May 2020
OFFICERS/BOARD
NEBRASKA PGA STAFF
President—Gil Russell, PGA
Executive Director/CEO—David Honnens, PGA
Vice President—Dawn Neujahr, PGA
Managing Director—Seth Scollard, PGA
Secretary—Mike Schuchart, PGA
Tournament Director—Vincent Bachteler, PGA
Honorary President—Nathan Kalin, PGA
Nebraska Junior Golf Director/PGA REACH Programming Assistant—Kurt Karcher, PGA
Board Member—Nick Wanderscheid, PGA
Operations Manager—Renee Tyson
Board Member—Joe Sutter, PGA
Development Officer—Bob Danenhauer Digital Media Specialist—Brett Renner
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Getting Your Facility Back2Golf As facilities continue to re-open, take advantage of these Back2Golf resources. Click here to download the Operations Playbook version 3.0, free social distancing posters, and a 30second Back2Golf PSA for your website or social media channels.
Coronavirus Resources Update
Event Information & Forms:
As you continue to navigate the information and resources available to you surrounding COVID-19, learn about the latest developments from Washington and how legislation might impact you and your everyday golf operations.
Assumption of Risk, Waiver, Release and Hold Harmless Agreement Nebraska Section PGA COVID-19 Certification Nebraska PGA Social Distancing Guidelines COVID-19 Local Rules
For additional resources and information regarding COVID-19, the PGA of America is continually updating their site at pga.org. Please use this link as your main source of information regarding Best Practices at your facility.
PGA.ORG
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“Thirty Seconds. We went like this, he went like that. I said to Hollywood, ‘Where’d he go?!’ Hollywood says, ‘Where’d who go?!’” Wolfman | Top Gun Hollywood and Wolfman never stood a chance. Viper took them down and left them wondering where the threat came from (and where it went). Even the best of the best at Top Gun can lose sight of a threat. And in true “life mimics art” fashion, Covid-19 caught some of us looking in one direction while it hit us from the other. Individuals, families, groups, and organizations were all impacted in their own way, and likely have learned a lot about themselves during this time.
By Dawn Neujahr, PGA While the memory of the past 60+ days will be with us for the foreseeable future, this feels like the for PGA Magazine perfect opportunity to reflect on both the challenges we have faced and the creative ways we solved them. I start that reflection in my first post back after a brief hiatus as I look back at the lessons learned; my next post will look forward towards my hope for the future.
In this role, I’ve spent the last two months speaking to hundreds of people about their experiences, challenges, and responses to those challenges. It didn’t matter if they were leaders or subordinates, employed or unemployed, “essential” “workers” or sheltering at home...they had all been impacted by Coronavirus in some way. While no two stories were the same, there were some underlying themes that revealed holes and blind spots for them both personally and professionally.
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They were unprepared to operate in any way other than a traditional environment - Emergency planning doesn’t seem important when there is no emergency, but a well thought out playbook for coping with disruptions to personal, professional, and business operations is essential. They lacked efficient communication strategies - Close physical proximity as an effective substitute for actual communication and information sharing turned out to be flawed in many cases. Groups, businesses, and organizations quickly realized their strategies were ineffective and outdated. They lacked ways to stay connected At our core, humans are social beings who require some degree of connection. With close, in-person connections limited by stay at home orders and social distancing, groups, businesses, and organizations initially struggled to continue engaging their stakeholders, customers, members, and employees in a meaningful way. But in the same breath, those people shared some things that gave me hope, specifically in ways that addressed those items that initially blindsided them. “Necessity is the Mother of Invention” The age old adage proved itself once again. Although unprepared for the challenges, people, businesses, and organizations innovated, shared ideas, and created acceptable and safe solutions.
