Pfeifer wins another U.S. Disabled Open

Credit for story given to the Pacific Northwest Golf Association

Chad Pfeifer won the 5th United States Disabled Open on Wednesday at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla. It was the second title for Pfeifer in the last three years.

But the way the dominant player in disabled golf won another title was so unexpected.

Pfeifer, of Nampa, Idaho, started the final round tied for the lead, but found himself three shots behind after eight holes to Jeremy Bittner – who was a scorching 4-under through his first six holes. Plus, Pfeifer didn’t make a birdie on the Ryder Course for the second consecutive day.

“I wouldn’t think there was any way I wouldn’t make a birdie,” said Pfeifer, who made six in the first round.

What mattered, however, was Pfeifer kept making pars and eventually Bittner gave him an opening that Pfeifer charged through. For the second consecutive day, Pfeifer made 16 pars and two bogeys for a 73 that gave him a two-shot victory over Bittner. Pfeifer, who lost part of his right leg while serving in the Army in Iraq in 2007, finished at 4-over 217.

“It means a lot to win,” Pfeifer said. “I know I have a target on my back because a lot of guys are looking to try and beat me. That doesn’t always make it easy.”

Competition is nothing new for Pfeifer. After losing his left leg above the knee to a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq, Pfeifer turned to golf as part of his therapy, and the retired Army corporal and Purple Heart recipient has devoted much of his life to helping others through the game of golf. He has competed on Golf Channel’s “Big Break” series, and was given a sponsor’s exemption to play in the 2015 Albertsons Boise Open, later trying to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour. He won the 2021 U.S. Disabled Open, is a three-time National Amputee Champion, and competed in an exhibition at the PGA TOUR’s Tournament of Champions at Kapalua in January 2022. Pfeifer founded Moving Foreward, which uses the game of golf to provide education, assistance and motivation to people with disabilities.

Eliseo Villanueva was hoping to defend his title after he started the final round tied with Pfeifer, but he bogeyed the first two holes and finished third after a 77.

The consolation for the 56-year-old from Fayetteville, North Carolina, was he won the overall Senior Division title.

Five-time PGA Tour winner Ken Green of West Palm Beach, Florida, shot 73 and finished tied for fourth with Jack Bonifant at 9-over 222.

Bittner made it look easy early in his round, as he tried to improve on last year’s runner-up finish to Villanueva. Bittner birdied the first hole, eagled the par-5 fourth hole when he holed a 50-yard chip and birdied the sixth to take the three-shot lead.

“It was fun to watch,” Pfeifer said, “but it was not fun to be on the opposite end of it.”

But Bittner’s lead vanished when he made a triple bogey at the par-4 ninth, after he couldn’t find his tee shot. He made a bogey on his second tee ball.

“Just a bad swing at 9,” said Bittner, who lost a part of his left leg when he was 4 due to a lawnmower accident. “No excuses; I just pulled it. There’s a big mental adjustment you need to make after coming off that hot start.”

Bittner fought back with birdies at the 10th and 13th holes, but five bogeys on the back nine had him settling for another second-place finish.

“It’s always fun to be in the mix, to have that rush of adrenaline everyone who plays competitively wants to have,” Bittner said. “It was an emotional roller coaster, but congrats to Chad. He played solid. He kept his head down, and he earned it.”

Pfeifer took the lead for good when Bittner bogeyed the 15th hole. Another bogey by Bittner at the 17th hole allowed Pfeifer to play the final hole conservatively with a bogey.

One of Pfeifer’s skills is his unflappability during a round. He never gets too up or too down.

You would have never known, for instance, he didn’t make a birdie in his last 36 holes by his actions on the golf course.

“I’m sure some of that is through my military training,” Pfeifer said. “If I hit a bad shot, nobody is shooting at me.”

The United States Disabled Open is run by the U.S. Disabled Golf Association with the PGA of America serving as Presenting Partner of the Championship.

Click HERE for original story on the PNGA’s website.

Clutch, the gene all winners seem to have

Written by Beaux Yenchik, Manager of Media and Communications

BOISE, Idaho—A pair of Nighthawks stole the show at the opening event of the Idaho Golf Association’s 2023 tournament season Sunday afternoon at Boise Ranch Golf Course.

The duo of Colton Sisk and Gabrielle (Elle) McCord carded the low score of the tournament amongst the three divisions of golfers—shooting 67-68=135 (-7) to with the Southern Hills Flight. The Oak Hill Flight was taken by couple Wade Dishion and Kimberly Darnall who carded a final score of 6-over par (148). And last but not least, the winner’s circle for the Valhalla Flight was claimed by two teams at 23-over par (165): Zackary & Nicole Hall and John & Kelly Ianson.

With the field being nearly double the size in comparison to 2022’s snow out, players from around the IGA grabbed their playing companions in droves to compete in this unique but challenging Chapman format—a team event where two players hit a drive, switch, and play their partner’s tee shot and then play the best ball into the hole from there—as a great warm-up for what will be a fun season of competitive golf for IGA members.

SOUTHERN HILLS DIVISION

Sisk and McCord more than managed the surge of high-quality players who had been breathing down their necks since opening tee shots were struck Saturday morning. After two solid rounds, this power duo from Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho, claimed an impressive two-shot victory, considering the field strength they had to overcome. Having both length and precision off the tee, these two college players had an advantage that most of us only dream of when hitting the links—playing from parts of the golf course that are infrequently touched.

Gabrielle McCord (left)/ Colton Sisk (right)

With a field-leading nine birdies, Sisk and McCord relied on each other’s strengths throughout the duration of the event. When key-saving par putts fell and nicely tucked approach shots landed within a few feet of the hole, the duo proved early on that they would be the toughest foe for any and all groups playing in the event—just ask any person who competed against the newly-appointed Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year (McCord).

Fellow playing partners Robb Price and current University of Cincinnati player Brooke Patterson, as well as Burke Spensky and Shawnie Dakan, did not make it easy for the eventual victors. The Spensky-Dakan duo holed out for an eagle on the par-4 first hole, while Price and Patterson rolled in their fair share of birdies; however, the Nighthawk duo ascended above the rest in this tough 36-hole event.

“I thought it was really enjoyable,” McCord replied in response to being asked whether or not she and Sisk enjoyed the format. “I feel like we ham and egged it really well. We never both messed up at the same time. It was really nice…We played well together.”

Top-5 for the Southern Hills Division finished as follows:
1- Sisk & McCord (-7)
2- Price & Patterson (-5)
3- Spensky & Dakan (-4)
4- Kenny Walker & Cali Hipp (+2)
5- Tim Damico & Andrea Haney (+4)

OAK HILL DIVISION

A little home-field advantage swung the direction of Sunday’s Oak Hill Division winners, Dishion & Darnall.

