The Middle Atlantic Professional
Newsletter Date: November 2015
The e-newsletter of the Middle Atlantic PGA Inside this issue: President’s Perspective: Fall Meetings & Preparing for Next Year Section Direction: Wrapping Up a Great Year
With the 2015 golf season in the books, the MAPGA Section Staff would like to thank everyone for an outstanding season. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday season and are looking forward to another great year in 2016!
2016 Award Winners and Hall of Fame Inductee Eyes on Employment: Preparing for the Job Search j Player Development Discussion: Upcoming Town Hall Meetings Chapter Chat
President’s Perspective: Fall Meetings & Preparing for Next Year Important Dates: November 26-27 Section Office Closed
Dear MAPGA Members and of his memories serving the previously elected chapter Apprentices,
The past three weeks have November - January been nothing Player Development Town Hall short of a Meetings whirlwind since being elected as your President. The December 14-15 Section meeting was full of Board Planning Session great information and everyone in attendance got to December 24-January 1 hear from our District 10 Section Office Closed Director, Rick Murphy, PGA as January 26-29 well as outgoing National PGA Demo Day & Merchandise Board of Control member Show—0rlando, FL Paul Michaelian. PGA. Rick shared what is happening February 6—College Golf within the National PGA and Seminar what will be introduced for Congressional CC next season. Paul, shared what the National Board of Control does and also some
PGA and MAPGA over the past 15 plus years. I hope you stayed for Mike O’Donnell’s seminar on Player Development — it received such rave reviews that we are bringing him back in February for a day and a half seminar to go more in depth.
At that same meeting, Josh Tremblay from Springfield Golf and Country Club was elected our next Section Secretary. Greg Scott from Army Navy Country Club was also elected to the Section Board of Directors as the Director-atLarge. Brain Dix was reelected to serve as the Assistants Representative on the Board as well. I look forward to working with them and the
officers over the next two years.
The following week our delegation headed to West Palm Beach for the 99th PGA Annual meeting. We were also joined at this Annual meeting by our Chapter Presidents. They had the opportunity to attend all of the sessions and see the business of the Association in action. . At this Annual meeting we proposed a resolution and while it was not passed, we were able to affect change in our Association by bringing up the need to improve the recertification process as well as on-line education. (Cont. on page 2…)
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President’s Perspective cont. While in West Palm Beach we learned about some new National Programs that will benefit each of us as PGA Professionals. We also attended and were inspired by the National Awards Banquet, the Hall of Fame Inductions as well as a trip to Port St. Lucie to visit PGA Golf Club. These events were very special to be a part of and PGA Golf Club has made great strides in course condition and improved hospitality. Special kudos to former MAPGA member Tim Krebs, who was honored with the PGA Player Development Award for his work at East Potomac.
MAPGA Board of Directors OFFICERS President Matthew Schulze, PGA LPGA Kingsmill Championship Vice President J.P. Lunn, PGA Sabre Golf Secretary Josh Tremblay, PGA Springfield G&CC Honorary President John Madden, PGA River Bend Club
DIRECTORS Phil Bowers, PGA Dan Capozzi, PGA Brian Dix, PGA Jay Dufty, PGA Sean English, PGA Peter Gardner, PGA Lynne Hunter, PGA John Malinowski, PGA Jeff Maynor, PGA Mark Russo, PGA Greg Scott, PGA Michael Thomas, PGA Andy Weissinger, PGA
Over the next few weeks the Board will be getting together to conduct our annual planning session. The planning session gives us the opportunity to review each of our programs and initiatives. These conversations steer the direction of the Section for the next calendar year as well as into the near future. If you would like to provide input on that direction, please don’t hesitate to contact your chapter officers, my fellow Section officers or me. We will use this Session to make decisions on the viability of our programs as we look forward to the future of our Association. Finally as we enter the winter season, I wish everyone the time to recharge, plan and prepare for the new golf season in 2016. I hope each of you are looking forward to the holiday season and having the time to celebrate what we all have to be thankful for. Please feel free to contact me at Kingsmill Resort if there is anything I can do for you or anything you would like to discuss about the Section, the PGA of America or the Golf Business. I look forward to serving you as the MAPGA President over the next two years, it is truly my honor. All my best, Matthew Schulze, PGA President, Middle Atlantic PGA Matthew.Schulze@kingsmill.com Cell: 757-345-8099
Thank You to Our Partners Don't forget to say thank you to all our 2015 partners. Their contributions are very important to helping make our events successful. A list of partners and their contact information can be found by CLICKING HERE
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Section Direction: Recap from Teaching Summits, Shout Outs, and What’s Next
