PGA REACH WNY | 2021 Annual Report

2021

ANNUAL REPORT PGA REACH WNY FOUNDATION " Positively Impacting Lives Through the Game of Golf"

Western NY PGA, C/O Glen Oak GC, 711 Smith Rd., East Amherst, NY 14051

CONTENTS 3

Note From President Fries

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CBS PGA HOPE Buffalo Special

5-6

Founding Pillars & Impact

7-8

Board of Directors & Trustees

9-16

Military Pillar Review

17-20

Youth Pillar Review

21-22 23-24

Inclusion Pillar Review Supporting Fundraisers

25-26

Growth of the Game Grant

27-30

Partners

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The Future of PGA REACH WNY

MISSION

“Positively Impacting Lives Through the Game of Golf”

PGA REACH WNY was created with the goal of providing support to various organizations within the boundaries of the Western New York PGA Section. Through the game of golf, the Foundation will work to fund programs supporting its mission including the Western New York Section PGA Junior Golf initiatives and various other unprivileged youth golf programs. The Foundation will conduct and/or support avariety of initiatives that serve the founding pillas: Youth, Military, and Diversity in Golf.

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TIM FRIES, PGA

PGA HOPE BUFFALO CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTED NATIONWIDE ON CBS

PGA REACH WNY Foundation President

2021 continued to provide surmountable challenges to so many but our PGA Reach WNY Foundation and its dedicated Board, new benevolent Trustees, charitable Sponsors, and altruistic volunteers remained steadfast in our ultimate vision and tremendous growth potential! I am both truly humbled be play a small part and immensely motivated to resume the remarkable momentum into 2022 and beyond!

PGA Hope Buffalo continues to be recognized nationally as witnessed on the CBS Special airing just prior to the PGA Championship. Many of our own were highlighted notably PGA HOPE Graduate Scott Smalter. He was invited to Congressional CC in Bethesda, MD, to be part of an exclusive 20 veterans nationwide and become the next PGA HOPE WNY Ambassador. His immediate impact and initiatives are on the following pages.

We wholeheartedly invite all of you to participate in any capacity and/or just cheer us on the various and sun dried fundraiser events we continue to facilitate around WNY such as the Buffalo Marathon, Duster Putting Challenge, Par Crawl, and Cans for HOPE, and much more!

Please reach out to me at tpfriespga@gmail.com if it “moves” your soul to help in any way towards one or all of our Foundation’s three pillars of Youth, Military, a D&I. Here’s to your and our continued successes in 2022!

In the spring of 2021, CBS made the trip to Glen Oak GC (the home of the Western New York PGA) to highlight the work that the PGA HOPE Buffalo Chapter has done for the local veteran community. The PGA HOPE Buffalo Chapter was created in 2013 at Grover Cleveland GC by local WNYPGA Professionals collaborating with the VA Hospital of Buffalo. Fast forward to today, the program has grown from just 12 veterans in 2013 to over 70 veterans in the class in 2021.

The CBS Special video was televised nationwide around the 2021 PGA Championship. To view the special click on the image below. The portion on the Buffalo HOPE Chapter is from approximately 5:00 minutes in to 9:00 minutes in.

Cheers, Tim Fries, PGA ANNUAL REPORT 3

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FOUNDING

PILLARS

YOUTH

M I L I TA R Y

INCLUSION

PGA Junior League is the flagship youth pillar program of PGA REACH WNY, with the goal of making the program accessible to all interested kids in Western New York. With more than 42,000 golfers representing 3,400 teams in 47 states throughout the United States, participation in Junior League continues to increase each season. Through the PGA Jr. League, girls and boys ages 17 and under learn and enjoy the game with instruction and direction from PGA and LPGA Professionals.

PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is the flagship military program of PGA REACH WNY that introduces golf to Veterans with disabilities to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional wellbeing.

Led by local WNYPGA Professionals, it’s a proven therapeutic activity that has helped hundreds of Veterans across Western New York assimilate back into their communities. These programs are delivered throughout our region at no cost to the Veterans.

PGA WORKS Fellowship is one of the flagship programs of PGA REACH WNY. This fellowship aspires to be the most valuable entry-level employment opportunity for individuals from diverse backgrounds to garner experience in all facets of the golf industry.

The golf industry’s workforce, including PGA Membership, is demographically homogeneous. The boards, senior leadership and full-time staff are 95%, 97% and 86% Caucasian, respectively. We are working to make the game of golf look more like our community.