Having started the second round with three bogeys in their first four holes, Dishion and Darnall quickly relinquished their two-shot lead just moments into the final round, even giving up sole possession of the lead on the final hole of their front nine.

Divisional runner-ups, Michael Kaes & Dorothy Sells, had chomped at the heels of the eventual winners for most of the final round but found an unpatchable leak in their hull—bogeying six of their closing nine holes—as the team boat eventually sank by the time scorecards were signed and submitted.

Kimberly Darnall (left)/Wade Dishion (right)

Knowing that their competitors were right there for most of the day, the boyfriend-girlfriend combo hung tough for just long enough thanks to some clutch shots in the final stretch of holes.

Having no more than 30 yards left on the par-4 sixth hole, Darnall played a beautiful low pitch off a tight lie to about 10 feet left of the pin. On a shot that could have been majorly chunked or skulled 20 yards over the green, Darnall had just enough zip to her to ball that all Dishion had left was a little left-to-right putt for par.

Then, on the following hole, Darnall found herself with yet again another difficult chip, but this time she was coming out of some thick rough to a flag that was set on the back portion of a “two-tiered” green. (Dishion had done a great job of getting the ball to that point after a gnarly lie in the rough.)

Playing a similar shot but with a little more roll, she again put her boyfriend in a prime position to eliminate any further big numbers on their scorecard—having already made a triple bogey on the difficult par-4 third hole.

Balling out with the championship on the line, Darnall stepped up and earned the title of Lone Ranger as the only player to hit the green in her group on the uphill par-3 12th. Dishion then proceeded to sink the 25-footer for the win—quickly telling his partner they just won the event. (Darnall refused to know anything about the leaderboard until the final putt dropped.) Talk about C-L-U-T-C-H.

Top-5 for the Oak Hill Division finished as follows:
1- Dishion & Darnall (+6)
2- Kaes & Sells (+9)
3-Mike & Dara Alverson (+12)
T4- Heathe & Lisa Pom-Arleau (+14)
T4- Bruce & Tracey Robinett (+14)

VALHALLA DIVISION

Grit and determination would be the best words to describe the efforts put in by the eventual co-winners of the Valhalla Division: the Halls and the Iansons. On a course that definitely showed its teeth this last weekend, competitors like the Halls and Iansons faced long, wet rough and non-traditional hole locations for those who play Boise Ranch on a consistent basis.

Zackary Hall (left)/Nicole Hall (right)

Though they both sat at the top of the leaderboard or near it following the opening round, the second set of 18 holes proved to be a night and day difference for the victors. With only one hole of double bogey or worse between the two groups on Day Two, the teams showed they did not want a repeat of Saturday’s round.

Both teams looked impressive on Boise Ranch’s front nine, each shooting a sub-40 score. With a more difficult back nine awaiting them, the two teams battled it out, despite being in separate foursomes.

“This is probably our first IGA event in a few years, and we just decided to play this one short notice,” John Ianson stated. “We came in with low expectations and ended up working out pretty good…We are pretty accepting of each other’s misses…I am just lucky to have a good partner.”

With a one-shot lead heading into their last hole—having started on hole 17–all the Iansons needed was par, which the Halls had managed to do in the group in front of them—putting themselves in the best position possible to win the event. With a chance to finish alone at the top, the Iansons gave a shot back to the field on the tricky downhill 17th hole and became co-winners with the Halls.

Kelly Ianson (left)/John Ianson (right)

“We’ve done it a few years, and we know what to do and know what not to do,” Zackary Hall said. “We were playing well together and knew we had a chance.”

Top-5 for the Valhalla Division finished as follows:

T1- J. Ianson & K. Ianson (+23)
T1- Z. Hall & N. Hall (+23)
3. Allan & Lynnae Gliege (+25)
4. Les Quinn & Lynn Stroud (+31)
5. Tim & Linda Klena (+32)

FINAL NOTES

The IGA would again like to congratulate all the winners of the 2023 Mixed Couples Chapman and say thank you to everyone who participated in it. A big thank you goes out to Boise Ranch GC for hosting us and helping make this event a success.

CLICK HERE for the final leaderboard.

2023 Mixed Couples Chapman Payout

The IGA is...

Written by Beaux Yenchik, Manager of Media and Communications

Like most people out there, I always get asked what I do for work. When I mention that I work in the golf industry, many people react with righteous jealousy. Their typical responses include questions and statements like “Are you a professional?” or “Wouldn’t that be an awesome job.” Yet, not too long after my initial response, I am immediately asked what it is that the Idaho Golf Association does.  
 
It always strikes me, especially when so many of the people that I interact with golf, that people do not know what the IGA does. People flock to its website, Boise Golf Show tent, and phone number to renew their annual IGA membership—knowing that the IGA can do that for them. But, anything beyond that seems foreign.  
 
So, what is it that the IGA does? What are its core services? Does really anything else besides getting a handicap renewed pertinent to every golfer in Idaho? Well, let me answer what it is that IGA does and why.  
 
The IGA’s motto is “promoting the best interest of amateur golf in Idaho”—a simple but profound statement. The main purpose or goal of the IGA is to help golfers have the best experience they can while on a golf course except for lowering their scores. That is on the golfer! 
 
The IGA knows that golf means something different to each person. For some, it is a recreational activity and is enjoyed leisurely. For others, golf may be deemed a second religion—something a person “eats, drinks, and sleeps.” Whatever one’s relationship is with golf, the IGA can and wants to play a role in that person’s experience with the best sport in the world.  
 
How can it do that? Sit back, relax, and I’ll explain! 
 
HANDICAPPING 
 
Where one gets a handicap might be the first and possibly the only thing a golfer associates with the IGA. One’s Handicap Index is what allows a player to be a part of a men’s or women’s league or in cahoots with one’s friends during their weekly weekend matches. That magical number for each golfer, regardless of how high or how low it is, is what makes this game fun and fair for anyone of any age.  
 
The Handicap System is run and maintained by the USGA and The R&A. These governing bodies have implemented a set of rules which every golfer who holds a handicap is asked to follow—keeping to the old adage that golf is a game of integrity. Each club or course association has a Handicap Committee that is made up of fellow golfers who help regulate its own Handicap Roster.  
 