I am writing this just after returning from the PGA Annual Meeting in Florida and the 2015 Nike Golf Teaching Summit at Woodmont CC. I am continually impressed with those in attendance at our Summit that are always seeking to improve their craft and advancing their knowledge base. I have often said that one very easy way to stand out in a job search is to detail how much self-improvement you have pursued. With over 110 MAPGA members in attendance (and with 3 years to go on MSR recertification), we definitely have a number of professionals who desire to learn. The PGA Annual Meeting in Palm Beach Gardens, FL always serves as a great chance for me to talk to my peers about trends and best practices. I always get more out of this meeting during the breaks and after hours than I do during the sessions! Your officers were active and presented a resolution to limit the number of MSR hours that could be earned by watching online videos. While the resolution failed, I was incredibly proud of them as they saw an inequity (a member who has done no MSR for 3.5 years getting bailed out by online videos that were not intended to be online learning) and tried to rectify it for the betterment of the Association. Most of the resistance was from Sections that were geographically very spread out that felt (despite not necessarily liking the videos that were available in 2015) this resolution would be harmful to their members in the future. The Section Meeting on November 2nd was a great chance to convene and catch up with old friends as well as thank the many partners who were present for the Sponsor Fair. It was an election year, so congratulations to Josh Tremblay for getting elected as Secretary (joining President Matthew Schulze and Secretary JP Lunn). Also elected were Director-at- Large Greg Scott and A-8 Director Brian Dix. Afterward, there was a wellreceived Player Development seminar led by PGA Senior Director of Player Development Mike O’Donnell. Due to the positive response from that 4 hour seminar, we will be inviting O’Donnell back for a full 2 day session on February 16-17 at Springfield G&CC. As you can tell, November is always a busy month in the MAPGA. We also had a very successful East Coast Junior Summit at Baltimore Country Club on November 9-10, created and led by PGA Player Development Regional Manager Mike Aldrich and ably assisted by MAPGA staff Liz Cooper and Bob Heintz. This two-day event featured 56 attendees and 21 panelists discussing specific techniques and ideas on junior golf. The passion and sharing in the room was incredible, and this event will be a fixture on our calendar for years to come! SHOUT OUTS ~Thanks to newly elected Secretary Josh Tremblay, PGA and his education committee for recruiting speakers and chairing the 2015 Nike Golf Teaching Summit. Also, thanks to Kelly Lawson on the MAPGA staff for organizing and David Dorn, PGA at Woodmont for hosting the event.
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 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
Classified Ads Section
Membership can submit golf-related advertisements to be published in upcoming issues of the Middle Atlantic Professional Newsletter. Examples can include any ~Congrats to Jim Estes and Dirk Schultz for qualifying for the 2016 Senior PGA Championship! golf shop, golf facility or golf They both finished T28 at the Senior PGA Professional Championship and will play next May course related items such at The Golf Club at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, MI. Well done, guys! as merchandise, equipment, ~Congratulations also to the 2016 Award Winners (posted elsewhere in this magazine). We teaching tools, computers, have another great group, led by Professional of the Year John Madden, PGA and Teacher of etc. If you have any the Year Mike Dickson, PGA, who will be honored at the Spring Meeting on February 29, questions, please contact 2016 and at the Awards Banquet at Belle Haven CC on March 5, 2016. I hope to see you the Section Office at 540there! 720-7420. (Cont. on page 4…)
The Middle Atlantic Professional—November 2015
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Section Direction cont. WHAT’S NEXT? ~The Board of Directors will be convening for their annual Planning Session in early December. This is a two-day meeting where your leaders discuss what direction the Section should take and allocates budget dollars toward programs that will take us there. Please contact your Chapter or Section officers if you would like to give input on what programs you would like to see implemented. ~One thing we are attempting to put extra focus on is fund-raising and developing programs for our MAPGA Foundations in 2016. We will be contacting you with opportunities, so please be aware and open-minded about helping your Section in the charitable arena! It may be as simple as giving us a contact person from a corporate entity that appreciates golf, or running a pro-am or golf marathon. Every little bit will help. Very respectfully, Jon Guhl Executive Director
2016 MAPGA Award Winners The MAPGA Board of Directors and Awards Committee are proud to announce the 2016 Middle Atlantic PGA award winners. All the nominees are recognized by their peers as being exceptional role models. Each recipient will be honored on February 29, 2016 at the Section Spring Meeting and on March 5th at Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandria, Va., for the Annual Awards Banquet. Congratulations to the following honorees: Professional of the Year
John Madden, PGA
River Bend Club—Great Falls, Va.
