October 2022 Newsletter

Nebraska Section PGA Special Election for Secretary

Dear Nebraska PGA Members & Associates:

Welcome to late Fall and hope you are finishing up your events and getting ready for the Holidays! I’m sure you are all working on your calendars for 2023, preparing your budgets and getting your staff lined up. Please reach out to Kevin Drew, PGA your PGA Career Consultant and let him help you prepare for next year and make sure your facility is staying relevant with compensation, work/life balance and budgeting for next year. This is an important time of the year to plan correctly to be successful in 2023!

I will be attending the National annual meeting the first week of November along with your officers as we celebrate the outgoing President Jim Richerson, PGA. If you have never attended the annual meeting and have an interest in learning more about what happens at the national level this is a must do trip! This year the event will be held down in Scottdale, AZ and is also an election year. The site of the annual meeting is always dictated by the home state of the outgoing President or on off election years it will be held in Frisco, TX. When the meeting is held in Frisco, it will be a great chance to see the new home of the PGA of America which is located on the new property next to the 500 room Omni Resort being built. This year the week will start off on Monday with an outgoing board dinner roast to celebrate those going off the board for 2022. On Tuesday I will be attending our national board meeting for the entire day and welcoming arrivals from around the country. That night we will be attending the national awards dinner and recognizing the recipients from 2021. This is a fun night to see the award winners give their speeches and celebrate with their family and friends in attendance. The meeting will then start on Wednesday with informal session, also a number of breakout sessions will be held covering a wide variety of topics and discussion of the two resolutions presented to the delegation. The two resolutions this year revolve around implementing an inclusion statement in the constitutions/bylaws and adjusting the PAT to allow two 18 hole scores on different days as long as the rounds are played within a one year time line. That evening we will be attending the past President’s dinner where President Richerson will be celebrated and highlighted for his service over the past two years. The final day of the meeting on Thursday is the formal session of the meeting where we will vote on the resolutions and hold the election. Nathan Charnes, PGA of the Gateway section is the candidate for this year so unless someone is nominated from the floor he should be selected as our next national secretary of the PGA.

Please let me know if you have any interest in attending the annual meeting in the future or getting involved in governance for your section. It is so rewarding to be involved and meet other professionals in your association. Enjoy the start of the holidays and hope you get time to recharge your batteries and spend time with your families. Thank you for letting me serve you as District 8 director and feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely, Greg Neujahr, PGA District 8 Director

ACHIEVING THE PERFECT WORK LIFE BALANCE FOR YOU AND YOUR FACILITY

I’m sure many of you read the article titled “The Club Pro Crisis” by Golf Digest that detailed the tipping of the scales between proper work and life balance for PGA Professionals after the COVID golf boom. My question for you is, what have you or your facility done to help improve work life balance?

The golf boom and labor shortage have caused the work life balance of many golf professionals (and other management professionals) to tip in the wrong direction. We need to rethink and restructure these important roles to retain current golf professionals and attract the next generation. In the Golf Digest article, current and former club pros shared experiences and stories, shining light on pros being berated by members for enforcing club and course rules, working 30 plus days in a row, averaging 60 90 hours per week consistently, minimal annual salaries and poor work life balance which sometimes led to divorce, addictions and mental health challenges. Does this sound like you or your facility?!

While the labor shortage continues, these examples and the lack of applicants for open golf professional positions have caused industry leaders to speak up for change. Owners and boards have to embrace this and show how much they value their employees if they want to keep them. Facilities need to do more to promote a better work life balance for golf and all club professionals. Here are just a few suggestions:

1. Offer four day work weeks where professionals work four ten hour days and then get three days off. This kind of consistency allows employees to plan their lives, schedule family events and have the balance they desire.

2. Give every professional a three day weekend off once a month. In an industry where it can be hard to get one day off during the busy season, ensuring a long weekend off each month can keep employees fresh, motivated and boost overall employee morale.