On the state level, the IGA is the only entity within its jurisdiction—seeing that Washington Golf governs Idaho’s panhandle—that can issue official USGA handicaps. So, if an individual wants to hold and maintain a Handicap Index, it must come through the IGA. So, for 40 dollars a year, that person gets this beloved number that is monitored as it goes up, down, or sideways with every round posted. And, if anybody needs help answering some of golf’s toughest questions about the Handicap System, give Lexie VanAntwerp, the IGA’s Manager of Member Services, a call. She’s quite good. 
 
COURSE RATING 
 
Probably the most unknown core service the IGA offers is Course Rating. Does anyone really know what those funny numbers mean on the back of any scorecard? Well, those numbers are actually determined by the rating that each golf course receives from the IGA’s Course Rating team. 
 
One of the main purposes of each rating is to help determine what each player’s Course Handicap should be in relation to par, or what each golfer should relatively shoot whenever they play golf. 

Carl Adams, one of the IGA’s more experienced Course Raters, fills out his Form One following a morning on the course at The River Club.

A Course Rating is when a group of volunteers, led by the IGA’s Manager of Course Rating Nicole Rutledge, walk every hole on a course from every set of tees and perform an assessment on the course of how it plays for both the scratch and bogey golfer for men and women. That rating takes into account elevation, doglegs, green size, bunker depth, and the rest of the gamot.  Charts are then filled and calculations are made to help determine the overall difficulty of the course.  

So, the next time someone is looking at those funky numbers, realize that the slope and course rating numbers are not necessarily how slopey the course is in terms of left-to-right tilt, but the difficulty in relation to par for bogey and scratch golfers of each sex—helping to set a realistic number for each Handicap Index holder for what “par” is for them and what they should expect to shoot.  
 
CHAMPIONSHIPS 
 
Some may say that the IGA’s championships are its bread and butter and may even be considered the face or image of the IGA. Through hard work and dedication, Nicole Bird, Manager of Rules and Competitions, has led the charge to offer top-caliber events for elite amateur golfers throughout Idaho—from the juniors to the super-seniors for both men and women.  
 
IGA championships give golfers the opportunity to showcase their talents against the best. And, it is never a bad thing when someone gets the chance to play some of the best courses that Idaho has to offer. Best players, best courses, what more could be wanted? 
 
The formats for these events incorporate different styles of golf, which make it that much more fun. Our championships are as such: 
 
-IGA Match Play Championship 
-Idaho State Amateur 
-Idaho Women’s State Amateur 
-IGA Senior Amateur 
-IGA Mid-Amateur 
-IGA Four-Ball Championship  
-Tournament of Champions 
-Senior Tournament of Champions 
 
Several of our events are even segmented into divisions, giving players a better opportunity to win against people of their own age and skill level. To put the cherry on top, our players get additional chances to win shop credit for having a good NET performance. 
 
These events get amateurs inside the ropes and provide sensations similar to having “fluttering butterflies” in their stomachs. Who wouldn’t want to see what they are made of? 
 
IDAHO JUNIOR TOUR 
 
As golf continues to grow, its future is already being influenced by upcoming generations. Golf in Idaho is no different, and its golfing future is being molded by those who play on the Idaho Junior Tour.   
 
Dividing the state into four divisions—the only situation where the IGA deals with the northern panhandle—kids aged 8-18 have the opportunity to play against kids their own age in a competitive format. With a handful of “regular season” tournaments, kids earn the right to play in the Junior Amateur, which is being hosted this year by Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Washington, based on their performances throughout the season.  
 
For the younger age groups, the Junior Tour hosts nine-hole tournaments, while the older kids play the full 18 holes.

Reid Hoppock, a Junior Tour player, watches while he barely misses a putt at the IMG Academy Junior World Championships at Canyon Springs GC last summer.

Junior Tour Director Cecilia Baney and her team have worked tirelessly on creating a system that encompasses the qualities of golf that we all love: hard work, dedication, integrity, competition, etc. Yet, while teaching the kids these valuable lessons through competition, the Junior Tour is always finding more and better ways to set up juniors with the skill set to be ready to play golf in high school and then college.  
 
If someone hasn’t seen the number of kids from Idaho who will be playing college golf this coming season, please go to the Junior Tour’s social media accounts and comb through the big handful of players who will be lighting up the scoreboards for their respective teams.  

WRAP-UP 
 
As one can see, the IGA’s core services are centered around its members. The hope and desire is for individuals to enjoy their time on the golf course to whatever degree of love they have for the game. 
 
The IGA wants everyone out on Wednesday nights for league play or to have their daughters test the waters of competitive golf. Whether an individual golfs in their newest polo shirt and PGA Tour-looking trousers or in a t-shirt and cargo shorts, the IGA wants everyone to be a part of its community. There is a service or function for everyone, and the IGA wants to help find it! 
 
These core services are what help the IGA fulfill its motto of, “promoting the best interest of amateur golf in Idaho.”  

IGA Course Rating Volunteer: Russ Peterson

1 – Where are you originally from? If not from Idaho, what brought you here?
I am originally from California; born in Sebastopol, high school in Concord.  My wife’s sister and brother-in-law moved to Caldwell in 1968 and her parents followed in the late 70s, so we had been coming to Idaho for a long time. We first moved here in 2000 from Mesa, Arizona. We returned to Mesa in early 2005 but returned to Idaho for good in June 2008.

2 – What is/was your career occupation?
I was a career officer/pilot in the U.S. Air Force. After retiring from the Air Force, I was fortunate to land a job as an airline pilot, first with Horizon Air in Portland then with America West (now American) flying out of Phoenix.

3 – What is it about the game of golf that you love so much?
I love the competition and the fact that it is a game for a lifetime. You can play golf at any age.

4 – What made you want to volunteer for the IGA? When did you start?
I had been a Course Rater for the Arizona Golf Association; when we returned to Idaho in 2008, I stopped by the IGA office and offered my services as a Course Rater. In early 2009, I was asked to manage the IGA’s Course Rating program. I did that for several years, first as a volunteer and then as a part-time independent contractor. Also, in 2009, I attended my first USGA Rules of Golf Workshop and began volunteering as a Rules Official at IGA and PNGA events.

5 – What do you hope to get out of volunteering for the IGA? What motivates you to keep coming back?
I get the satisfaction of giving back to the game of golf; I have played it most of my life and it is good to give something back to the game I love. The people I am associated with through the IGA keep me coming back.

6 – What has been your favorite memory from volunteering for the IGA?
My best memories are of the people who I have come in contact with through the IGA. I have been fortunate to meet people high up in the USGA as well as many of our “grassroots’ players here in Idaho.

7 – What would you say to someone who is thinking about volunteering?
Volunteering is a great way to meet new people with similar interests, namely golf. Some of my closest friends today are people I have met through the IGA.  