OUR 2021 IMPACT 1 FOUNDATION

1,555 PEOPLE SERVED

> $220,000 RAISED

PGA Pros, Partners, Volunteers & Board of Directors/Trustees

Veterans, Juniors, Under Served Populations and Special Olympics Athletes

For Continued Community Programming

ANNUAL REPORT 5

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

WNYPGA STAFF

Steve Bartkowski Executive Director

ANNUAL REPORT 7

Victoria Schiro Assistant Executive Director

Bob Ashley, PGA Junior Golf/ Player Development Director

Mackenzie Culhane PGA Works Fellow

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MILITARY

PGA HOPE ( HELPING OUR PATRIOTS EVERYWHERE)

PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is the flagship military program of PGA REACH WNY , the charitable foundation of the Western New York Section, PGA of America. PGA HOPE introduces golf to Veterans with disabilities to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being.

The program introduces the game of golf through a developmental 6-8 week curriculum, taught by WNYPGA Professionals trained in adaptive golf and military cultural competency. All programs are funded by PGA REACH and supplemented by PGA REACH WNY, so the cost of programming is free to all Veterans.

PGA HOPE has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which enables Recreational Therapists to refer Veterans to the PGA HOPE program as a form of therapy. Through a robust program strategy, PGA HOPE aspires to create a physically and emotionally healthier Veteran community by shaping lives, changing lives, and possibly saving lives through the game of golf.

It is a fact that suicide is a major issue among military Veterans, with recent statistical studies showing that 22 Veterans a day commit suicide.

PGA HOPE WNY is working to change this statistic.

OVER 100 LOCAL VETERANS SERVED In Buffalo, Rochester and Erie

ANNUAL REPORT 9

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PGA HOPE WNY Represented in 2021 Secretary's Cup

ANNUAL REPORT 11

PGA REACH, the 501c3 charitable arm of the PGA of America, held the 6th annual PGA HOPE Secretary's Cup on May 17th, 2021. Due to COVID19 travel restrictions, the tournament was held virtually with 6 teams competing in their local Sections and 6 teams from South Carolina competing at Kiawah Island. The CC of Buffalo graciously hosted the PGA HOPE WNY team for their 9-hole scramble.

PGA HOPE Secretary's Cup celebrates the PGA HOPE Program by providing a unique and memorable experience for our military Veterans and the PGA Professionals who work tirelessly to positively impact Veterans' lives. This annual event in conjunction with the week of PGA Championship, began in 2016 and is named after the Secretary of Veteran Affairs in recognition of the Memorandum of Understanding between PGA REACH and the Department of Veteran Affairs. Each team is made up of four Veterans from a PGA HOPE program and one WNYPGA or LPGA Professional.

The WNY team consisted of Glen Oak GC Owner Tim Fries, PGA and PGA HOPE Graduates Nick Martone, Phil Pandy, Herdy Christian and Gregory Disbrow. Team WNY posted an 8-under par, only a few shots off the winning team from Kiawah Island.

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Scott Smalter Represents PGA HOPE WNY at NGWW and Named Next Program Ambassador The 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the PGA of America - announced this past October that 20 military Veterans across the country would travel to Congressional Country Club to be named PGA HOPE Ambassadors at the National Golf and Wellness Week.

Included in that exclusive list of 20 is Scott Smalter who is a Navy Veteran and a graduate of the local PGA HOPE Buffalo Chapter hosted at Glen Oak GC, East Amherst, NY. Scott joined our program in 2017 and has already been such a great ambassador and leader of our HOPE Chapter. Since joining in 2017, Scott has rarely missed a class, represented WNY in the PGA Secretary’s Cup at Bethpage in 2019 and has already created a new event to benefit PGA HOPE WNY coming in 2022. Smalter was nominated by the leadership of PGA REACH WNY for this opportunity. The trip was fully subsidized by PGA REACH. Over the course of four days in Washington DC, Smalter and fellow veterans received a tool kit of new skills focused on advanced golf instruction and impactful wellness training. This curriculum was an extension to what Veterans have been learning throughout the year at their home PGA HOPE program. Golf instruction was provided by the most respected PGA Members from around the country, and wellness instruction was provided by leaders in Veteran healthcare from the Cohen Veteran Network (CVN). The curriculum covered topics like nutrition, stress management, mental health and life skills. Some of golf’s most iconic figures (Larry Nelson seen above) encouraged Veterans to share stories of how golf has impacted their lives both on and off the course.

"Being nominated to represent my fellow veterans from the PGA HOPE Buffalo Chapter at the NGWW was an absolute honor.

Congressional CC and the PGA of America put on 1st class event at every level, however, it was the personal connections and relationships that have changed my life forever. I hope to use what I learned to bring back to Western New York and grow our programs and impact even more veterans."

-Scott Smalter US Navy Veteran 1 4

MILLION CAN MARCH TO $50,000 FOR HOPE

ANNUAL REPORT 15

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YOUTH

YOUTH

PGA JR LEAGUE

WNYPGA

PGA Jr. League is the flagship youth pillar program of PGA REACH WNY. We envision a world in which PGA Jr. League is accessible to every child, everywhere, regardless of background or circumstance. We believe that golf is for the collective, and everyone deserves to feel a deep sense of belonging to healthy and caring communities.

