News

Welcome to the second issue of Golf Leaders Insider, the IAGA’s new bi-monthly newsletter for sharing updates on key activities, highlighting people, job opportunities and best practices as well as promoting new or expanding partnerships. Please share your feedback and story ideas with me at bwalker@iaga.org.

Thank you! Is a simple yet appropriate message that I have to deliver in this article. Over the first few months of 2018, the IAGA has reached out to our members to provide much-needed input to assist our committees in developing plans to accomplish our goals as outlined in our the IAGA Strategic Plan. Our committees are now in the midst of finalizing initiatives which will hopefully move the IAGA forward as well as provide our members with increased benefits. Below is a snapshot of some efforts that are in the works.

Education Committee: Focus on the following. Delivering four webinars based on our educational assessment survey results. These webinars will focus on the top four responses which were leadership, financial management, technology and association branding. Also, the IAGA is seeking out potential partners to help provide content and delivery of these webinars.

Marketing and Communications Committee: Established our first event newsletter with “Golf Leaders Insider.” Begin works on re-branding exercise for IAGA with input from the membership. Partnership/Sponsorship development also falls into this category. As you will notice in this newsletter, you will find the addition of new sponsors such as Underpar.com. The IAGA will focus on developing partnership relations with companies that can directly benefit our IAGA members.

Technology Committee: The recent technology survey completed by IAGA members will be instrumental in the IAGA seeking out technology partnerships and potential discounting for our members.

Program Committee: Based on IAGA member feedback our committee is developing what should be a robust and diverse list of speakers and topics for our conference at Innisbrook this November.

Membership Committee: Engaging with numerous affiliate organizations to potentially become IAGA members.

These initiatives are moving forward due to your input.  For the IAGA to move forward as an organization, we will need your increased feedback and engagement.

By Craig Kessler – Southern California Golf Association

Under the umbrella of “We are Golf” more than 60 of the nation’s golf organizations descended on Washington D.C. April 24-25 for the 11th rendition of “National Golf Day.”

The “Day” was April 25, but the annual event has grown so large an additional day of events has been added in recent years, the highlight of which is the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) “Community Service Initiative,” a demonstration on the Capitol Mall of the agronomic tools the golf industry routinely uses that are also applicable to the duties performed by the National Park Service at the nation’s parks and monuments.

The overarching theme of this year’s “Day,” as with the previous 10 National Golf Days, was the game’s economic, environmental and community impact – $84.1 billion overall economic impact, $4 billion in charitable donations, 2 million plus direct jobs, and billions in national, state and local taxes.

To that end “We are Golf” scheduled close to 200 separate Congressional meetings for the diverse array of golf industry leaders who traveled to the Capitol from virtually every state and region. Included among this year’s array for the first time were municipal golf managers – an effort to remind the American national legislature that a substantial portion of the country’s golf courses are owned and managed by governments.

The meetings have evolved from the meet, greet and introduce sessions that characterized the first couple of National Golf Days to an effort to leave Congress with a coordinated message from the national golf community about some of the industry’s core legislative priorities.

With respect to labor issues, the delegations conveyed the game’s concerns about the H-2B Nonimmigrant Temporary Visa program’s provision of too few workers for golf and other seasonal industries and asked the Departments of Homeland Security and Labor to move with dispatch to issue the maximum number of additional visas authorized by Congress this year. Where golf is not seasonal, e.g., Florida and the Southwest, this issue is of scant concern, and the delegations conveyed only the industry’s support for bipartisan immigration reform.

The delegations also conveyed support for H.R. 3956, a bill to create one definition of seasonal employment under the Affordable Healthcare Act, and for the development of an Overtime Pay Rule that sets the exempt employee income thresholds higher than the $23,000 figure it has been stuck on for far too long but lower than the $47,000 figure that was proposed by the Obama Administration. The latter is a moot point in many of the nation’s large urban states such as California, where separate state law pretty much establishes a standard in sync with the higher figure.

