Northwest Golf Media Association closes its doors after 26 years

Group leaves historic marks in philanthropy, education and golf journalist advocacy

BY JEFF SHELLEY • CO-FOUNDER • NORTHWEST GOLF MEDIA ASSOCIATION

Cascade Golfer’s Publisher, Dick Stephens, asked me to write about the Northwest Golf Media Association (NWGMA). So here’s a glimpse at the nonprofit organization’s 26-year journey.

One night in August 1995 over some liquid refreshments and a roaring campfire, Bob Spiwak and I — two Washingtonians and regular members of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA) who had become disillusioned with the organization’s East Coast bias — started a Northwest-centric golf media association. This all occurred after a tournament at Bob’s fabled, ultra-private, Whispering Rattlesnakes Golf & Flubbers Club in Mazama. Thus, the NWGMA was born.

Primarily due to transportation costs, we rarely traveled to the GWAA’s annual events on the East Coast and did what any renegade Northwesterner would do -- form a regional media association that reflected interest in the beautiful golf found in our own neck of the woods.

Since Bob resided in a remote part of north-central Washington, I — a Seattleite — took the reins of promoting the new organization to my fellow golf scribes, while Spiwak did the same as best he could east of the Cascades. It helped that, in the mid-1990s, I was media director of the Fred Couples Invitational, a two-day event hosted by the Emerald City golf legend that attracted many PGA Tour stars as well as international media to Seattle. To ramp up memberships in the nascent organization, my wife, Anni, and daughter, Erica, handed out Xeroxed application forms to regional reporters attending these tournaments, several of whom became NWGMA founding members. I continued to cajole and twist arms among media folks from Washington, Oregon and British Columbia over the next few years. But, with my volunteer time dwindling and more books to write and publish, I went to the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) for assistance. Then executive director John Bodenhamer — now in upper manwagement at the USGA — kindly stepped in and helped, recognizing that the NWGMA served an important purpose. For a few years thereafter, the PNGA handled the day-to-day operations, with its communications director, Angie Wean, serving as our initial managing director.

In 1999, bylaws were created and, soon after, the NWGMA became a 501(c)7 nonprofit. These steps led to an organizational structure with a Board of Directors consisting of member-elected officers: president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and an appointed managing director. Membership categories — Regular (working golf media) and Associate (individuals from the Northwest golf industry) — were also established with commensurate dues for each.

I served as the original president and was followed — in succession for various-length terms — by Paul Ramsdell, Guy Generaux, Tom Cade, John Tipping, and Bob Sherwin. Wean was succeeded as managing director by Lisa Murray-Speltz and, lastly, my wife. In its prime, the NWGMA boasted a robust roster of 125 members who worked for print, television, radio, and internet entities.

Co-founder Anni Shelley ( bottom right) at one of the final NWGMA events at Sand Point GC with our editor and past Distinguished Service Award recipient Tony Dear (top left), star course designer David McLay Kidd (bottom left) and Seahawks legend Sidney Rice.

To honor notable media contributors to Northwest golf, the Distinguished Service Award was created in 2000. Voted on by Regular members, Doug McArthur was its first recipient, my longtime friend, and fellow golf writer Dick Stephens, the last. In-between honorees included media folks from Washington, Oregon, and B.C. Following McArthur, a sports director for Tacoma’s KTAC radio and the tournament director of the LPGA Tour’s SAFECO Classic, the winners were: Dale Johnson (founding father of the modern PNW Section of the PGA and OGA; sportswriter for The Oregonian from 1947-59); Margaret Maves (media coordinator for LPGA Tour’s Safeway Classic and other Portland tournaments); Bruce King (KOMO-TV’s popular sports director, four-time winner of the Washington State Sportscaster of the Year award and two-time Emmy winner); Bob Robinson (longtime golf columnist for The Oregonian who covered dozens of PGA Tour events and majors); Blaine Newnham (The Seattle Times columnist and author of the book, “America’s St. Andrews”); Bill Yeend (Seattle TV/radio personality who hosted two Seattle golf shows on TV); yours truly; Ramsdell (sportswriter for Tacoma News Tribune, The Seattle Times and Eugene Register-Guard); Craig Smith (longtime Seattle Times golf and high-school sportswriter); Paul Backman (executive director of WWGCSA and Northwest Turfgrass Association who worked with media to preserve golf’s role in the region); Bodenhamer (founder of PNW Golfer Magazine and prime backer of “Championships & Friendships: The First 100 Years of the PNGA); Arv Olson (the voice of golf for the Vancouver Sun newspaper over 38 years); Mike Riste (founder of the BC Golf House, co-author of “Championships & Friendships” with Shelley, and author of “Just Call Me Mac” — a biography of golf architect Arthur Vernon Macan); Dan Murnan (founder of Cybergolf. com, which grew into one of the world’s most-visited golf websites); Kent “Cookie” Gilchrist (covered golf and hockey for the Vancouver Province during a 37-year career); Cade (PNGA senior director of communications and editor/publisher of “America’s St. Andrews”); and Tony Dear (Bellingham-based author of several books and contributor to many national and regional golf publications — including Cascade Golfer).

