The Middle Atlantic Professional
Newsletter Date: September 2015
The e-newsletter of the Middle Atlantic PGA Inside this Issue: President’s Perspective: Farewell from President Madden Section Direction: Honoring LongTenured PGA Professionals
With the season winding down, we here at the MAPGA Section Office hope everyone has had a successful and active summer season. Be sure to take some time to get out and enjoy the fall weather and play a bit.
Eyes on Employment: Influence of PGA Professionals Player Development Discussion: Plan for 2016 Chapter Chat
Important Dates: October 5 Players Cup – Williamsburg CC October 13-14 MD Sr. Open – Andrews AFB October 15-18 Senior PGA PNC – Seaside, CA October 19-20 Team Champ. – Salisbury CC October 20-21 MD Womens Open – Baltimore CC October 29- Nov 1 PGA Assistants Championship – Pt St. Lucie, FL November 2 MAPGA Fall Membership Meeting – Fredericksburg, VA November 9-10 East Coast Junior Golf Summit – Baltimore CC November 16-17 MAPGA Teaching Summit – Woodmont CC
President’s Perspective: Update Your Job Performance Dear Members and Apprentices,
experience! The event came down to the last hole with David Hutsell making a fantastic birdie to win his third Section championship. Congratulations to David and I look forward to watching him and all the other qualifiers at the PGA Professional National Championship next summer.
I would like to welcome our new Assistant Executive Director, Thomas Hutton to the MAPGA section. He joins us from the Southern Texas PGA section where he oversaw the Junior Golf Foundation and Program. Please don't hesitate to take time out of your busy Please take time to introduce yourself to Thomas at schedules to write thank you notes to all our sponsors. This small gesture has a big impact for the Fall Membership Meeting. our sponsors. Without all these great sponsors we Fall has finally arrived and it's time for all of us to could not run all the programs, and play for the purses we are able to do. Believe it or not, a simple take a good look at your job “thanks” goes a long way with sponsor retention (of performance over the past course buying their product is even better!) year. We all need to get in the habit of giving our I want to congratulate all of the newly elected owners, general managers chapter Officers and Directors. We will miss all the and bosses a summary of outgoing officers and directors. Thank you all for our accomplishments. If you your years of service to the Section. need help with this process, please don’t hesitate to Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank reach out to Don Sweeting, our employment everyone for the support you have given me over consultant. the last two years as your President. It’s been an What a great honor it was to have the Middle honor to serve this great Section. I look forward to Atlantic PGA Professional Championship at seeing everyone at our fall membership meeting. Congressional Country Club this year. The two courses were in great shape and challenging. The John Madden club staff and members welcomed us all with open MAPGA President arms. The MAPGA staff did another outstanding job jmrbgcc@aol.com running our championship. What a great
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Section Direction: Update on Section Staff I would like to start this article by welcoming our newest staff member, Assistant Executive Director Thomas Hutton, PGA. Thomas joins us from the Southern Texas PGA, where he was their Junior Golf Director. He is a native of New Jersey (a Yankees fan and I hired him anyway!) and a Methodist University PGM grad. Thomas will be primarily focusing on sponsorships and financials, but you will see him at tournaments and we look to grow him into many aspects of the Section operations. We just wrapped up the Drive, Chip and Putt season on Sunday with Regional Finals at Congressional. Congratulations to the 8 talented boys and girls who qualified for Augusta National next April! Three of the eight junior golfers who qualified for Augusta are from the Middle Atlantic area: Brian Feinstein (Boys 14-15) from McLean, VA; Bach Ngo (Boys 10-11) from Frederick, MD; and Paris Fieldings (Girls 10-11) from Suffolk, VA. Owen Bright (Boys 10-11) from Roanoke, VA also qualified for Augusta through the Valhalla Regional Qualifier in Kentucky. They will have the time of their lives on those hallowed grounds, and they have already won the biggest trophy of them all, a trip to Augusta. On a side note, we had a lot of fun with an adult DCP, running the event after day 1 play at the Section Professional Championship. Kudos to Sean English, PGA (Caves Valley) for winning the event with 173 points, followed by Phil Bowers, PGA (GolfTEC, 153 points) and Steve WenPetren, PGA (Brambleton, 150). Everyone had a little fun and hopefully were inspired to get more of their junior golfers to compete next year! SHOUT OUTS In many areas, we congratulate MAPGA members when they get new jobs or promotions. I would like to use this space to honor 20 MAPGA professionals who have been at the SAME facility for over 25 years! These PGA members have proven their value at their clubs over the extreme long-term! Congratulations to all of them for their perseverance and their obvious contributions to their facilities.