With respect to environmental issues, the delegations emphasized the fact that turf is the 4th largest crop in the United States and as such is recognized by the US Department of Agriculture as an eligible recipient of government grants and other forms of public largesse. The 2018 Farm Bill contains explicit language to that effect. The delegations, at least those delegations where such a message would not run afoul of their state’s political center, reiterated a passion of the GCSAA that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) play a subordinate role to the Federal, Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) in permitting chemical spraying activities – a negation of what GCSAA calls a duplicative NPDES permit per the Clean Water Act (CWA).

The delegations also lobbied for the bipartisan “Personal Health Investment Today Act” (PHIT), a piece of tax legislation that would give Americans the option of using pre-tax medical funds to help pay for physical activities that directly benefit health. It would accomplish this by expanding the IRS definition of a medical expense to include physical activity as a form of prevention. There are currently 125 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, 69 Democrats and 56 Republicans.

GCSAA and their Superintendent members continue to dominate the delegations, not surprising given that organization’s commitment to advocacy at the national, state and local levels. In the persons of Chava McKeel, Bob Helland and Mike Lee, GCSAA has three national staffers dedicated exclusively to government affairs. In the form of a national Governmental Affairs Committee, a form duplicated by most of the GCSAA Chapters in the nation, the Superintendents have created a culture that places a high priority on advocacy, which explains why in so many corners of the nation it is the Superintendents who lead the game in state capitols, city halls, and special districts. It also explains why so much of golf’s energy re legislation, regulation and public policy emanates from the sector that maintains the nation’s golf courses.

Other sectors are ramping up. The first Tee is a regular participant and always manages to send leaders from its local chapters. The USGA Green Section has been cited in recent years and has even begun to dip its toes in the previously uncharted waters of Congressional meetings. The Club Managers of America (CMAA) lends its staffers and encourages its members to participate, as does the PGA of America, albeit in both cases participation is nowhere near the level of the Superintendents. As mentioned earlier, some of the nation’s municipal managers have begun to participate. IAGA Executive Director Bill Walker is a attendee, as are a couple of representatives of the nation’s state/regional golf associations, although as a member of that class I am embarrassed at how paltry our ranks are in this national demonstration of golf’s virtues. The state/regional golf associations represent more actual rank and file golfers than the rest; their presence would add considerably to National Golf Day’s impact.

Presence matters in politics. Organized presence matters more. Strategic presence matters most. Here’s hoping the nation’s state and regional golf associations begin lending some of their substantial presence in 2019. And here’s hoping that this year’s National Golf Day attendees return to their locales and demonstrate the same presence and focus for the next 364 days they just exhibited in Washington D.C. Persistence matters just as much if not more.

By WP Ryan – Minnesota Golf Association

There is a weird feeling of being inside the ropes at a major tournament and very close to the action, yet not knowing what’s really happening on the golf course. That’s how it was for Colorado’s Ed Mate, one of the Masters Rules Committee stationary rules officials, who was positioned near the landing zone at Holly, Augusta’s famous 18th hole, an uphill dogleg right par-4 465 yards long during Sunday’s final round.

Since there’s no technology on the golf course, Mate was essentially in the dark when Jordan Spieth’s drive at the closing hole clipped a loblolly pine and ended up in the pine straw. Spieth, who started his round nine shots behind the leader Patrick Reed, had reached 9-under par for the day only to see his epic charge fizzle with a bogey at 18. Reed eventually finished at 15-under par, one shot ahead of Rickie Fowler and two better than Spieth.

“I was relieved that Spieth’s ball didn’t go into a TIO,” deadpanned Mate. If it had, he would have had to put his limited experience of TIO relief to a test. TIOs – temporary immovable obstructions – are the bane of the professional tours and major golf, where temporary structures throughout the golf course are common, such as TV towers, grandstands and restroom facilities.

While TIOs, which also include tents, signage and portable scoreboards, are less common at the state and regional level, Mate took the opportunity of an impromptu “TIO rules seminar” given by Tom Carpus, a tournament official with the PGA Tour who has worked the Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship.

Nevertheless, at the Masters wayward golf balls often find their way into or on TIOs, abnormal ground conditions, obstructions and sometimes even spectator beer cups.