Behind each and every PGA Jr. League team is a PGA Coach providing a safe, caring and organized environment for every child to become (and stay) a golfer. These experts in the game are provided with flexibility to create a coaching program that works best for their players and families.

In 1999 The WNYPGA Junior Golf Tour was formed to provide an opportunity and atmosphere for juniors to enjoy the camaraderie, friendship, and sportsmanship of competitive golf at a series of premier venues throughout the Western New York Section of the PGA of America. Since the conception of The WNYPGA Junior Golf Tour it has grown from 10 annual events to the current schedule of 34 events. Annually the membership is between 150 – 250 junior golfers that play approximately 2,000 rounds of competitive golf. Since 1999 it has had over 4,500 members and over 25,000 rounds!

The WNYPGA Section is Most Proud of the fact that we have touched the lives of so many young ladies and gentlemen over the past 23 years. Through the Game of Golf we have instilled the life skills of honesty, integrity, competitiveness and camaraderie.

BY THE NUMBERS

ANNUAL REPORT 17

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374

PGA JUNIOR LEAGUE COACHES

PGA JUNIOR LEAGUE PLAYERS

JUNIOR

TOUR

BY THE NUMBERS

34 JUNIOR TOUR EVENTS

191 JUNIOR TOUR MEMBERS

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YOUTH

YOUTH

Drive, Chip & Putt

Junior Golf Days

A joint initiative founded in 2013 by the Masters Tournament, United States Golf Association and The PGA of America, Drive, Chip and Putt is a free nationwide junior golf development competition aimed at growing the game by focusing on the three fundamental skills employed in golf.

By tapping the creative and competitive spirit of girls and boys ages 7-15, Drive, Chip and Putt provides aspiring junior golfers an opportunity to play with their peers in qualifiers around the country. Participants who advance through local, sub-regional and regional qualifying in each age/gender category earn a place in the National Finals, which is conducted at Augusta National Golf Club the Sunday before the Masters Tournament and is broadcast live by Golf Channel.

Anna Swan from Erie, PA has qualified to compete in the 2022 DCP finals at August National next April. Good luck Anna!

The 45-minute golf clinics introduce juniors to the game of golf utilizing the American Development Model (ADM) to develop the entire athlete not just specialize in one sport. Instruction will be focused on Stage Two of the American Development Model (ADM), FUNdamentals, to develop skills for play focused on fun, inclusion and developmentally appropriate activities.

BY THE NUMBERS

ANNUAL REPORT 19

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296

QUALIFIERS

DCP COMPETITORS

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INCLUSION Growing a Love of the Game: 2021 WNYPGA WORKS Fellow Mackenzie Culhane A passion for the game that goes beyond the course.

2021 WNYPGA WORKS Fellow Mackenzie Culhane has been able to turn her casual love of golf into a career path that is sure to lead her to success.

Culhane grew up in the small New York town of Avon. She would visit her grandparents down near Pinehurst, and that’s where her interest in golf stemmed. But as she grew up, her dreams were off of the golf course and more on the ice rink.

“I graduated from SUNY Brockport with a major in sport management and a minor in communication,” she shared. “Growing up I was a big hockey fan, so I always wanted to work for the NHL. That was my dream.”

However, a chance encounter with a PGA Member may have changed the trajectory of her career.

“Brian Jacobs, PGA, came in and did a lecture about what he does, how he coaches and how he came to the level of the game. I was intrigued and interested, so I sent him an email and I became his intern.”

That internship opened her eyes to the possibility of a role for her in the golf industry. She ran events, helped with communications, managed players, and pitched in wherever needed. Then she found out about an PGA WORKS Fellowship with Brian’s Western New York Section.

ANNUAL REPORT 21

PGA WORKS Fellowships provide the opportunity for a one-year, paid immersion in a PGA Section’s Foundation operations. Mackenzie applied and got the position, and immediately thrived, being exposed to several aspects of the golf industry within one role.

“I helped out with anything and everything that I could,” she said. “I helped a lot with the junior tour,” she said. “I was the lead on Doubles Golf and Drive, Chip & Putt.”

To say her internship was a success would be an understatement.

Mackenzie was offered a full-time position on the Western NY Section staff as Member Engagements & Special Events Manager. One that she happily accepted and will begin in January.

“I’ll be handling our extracurricular events, such as PGA HOPE, PGA Junior League, Drive, Chip & Putt, Special Olympics and more.”

And, returning to her roots, Mackenzie gets to take the lead on running Western New York’s charity hockey game.

But the parts of the job that she’s most excited about are the ones that extend beyond the course. The ones that make the game special. Helping the community, building relationships and growing the game.

“Golf is more than just a game to so many people. It’s really cool to see how golf affects people of all types, all ages. It's a lifelong sport that creates lasting relationships and experiences. I’m excited to be a part of that.”