3. Empower and support club professionals for enforcing rules, trying new ideas and pursuing the balance they need for their health and well being. (Please reach out to me for additional best practices from around the country)

If clubs want to keep and attract great people, they need to create a culture where employees are embraced and better working conditions (work life balance, pay, etc.) are provided. Continue Reading

Kevin

Can't attend the 106th PGA Annual Meeting? Segments of the meeting will be broadcast live online. Tune into watch as the meeting takes place in Phoenix, Arizona from November 2nd 3rd. Click here to access the stream.

The 2022 PGA National Day of HOPE Campaign is officially underway for the benefit of PGA HOPE programs across the country. This annual campaign aims to celebrate our nation’s heroes while raising support and awareness for PGA HOPE. Learn more and support here today.

Back in person for the first time since 2019, the 2023 PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit is going to be exciting. This program is the premier educational event for PGA Professional coaches. The event will take place from January 22nd-23rd. Learn more here.

As part of Make Golf Your Thing’s continued focus on inclusion, the golf industry is hosting a virtual seminar that focuses on how to create welcoming environments for golfers with disabilities. Click here for more details and register today.

The PGA Coach team wants to make it as easy as possible for you to connect with new students. There have been more than 45,000 leads sent to PGA Coaches, and on average, coaches are booking 50% of them into a coaching program.

That has translated to more than $12 million in new coaching revenue. How many of your leads have you been able to engage?

We've made it even easier to manage your leads and students, and now is the perfect time to make sure you are up to date.

Don't have your Coach Profile set up yet? Start the process today.

Need help or have questions? Reach out to your Player Engagement Consultant or support@pga.com for assistance to ensure you make this golf season the best yet.

BECOME A CHAMPION

PGA HOPE National Golf & Wellness Week (NG&WW) is a unique opportunity for Veterans who possess the motivation to excel in their personal rehabilitation journey and represent their local PGA HOPE community on a national level. PGA REACH, the 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the PGA of America, hosts 20 Veterans and graduates of a PGA HOPE program from various PGA Section’s across the country.

For the third year in a row, PGA REACH Nebraska, the charitable arm of the Nebraska Section PGA, will be represented at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland for the four day event. U.S. Army Veteran Dallas Brekeen of Bellevue, Nebraska graduated from PGA REACH Nebraska’s PGA HOPE program in Omaha back in 2019. A few years later, he was nominated for a journey that will have a lasting effect on his life. Continue Reading

Attendee Registration Opens for 2023 PGA Show at PGAShow.com

FRISCO, Texas (Oct. 10, 2022) – Complimentary registration for the 2023 PGA Show, Jan. 24-27, in Orlando, Fla., is now open for PGA and LPGA Professionals, golf buyers and industry executives at PGAShow.com

The PGA Show, organized in partnership by the PGA of America and PGA Golf Exhibitions, will reunite the golf industry for the 70th edition of golf’s longest running and largest global business gathering. Thousands of PGA Professionals, golf leaders, industry executives and retailers from around the world will come together at the PGA Show to source new products from some 800 golf and golf lifestyle brands, attend high level industry presentations, participate in education and career workshops, and connect in person with peers and golf leaders to drive continued growth of the sport and the business of golf.

PGA Show Week will include multiple allied industry events, including the PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit (Jan. 22 23), the AGM Retail Conference (Jan. 24) and the PGA Show Education Conference (Jan. 24-27) at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) and the NGCOA’s Golf Business Conference (Jan. 23 25) at both the Rosen Centre Hotel and the Convention Center. The 20th PGA Show Demo & Fitting Day will be held Tuesday, Jan. 24, at Orange County National Golf Center. PGA Show exhibits, demonstrations, presentations and special events will fill out the industry calendar Wednesday Friday, Jan. 25 27, at the Convention Center.

Attendance at the 70th PGA Show is restricted to PGA Professionals and golf industry personnel. Attendance and registration guidelines are available at PGAShow.com. There is no event registration fee for qualified golf industry professionals through Dec. 1, 2022. Beginning Dec. 2, 2022, PGA, LPGA and International PGA Professionals can continue to register at no charge, while other industry personnel will incur a $75 event registration processing fee through Jan. 23, 2023, and a $195 fee at the PGA Show through Jan. 27, 2023.

Registration for the PGA Education Conference is also now open at PGAShow.com PGA Education Conference early registration savings are available through Dec. 1, 2022, with additional savings available for PGA Members, PGA Associates, LPGA Professionals, International PGA Members and PGM Students.