Mate, a former Evans Scholar, has served with the Colorado Golf Association for more than two decades, including as its executive director since 2000. For the last two years during a particularly dynamic period of change, he has sat on the USGA’s Rules of Golf Committee as a representative of the IAGA. It is by virtue of his committee assignment that he, as one of more than 70 rules officials, has made the trip to Augusta National for The Masters Tournament – one of the game’s highest profile and prestigious men’s major championships.

This year, Mate was assigned to holes three and 13 on Thursday and Friday, and holes 15 and 18 on Saturday and Sunday. During the first round at Augusta’s third hole, Flowering Peach, a classic short par-4 at 350 yards, Charl Scwhartzel noticed his 8-iron was bent. Mate had to convey to the Masters’ champ from South Africa the less-than-favorable news that the club was considered fit for play and could be repaired during the round, but not replaced, per Rule 4-3a.
On Sunday at 18, Mate watched as Zach Johnson’s ball came to rest in a muddy, heavily trodden area with deep heel imprints. “The lie was absolutely abnormal.” Mate knew Rule 25-1 was in play, yet, per Masters’ policy, he called in roving official John Paramour of the European Tour, to make the ruling.

“As a group, the professional rules officials are confident, friendly, polite and they all wear white hats – there’s not a single ‘gotcha guy’ amongst them,” explains Mate.

While rules expertise is required, an agreeable bedside manner is even more crucial. “You’re trained to stay back and not insert yourself into the situation. There’s a lot at stake. If I’m not 100 percent comfortable with the ruling, I will call for back up.”

If the player balks at an unwelcome turn of events, Mate delivers the news adroitly. “There’s nothing I can do for you under the Rules,” he says.

Mate calls the Masters the best run tournament bar none. “They are a well-oiled machine, no detail is spared, and the Committee is always striving to make the tournament better.”
But, perfection is illusive.

Like competitions everywhere the Masters struggles with pace of play, especially during the early rounds when players go out in threesomes. Mate discussed pace with Ken Tackett, a former executive director of the West Virginia Golf Association, who has several Masters tournaments under his belt as a PGA Tour rules official.

“Wind, a testing golf course and the incredibly difficult putting greens all conspire to slow play,” says Tackett.

Notwithstanding Augusta National’s topographical challenges, pace of play is a problem that the perfectionists at the Masters have yet to solve. And, there’s one new twist rules officials must master (pardon the pun) come next spring: being the first men’s major championship conducted under the new modernized Rules of Golf.

With all new, completely reorganized and rewritten rules, which go into effect January 2019, players and officials alike should expect a few surprises. Mate advises fair warning to tournament rules officials and Committee members everywhere: “There may be unanticipated consequences, so fasten on your seatbelt.”

Dear IAGA Member,

Over the past seven years, I have had the good fortune of being an IAGA member via my previous role as Executive Director of the Utah Golf Association.  I am thrilled to now have the opportunity to serve as your new Executive Director of the IAGA.  There are many reasons for my excitement with this new position, one of which is the ability to work more closely with you and your associations on a year-round basis and have more significant interaction with people and associations who are passionate about strengthening the game of golf.

I would like to take this opportunity to share my background with our members briefly.  I’ve had the chance to live in few time zones in my day.  Originally born in Pennsylvania but at a young age moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where I became introduced to golf and had the opportunity to participate in numerous junior golf events until my family moved to Houston, TX in 1989 where I continued my junior golf career with the Houston Golf Association (HGA).

I stayed close to home for college attending Stephen F. Austin State University #AxeEm in Nacogdoches, TX.  During the summers, I would work for the Houston Golf Association, and this is where the golf administration bug got a hold of me.  Upon graduation from SFA, I was fortunate like many of our IAGA members to have the opportunity to work as a USGA P.J. Boatwright Jr. Intern for the South Texas Amateur Golf Association.  In 2001, I was able to return to work for HGA Junior Golf Program as their Director of Junior Golf.  This opportunity to work for the HGA was a special one as I was able also to dip my hands into all aspects of the HGA, whether it was running the associations Amateur Golf Championships, assisting with The First Tee of Greater Houston or working the HGA’s primary event, the PGA TOUR’s Houston Open.