Kids are still learning from teachers, hungry diners can still get food from their favorite restaurants, and I can still serve PGA Members and Associates across the country. It hasn’t been easy, but we have all figured out a way. “Communication works for those who work at it” - Without close physical proximity, groups, businesses, and organizations learned to share information in consistent, effective ways through a regular cadence of communication that was open and efficient. Technology has helped, but the decision to become intentional about communication made the difference. “Happiness is only real when shared” Embracing available technology allowed the world to create shared experiences. Yoga studios are offering virtual classes, friends are gathering for virtual happy hours, and people are sharing their skills and talents online in amazing ways. (Enjoy the links) We have proven that although we may be physically separated, we will not be apart. I’d like to hear from you and learn what blindsided you and what you have seen in the past 60 days that gives you Hope. Please CLICK HERE if you would like to share, and my wish is that you identify more things that give you Hope. It's nice to be back... By: Keith Soriano, PGA, ARWC PGA of America Career Consultant Serving the Colorado, Utah, and Nebraska PGA Sections
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Apply for Phase 2 of the Golf Emergency Relief Program PGA Professionals, and other eligible golf industry professionals, can apply for Phase 2 starting today. This has a longer application process and will distribute grants of up to $3,500 as reviewed and approved by E4E.
Rules of Golf Education The USGA released Virtual Rules School, a comprehensive video series covering the Rules of Golf. For a limited time (through July 31, 2020), it is available for $25 for 30 days of streaming access. To receive a promo code for this introductory price, complete registration here.
Digital Celebration of Women's Golf Day Given the current global COVID-19 crisis, Women's Golf Day will be held virtually on its original date of June 2, 2020. Register your location here and enter the Code WGDUNITES for free basic registration.
Follow Our Section Social Media Accounts for the Latest News You can find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram so you can stay up to date with the latest news around our Section! We have also introduced a Nebraska PGA Player Development page where PGA Professionals can learn and share tips, drills, and programs! Finally, for all news regarding PGA REACH Nebraska and its programming, find us on Twitter!
How to Disinfect a Golf Cart Our PGA Partner, Jani-King has recently been receiving numerous questions as it relates to properly disinfecting a golf cart. That being said they have created a quick 2-minute video to help demonstrate the proper way to disinfect.
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My Fellow Members,
When I accepted this position in 2017, I had no way of knowing what we would be facing in the spring of 2020. All I knew was that I wanted to serve my fellow members, and that I wanted to help people live better lives. The Covid Pandemic hasn’t changed anything about that. If anything, it’s made that mission more important and more palpable. With that being said, and thanks to the team at the Section office, I wanted to take a moment to update all of you on some Career Services related topics. The CareerLinks Candidate Matching System is GOING AWAY. The PGA Career Services team has collaborated with the Technology Department to update the systems used by both employers and job seekers. As part of that update, we are beginning the transition away from the CareerLinks system and will use the Job Board located on PGA.org for the posting for all positions. As part of a multi-step process, we are asking all PGA Members & Associates to provide their “Job Preferences” on pga.org. By answering 5 simple questions relative to your job search preferences, you will begin to see positions that align with your preferences highlighted on your PGA.org home page. We are asking all PGA Members and Associates to complete their profile by clicking here, even if you are not an active job seeker. ADM Certified Coaches will highlight the new focus of PGA.com PGA.com’s new mission is to focus on inspiring players with their golf experiences and to support them on their golf journey, whatever it may be. This will include direct engagement from PGA Professionals with content, tools, and services, supported by a number of PGA and partner digital resources. The first step in publishing your PGA Coaching profile is to complete the ADM certification program highlighted on PGA.coach. Click here to learn how you can earn your ADM certificate. Navigate the future with the aid of PGA Career Services Improving performance, developing strategies, and creating value for PGA members, industry professionals, and employers are at the core of the Section and Career Services initiatives. I take seriously any opportunity to assist you in navigating towards your goals and long-term success. In accordance with the recommendations in the Back2Golf guidelines and playbook, I am happy to help guide you into the future and solve current challenges. The time to plan your future success is right now! Let me help you identify what you need to do to get on the right track, build strong dynamic teams, and grow both your career and revenue. I look forward to seeing you all again in person soon. Keith Soriano, PGA, ARWC / PGA Career Consultant PAGE 9 Nebraska PGA News May 2020
All Nebraska PGA events will utilize BlueGolf Live Scoring. On the morning of each event, a text will be sent to each player with a link to the live scoring website. At least one person must live score for the group and the designated scorer can rotate between different players in the group. The reason live scoring is required in all Nebraska PGA events is to expedite the scoring process after the round to limit potential contact between players and staff. Live scoring is also beneficial because it creates a live leaderboard that can be viewed by each player to see where they stand during the round. Family and friends can follow along throughout the round as well.
