDERSCHEID & SIECKMANN CAPTURE Lawrence, KS ALL STAR PRO GOLF TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP continued his great play and Beatrice, NE- The team birdied his of Nick Wanderscheid, opening hole PGA of Green Valley and grabbed GC (IA) and James four more along Sieckmann, PGA of the way to win the 2014 Nebraska Open presented by Shadow Ridge Country Wells Fargo. Thompson’s impressive total of 17Club (Omaha) captured under-par total 196 was also a Nebraska Open record. the 2014 All Star Pro Grant Doverspike of The Woodlands, TX made a run Golf Team at Thompson with a closing round seven-under-par 64 Championship hosted at to finish three strokes back. Ryan Vermeer of Oak Beatrice Country Club. Wanderscheid and Sieckmann Hills C.C. was the low Nebraska Section PGA finished at 21-under-par which was good enough for a Professional at seven-under-par and good enough for a three shot victory over the team of Ryan Vermeer and tied for seventh finish. View more. Chris Wiemers, PGA in the 36-hole championship. View more. ZYWIEC CAPTURES LASER LINK GOLF PRO-AM Fremont, NE. – Shane Zywiec, PGA of Highlands G.C. capitalized on near perfect scoring conditions to blister the par 71 course layout at Fremont C.C. with a Nebraska Section PGA | 610 J Street, Ste 10 | Lincoln, NE 68508 | Ph: (402) 489-7760 | Fx: (402) 489-1785 | www.nebraskapga.com

Nebraska PGA 2014 Tournament Schedule Date

Tournament

Info

Registration

Oct 13

Club Car / Cutter & Buck Pro-3 Am The Country Club of Linco - Lincoln, NE

Info

2014 Merchandise Show/Education and Fall Meeting October 26 & 27, 2014 Champions Run Omaha, NE

The 2014 Nebraska PGA Fall Merchandise Show/Education Seminar and Fall Meeting is just around the corner and we are looking forward to seeing you there! Stay tuned for the schedule of events. Presented by:

ONLINE PGA MEMBER MERCHANDISE SHOP Select items from the Team USA 2014 Ryder Cup uniform collection are now available for purchase in the online PGA Member Merchandise Shop. Special member pricing is applied to this collection as well! Show your support by purchasing apparel from the "ALL IN IT TO WIN IT" campaign, with PGA proceeds going back to our PGA Sections. Shop Now!

CRALL NAMED TO BOARD OF ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE FOR GOLF PGA of America Chief Operating Officer Darrel Crall has been appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG), the philanthropic organization of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). Crall and Bill Maybard, director of golf course management at the Country Club of St. Albans in St. Louis, join the seven-member board that is headed by Keith Ihms, certified golf course superintendent (CGCS), president of the GCSAA, John O’Keefe, CGCS, serves as vice president, and Peter Grass, CGCS, is secretary/treasurer. Additional trustees are Rand Jerris of the USGA and Cal Roth of the PGA Tour. Click here to view more.

98th PGA OF AMERICA ANNUAL MEETING - NOVEMBER 18th - 22nd, 2014 in Indianapolis, IN In just a few short months, all PGA Section delegates and leaders will gather for the PGA of America’s Annual “Meeting. The meeting has a number of important “highlights including the election of the next PGA of America Secretary; the election of our own NENY PGA Derek Sprague into the President role of the PGA of America and a laundry list of resolutions that have been proposed and will be voted on by delegates. Click here to view a synopsis of the Proposed Resolutions.

A LANDMARK TIME FOR THE PGA OF AMERICA Over the past 45 days, we have experienced both the highest of peaks, with the phenomenal success of the 96th PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club; and one of the most profound challenges, in coming to the aid of fellow PGA Professionals impacted by the single-highest round of layoffs in our history. In both circumstances, our Association has projected dignity, class and pride. At Valhalla Golf Club, PGA General Manager Keith Reese and PGA Head Professional Chris Hamburger are shining examples of the type of members who make this Association great, and will allow us to succeed for years to come. Their tireless efforts, along with GCSAA Superintendent Roger Meier, and the more than 100 Kentucky PGA Section Professionals who volunteered, were what helped establish the 96th PGA Championship as one for the ages. Click here to view more.

Complete the PGA Professional Employment Review Survey Today! Earn 1 MSR Credit | Deadline is Tuesday, Sept. 30

ARE YOU ON TRACK? MSR Cycle Ends 06/15/2015

October Birthdays Scott Gutschewski, PGA Seth Ray, PGA Mark Stava, PGA Cory Fletcher, PGA Derek Benson Thomas Johnson Bruce Lubach, PGA Ross Barnes, PGA Christopher Thomson, PGA Damon Brower Greg Wiemers, PGA Derek Francois, PGA Adam Person, PGA Mark Steskal

10/1 10/1 10/1 10/2 10/3 10/4 10/6 10/7 10/7 10/10 10/10 10/11 10/11 10/11

Joel Wiest, PGA Robert Schuchart, PGA James Etter, PGA Nicholas Inutsuka, PGA Stephen Vieyra, PGA Michael Fauver, PGA Jonathan Mielke, PGA Jon Robins, PGA Joseph Wiegand, PGA Mark Kruse, PGA Bryan Hughett, PGA Robert Vermeer, PGA Timothy McAndrew, PGA Robert O'Keefe, PGA

10/11 10/13 10/15 10/16 10/19 10/21 10/21 10/21 10/21 10/23 10/27 10/28 10/30 10/31

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