My experience working for the HGA only furthered my desire to expand golf administration skill set, and that is when I was extremely fortunate to become the Executive Director of the Utah Golf Association in 2011.  The past seven years working for the UGA was a tremendous learning experience.  I was able to grow my skill set as a golf administrator as well as work with our allied golf associations in Utah to expand programs such as the Utah Golf Foundation and the Golf Alliance for Utah.

My previous golf administration experience leads me now to my post with the IAGA where I have been on the job for 93 days.  Outreach has been a big part of my first days with the IAGA.  That outreach includes all groups ranging from current members to prospective members, sponsors, committees, governing bodies, professional golf tours, trade organizations, etc.  The conversations of course vary, but they all have a common theme of collaboration and lead back to the IAGA Vision of “Uniting golf communities to help shape the future of the game.”   The results of continued outreach and feedback will only help the IAGA deliver on new programs and initiatives that will assuredly our tangible benefits and services and further the value of our membership.

Best of luck to you and your respective associations in 2018!

The International Association of Golf Administrators (IAGA) elected Craig Loughry as 2018 IAGA President during its Annual Conference held Nov. 5-8 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Loughry serves as Golf Canada’s Director of Handicap & Course Rating and Golf Ontario’s Director of Golf Services. He will lead IAGA’s 7-member Board of Directors during the upcoming year.

“Being President of the IAGA is quite the honor for me. It is an exciting time to be in the golf industry with so many new ideas and philosophies to better grow our game. I am excited to have this opportunity and am eager to face the challenges that come with it,” said Loughry.

Loughry, a resident of Courtice, Ontario has been with Golf Ontario since 1998 where he began overseeing Handicapping and Course Rating for the province. Since then his role has evolved but Loughry has continued to share his expertise in the field at multiple levels. He has held a similar role with Golf Canada and volunteered with the USGA on their Handicap Procedures Committee. In addition, he currently represents Canada on the World Handicap Committee.

Since 2012, Loughry has been a member of the IAGA Board of Directors. He becomes the fourth representative from a Canadian golf association and the first from Ontario.

Having a life-long passion for the game of golf, Loughry also has a well-accomplished playing career that includes the record for most Ontario Public Player Championship wins with four.

The IAGA has been in existence since 1968 with the goal of promoting and conserving the best interests and the true spirit of the game of golf as embodied in its ancient and honorable traditions. The IAGA serves as a medium for golf administrators to exchange information, techniques and other data relating to the game of golf and establish channels of communication among all of the world’s golfing fraternities. Its mission is “advancing the game of golf and serving those who play it, by representing and developing those who lead it.”

Loughry will serve as IAGA President until the 2019 annual conference.

The International Association of Golf Administrators (IAGA), the governing body of 100 golf associations representing 750 total staff, has appointed industry veteran Bill Walker as its executive director.  Walker joins the IAGA from the Utah Golf Association (UGA) where he served as executive director for nearly seven years and oversaw the organization’s 115 member clubs and 27,000 individual members.

In his role, Walker will strive to increase the IAGA’s leadership position in the industry working collaboratively with allied associations, including the United States Golf Association and the PGA of America.  He will also work with Club Managers Association of America, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the National Golf Course Owners Association.

Walker will focus on developing IAGA membership through education and training programs to assist association leaders who manage the game and the golfer’s experience.  He will also drive innovation, lead marketing and communications initiatives, establish business partnerships, corporate sponsorships and position the organization to better represent and advocate for member associations.  Walker, who will begin his new role Dec. 18, will report to the IAGA’s president Craig Loughry and work closely with its board of directors.

“We are very pleased to have Bill join our team as Executive Director,” said Loughry.  “If you look at his accomplishments and experience, it is easy to see why we chose him. Whether that be his strong contributions to membership, corporate partnerships or re-envisioning services or introducing new innovative programs and education programs, these are skills that will directly and immediately benefit the IAGA as we move forward.”

During his tenure at the UGA, Walker managed all aspects of the association including membership, handicapping, course rating and championships.  Walker also played a key role in the implementation of new membership programs, which led to a 30 percent increase in association revenue.  In addition, Walker assisted in the reformation of the Utah Golf Foundation as well as the establishment of the Golf Alliance for Utah.

