News

ARNOLD, MD – January 3, 2023 – The Middle Atlantic Golf Association (MAGA) and the Washington Metropolitan Golf Association (WMGA) announced today that they have named David “Moose” Brown Executive Director.

Brown will run the daily operations of both organizations which includes managing and overseeing tournaments and events, driving new membership, and working with the boards of directors on strategic direction. Brown will oversee about 70 volunteers and report to the boards of each organization.

“I am excited and honored with the opportunity to head both organizations that have been dedicated to promoting the game of golf in the region,” Brown said. “I have been around golf most of my life and I am looking forward to working with both boards to rejuvenate and continue the great traditions of both organizations.”

Brown succeeds Michael Cumberpatch who is retiring.  He has been Executive Director of both organizations since 2015. He will continue as a volunteer.

“I am very excited to have Moose coming on board as my successor to take the helm of both associations,” Cumberpatch said. “His passion for and knowledge of the game combined with a very strong background in sales and business development will ensure the continued growth and future well being of both the MAGA and WMGA.”

“Both associations continue to grow and excel at promoting amateur golf and supporting the game by working with and assisting multiple organizations and golf associations,” Cumberpatch continued.  “It has been a privilege to partner with so many outstanding golf organizations and to lead an excellent group of dedicated, selfless golf volunteers. It has been a very rewarding journey that will continue in retirement as an active volunteer.”

Ron Bubes, President of MAGA, said the organization is “excited that Moose Brown will be leading us going forward.  With great gratitude we want to thank Mike Cumberpatch for his leadership and friendship for the past seven years and wish him the best in retirement.  We are thrilled he will continue to be involved as a volunteer and will continue to oversee the US Open Final Qualifier that has been held at Woodmont CC since 1987.”

Bruce Nordstrom, President of WMGA, said the organization is “thrilled to have Moose Brown come on board.  The depth and breadth of his background in golf is one of the things that drew us to him.  He has some ideas that we feel will build on our efforts to grow the game of golf in the Washington Metropolitan area.  Our thanks to Mike Cumberpatch for his leadership and dedication to the WMGA and amateur golf these past years.”

A native Baltimorean, Brown was President of the Maryland State Golf Association in 2021 and a board member for nine years. He was also Chairman of the Tournament and Competitions Committee and Budget and Executive Committee.

A four-year starter on the University of Akron’s golf team, Brown qualified for six United States Golf Association events that included the U.S. Junior in 1985, U.S. Amateur in 1987, U.S. Open in 1993, and the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2004 and 2005. Brown was Maryland’s captain for the 2005 State Team Matches. He won the Maryland State Golf Association Mid-Amateur in 2003.

He has been working in business development at Advanced Packaging, Inc. in Baltimore for the last 17.5 years. He resides in Towson with his wife and daughter.

About the Middle Atlantic Golf Association

The Middle Atlantic Golf Association is one of the oldest amateur golf organizations in the country.  It was founded in 1902 for the purpose of promoting the game of golf, upholding the traditions and spirits of the game, and providing competitions for its members.  Its member clubs, approximately 125, are in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware. In addition to its own events, each year it conducts on behalf of the USGA four championship qualifiers:  U. S. Open final qualifying, U.S. Junior Amateur qualifying, U. S. Women’s Amateur Qualifying, and, in the even years U. S. Senior Amateur qualifying, and in the odd years, U. S. Senior Open qualifying. For more information click: Middle Atlantic Golf Association.

About the Washington Metropolitan Golf Association

 The WMGA is comprised of member golf clubs within the District of Columbia, the Maryland counties of Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery, Prince Georges, St. Mary’s, and Washington; the Virginia counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William and Stafford; and the independent cities within these Virginia counties. The WMGA and its predecessor (District of Columbia Golf Association) have been serving Washington area golfers for over 100 years. The WMGA is active in providing Rules of Golf education to – its member clubs, high school golf teams, college golf teams, and other allied organizations including The First Tee and The Special Olympics of Maryland. For more information click: Washington Metropolitan Golf Association

IAGA Annual Conference Sponsored Golf Golf Genius | Speaker Announcements

Joining us at this year’s conference will be Golf Space Collective, a digital marketing agency exclusively focused on golf. GSC currently works with the Texas Golf Association, Southern California Golf Association, and The Francis Ouimet Fund. Meet the three of the members that will be joining us this November.