Teacher of the Year
Mike Dickson, PGA
Congressional CC—Bethesda, Md.
Assistant of the Year
Brian Dix, PGA
Univ. of Maryland GC—College Park, Md.
Bill Strausbaugh Award
Andy Weissinger, PGA
The Pines GC—Fort Eustis, Va.
Horton Smith Award (education)
Adam Smith, PGA
Salisbury CC—Midlothian, Va.
Player Development
Steve Loesher, PGA
Reston National GC—Reston, Va.
Youth Player Development
Dan Shea, PGA
Cahoon Plantation—Chesapeake, Va.
Merchandiser of the Year (Private)
Robert Agresti, PGA
Chartwell G&CC—Severna Park, Md.
Merchandiser of the Year (Public)
Craig Volentine, PGA
Birdwood GC—Charlottesville, Va.
Merchandiser of the Year (Resort)
Geoff Redgrave, PGA
Wintergreen Resort—Nellysford, Va.
David Wortman Citizen of the Year
Tina Uihlein
Tony Marlowe Scholarship Benefactor
Earle Hellen Sportsmedia Award
Mike Hydeck
Morning Anchor CBS WUSA-9.
Salesperson of the Year
Mason Wolf & Chuck Henry
Mizuno Golf
(club relations & community service)
The Middle Atlantic Professional—November 2015
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Eyes on Employment: Preparing for the Job Search As we head into winter, many PGA Professionals will reflect on the past season and think ahead to the future, possibly with some thoughts and questions about their current job:
Don Sweeting is an Employment Consultant for the PGA of America.
Am I happy with my current position?
What are my issues and concerns?
Am I utilizing my strengths and interests?
Do I need to improve my skills?
What are my career goals?
If my dream job suddenly came along, would I be ready to go after it?
Before you jump headfirst into the job market, work with your employer and try to find solutions to He can be contacted at resolve your major issues and concerns. Keep in mind there are very few “perfect” jobs – most have dsweeting@pgahq.com pros and cons, and you may need to decide which issues you can (704) 440-8025 live with and which are “deal breakers.” Your issues don’t necessarily have to be related only to your compensation and benefits – look at areas such as staffing, facilities, resources, responsibilities, policies, procedures, management structure, etc. Also, if you and your family like your location, community, schools, and proximity to relatives and friends, it may be easier to work on making your current job better rather than going through a job search, moving your family, and starting over in a new position.
EMPLOYMENT CHANGES
If there are areas where your employer feels you need improvement or additional training, discuss ways that you can work together to accomplish this. The PGA Certified Professional Program will be a very good resource for PGA Professionals to upgrade their skills for their current position and for future career opportunities. If you feel there is no short or long term resolution possible with your current job, then it may be time to begin developing a plan to achieve your career goals:
Simplify your life and submit your employment changes electronically through the PGA's ONLINE CHANGE FORM in PGALinks. Electronic submission is fast and helps you avoid any applicable fines by reporting changes within ten days of your new status.
Formulate your preferences – position type, facility type, location, compensation objectives, etc.
Update your resume – for resume and cover letter tips and samples, go to the Employment Services homepage of PGA.org and click on Resume Tips, then review the menu options below to see resume examples, and Job Hunter’s Toolkit. PGA Employment Consultants are also available to critique and work with you on your resume.