What’s next for Mackenzie? The opportunities are endless.

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2021 SUPPORTING EVENTS

PGA REACH WNY Marathon For over a year, our team of supporters waited and trained to run a full marathon. The team was committed not only to running the race, but also to supporting the individuals within

DUSTER CHALLENGE

the PGA REACH WNY Foundation.

Conducted by the Tee2Green Radio Show hosts raised $2,100 for PGA

Thanks to the support of our golfing

REACH WNY. The 18-hole family

community, family, friends and sponsors, our PGA REACH WNY

friendly putting competition was held

Marathon Team was able to raise over

at Glen Oak Golf Course, with Charlie

$12,000 to support the programing

Fischer being crowned, “Buffalo’s Best

within the Foundation for the 2021

Putter” for the 2nd time in 5 years.

Season.

PAR CRAWL

TEE IT UP FOR THE TROOPS: WANAKAH Held their 5th annual event at Wanakah Country Club on September 13th, 2021.

The golf event brings local businesses together in a golf event to recognize our Military Veterans and Active Duty members. As a beneficiary, the PGA

brought to you by Custom Turf was a huge success!! Bars and restaurants in Ellicottville, NY had custom made turf greens in their establishment to

REACH WNY Foundation received over

create an 18-hole course. We were

$16,000 to help support the local PGA

able to raise close to $5,000 for the

HOPE Chapters ANNUAL REPORT 23

Our first ever Par Crawl event

WNYPGA REACH Foundation!

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In 2021, the Foundations of the Western NY PGA, NY State Golf Association, Rochester District Golf Association and Buffalo District Golf Association came together for a grant program directly aimed at helping PGA Professionals and facilities grow the game of golf. Based around the thought of positively impacting lives through the game of golf, the organizations provided grants to programs, by the PGA Professionals, that served youth, individuals with disabilities, and military or diverse demographics.

Over $11,000 in grants were awarded across the region that initiated new programs or enhanced and strengthened existing ones.

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"Thank you to all those who support our foundation. The positive impact we see created day in and day out is humbling to say the least. I am proud to represent PGA REACH WNY and the 300 WNYPGA Professionals that use their unique expertise to make this community a better place. With the support of each of our partners, professionals and volunteers the future of saving lives and changing our community for the better through golf is bright!"

-Steven Bartkowski PGA REACH WNY Executive Director/CEO

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BECOME A PARTNER IN 2022 WE’RE LOOKING FOR PARTNERS TO HELP POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE GAME OF GOLF

FOUNDING PARTNERS

PLATINUM PARTNERS

$10, 000

$5,000

•

•

• • •

Brand Recognition inside AND oncourse at the PGA REACH WNY Homesite at Glen Oak Golf Course (averages 35,000 rounds per year) 10 Hours of lessons, fittings, swing analysis with PGA Professionals Listing on PGA REACH WNY Foundation Website and Newsletter 2 Foursomes Into the 2022 PGA REACH Pro-Am on Oak Hill CC East Course

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Brand Recognition inside the PGA REACH WNY Homesite at Glen Oak Golf Course 4 Hours of lessons, fittings, swing analysis with PGA Professionals Listing on PGA REACH WNY Foundation Website and Newsletter 1 Foursome Into the 2022 PGA REACH Pro-Am on Oak Hill CC East Course

EAGLE PARTNERS

BIRDIE PARTNERS

$2,500

$500

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•

• • ANNUAL REPORT 29

Brand Recognition inside the PGA REACH WNY Homesite at Glen Oak Golf Course 2 Hours of lessons, fittings, swing analysis with PGA Professionals Listing on PGA REACH WNY Foundation Website and Newsletter

•

Brand Recognition inside the PGA REACH WNY Homesite at Glen Oak Golf Course Listing on PGA REACH WNY Foundation Website and Newsletter 30

The Future of the Lonnie Nielsen Learning Center(s)

ANNUAL REPORT 31

PGA REACH WNY Foundation has a long-term strategic vision of using golf to heal and better our community through outdoor, and eventually indoor, inclusive learning centers owned and operated

by The Foundation. These state of the art facilities will include a short course, practice area and indoor learning center. This project will not only help our specific benefactors but we truly want to make this available to all of the below. Golf is a game that teaches so many life lessons but has many barriers to access. With this inclusive safe site, there will no longer be those barriers.

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READY TO HELP US POSITIVELY IMPACT LIVES THROUGH GOLF?

GET IN TOUCH TODAY! Please contact Steven Bartkowski at 716-313-2943 or sbartkowski@pgahq.com to discuss partnership oppportunities.

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IMPACTING LIVES THROUGH THE GAME OF GOLF

711 Smith Road East Amherst, NY 14051 (716) 626-7095 wnypga.com/foundation