Micah Griffo
Micah has spent much of his career as a Marketing & Sales Executive with a proven track record in building and developing brand identities, marketing strategies, communication plans, and developing growth strategies. Over his career, he has assembled award-winning marketing departments. Produced multi-million dollar sales pipelines. Consulted with Fortune 500 companies on how to build and sustain employee and customer experience models.

Prior to GSC, Micah was co-founder of Griffo Collective, a golf-focused marketing agency that worked with some of the biggest names in the sport.

Bryan Ford
Over his career, he has done a little bit of everything – from reality television production to launching major tech for Fortune 500 companies. More recently, he has helped run creative and logistics efforts to shape brands all across the golf industry. Backgrounds in both media production and tech project management have afforded Bryan the experience to give clients the 360-degree perspective that is crucial for success – a degenerate devotion to golf provides the key ingredient.

Veronica Ryan
Veronica has worked with various teams, executives, ambassadors, and stakeholders to help brands break through and share culture-worthy stories. She’s a creative marketing and communications leader who kick-started her career with the #1 ball in golf (aka Titleist), where she innovated and enhanced brand communications. Before joining the GSC team, she served as Chief Marketing Officer at Five Iron Golf, building the single-location indoor golf spot into a disruptor brand with fifteen (and counting) global locations.

Check out the group’s video message below (click on the image), highlighting more information on this session.

Please visit the link below for more information on this year’s conference.

IAGA Conference Site: Click HERE

Kraig Kann, founder and Managing Director of Kann Advisory Group, will be the keynote speaker for this year’s IAGA Annual Conference sponsored by Golf Genius scheduled for November 6-9 in Point Clear, Alabama.  Kann began Kann Advisory Group in 2016 after a 25-year television career including 17 years with the Golf Channel.

Kann was an original on-air personality at Golf Channel serving eventually as a studio host.  He interviewed hundreds of athletes, politicians and corporate executives which positioned him to become the Chief Communications Officer for the LPGA, a role in which he served from 2011-2016.

In his keynote address, Kann will focus on how to bring attention to stories and brands to better position organizations and groups in the public eye.  He will also conduct a breakout session entitled ‘A Brand New You: Elevating Presence, Amplifying Performance.’

“I’m fortunate to speak to many organizations,” said Kann. “The chance to reach audiences within the golf industry is something that really gets me excited!   I’m ready for the trip to Alabama to share my message about the importance of communicating a message and a story that gets people’s attention, building greater awareness and elevating people in the process.  This won’t be a “talk.”  Get ready for an interactive and empowering experience that builds a brand new you.”

A sought after motivational speaker, Kann’s keynotes and popular “Elevate Workshop” have drawn rave reviews from the likes of Accenture, Transamerica, Titleist, SAP, KPMG, Zurich, Gallagher, Diamond Resorts, PGA of America, CoSIDA and others.

Kann’s platform has widened significantly with roles as the weekly show host of Connected with Kraig Kann on SiriusXM, his growing podcast Tracks To Success, and the January 2021 release of his book Can You Get Our Attention? which quickly reached Top 20 status on the Amazon Best Seller List and was recognized as a finalist at the 2021 International Book Awards while winning top honors at the 2021 San Francisco Book Festival and New York Book Festival and earning the silver medal from Reader’s’ Favorite as “Best New Book 2021 – Marketing”.

The IAGA Annual Conference will be held at The Grand Golf Resort and Spa.  Registration is available on the website at www.iaga.org

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