Review and update your PGA CareerLinks profile – it’s important to maximize your potential of being notified by CareerLinks about new jobs where your skills and experience match an employer’s search criteria. Make sure your personal CareerLinks profile is accurate and up to date with your future preferences, work experience, and employment history. Please contact me if you would like to review and discuss your profile in more detail.
Utilize available resources – CareerLinks, Job Finder (for assistant, teaching, and nonmanagement jobs), Career Consultants, the Employment Services area on PGA.org.
Network – some employers choose not to formally advertise an available position. You may be able to learn about some job opportunities by networking with fellow professionals, section and chapter leaders, section staff, and any golf industry contacts you know in your preferred areas.
Be creative – think about where you might find possible job leads and then follow up. Investigate management companies, new courses under construction, golf course builders and developers, non-PGA facilities, golf industry recruiters, golf employment websites, etc.
Successful job seekers use all available PGA Employment Services resources, plus their own research and networking. Good luck, and don’t hesitate to contact me if I can assist in any way. Don Sweeting is an Employment Consultant for the PGA of America and can be contacted at (704) 440-8025 or by e-mail at dsweeting@pgahq.com.
The Middle Atlantic Professional—November 2015
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Town Hall Meeting—Growing Rounds & Revenue for You and Your Facility Want
to find out what programming and ideas are working to grow rounds of golf and revenues at your fellow professional's facilities? Join Mike Aldrich, PGA, Player Development Manager, Liz Cooper, PGA, MAPGA Player Development Coordinator and your fellow MAPGA Professionals in a round table discussion about to create fun programming, rounds and revenue at your home facility.
Come to the Complimentary Town Hall Meeting prepared to share your best ideas on the following subjects with your fellow MAPGA professionals. You are encouraged to bring any materials that will help you explain your best practices. 4 PGA Required MSR Credits for attendees. Nov. 30
Spring Creek GC
Charlottesville, VA
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Dec. 1
River Bend Club
Great Falls, VA
*10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Dec. 16
Univ. of MD Eastern Shore
Princess Anne, MD
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Dec. 18
Woodholme CC
Pikesville, MD
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Jan. 7
Pete Dye River Course at VA Tech
Blacksburg, VA
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Jan. 13
CC of Virginia - James River
Richmond, VA
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Jan. 21
Williamsburg GC
Williamsburg, VA
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
(Click on the Town Hall Meeting above for more information and to register) 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Coffee & Arrivals
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Junior Golf - Playing Competition and Improvement: What is working? What is going away?
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Creating Alignment in Your Golf Operation: How to create the best possible team conditions for success? 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Program Development: How do you know what programs will work best for your students and your facility? 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Problem Solving - No holds barred! Bring your head scratchers and we will work together to offer possible solutions.
1:00 p.m.
Boxed Lunch & Golf (Weather permitting - details to come)
If you have any questions, please contact MAPGA Player Development Coordinator Liz Cooper, PGA at 540-720-7420 x 116 or PGA Player Development Regional Manager Mike Aldrich, PGA at 703-728-9033.
The Middle Atlantic Professional—November 2015
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Youth Golf Leaders Learn From Each Other at 2015 East Coast Junior Summit The Annual East Coast Junior Golf Summit was held at Baltimore Country Club on November 9-10. Over the two days there were twenty-one different PGA and LPGA professional panelists that presented on topics from developing junior players to how to work with parents of junior golfers and everything in between. The passion for junior golf was obvious from everyone attending the summit. The ideas, networking and problem solving that took place made this East Coast Junior Golf Summit the best one yet! Thank you to PGA Player Development Regional Manager Mike Aldrich for following his passion for junior golf by creating and running the 2015 East Coast Junior Summit. Also, a special thank you goes out to Pat Coyner, PGA and Rob Comerer, PGA for hosting the Summit at Baltimore Country Club. The 2015 East Coast Junior Golf Summit along with partners Kwik Golf, BirdieBall, US Kids Golf and the Middle Atlantic PGA made waves within the player development community. Those in attendance not only absorbed knowledge from the presenters, but also engaged in active discussions and are now better equipped to plan, promote, and prosper their youth golf programs.