MAPGA Staff (540) 720-7420 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jon Guhl, ext. 125 ASSISTANT EX. DIRECTOR Thomas Hutton, PGA, ext. 114
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR Jeremy Greiner, PGA, ext. 124
Name Rea Hargraves, PGA Ron Johnston, PGA John Mlynarski, PGA Jeffrey Zachman, PGA Mark Helffrich, PGA John Dodson, PGA Jim Fitzgerald, PGA Mike Fischer, PGA Bob Arnold, PGA Don Skacan, PGA Tom Barry, PGA Mike Welsh, PGA Mike Moyers, PGA Dave Grier, PGA Gary McBride, PGA Greg Overton, PGA Jim Napier, PGA Woody FitzHugh, PGA Glenn Brown, PGA Craig Day, PGA
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Facility Lake of the Woods Country Club Andrews AFB Golf Course Harbourtowne Resort & CC Piney Branch Golf & CC The Suburban Club Twin Shields Golf Club Chevy Chase Club Westwood Country Club Breton Bay Golf & Country Club Gibson Island Club Jefferson Lakeside Country Club Eagle's Nest Country Club Greene Hills Club Yinglings Golf Center Danville Golf Club Newport News Golf Club Bretton Woods Recreation Ctr Woody's Range, Inc. Westwood Country Club Turf Valley
Years 25.3 25.4 26.1 26.3 26.6 27.2 27.8 30.3 30.4 32.1 32.5 33.5 33.9 34.0 34.5 36.6 36.8 37.2 38.1 45.1
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT Liz Cooper, PGA ext 116 JUNIOR GOLF DIRECTOR Bob Heintz, ext. 128 MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR Kelly Lawson, ext. 126 COMMUNICATIONS Eric Southard, ext 101 TOURNAMENT INTERN Cassie Lowell, ext 115
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Section Direction cont. WHAT’S NEXT?
MAPGA Board of Directors OFFICERS President John Madden, PGA River Bend Golf & CC Vice President Matthew Schulze, PGA LPGA Kingsmill Championship Secretary J.P. Lunn, PGA Sabre Golf Honorary President John Malinowski, PGA Ocean Pines Golf & CC
DIRECTORS Phil Bowers, PGA Butch Butler, PGA Dan Capozzi, PGA Brian Dix, PGA Jay Dufty, PGA Peter Gardner, PGA Lynne Hunter, PGA John Lyberger, PGA Jeff Maynor, PGA Mark Russo, PGA Michael Thomas, PGA Andy Weissinger, PGA
Our Section Meeting is November 2nd at the Fredericksburg Expo Center. We will have elections at this meeting, so please plan on attending for a good turnout. Mark Beran, PGA (Woodholme) and Josh Tremblay, PGA (Springfield) are running for Section Secretary. Also at this meeting, we will recognize our 2015 sponsors with a Sponsor Fair (giving you a chance to meet and thank our partners) and have a presentation on Player Development from Mike O’Donnell, PGA Senior Director of Player Development.
The Nike Golf Teaching Summit is November 16-17 at Woodmont CC. Our keynote speakers are Martin Hall, PGA and Cameron McCormick, PGA along with some MAPGA Professionals. It looks to be a fantastic event, so CLICK HERE to sign up soon for the early bird rate through October 9th!