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NJG is very pleased to announce our 2020 Nebraska Junior Golf team for this season. The following gentleman will play a key role in providing you with memorable golfing experiences this summer. We are all excited to see everyone on the course very soon. Get to know our team members below! Chase is from Creighton, Nebraska where he has grown up playing golf for as long as he can remember. He had the opportunity to participate in multiple junior tournaments with NJG Tour and NGA. He also had the chance to play in NSAA State Golf all four years, medaling each year, and went on to play at Doane University for one year. After that, he transferred to UNL where he is now majoring in PGA Golf Management. Chase enjoys playing intramural basketball and football, golf, and video games in his free time. Jackson was born and grew up in Clear Lake, Iowa where he attended Clear Lake High School. During his high school career, his golf team finished 3rd, 4th, and won the 2017 Class 2A State Championship. Jackson went on to continue his golf career at North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City, Iowa where he graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Business. He will be a junior this fall at the University of Nebraska Lincoln where he will major in the PGA Golf Management program. Jackson is the son of Daryel and Cindy Hamlin. Jackson enjoys spending time with his friends and family as well as working out and golfing as much as he can.
Carson was born in Owatonna, Minnesota but grew up in Lincoln where he attended Pius X Central Catholic High School. A four year member of the Pius boys golf team, he was a letter winning golfer his senior year. Carson is currently entering his Senior year at the University of Nebraska Lincoln where he is studying business administration. Carson is the son of Jeff Henry, PGA, and Melissa Henry. Carson enjoys playing basketball and golf in his free time as well as spending time with his friends and family.
Joey is from Lexington, Missouri, a small town outside of Kansas City. He's attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for the last 4 years and is expecting to graduate in August with a Bachelors in PGA Golf Management. Joey has a passion for the game of golf and would like to spread that passion to others. Although golf is his career and passion, his other hobbies include traveling, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.
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Nebraska Junior Golf is Back! We are excited to share with our membership that our Nebraska Junior Golf Season will be starting June 1st. Event policies have been modified in order for us to provide responsible playing opportunities. An email went out to the Nebraska PGA Membership on 5/20 with all the information. If you missed that email you can read all the information HERE.
TEAM Golf Registration Opens May 29th Nebraska Junior Golf announced their season will start on June 1st and event registration is open for NJG Tour Events. On Friday, May 29th at 12:00am, event registration will open for 2020 TEAM Golf events. Due to COVID-19, the traditional TEAM Golf structure has been changed for this year, learn more here. View the 2020 TEAM Golf Schedule here.
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In its continued efforts to recruit and train the next generation of PGA Members, the PGA of America has launched its new recruitment effort, My PGA Journey. My PGA Journey is a free mobile app that enables the next generation of players and students to test drive, explore and experience the careers of leading PGA Members. The program is designed to inspire recruits to discover their passion for golf and make it part of their education and career choices. In the My PGA Journey mentorship experience, students explore the career journeys of nine PGA Members across the three golf career tracks — Teaching and Coaching, Executive Management and Golf Operations.