8 – What is your fondest memory on the golf course?
I have many fond memories: playing Pebble Beach Golf Links, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge; lately, it is shooting 67 at Ridgecrest Golf Club last summer. That was my career low round, and I did it with two good friends I had met through the IGA Course Rating program.

9 – When were you introduced to the sport? By who?
I was introduced to golf by a great aunt and uncle who were members of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club. My first round of golf was with them at MPCC.

10 – What is your home club? How often do you play?
I am a member at The Club at SpurWing. I play five or six times a week when the weather permits.

11 – What's something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?
I recently went on a short-term mission trip to Nairobi, Kenya.

12 – Who would be a part of your dream foursome to play a round of golf with?
My son, my son-in-law and any one of my four grandsons.

13 - What has been your favorite golf course that you have played?
I have played a lot of very good ones, but Bay Hill is probably my favorite.

14 – Describe your golf game in six words
Fairway, green, three putts, another bogey!

15 – What's one item that you can’t live without?
The Bible.

Forget Par - Aim for Your 'Target Score' Next Round

APRIL 11, 2023 | LIBERTY CORNER, N.J.
By Terry Benjamin

How do you define “playing well”? How can you set a reasonable goal for the round, especially on an unfamiliar course or a new set of tees?

The short answer: by knowing your target score.

While “target score” isn’t defined within the Rules of Handicapping, it is certainly a term that every golfer with a Handicap Index® would benefit from knowing. Here are three key things to know about target score:

What is it?

A target score is the score you will shoot if you “play to your handicap.” Think of it in the same way as a professional would think of par.

How do you determine it?

Course Handicap™ +  par of the tees you’re playing = your target score. If your Course Handicap is, say, 20, and par is 70, your target score is 90.

For ease of calculating your Course Handicap, use the USGA’s calculator.

How often should I shoot it?

Your Handicap Index measures your demonstrated ability when you’re playing well – so to play to your handicap takes a solid performance. Generally, players shoot their target score about 15-20 percent of the time and can expect to shoot 2-4 strokes higher in most rounds.

Since your Course Handicap changes from one set of tees to another, you can also use target score to identify the most appropriate set for you. At the very least, knowing your target score before starting a round lets you better anticipate the challenge that lies ahead.

IGA Championships Volunteer: Karen Edwards

1 – Where are you originally from? If not from Idaho, what brought you here?
Los Angeles, CA, is where I was born.  We lived in the “Valley,” so I was a valley girl before there was such a thing! I was working in San Diego and not happy with my job. My family was moving to Idaho from Northern California, where we had other family. I decided to move here as well even though I had never visited. I love the outdoors and there was so much to do here.

2 – What is/was your career occupation?
I moved here in 1976 and worked for the Idaho Water Users Association for 43 1/2 years. I was a one-girl office, along with my boss, so I did whatever needed to be done. When I retired in 2019, my title was Office and Program Manager. During that time, I worked for three different bosses.

3 – What is it about the game of golf that you love so much?
Meeting new people. I was 33 when I started playing golf. Because of golf, I now have lifelong friends, which include Nicole Bird’s mother-in-law, Kay Wilt.

4 – What made you want to volunteer for the IGA? When did you start?
I’ve volunteered at the Albertsons Boise Open since it started and that is only once a year. I was looking for more volunteer opportunities in 2022 when I learned about the IGA’s need, and of course, I jumped at the chance since it had to do with golf.

5 – What do you hope to get out of volunteering for the IGA? What motivates you to keep coming back?
Meet more people who share my love of all things golf. I loved shuttling the junior golfers and asking them where they were from. The U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier was also fun since I got to meet many players, boys and girls, who came from other countries. The future of the LPGA and PGA is bright. My motivation to keep coming back is to encourage those I get to meet.

6 – What has been your favorite memory from volunteering for the IGA?
Being retired, I needed to find some new purpose in my life. Helping others and volunteering do that for me.

7 – What would you say to someone who is thinking about volunteering?
It is so fun watching our local golfers, whether they are juniors, women or men competing in a sport you can play throughout your entire life.

8 – What is your fondest memory on the golf course?
Getting my one and only hole-in-one at Ridgecrest Golf Course on Hole No.12 in 2007.

9 – When were you introduced to the sport? By who?
My first boss took up golf. He was always leaving work to go play, leaving me at the office by myself, and encouraged me to try it. I bought a used set of clubs and was hooked. I joined the Twilight League at Warm Springs Golf Course and jumped right in even though I didn’t have a clue what all the terminology meant! Nicole’s mother-in-law was the president at the time, and I was always asking questions! She has ended up being one of my lifelong friends, and I’ve been playing the game ever since.

10 – What is your home club? How often do you play?
Warm Springs Golf Course. I used to play a lot, along with tournaments, until my body started giving out on me. I’ve turned into a fair-weather golfer, but I still try to play once a week.

11 – What's something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?
If I carry a purse it has to be big enough to carry everything. My golf bag is the same. My golf friends have learned this and know if they need anything such as nail clippers, aspirin, warm clothes, etc., they know I’ll have it and will share. If I’m playing with new people and I hear they need something, I’ll offer it to them, even if they are my opponent.

12 – Who would be a part of your dream foursome to play a round of golf with?
Nancy Lopez, Meg Mallon and Annika Sorenstam (My grandparents came to the U.S. from Sweden!)

13 - What has been your favorite golf course that you have played?
Princeville and PoiPuBay in Kauai…on a golf trip with Nicole’s mother-in-law.

14 – Describe your golf game in six words
It comes and goes…oh well!

15 – What's one item that you can’t live without?
Having a dog in my life. Being single, a dog gives me companionship, someone to come home to, and gives me unconditional love.

Modifications Made to Qualifying for USGA Amateur Events

MARCH 22, 2023 | LIBERTY CORNER, N.J.
By Julia Pine, USGA

In an effort to continuously enhance and evolve the competitor experience, the USGA is announcing significant modifications to its amateur championship qualifying model for the first time in more than 20 years. These changes, which will take effect for the organization’s four premier amateur championships beginning in 2024, will allow the events to retain their openness while ensuring that high-caliber players are provided ample opportunity to earn a spot in the field and that qualifying can be conducted at the highest level among growing entries and field sizes.  

“The openness and aspirational nature of our championships is a defining characteristic of USGA championships,” said Brent Paladino, senior director, Championship Administration. “As the number of entries and qualifying sites have continued to increase on a yearly basis, we looked at ways to evolve our structure to ensure the long-term sustainability of qualifying without excessively burdening Allied Golf Associations (AGAs) and host clubs. These revisions will provide players with additional pathways to our championships through traditional qualifying, expanded exemption categories and performance in state, AGA, regional and national amateur championships.” 

