IAGA Quick Hits | 5.15.26
MSGA Renames Prestigious Men’s Player of the Year Honor to the Martin R. West III Player of the Year Award
From the Maryland State Golf Association
The Maryland State Golf Association is pleased to announce the renaming of its Men’s Player of the Year honor to the Martin R. West III Player of the Year award beginning in 2026. The award recognizes the top-performing male amateur golfer in Maryland and Washington, D.C., each season.
Martin R. West III is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished amateur golfers in Maryland history. West won nine Maryland Amateur Championships between 1973 and 1997, including five in a six-year span from 1978 to 1983. He also captured three Maryland Opens, two Maryland Senior Amateurs, multiple Four-Ball and Pro-Am titles, and accumulated a remarkable 22 MSGA championships, the second most in the MSGA’s history. He also helped Columbia Country Club to 12 State Team Championships, as well as four Senior State Team Championships.
West’s accomplishments extend well beyond MSGA competition, from collegiate golf to the national stage. He was a two-time All-American at the University of North Carolina and won the 1971 ACC Championship. West won two Washington Metropolitan Amateurs, one Washington Metropolitan Association Senior Amateur, five Middle Atlantic Golf Association Amateurs, and two Middle Atlantic Golf Association Senior Amateurs. He also played on the 1973 and 1979 Walker Cup teams and was a member of the 1972 U.S. World Amateur Team, which won that year. West has also qualified for 38 USGA championships, including 19 U.S. Amateur Championships, two U.S. Opens, and two U.S. Senior Opens. He has also played in four Masters Tournaments.
CGA Announces Golf Pride as Official Grip Partner for 2026
From the Carolinas Golf Association
The Carolinas Golf Association (CGA) has announced a new partnership with Golf Pride, naming the Pinehurst-based company as the Official Grip Partner of the CGA for the 2026 season.
The agreement names Golf Pride as the CGA’s exclusive grip partner and connects the brand with CGA championships, content, and member experiences throughout the season.
“This partnership with Golf Pride is a natural fit, not just because of our shared commitment to the game, but also due to our close ties being neighbors right here in the Sandhills,” said Andy Priest, Executive Director of the CGA. “Our collaboration is about creating authentic touchpoints for CGA members that highlight how something as fundamental as the right grip can transform a golfer’s game.”
With both organizations based in the Pinehurst-Southern Pines area, the partnership brings two leaders in the game together in the same community, opening the door for hands-on collaboration, content creation, and in-person engagement throughout the year.
Still Caddying After All These Years – 100-year-old Rose Knapp gets around
From WA Golf
With age comes experience and some wisdom, and that can mean a lot during a round of championship-level golf. Rose Knapp provides that experience while caddying for her daughter-in-law, Renee Mitchell.
On January 31, 2026, you see, Rose turned 100 years old.
“It’s not a big deal,” she says, about crossing the century mark. “It’s just a number, as they say. I guess I happen to have good genes.”
For the past five years, Rose has caddied for Renee in the annual Washington Champion of Champions, and did so again on April 23-24, with the annual championship being held at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. Renee had earned entry into this year’s championship by being the women’s stroke play champion at Lake Spanaway Golf Course in Spanaway, Wash.
Renee had played the game professionally earlier in life, competing on mini tours and giving golf lessons. “I eventually got my amateur status reinstated,” she says. “Now, I’m just happy to be able to be out here.” She competes in the Senior Women’s division of the Champion of Champions.
Regional Collaboration Brings Course Raters Together in Ohio
From the Golf Association of Michigan
On Wednesday, April 8th, the Golf Association of Michigan, Northern Ohio Golf Association, and Indiana Golf Association collaborated to provide a new education opportunity for course raters. About 20 raters from across the three AGA’s came together at Sylvania Country Club in Sylvania, OH for an indoor education seminar as well as an on-course rating exercise.
The seminar largely mirrored the format for a USGA Calibration Seminar. Staff from the three AGA’s presented and shared content on specific topics in course rating which rating teams often find difficult. After the inside portion of the day, raters then went on course to rate the three holes, which was followed by lunch and a group review of each hole. During this review, ample time allowed for abundant questions and discussions.
The day before, staff from the three AGA’s pre-prepared a “committee rating” of the three holes for the next day’s on-course exercise, making tee and player selections which maximize the impact of the unique obstacles and situations that a rater could come up against on each hole.
The staff and raters found the event successful and noted that the shorter travel allowed more raters with an opportunity to learn in this format. The associations also look forward to working on another seminar in Spring 2027 with a refined format based on the feedback and experience from this year’s seminar.