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How Mielke Golf at Oak Hills has Responded to the Coronavirus Pandemic Golf Lessons Currently we are still teaching private lessons but have limited them to 30 minutes with no back to back bookings. This allows us time to sanitize the lesson tee and teaching tools. All group clinics have been limited to 10 or less students allowing for enough space to practice social distancing Using CoachNow, an all-in-one digital platform, each student now has their own space on their app that can be viewed on their phone, tablet, or pc. This allows us to better communicate with students through video, voice, text, and documents all located in their personal space. A Remote coaching program has been designed offering 5 different programs to choose from. Any student who registers will receive a free selfie stick tripod with Bluetooth remote. This gives them the capability to attach the tripod to their bag, cart or bag stand and film their swing independently. Social Media Mielke Golf has established social media accounts with Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to engage golfers with golf information and drills and tips. We post 3+ times a week to all accounts. Our YouTube channel has been updated with our library of over 50 golf drills and tips to help transform their game. New videos are added weekly along with promotional contests and giveaways. The Clubster app, a private social networking platform, has been added to keep all members up to date on any golf related information.
Youth Golf Weekly challenges and contests are broadcasted to our golfers to help keep even our youngest athletes engaged in some fun and exciting activities. Some challenges so far have included – The Sweet Spot Challenge, Sock Chipping, and the Five-Minute Activity Challenge. Our Year-round academy will start back in June. We have ordered 75 flat hula hoops to use as marker areas where each youth athlete can stand, to practice social distancing. We will also be marking the range, short game, and putting greens with PVC pole stations Mielke Golf has opened MADA-D studio, a game development studio dedicated to promoting youth golf by providing an innovative golf educational system delivered through a fun gamebased approach. We currently added two new games to help teach the 2 D’s of putting and how to keep score in the game of golf. The academy is conducting weekly group level Zoom meetings to help keep athletes engaged and give them the ability to communicate with their friends in the academy. For all the fear and anxiety this pandemic has introduced, I also believe it has brought out the innovative and creative side of us, the PGA professional. Our golfers are the lifeblood of the facility and effective communication and engagement will go a long way in showing we care and that we are here for them.
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Due to COVID-19 our Player Development Rental program is being canceled for the 2020 season. In an effort to maintain the sanitation of the equipment, we are keeping all items stored for the season and hope to resume rentals again next year.
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Every year, since the inception of our foundation, the Nebraska PGA hosts a fund raising Pro-Am for PGA REACH Nebraska. PGA REACH Nebraska continues to be passionate about changing lives through the game of golf and we are striving to improve our efforts every year. In order to continue doing this, we need your support. As part of the Pro-Am, we incorporate a silent auction to help raise additional funds. We cannot do this without the help of our generous members and partners.
We are looking for as many items as possible to put on our silent auction, so we are reaching out to you for help. Would you have anything you would like to contribute? It could be anything from golf equipment, rounds of golf, lessons, etc. Feel free to be creative! If you have anything to donate, please contact Renee Tyson at rtyson@pgahq.com or 402-489-7760 by Wednesday, August 12.