In 2022, the USGA accepted 44,737 total entries and collaborated with AGAs to conduct a combined 678 qualifiers across 15 championships. 

The most significant revisions for 2024 are to the U.S. Amateur, which will move from a one-stage, 36-hole qualifying format to a two-stage qualifying format with 45 18-hole local qualifying sites and 19 18-hole final qualifying sites. Other adjustments include: 

• Exemptions for state, AGA, regional and national amateur champions based on established criteria and historical WAGR event power rankings; 

• Expansion of World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR) exemption category to top 100 ranked players (previously 50);  

• Establishment of local exemptions, which include top finishers in USGA championships, state/AGA amateur championships and top 600 WAGR players. 

Changes to the other championships/ qualifying structures are outlined below:

U.S. Women’s Amateur 

• Modest reduction in qualifying sites through the establishment of geographic rotations; 

• Exemptions for state, AGA, regional and national amateur champions based on established criteria and historical WAGR event power rankings;  

• Expansion of WAGR exemption category to top 50 players (previously 25). 

U.S. Junior Amateur / U.S. Girls’ Junior 

• Alignment of qualifying structure to encourage AGAs to conduct joint or concurrent qualifying;  

• Exemptions for state, AGA, regional and national junior amateur champions based on established criteria and historical WAGR event power rankings;  

• U.S. Junior Am expansion of WAGR age-filtered exemption category to top 100 (previously 85);  

• U.S. Girls’ Junior expansion of WAGR age-filtered exemption category to top 50 (previously 40). 

There will also be a lowering of Handicap Index® limits across all four championships and modifications to the performance policy that will be announced later. Determinations on the individual state, AGA, regional and national championships that will be part of the 2024 exemption criteria will be published prior to the release of entries for the respective championship. 

The modifications will result in a net reduction of 94 qualifying sites, while providing more opportunities for players to earn a spot in a USGA championship through expanded exemptions, state/AGA amateur championships and traditional qualifying. 

Entries for 2024 USGA amateur championships will open next spring. The 2024 U.S. Amateur will be held at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.; the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur will be held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.; while the 2024 Junior Amateur will be held at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; and the 2024 Girls’ Junior will be played at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif.  

Click HERE to view this article and others on the USGA’s website.

IGA Course Rating Volunteer: Winston Yost

Winston Yost at St. Andrews Links - The Old Course in Scotland.

1 – Where are you originally from? If not from Idaho, what brought you here?
       I moved to Idaho in 2014 to be closer to my first grandson. Prior to that, I lived in Colorado.

2 – What is/was your career occupation?
       I was a pilot for Continental Airlines for 38 years. I ended my career flying the B-777.

3 – What is it about the game of golf that you love so much?
       The competition.

4 – What made you want to volunteer for the IGA? When did you start?
       I’ve played many courses throughout the U.S. and Europe, and I’ve always wondered how a course
        got its rating and who did it.

5 – What do you hope to get out of volunteering for the IGA? What motivates you to keep coming back?  
        I love to volunteer for something I enjoy. Some years there are a significant amount of changes in the Course Rating Guide and some years there are just a few. I’m not only volunteering but learning something new.

6 – What has been your favorite memory from volunteering for the IGA?
       The rating at Whitetail Golf Club was memorable because I’ll probably never get a chance to play there again.
                   
7 – What would you say to someone who is thinking about volunteering?
      If one is curious about how a golf course is rated and enjoys playing golf, then come out and volunteer to join the rating team. I would say it takes about a year or seven ratings to understand the process. That’s how long it took me. And, I am still learning new things every year I do it.

8 – What is your fondest memory on any golf course?
I got to hit range balls alongside Arnold Palmer at his Bay Hill Club & Lodge. I also was able to take a photo with him.

9 – When were you introduced to the sport? By who?
      I was introduced to the game by my dad and played on the high school golf team.

10 – What is your home club? How often do you play?
       I play out of Warm Springs Golf Course in Boise, Idaho, where I teed it up 86 times in 2022. I know this because I keep a spreadsheet of all the rounds of golf I play and who I play with throughout the year.

11 – What's something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?
       I was on a team that qualified for the National Oldsmobile Scramble finals in Orlando for three different years in the 1990s.

12 – Who would be a part of your dream foursome to play a round of golf with?
     This is a typical question often asked of golfers. My answer is that I have played many rounds with pros and some PGA Tour players. All of them are fun to watch except me. At this stage of my life, I’m just happy to play with whomever I’m paired with.

13 - What has been your favorite golf course that you have played?
         Carnoustie Golf Links, Scotland

14 – Describe your golf game in six words or less.
        Jekyll and Hyde

15 – What's one item that you can’t live without?
       This could be a trick question…I’ll have to think about this one.

Welcome to 2023

Written by Caleb Cox, Executive Director 
 
As I try to muster hope for sunnier days and warmer temperatures — all thanks to the six extra weeks of winter so graciously given to us by the groundhog some 2,500 miles away — I wanted to pause and reflect on a few things that have been making the golfing landscape in Idaho much brighter. 

One of the biggest changes to this landscape, or so in the last few years, has been the new way that many of us are enjoying our golf clubs in the wintertime. Several years ago, there were very few public places in Idaho where you could go with a group of people to play a round of golf on a simulator or fine-tune your game in the winter months. We all knew the small handful of people that would brave the cold and get out to play a round in January just to say they did, but for the majority of us, this was not our norm. 

Today though, it is apparent that this landscape is changing in our great state. Golf courses have joined the movement by putting in simulators and indoor hitting bays for indoor tournaments, practice, and club fittings, while new entertainment venues continue to pop up regularly with the latest and greatest ways for golfers of all abilities to swing their sticks indoors without breaking any televisions or windows.

But, indoor simulators and the really bright lights next to the interstate aren’t the only ways that golf exists during the winter months. Many players turn to greener pastures by traveling to warmer climates as a way to feed their golf itch in the dog days of winter. 

Left to right: Steve Mattis, Vikki Mattis, Tracey Robinett & Bruce Robinett (2023 Vegas Getaway)

We, at the IGA, kicked off the winter season with some December golf in Palm Desert, California. Nearly 50 golfers joined us in our inaugural Palm Desert Getaway as we played three championship-style courses: La Quinta Resort Mountain Course, Desert Willow Resort Mountain View Course and Indian Wells Golf Resort Celebrity Course. These courses were in great shape, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather as our participants enjoyed beautiful green fairways in 70-degree weather. While this was the IGA’s first getaway in recent history to the desert, it was a very successful endeavor, and we look forward to possibly returning to Palm Desert later this year or early 2024. 