Very respectfully, Jon Guhl Executive Director
MAPGA Welcomes Three New Chapter Presidents The Middle Atlantic PGA is excited to welcome three new Chapter Presidents, effective September 14th. Lynne Hunter, Head PGA Professional at Kenwood Golf and Country Club in Bethesda, Md., was elected as President of the Central Chapter. Hunter, who has served as the Secretary and Vice President of the Central Chapter since 2013, will become the first female president of a Chapter within the Middle Atlantic PGA Section. Also serving as the chair of the Middle Atlantic PGA Membership Committee, Hunter is vastly respected by her peers for her dedication and hard work within the Middle Atlantic PGA Section, all while succeeding in her full time position as Head PGA Professional at Kenwood Golf & Country Club. Hunter will succeed Josh Tremblay, Head PGA Professional at Springfield Golf and Country Club as the Central Chapter President as Tremblay will now become the Honorary President. Andy Weissinger, PGA General Manager at Ft. Eustis Pines Golf Course in Fort Eustis, Va., was elected as President of the Southern Chapter. Weissinger, who was named as the interim President of the Southern Chapter in early 2015 was officially sworn in as president at the Southern Chapter Fall Membership Meeting held at Richmond Country Club on September 14th. Weissinger has served as the Secretary and Vice President of the Southern Chapter since 2011. Also serving as the chair of the Middle Atlantic PGA Player Development Committee, Weissinger is extremely devoted to growing through the PGA REACH Program, which is a program that is dedicated to positively impacting the lives of veterans, youth and diverse populations. Weissinger earned his PGA membership in 2001, and earned the PGA of America Patriot Award in 2009. In the Northern Chapter, Jeffrey Maynor, Head PGA Professional at the University of Maryland Golf Course in College Park, Md., was elected as President. Maynor has served on the Northern Chapter board since 2011 and currently serves as the chair of the Middle Atlantic PGA Public Relations Committee. Outside of his service to the Section, Maynor is a great advocate for the Get Golf Ready Program and provides numerous classes per year at his facility. A PGA member since 1992, Maynor will succeed Mark Beran, Head PGA Professional at Woodholme Country Club as the Northern Chapter President as Beran will now become the Honorary President.
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Eyes on Employment: Influence of PGA Professionals There was a great article in the July issue of PGA Magazine titled “Influence of PGA Professionals”. I just wanted to highlight the importance of today’s PGA professionals and breakdown the article. The PGA professional works diligently to become better educated, knowledgeable and experienced in an ever-changing industry. A partial quote from the article; “Quite Frankly, there’s no one who has the knowledge base or training of PGA Professionals”….. Listed below is a bullet point breakdown of the article Boost Your Influence To Be Central To Your Facility’s Success! Build relationships based on: Expertise, Engagement, Trust Elevating influence can bolster facility revenues Don Sweeting is an Employment Consultant for the PGA of America. He can be contacted at dsweeting@pgahq.com (704) 440-8025
-PGA Professionals have influence to sell the game of golf -Logical connection between non-golfers/occasional golfers and the game
Make the game more fun for golfers AND more profitable for facility owners/stakeholders PGA Professionals’ Influence “Today’s consumer wants to be engaged & inspired before they commit their time & money. PGA Professionals are uniquely positioned to engage and inspire” Ian James, CEO Retail Tribe
Unparalleled access to golfers at grass roots level Possess skills/expertise to capitalize on this access using these relationships to build influence for job security
Tracking Trends
EMPLOYMENT CHANGES
Cost Side Pressures Lower staff budgets & increased competition necessitate broader skill set Management skills equally important to teaching/club fitting Diversity increases value to employers Golf fights the “slow” perception. Quicker results / less time to participate – important
Simplify your life and submit your employment changes Population Is Changing electronically Millennials replacing Boomers through the Different financial and time-management challenges PGA's ONLINE Player Development with a family and youth focus essential CHANGE FORM at Relationship building more effective than traditional advertising PGA.org. Electronic No substitute for just spending time with golfers/members submission is fast -Lesson Tee, Rounds of Golf, Golf Trips Seeing you on course/lesson tee = increased influence and helps you avoid Higher engagement = Higher retention any applicable Building Blocks of Influence fines by reporting Clubhouse amenities less important than golfers’ on-course experience changes within ten -Enjoyment and quality of play paramount days of your new -PGA Professional’s time with golfers/members status. -Stronger relationships = Increased influence
Quantifying the Impact of Influence PerformanceTrak Surveys to golfers/members Regular communication to facility owners/stakeholders with data Get Golf Ready – 86% Retention Rate and average spend of first-year student = $1,165 PGA Junior League – Participation nearly doubled in 2014, even higher in 2015! Charity Events – 140,000 events/year raising $4 billion Nearly 50% of golfers play in one charity event
(NGF) See the full article in the July 2015 issue of PGA Magazine
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Player Development Discussion: Plan for 2016 You may have a general vision of your instruction business; key activities, revenue goals, a marketing strategy, and a mental picture of your business for the next 5, 10 or even 20 years. One of the benefits of planning is the likelihood for success, as many hurdles may be removed, or at least anticipated.