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“Let’s Work the Problem People. Let’s not make things worse by guessing”. Quote from Gene the Flight Director (Ed Harris) in the movie Apollo 13 Greetings to the Nebraska PGA! COVID this…COVID that….has everyone read enough about it? I for one have. However, we still need to discuss HOW it is impacting us, our lives, how we plan, and how we project. Related to the national PGA, the board, the officers, and the staff have tried to have a proactive approach for as many key initiatives as possible even though we are all staring at the same crystal ball. Championships are the first item that comes to mind for many. (We know there are so many others focused on the game and our members.) As of this submission we are still planning for the 2020 PGA Professional Championship (July 19-22) to be played at OMNI Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Texas. How great would it be to crown our champion (Ryan Vermeer again) and then determine who the other 19 will be to represent us on the national stage. Last week the Championships team sent the new protocols on how the event will be conducted mainly with reduced touch points and respect to social distancing. Fingers crossed. It has already been rescheduled once where if it gets cancelled a second time there is a process that explains who will be the 20 to represent in August. Related to the PGA Championship scheduled for August 3-9th at Harding Park in San Francisco, we are all still in a waiting game. The odds are low or nonexistent that we will be allowed to have hundreds of thousands of spectators on the grounds. So that means holding the championship with limited or no fans. Let’s call that plan A. There are also other plan B’s and C’s being discussed. What if San Francisco is still in a lockdown mode of sorts when drop dead decisions need to be made on whether or not the championship has to be played in another city? Great minds on our staff are constantly working the “what ifs”. Then another ”old chestnut” is that little thing called the Ryder Cup. The event needs the best players in the world to play. Daily we are all reading and hearing players and or captains talking about what the greatest golf matches in the world would look like without spectators. Will spectators be allowed in September in Wisconsin? Can the event go on without spectators? All of the above “what if’s” including plans and projections are being done on a daily basis by Seth Waugh, our CEO, and Kerry Haigh, our Chief Championships Officer, and the entire HQ team. They are doing the exact same things we are doing on a daily basis for our owners, our clubs, our courses, our facilities, our employees, and our clients. We all take a deep breath, analyze all factors, consult and deliberate, and then try and make the best decision possible when the time comes. This will be a crazy ride for all of us not only this year but into the next no matter how things progress with this pandemic. Take care of your priorities, take care of yourself, take a deep breath and “Work the Problem”.
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When I first met with Matt Nice, PGA about an opportunity to teach at the fantastic facility at The Ridge Golf Club, our central focus and overall dream was to build junior golf not only at The Ridge but go beyond our facility and grow the game of golf in surrounding communities. I myself grew up in a small community without a PGA Golf Professional and a lack of opportunities to learn and grow as a junior golfer with resources close by like bigger cities might have. Reflecting on that, made this journey a personal and exciting one for myself to help do just that. Grow the game where opportunities are limited for a mentor in the game of golf and get kids excited to be on and around the golf course. Two years ago, my first year at The Ridge, we started with a community at Rock Valley Iowa, which is a nine hole public golf course. Meeting with The Board and General Manager, I could tell the excitement they had for junior golf but they also didn’t have the staff or experience to facilitate that need. We started with one camp and the community responded with overwhelming participation having twenty-eight kids register. From there, 2019 took off like a rocket. We wanted to grow and it did beyond belief. Last year we had two camps and started a PGA Junior League team at Rock Valley, a week long junior camp at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Hull, IA and a week long junior camp at Rock River Golf Club in Rock Rapids, IA. That, combined with our booming junior program at The Ridge added up to four communities, six weeks of camp, seven PGA Junior League teams and 255 total kids. Last season was by far my favorite season I’ve had as a PGA Golf Professional. Growing the game of golf, especially in small communities where these kids will eventually be their future members and supporters, is paramount for these courses survival and future.
Alex Janssen, PGA The Ridge Golf Club PAGE 20 Nebraska PGA News May 2020
Pete Hagen, PGA
06/02
Jon Crane, PGA
06/12
John Bierbower
06/03
James Rolls, PGA
06/19
Nick Shanahan, PGA
06/03
Jeff Perdew, PGA
06/23
Doug Schultz, PGA
06/04
Jonathan Moore, PGA
06/24
Chris Wiemers, PGA
06/04
Ronald J. Cash
06/25
Ryan C Bloomberg
06/06
James Weaver, PGA
06/25
Justin Onken, PGA
06/08
Mark Christensen, PGA
06/26
Drew Van Ert, PGA
06/08
Jeff Porter, PGA
06/27
David Durham, PGA
06/09
Dan Zadalis, PGA
06/27
Greg Johannesen, PGA
06/10
James Kinney, PGA
06/30
Jonathan Casey, PGA
06/11 PAGE 21 Nebraska PGA News May 2020