Also returning this year was the IGA’s annual Las Vegas Getaway.  Per usual, 120-plus people from all over the state of Idaho and the Pacific Northwest joined us for three days of fun, competitive golf at the Revere Golf Club in Henderson, Nevada. This event is always one of our favorites because it gives us a chance to get out of the cold, and sometimes snow, and back on the golf course with many of you. This year’s weather and competition did not disappoint. 

It has been great to see the many ways that wintertime golf has grown this year for Idaho players. I don’t know about you, but swinging clubs in the winter is a wonderful thing for me. It helps remind me that the unwanted gift so willingly given to us by Punxsutawney Phi will go away and that we will once again get to chase that little round ball around the green grasses we so desperately miss. 

IGA fills newly created Junior Golf Administrator position with familiar face

Chris Carew (Junior Golf Administrator)

BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Golf Association is pleased to welcome another member to its team — making the official number, seven.

With much excitement, Chris Carew has accepted the new Junior Golf Administrator position - a newly created spot on the Idaho Junior Tour team. Prior to joining the staff full-time, Carew spent the last two summers as the Southwest District Coordinator for the Junior Tour. In addition, Carew has served as the assistant head coach for the College of Idaho men’s and women’s golf teams for the last two seasons.

Carew has additional experience in the golf industry as a former USGA P.J. Boatwright Intern — having spent his 2020 summer as the Championship Operations Intern at the IGA. He also turned professional following college, where injury and COVID-19 derailed his chances of going through Q-School and pursuing his dream of playing on Tour.

As a result of his hire, Carew stated: “I am excited to be a part of the IGA, and in specific, the Idaho Junior Tour where I can now serve in a bigger capacity. I am thrilled at the opportunity to help grow junior golf across the state.”

Outside of work, Carew enjoys spending his free time with his girlfriend, Belén Montgomery. The two of them enjoy the outdoors, whether that be camping or hiking with their two dogs: Simba and Emma. When time allows, Carew also enjoys making his way around the golf course.

“I’m excited to bring [Chris] on to the Junior Tour,” exclaimed Junior Tour Director Cecilia Baney! “He has been a part of the Junior Tour the last couple of seasons as the Southwest Coordinator and Hogan Cup Captain. Because of his gregarious personality, [Chris] has been able to build great relationships with our juniors, parents and club professionals. He brings a wealth of knowledge with his experience in playing collegiate golf and coaching at the collegiate level. I am excited to continue growing the Idaho Junior Tour with him on board.”

The IGA officially welcomed Carew to the staff on Feb. 1, 2023.

IGA Championships Volunteer: Kathy Steele

1 – Where are you originally from? If not from Idaho, what brought you here?
I was born in New Bern, North Carolina, and grew up mainly in Springfield, Virginia.  My husband’s job with Boise Cascade is what brought us here, and in 2001, we made our third move back to Boise. This last move is the longest I have ever lived anywhere. We have moved seven times in 21 years for my husband’s job.

2 – What is/was your career occupation?
I was a flight attendant for United Airlines for five years. I also worked for the Yakima Washington School District as a special education aide for 8 ½ years.

3 – What is it about the game of golf that you love so much?
I love the fresh air, the exercise, and meeting fellow golfers.

4 – What made you want to volunteer for the IGA? When did you start?
I had just finished volunteering 50 hours a week for the Special Olympics World Winter Games here in Boise and needed to find something else to fill my time. So, when the opportunity came up to help with the IGA, I jumped on it. I believe I have been volunteering with the IGA for about eight years.

5 – What do you hope to get out of volunteering for the IGA? What motivates you to keep coming back?
I love meeting new people and getting to go to different golf courses in the Boise area.

6 – What has been your favorite memory from volunteering for the IGA?
Getting to shuttle junior golfers from all over the world as they tried to qualify for the U.S. Junior Amateur & U.S. Girls’ Junior.

7 – What would you say to someone who is thinking about volunteering?
It is fun, and the IGA staff is well-organized and delightful!

8 – What is your fondest memory on the golf course?
My three holes-in-one.

9 – When were you introduced to the sport? By who?
When I was in junior high; however, I didn’t really take up the game until 1985. My father got me started.

10 – What is your home club? How often do you play?
Hillcrest Country Club (Boise) is my home course. I like to play at least three times a week.

11 – What's something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?
That I was a flight attendant.

12 – Who would be a part of your dream foursome to play a round of golf with?
Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam

13 - What has been your favorite golf course that you have played?
Old Course - Saint Andrews Links (Saint Andrews, Scotland)

14 – Describe your golf game in six words
Lousy, but I keep hanging in.

15 – What's one item that you can’t live without?
My phone with GPS for golf courses.

IGA Course Rating Volunteer: Jim Swartley

1 – Where are you originally from? If not from Idaho, what brought you here?
I moved to Idaho in 1958 when my parents moved to McCall while I was in the 8th grade. Other than education and the military, I have lived here ever since.

2 – What is/was your career occupation?
Physician, Ophthalmologist

3 – What is it about the game of golf that you love so much?
I enjoy the challenge of the course or your fellow competitor, and it involves being outside.

4 – What made you want to volunteer for the IGA? When did you start?
I was interested in how Course Rating was done and have since enjoyed the intellectual challenge that it involves. I began volunteering for the IGA in 2011.

5 – What do you hope to get out of volunteering for the IGA? What motivates you to keep coming back?
I don’t really expect to get anything out of volunteering. I keep coming back because I enjoy Course Rating and the people who I rate with.

6 – What has been your favorite memory from volunteering for the IGA?
There have been many trips we have made to do Course Ratings that are very special. However, rating the Yellowstone Club was probably the highlight.

7 – What would you say to someone who is thinking about volunteering?
It takes a special person to do Course Rating. You have to enjoy numbers and long days on the course, not always playing golf.

8 – What is your fondest memory on the golf course?
Winning low net, twice, in the Crane Creek Cup.

9 – When were you introduced to the sport? By who?
I first played a little in high school. I went out with friends.

10 – What is your home club? How often do you play?
Crane Creek Country Club (Boise). I average about three times a week.

11 – What's something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?
I worked as a smokejumper during my college summers.

12 – Who would be a part of your dream foursome to play a round of golf with?
Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus

13 - What has been your favorite golf course that you have played?
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge (Orlando, FL)

14 – Describe your golf game in six words
Trying to improve.

15 – What's one item that you can’t live without?
Unfortunately, it seems like I can’t be without my phone.