About PGA Golf Exhibitions

The PGA Show, PGA Buying & Education Summit and PGA Show Connects are organized by PGA Golf Exhibitions (part of RX) and the PGA of America. Since its inception in 1954, the PGA Show has grown into the largest annual business event for the global golf industry. Regional PGA Show Buying & Education Summits and the PGA Show Connects digital platform connect the industry year round and drive business leading up to the annual PGA Show. Learn more at PGAShow.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

North Texas has plenty of golf courses — more than 300 depending on how big you want to draw the circle on our golf-rich area. There are 26 in Collin Country alone. But the coming public golf earthquake in North Frisco should change the game forever for both golfers, would-be golfers, curious non-golfers or those who just want to check out the latest entertainment hot spot.

Omni PGA Frisco, Fields Ranch East and West on 660 acres of former North Texas farmland in far North Frisco will be a game changer for golf, sports and entertainment. Located at the new, modern PGA of America headquarters, the courses are owned by Dallas based Omni Hotels, which will have a massive 550-room resort here and the PGA (Professional golfers of America) of America will oversee golf operations on city of Frisco land.

Almost every spare inch of this new North Texas golfing utopia will be open to the public from the huge, Texas-sized putting green (the Dance Floor) to the 10-hole short course (The Swing) to the resort and two courses, The East designed by Gil Hanse and The West, a Beau Welling design. Heck, even the Northern Texas PGA will have an awesome synthetic putting and chipping complex here open to the public when not in use for NTPGA activities.

Add nearly a dozen public eating, drinking and shopping establishments, the PGA District, all overseen by a huge electronic TV screen, plus a three mile walk/bike/pet trail and you’ve got a golfing paradise no matter if you’re a thoroughly hooked hacker, a casual golfer or just somebody who wants in on the non stop action. In the final construction phase, everything should be open in spring 2023.

“We were always going to make everything public here because that fits into the PGA of America’s mission of attracting golfers and non golfers to the sport,” says PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh. The east course, which will host 26 major golf championships starting with the PGA Seniors Championship in May, two future PGA Championships and likely a Ryder Cup include a drivable par 4 on both the front (No. 7) and back nine (15). Is walkable with caddies.

There is a nearly 300 yard par 3, (No. 13 from the championship tees) along with the largest green on the course followed by the smallest, just to confuse golfers’ already confused minds. Then a bunkerless par 4 16th hole which seems simple, but is anything but!

Then, for the closing act, there is a dangerous 17th hole par 3, at 141 yards, the shortest on the course, plus a par 5 18th hole with a large stream and a hard dogleg right plus a 10 foot earthen wall you’ll to hit over to reach the final green after crossing Panther Creek for the final time. Continue Reading…...

Thomas Erlandson, PGA 11/2

Eddie Carpenter, PGA 11/2

Kent Lyons, PGA 11/3

Andrew Storm, PGA 11/3

Joel Johnson, PGA 11/3

Gil Russell, PGA 11/5

Douglas Bengston, PGA 11/5

Wade Foreman, PGA 11/6

William Schellen, PGA 11/8

Troy Harder, PGA 11/9

Douglas Dunbar, PGA 11/10

Clayton Anderson, PGA 11/10

Lance Juelfs 11/12

Robert Baber, PGA 11/12

Joseph Sutter, PGA 11/12

Kaitlyn Howe 11/13

Derrick Ceder, PGA 11/14

Shane Zywiec, PGA 11/15

William Jacobsen, PGA 11/16

Timothy Rowland, PGA 11/17

Blake Schroeder, PGA 11/17

Michael Brown, PGA 11/19

Brandon Wedding, PGA 11/19

Justin Herron, PGA 11/20

Todd Anderson, PGA 11/21

Vincent Bachteler, PGA 11/21

Carly Ulrich, PGA 11/21

Justin Henry, PGA 11/22

Chad Gill, PGA 11/22

Brandon Crick, PGA 11/25

Kevin Drew, PGA 11/25

Sonya Freese, PGA 11/26

Robert McCormack, PGA 11/29

Vincent Quijas 11/30