Star Studded Cast Presents at Nike Golf MAPGA Teaching Summit The Nike Golf Teaching Summit was a huge success at Woodmont Country Club as over 110 PGA Professionals attended the two-day event that highlighted the theme of Teaching the Everyday Player. Those in attendance had the opportunity to learn new ideas from National presenters Martin Hall, 2008 PGA of America National Teacher of the Year and host of Golf Channel's "School of Golf" and Cameron McCormick, recipient of the 2015 PGA of America National Teacher of the Year award and Swing Coach to PGA Tour Player Jordan Spieth. Fellow MAPGA Professionals also shared their areas of expertise and offered hands-on learning and live lessons for the “everyday player”. The weather cooperated nicely, allowing for plenty of hands on learning outside on the spectacular practice greens and the Woodmont Teaching Center. A special thanks to Teaching Summit Chair, Josh Tremblay, PGA for all of his hard work in organizing such a remarkable event.
Former MAPGA Member Tim Krebs Honored With National Award Congratulations to former MAPGA Member Tim Krebs, PGA who was recognized with the PGA Player Development Award at the 2015 PGA Awards Ceremony. Krebs, now a member of the Sun Country Section, previously worked at East Potomac Golf Course in Washington D.C for nearly seven years. Be sure to check out the great video below on Krebs and his outstanding accomplishment.
The Middle Atlantic Professional—November 2015
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Central Chapter Update by President Lynne Hunter, PGA I think we have officially hit the off season-I hope that you are all getting a little more free time as we head into the holidays. Now is the time to start thinking about your plans for the next season! If you are looking for some good player development ideas to bring to your facility, check out the Town Hall meeting schedule beginning in December. The Central Chapter will be hosting one on December 1 at River Bend GC in Great Falls, VA. The Central Chapter board will be meeting over the winter months to put together a great schedule of tournaments and education opportunities for you for the 2016 season. If you have ideas, suggestions, or you would like to volunteer or host an event, please feel free to reach out to me or any of our board members over the winter. I wish you all a happy holiday season and look forward to telling you all about the upcoming season in our next edition.
Northern Chapter Update by President Jeff Maynor, PGA I hope everyone had a great 2015 season. I encourage you to take advantage of the slow period to establish your Player Development plan for 2016. We are fortunate to have a wealth of knowledge in our Section and I encourage you to reach out to Liz Cooper and Mike Aldrich for assistance as you plan your programs for next season. The winter is also a good time to catch up on your PGA MSR credits. The Middle Atlantic Section has seven Town Hall meetings scheduled during December and January. All of the sessions are complimentary and are a great way to share ideas with your fellow Professionals. Congrats to all of the new Section and Chapter officers, if any of the officers can be of assistance, do not hesitate to give us a call. We want to hear from you!
Southern Chapter Update by President Andy Weissinger, PGA Growing the game is making an impact on lives at the same time.
When we invest our time, energy and talents into something it really shows. We have all chosen this profession for the same basic reason…we love the game of golf. We love playing it, we love talking about it, we love teaching it and we love sharing our love with other people. When we share this love with other people we are bringing them joy and sometimes we are even making an impact and changing the course of their lives forever. Golf will make people happier, it will help them get healthier and will open them up to so many new experiences and friendships that they could not have any other place than on the golf course. One of our Southern Chapter Members recently had an experience and an impact on a student’s life that might give him some direction for his future. Rea Hargraves, PGA Head Professional at Lake of the Woods Country Club in Locust Grove, VA, has a student who has fallen in love with the game through Rea’s efforts, one of which has been PGA Junior League Golf. As a result this student had a school project where he had to dress up in a career day activity as what he wanted to be when he grew up…and wouldn’t you know he wants to be a Golf Pro. Way to go Rea and crew at Lake of the Woods. If you have not already gotten involved in junior golf, PGA Junior League or any other player development…WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? You have the opportunity to not only change your facility and job you have the opportunity to change lives.
The Middle Atlantic Professional窶年ovember 2015
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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. 1 PGA Dr. Stafford, VA 22554 Phone: (540) 720-7420 Fax: (540) 720-7076 E-mail: midatl@pgahq.com
VISION:
The Middle Atlantic PGA窶ｦ a member-driven association providing leadership across the golf industry.
PGA Professionals: Experts in the Game and Business of Golf
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