Mike Aldrich, PGA is the Player Development Regional Manager for D.C., MD, & VA. He can be contacted at (703) 728-9033 maldrich@pgahq.com.
Classified Ads Section Starting in the December issue of the Middle Atlantic Professional Newsletter, the MAPGA will introduce a Classified Ads Section. Membership can submit golfrelated advertisements to MAPGA Communications Manager Eric Southard at esouthard@pgahq.com. Examples can include any golf shop, golf facility or golf course related items such as merchandise, equipment, teaching tools, computers, etc. If you have any questions, please contact the Section Office at 540-720-7420.
Who else knows about your goals?
Most business owners have a good idea of what their core values and activities. Putting your plan in writing helps you focus your efforts. It will give you insight into activities that are integral put them ahead of those that are less important. A good business plan will also include methods to gauge your current status and provide benchmarks for measuring performance. While you develop your plan, use SWOT (Strength/ Weakness/Opportunity/Threat) analysis to uncover previously unconsidered aspects of your business. You might uncover new potential students, teaching formats, or ways communicate your students’ impact on the health of the facility.
What is a business plan?
A business plan can be a vehicle to clearly communicate your plans t o y o u r em p l o ye es , y o u r management and your partners. Conversations with these parties are vital, but it may be difficult for them to recall details without a written version. A good business plan not only reveals the essential activities for your business’ A business plan is a written success, but will also share your overview of your entire enterprise. passion and values. It should include in-depth analysis of your current business practices How clear is your plan and the and provide insight to refocus steps that it requires for future efforts. It concentrates on high-level planning for the key success? activities that have a major influence on the success of your business. There are many ways to build your business plan but it should become the roadmap for your business.
With whom should you share your business plan? Most importantly, share your plan with anyone to whom you report. Your management and investors will be very interested to read about your plans as your performance directly affects them. Secondly, share it with anyone who will support your efforts, especially peers and subordinates. Customers and prospects should also be privy to certain areas, for example your mission statement and the core activities which may interest them. Each of your customers should be aware of your passion for instruction and all of the instructional services that you offer. You use the snowy winter days to plan for your tournaments and merchandise; to have a financially successful and impactful instructional programming, start planning for the year today.
How do I develop my plan? Use the Player Development Cycle on the next page to help bring out the core activities for a successful program. It will help you think about the more important tasks and consider the steps that you will need to take.
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Player Development cont. Communication (November-January) Share your overall vision for player development with your management and coworkers Overall Revenue/Expense Major Program Elements Expected Benefits
Analysis (January) Consider the current status of the club, the economy and the golf operation Do SWOT analysis on the current and potential programming
Planning (February) Develop detailed plans for initiating your programming several months before your season begins Include staffing needs, staff training, program marketing and tracking and reporting methodology
Marketing (Year Round) Create your marketing materials and sign-ups for your programs Talk to your existing students and committees to promote programs
Execution (March-November) Focus your instruction on the golfers and their enjoyment of the learning process Ask questions of your golfers and listen for opportunities Follow up with staff and provide encouragement, training and guidance
Tracking/Reporting (Year Round) Report quarterly results, focusing on correlating facility activity and income to instruction to management and committees Conduct survey of all participants and parents of juniors If you would like to discuss developing a plan, contact Mike Aldrich, PGA Player Development Manager. Mike consults with professionals to develop strategies that can increase the income and value of PGA Professionals. Reach him at 703-728-9033 or maldrich@pgahq.com
Local Golf Facility Hosts Over 100 Veterans Olney Golf Park in Olney, Maryland hosted over 100 United States military veterans on Saturday, August 22nd in connection with the Salute Military Golf Association (SMGA). Jim Estes, PGA Director of Instruction at Olney Golf Park and other PGA Professionals, provided a two hour golf clinic for the veterans. These clinics included the veterans and their families rotating every 20 minutes through five stations that featured Bridie Ball, KWIK Golf, a four hole putting contest and a Big Break chipping challenge. After the clinic, the veterans were treated to a catered lunch by Olney Grille. Twice a year, Olney Golf Park holds an eight week SMGA clinic series for local veterans. Special thanks to PGA Professionals Liza Abood, Bill Bolles, Dave Cameron, Al Fenstomacher, Jim Folks, John McNaney, Ray Richardson and the numerous others who made this clinic a huge success.