A membership worth paying for

Written by Beaux Yenchik, Manager of Media and Communications

It’s the middle of winter. The cold air is forcing us into more layers of clothes than we care to wear. Snow covers the majority of our courses throughout the state. And quite frankly, very little golf is being played at the moment in the Idaho Golf Association, especially with the posting season being closed until mid-March. So, why is this time of year important to golfers around the state? IGA Memberships.

I know, I know. You are probably rolling your eyes, but if you will indulge me for just a few moments of your time, I will tell you why it’s important.

The very first reason, and quite frankly the main reason, why any golfer gets an IGA Membership year after year is to have a Handicap Index - the number many of you believe is just the average of what you shoot over par.

Without turning this into a school lecture, let me quickly explain what a Handicap Index is. According to the World Handicap System, a Handicap Index is “the measure of a player’s demonstrated ability calculated against the SLOPE RATING of a golf course of standard playing difficulty.” So, the number that you see at the top of your semi-monthly newsletter from the IGA is a calculated number that is based on the scores that you post and a number of other things. (If you are curious about what other things go into that calculation, give us a call!)

This number, your Handicap Index, is essential for any golfer that plays competitive golf. It doesn’t matter if you play in IGA Championships or league play at your local course. This number is how golfers compete against each other regardless of skill level or age, and have that competition be on an even playing field.

Your Handicap Index can even be used in a casual match with your friends while you compete for nothing more than bragging rights and/or a few drinks (alcoholic or not) following the round.

So, in my opinion, and yes it’s biased, paying the $40 for your 2023 IGA Membership is worth that amount alone.

Well, you might be shaking your head in agreement that I make a valid point, but I sense that you are maybe ever-so curious as to what else an IGA Membership does for you. Don’t worry. I got you.

This membership, which one can renew or begin on January 1, 2023, gives its members a free subscription to the Pacific Northwest Golfer magazine — a publication put together by our friends at the Pacific Northwest Golf Association. The magazine's exclusive content is not only about what is happening in our region of the country pertaining to golf news, but it includes news specific to Idaho, discounted rates to some of the top golf destinations in our area, the what’s what of golf equipment, and much more.

Another reason to sign up is that you also get exclusive travel benefits through one of our partners, Affinity Travel. Everyone wants to get out and about in different capacities, so why not get killer savings on hotels & resorts, as well as tickets to concerts, movies, sporting events, and more? A benefit that definitely gets under-utilized!

Another key perk that comes with renewing your handicap is the opportunity you get to play in IGA Championship events, headlined by the State Amateur and Women’s State Amateur. (The 2023 venue for these events is by far one of the best public courses in the IGA and definitely a fan favorite…Sorry, guys! The 2023 Tournament Schedule will be released soon!) The caliber of players that fill these fields are the cream of the crop. The championships provide an excellent opportunity for any golfer to showcase their game.

Though there are a few more benefits that haven’t been mentioned, which you can find by visiting our website, the IGA is always looking to grow and offer the best it can for its members. A new benefit that will be offered in 2023, which was introduced in September, is our Ladies Play Days — a series of one-day events that are geared toward our female membership, providing an opportunity for lady golfers to compete in low-key, non-championship events. The first event was our “Ladies 9 and Wine” at Falcon Crest Golf Club in Kuna, ID, which I might add was an absolute hit! And for guys that are feeling left out, the goal is to have member days for men and women by 2024! Stay tuned for those.

With the new year right around the corner, the IGA is working toward releasing even more member benefits throughout the 2023 season. So, if you were hesitant in any manner toward buying or renewing your membership for 2023, I hope I dispelled any hesitation for you.

What are you waiting for?!

Oh, I almost forgot. Use discount code IGA23 for $5 off your registration before February 28, 2023. Didn’t I say I got you?!

Grateful for the health of the game; honoring its legacy with new Idaho Golf Hall of Fame

Written by Caleb Cox, Executive Director

It is certainly hard to believe that our golf season has drawn to a close. With the cooler temperatures and the changing of the leaves, it seems natural to reminisce about this past season, and be thankful for what the year has brought us.

We here at the IGA are grateful that golf is a growing and thriving sport in the state of Idaho. It wasn’t too many years ago that one could hear regular conversation across the state, speculating that game of golf was a dying sport locally.

IGA members posted more than 380,000 scores at state association clubs, and posted 145,000 scores at courses across the rest of the world. These numbers clearly indicate that golf in the Gem State is thriving and will continue to trend towards good health for years to come, and we are truly grateful for that.

Included in our gratefulness, we should also consider those working in the industry. Each day, thousands of PGA professionals, pro shop assistants, outside services staff, grounds crew members, and food and beverage staff across the country serve you and I, the everyday amateur golfer. They have worked tirelessly through the beautiful Idaho spring, summer, and fall months to make our experience the best it can be. To all of those out there working in the golf industry, thank you for your tireless efforts. They have not gone unnoticed. You are one of the main reasons that this game is so great. We are very thankful for you!

Finally, our gratitude turns in one final direction: the rich golf history that Idaho has to offer. From great players to great leaders, many men and women have led our courses, leaderboards, and endeavors within the golf community in a fashion that is worthy of recognition and respect. We at the IGA would like to express our gratitude to these leaders, and also enshrine their legacy in a way where all people will be able to learn about them and their endeavors. It gives me great pleasure to announce that the IGA Board of Directors and staff will be creating an Idaho Golf Hall of Fame, and will be inducting its inaugural class in 2024. We hope that this new Hall will serve to both educate those seeking knowledge, while also honoring the history of Idaho’s great golf legacy.

From all of us in the IGA family, we truly hope everyone enjoys a wonderful Holiday Season!

Check out Caleb’s article in the Pacific Northwest Golfer magazine and others by clicking HERE.

USGA to create National Development Program

by Tom Cade, Editor of the Pacific Northwest Golfer magazine

It’s on.

The United States Golf Association is set to launch a national development program, selecting and nurturing promising young golfers to be able to eventually compete on the world stage.

At the annual International Association of Golf Administrators (IAGA) conference, held Nov. 6-9 at the Grand Hotel Golf Resort in Point Clear, Ala., a general session was conducted by USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer and Managing Director Team USA Heather Daly-Donofrio, who outlined for the audience a five-year plan to develop the next generation of golf talent in the U.S.

The IAGA is made up of golf administrators of the USGA’s Allied Golf Associations (AGA) and other national and international golf-related organizations.

The creation of a national team is not a new concept in the golf world. Many other countries have a national squad, including Australia, Spain, Ireland, England, Finland, South Korea, and, close to home, Canada. In particular, Golf Canada (that country’s counterpart to the USGA) has had success in upping the game of their players with the three levels of squads – National Junior, National Amateur, and Young Pro – for men and women.