In 2010, the Local Legends Award was inaugurated, with Spiwak the first recipient at the association’s annual tournament-banquet at Everett Golf & Country Club. Over the years, these yearly NWGMA events were held at such fine golf clubs as Seattle, Broadmoor, Fircrest, Tacoma, Sand Point, Rainier, Inglewood, Chambers Bay, Pumpkin Ridge, Sahalee, White Horse and Bellingham.

Other Local Legends award recipients include: Loren Lippert (a now-retired Salem mailman who played over 1,000 golf courses, including every single one in the Northwest, and a valuable resource for NW golf writers); Jerry Fehr (20-time club champion at Sand Point Country Club, longtime executive director of the Washington Junior Golf Association, winner of the 1961 Washington Open and father of former PGA Tour player, Rick Fehr); Kent Myers (winner of more Oregon amateur championships than anyone, PNGA Senior Amateur champion, and 2001 Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame inductee); the late John Harbottle III (prolific Tacoma-based golf architect, son of PNGA Hall of Fame members John and Pat Harbottle, and frequent speaker at NWGMA meetings); George Jonson (accountant and longtime board member of PNGA and WA Golf, a key advisor for golf clubs and associations, and leader of the fight against taxing donated rounds of golf for charities and schools/colleges); Mary Lou Mulflur (coach of UW’s women’s golf team for 38 years, led Huskies to 2016 NCAA championship); Ken Still (popular PGA Tour player from Tacoma who played on 1969 Ryder Cup and PGA Tour Champions for 11 years); and Steve Kealy (superintendent at Glendale Country Club in Bellevue, board member of First Green and recipient of two GCSAA national awards).

Co-founding an organization that honored these individuals was very humbling and satisfying. But the thing I am probably most proud of was establishing an NWGMA scholarship for college students interested in becoming a sportswriter. We handed out $2,500 checks (yes, the oversized tournament-winner variety) to Pete Treperinas, Christopher Shaw, Jade Richardson and Jack Russillo. After celebrating our 25th anniversary in 2020, the NWGMA was dissolved earlier this year.

I made the following announcement to the remaining members to explain why: “I — with prior approval by the Board of Directors — have dissolved the nonprofit Northwest Golf Media Association with the State of Washington as of February 9, 2021. The reasons behind this decision: an increasing lack of involvement by the membership; the gradual irrelevance of the association’s mission; lack of golf-media outlets these days; and my desire to step away from trying to keep it sustained through these challenges.

“It has been a mostly fun ride for me and the NWGMA, whose ‘swan song’ was our Oct. 22, 2020, annual tournament-luncheon on a beautiful day at Sand Point Country Club. I am truly thankful to those of you who believed in the group and contributed to its advancement over the last 25 years. I believe that the NWGMA once had a purpose, but, sadly, this no longer seems the case.

“Thanks again to all who have stuck with and supported the NWGMA, paid annual dues, participated in events and, especially, your friendships and dedication to golf in the Pacific Northwest.”

“By law, funds left in a nonprofit’s bank account must be distributed to similar organizations. NWGMA funds were dispensed to the PNGA, which will use their portion as possible “seed money” for a new scholarship fund; the Northwest Turfgrass Association (now headed by Ramsdell) for one of its two annual scholarships; and In Our Backyard, a Bend, Oregon-based organization which seeks to put an end to human trafficking.”

President Sherwin wrote a note to the members in the NWGMA’s website in advance of the 2020 event at Sand Point, explaining the association’s accomplishments over the years.

“The NWGMA was created in 1995 for those who ‘write, edit, discuss, produce and otherwise impart golf-related articles, books, columns for newspapers, magazines, television, radio, internet, social media and all other forms of communication.”

“Through the years, the nonprofit organization has had a major impact on the region’s golf industry. It has been at the forefront of media spread for events such as the PGA Championship (at Sahalee); the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open (both at Chambers Bay); the annual Boeing Classic (Snoqualmie Ridge); dozens of local/regional events and notable players; and detailing the emergence of Chambers Bay, Bandon Dunes, Gamble Sands, and many other new courses.

“NWGMA meetings have also put the spotlight on golf course superintendents, environmental issues related to the game (including water usage), challenges faced by golf-industry changes, and many other newsworthy topics.

“However, changes in media outlets and reporting priorities have reduced the numbers of us golf-related folks. Consequently, NWGMA membership and — particularly — participation, have been affected (the pandemic certainly hasn’t helped).”

I’d like to think the NWGMA played an important role while it lasted, and I’m proud that Bob and I fathered it.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Jeff Shelley has written and published nine books as well as numerous articles for print and online media over his lengthy career. Among his titles are three editions of the book, “Golf Courses of the Pacific Northwest.” The Seattle resident was the editorial director of Cybergolf.com from 2000-15. For seven years he served as the board president of First Green, an educational outreach program that is now part of the Golf Course Superintendents of America and Environmental Institute for Golf. For more of his writings, many of which are about his golf travels in the Northwest, visit golfcoursetrades.com/tag/jeff-shelley/.