Walker has an extensive background in golf administration that dates back to 1998 when he served as a USGA P.J. Boatwright Jr. Intern for the South Texas Amateur Golf Association (STAGA).  Following his internship, he became the STAGA Director of Amateur Services where he was responsible for rules and competitions, course rating, membership programs and volunteer recruitment.

“I am very excited to serve as the IAGA executive director,” said Walker.  “Over the past seven years, I have learned a great deal from my interactions with my fellow IAGA members.  I look forward to receiving input from our members and developing programs and initiatives that will raise the IAGA’s profile and provide increased benefits for our members.”

In 2001, he was hired by the Houston Golf Association to lead one of the largest junior golf programs in the country with a membership base of more than 1,100 juniors competing in more than 80 events per season. Later, he added the responsibilities of administering the HGA Scholarship and Amateur Golf Programs.

Born in Pennsylvania, Walker played junior and collegiate golf in California and Texas. He and his wife, Lisa, and their three children reside in Holladay, Utah.

About the IAGA

The IAGA was formed in 1968 to promote and conserve the best interests and the true spirit of the game of golf as embodied in its ancient and honorable traditions. With those pursuits in mind, the IAGA serves as a medium for golf administrators to exchange information, techniques and other data relating to the game of golf and establish channels of communication among all of the world’s golfing fraternities.

Jay Mottola is the recipient of the International Association of Golf Administrators’ 2017 Distinguished Service Award. Mottola was honored with this award during the 2017 Annual IAGA Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz. This award is presented to an individual who exemplifies the IAGA’s mission to “promote and conserve the best interests and the true spirit of the game of golf as embodied in its ancient and honorable traditions.”

Mottola was presented this award by current Metropolitan Golf Association Executive Director Brian Mahoney, who has been working with Mottola since 2001. The Metropolitan Golf Association produced a video that highlighted Mottola’s 39-year career at the MGA. Mottola spent 34 of those 39 years as the Association’s Executive Director. In that role, he led the MGA through a period of change and expansion. Mottola created the MGA Foundation, launched The Met Golfer magazine, and designed the MGA’s home, “Golf Central.”

In addition to the MGA, Mottola has worked closely with the United States Golf Association (USGA) throughout his career. He chaired the USGA’s Handicap Procedure Committee from 1999 to 2004. He was an integral player in bringing the U.S. Open to Bethpage Black in 2002, the first time the U.S. Open was played on a publicly owned and operated course. In 2009, Mottola was awarded with the USGA’s Ike Grainger Award for his 25 years of volunteer service to the Association.

Mottola has served on the Board of the National Club Association and the Executive Committee of Golf 20/20. He played a major role in establishing the First Tee of Metropolitan New York chapter in 2001 with the MGA Foundation as a founding partner. He is a longtime member of the Westchester Caddie Scholarship Fund and MGWA Board of Directors.

Prior to his time at the MGA, Mottola was a member of the Lafayette College basketball team. His accomplishments there earned him a spot in the school’s Hall of Fame. Mottola also attended The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, Mottola worked shortly for an accounting firm before entering the coaching profession at his alma mater, Lafayette College. From there, he served as a full-time assistant for the American University basketball program before being recruited to the MGA by childhood friend David Fay. At the time, Fay was the MGA Communications Director and went on to become the USGA Executive Director.

Today, Mottola is a Senior Advisor for the MGA and MGA Foundation, continuing to serve the game of golf.  In 1987, Mottola served as the IAGA President and remained on a number of IAGA committees both preceding and following his time as President.

The IAGA is honored to add Mottola to the expanding list of Distinguished Service Award recipients including long-time friends and MGA staff members Gene Westmoreland (2012) and David Fay (2011), as well as Stephen Foehl (2016), Mike Waldron (2015), Stephen Ross (2013), Dick Horton (2010), Tom Morgan (2009), Steve Mona (2008) and many more. Please click here to see the other previous IAGA Distinguished Service Award recipients.

51ST ANNUAL IAGA CONFERENCE

November 5 – 8, 2017

Hosted at WeKoPa Resort and Conference Center

Scottsdale, AZ