The Salute Military Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that aims to blend a love of country and love of golf in an effort to support the mental and physical rehabilitation programs of post-9/11 wounded and injured warriors. The camaraderie and lasting friendships SMGA warrior golfers create among themselves has helped many return to active duty or successfully restore into civilian life. The SMGA operates at nine chapters nationwide and to date, the SMGA has given more than 2,000 private lessons to injured veterans and provided over 800 sets of individually fitted clubs to wounded warriors.
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Central Chapter : Report from President Lynne Hunter, PGA The Central Chapter held our Fall meeting, elections and Pro-assistant tournament on September 8. We had a great turnout with 58 teams participating in the event. Congratulations to Ricky Touma and Daniel Bengston, who had the low team round of the day with a score of 65! Thank you to our hosts at Lansdowne Resort; PGA Members Jim Karafa, Craig Forgash and Kevin Kremer, and our MAPGA staff,; Jon Guhl, Jeremy Greiner, Bob Heintz and Eric Southard for running the events of the day. Our new board was elected at the fall meeting. I would like to welcome and introduce our officers for the next two years; Vice President Phil Bowers, Secretary Jay Dufty, Director-at-Large – Matt Hess, A-8 Director-Michael Mauk, and our Regional Directors Michael Pius, Mike Bell, and Daniel Bengston. I am looking forward to working with our new board and putting together a great slate of events for the 2016 season! If you missed the meeting, we announced some dates for some upcoming events for you to attend as we get ready to head into our offseason. The Nike Golf Teaching Summit will be held at Woodmont CC on November 16-17. Martin Hall and Cameron McComick will be our keynote speakers. The East Coast Junior Golf Summit will be held on November 9-10 at Baltimore CC. I would like to thank Josh Tremblay for his 3 years of service as our Central Chapter President, in addition to all of his previous years serving on our board. Josh has been a great leader for our association and has devoted countless hours to provide education opportunities and promote growth of the game initiatives for our professionals. Best of luck to Josh as he runs for Section Secretary in November!
Northern Chapter: Report from Past President Mark Beran, PGA I would like to thank all my fellow members of the Northern Chapter for all of your support and participation in our MAPGA events. It has been a great pleasure serving on the NC Board for the past 8 years. I am confident that the new Board will continue to provide educational and employment related programs that will help you remain successful at your facility. I am ready for my next stage of my service to the Section by running for the MAPGA Secretary position and look forward to seeing all of you at the Fall Meeting. Vote Beran for MAPGA Secretary!
Southern Chapter : Report from President Andy Weissinger, PGA Earlier this month the Southern Chapter members elected our new board of directors.
I was honored to be elected as your Southern Chapter President for two years. It is my vision for the next two years to have a Southern Chapter that leads the way in carrying out the directives and challenges from the Section Board while serving our members locally the best way we can. As in everything we do in life the best way forward cannot be completely determined on our own. It is my hope that we all take a moment in looking around us to see what sources of information we have all around us. One of the best sources we have is each other. In developing ways for us all to better communicate and build relationships together we can all grow stronger as we take our chapter and our individual careers to the next level. At our meeting we were honored to have several past presidents of our chapter in attendance. These past presidents are a wealth of knowledge that we can all tap into with a simple phone call or personal invitation to our facility to talk shop over lunch. Also at our meeting our membership voted in the remainder of the board of directors that will be leading alongside me as we take the chapter forward over the next two years. Please allow me to introduce to you the Board of Directors of the Southern Chapter of the MAPGA:
Vice President – Peter Gardner, PGA Secretary – Dan Capozzi, PGA Director at Large – Scott Graber, PGA A-8 Director – Robert Nowak, PGA Regional Director – Gary Haught, PGA Regional Director – Dean Greer, PGA
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MISSION:
The mission of the Middle Atlantic PGA is to promote growth in the game of golf, to provide ongoing education and professional development for our members, and to actively improve employment opportunities for PGA Professionals across the region.
VISION:
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The Middle Atlantic PGA… a member-driven association providing leadership across the golf industry.
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