John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer, outlines the creation of a U.S. national development program at the IAGA conference on November 8, 2022. Prior to joining the USGA staff in 2011, Bodenhamer served as CEO/executive director of Washington Golf and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association from 1990-2011.

The aggressive five-year timeline will be based on collaboration with the USGA’s AGAs, which Washington Golf, Oregon Golf Association and Idaho Golf Association are a part of. This timeline consists of discussions of resources, rankings and regional events in 2022/2023; beginning to identify talent and launching of grant programs by mid-2023; finalization of plans for regional events by the AGAs in 2024; launching of regional events by AGAs in 2025; and opening of regional developmental camps in 2026.

In 2023, the AGAs will assist the USGA in identifying young talented players, initially selecting 25 junior girls and 25 junior boys.

Ultimately, the three levels of the U.S. National Team will follow in the model of a National Junior Squad, National Amateur Squad, and Young Pro Squad.

Getting to the point of finally deciding to create a national development program has been a long journey. Bodenhamer tells of an early conversation with David Fay, who was the longtime USGA executive director until retiring at the end of 2010. At an IAGA conference 16 years ago, Fay had made the comment to the golf administrators that it wasn’t the USGA’s job to grow the game or develop players.

At the time, Bodenhamer was in the audience as the CEO of Washington Golf and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association, and he remembers thinking, “As I sat there and noodled on it, I wasn’t quite sure that was right, but it was a different time back then. In 2015 and 2016, some things happened that really changed my mindset on it.”

What happened was the U.S. lost the Walker Cup, then lost the Curtis Cup, and then for the first time Team USA did not win a medal at the World Amateur Team Championship.

For the first time in history, the U.S. did not hold at least one of those trophies during a calendar year.

It was a wake-up moment.

In 2016, golf had returned to the Olympics for the first time in over a century. A global team event, the game proved it belonged in the Olympics, generating high TV ratings from fans and enthusiastic participation from players. In watching the support the other countries had put into developing their golf talent and putting a team together, it convinced Bodenhamer that the U.S. was being left behind.

By then, Bodenhamer had become the USGA’s chief championships officer. He returned from the 2016 Olympics and floated the idea of a national team concept again, but knew it wasn’t the right time yet, as the association had other things on its plate at the moment.

Then, 18 months ago, Bodenhamer had a conversation with Mike Whan, who had just left his position as commissioner of the LPGA and had not yet been hired as the USGA’s new CEO. He told Whan about the team concept, and Whan got really charged up about it.

“And when Mike stepped into his new role at the USGA last year, he really embraced the idea (of a national team),” said Bodenhamer. “I give him all the credit in the world for this. He grabbed it. He’s run with it. As long as ‘U.S.’ is in the ‘USGA,’ we need to think about these things, to do this for our country. Creating future stars is good for everything we do.”

Bodenhamer also sees the program as a way of leveling the playing field, providing opportunity to talented young people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to excel. He gives the example of former PGA TOUR player Jason Gore, who until recently had been the USGA’s player relations director. When Gore was a talented young junior player, his parents were contemplating taking a second mortgage on their house to finance young Jason’s entry fees and travel expenses.

“Thankfully they made the decision to do that,” Bodenhamer says. “Imagine if they didn’t. Jason would not have had the career he has had. We see the USGA as being able to create a program which will provide opportunities to these young players.”

Daly-Donofrio is a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour and former head coach of Yale University’s women’s golf team. She has seen it all from every angle, and knows the answers to most questions people have about this fledgling program.

“People ask why college programs increasingly go outside the U.S. to recruit players for their teams,” she says. “The answer is obvious: young international players are so much more experienced; they have better training, better coaching, better practice habits. This all comes from the national programs which nurture these talented kids.”

When asked why there is a need for a national development program, Daly-Donofrio’s response is, “Why not? Every other sport has it in some form, and many other countries have it for golf.”

And when the caution is brought up that this program is only for elite players, Daly-Donofrio has a ready response: “When people see the U.S. flag on the leaderboards in this country and around the world, it signifies a rising tide that lifts all boats. It is an aspirational image, giving fans of all ages something to identify with, something to root for and be part of. At the end of the day, the goal is to see more U.S. players at the top of leaderboards. And this is how we can accomplish that goal.”

At the USGA’s annual meeting in February 2023, more information about the program will be unveiled.

It’s going to be good.

Click HERE for a complete look at this article.

Tom Cade is the editor of Pacific Northwest Golfer magazine, published by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association. From 2010-2015 he served as president of the Northwest Golf Media Association, and in 2016 received the NWGMA Distinguished Service Award. He was the editor and publisher of America’s St. Andrews, the book about Chambers Bay and the 2015 U.S. Open. He also was editor of the centennial history book for Inglewood Golf Club (published 2019), and editor of the centennial history book of Washington Golf (published 2022). He is a regular member of the Golf Writers Association of America.

IGA announces 2022 Players of the Year

BOISE, Idaho—As the 2022 season has come to a close, the Idaho Golf Association is excited to announce the names of the individuals who have earned their respected Player of the Year Award. With two brand new categories being introduced this year (Men’s Master-40 and Women’s Mid-Am), the following have been crowned:

MEN
-Seth Jones (Men’s POY)
-Jesse Hibler (Men’s Master-40 POY)
-Scott Masingill (Senior Men’s POY)

WOMEN
-Kelli Ann Strand (Women’s POY)
-Lori Ruiz (Women’s Mid-Am POY)
-Kris Fenwick (Senior Women’s POY)

The IGA would like to congratulate these individuals for an amazing year of golf and all they have accomplished on the course this season.

MEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR: SETH JONES

Emerging as an upcoming star on the IGA circuit, Seth Jones put together a list of impressive outings during his inaugural IGA season. Having played in four events—never finishing outside the top 10—Jones demonstrated that one can both “drive for show, and putt for dough.”

Seth Jones playing alongside State Am winner, Jeffrey Anderson, at Idaho Fall Country Club.

No matter the format, Jones always seemed to find himself in contention at each tournament he played. Starting off the season with an impressive showing, Jones finished tied for fifth at the U.S. Open Local Qualifier, which was held at Banbury Golf Course in Eagle, Idaho.

He followed up that performance with his first and only victory of the year at the IGA Match Play Championship. Jones then finished the year with good showings at the State Amateur (T8) and Tournament of Champions (T3).

”Seth has worked very hard on his game over the last few years to get ready for collegiate golf and it shows in his play this summer,” said Nicole Bird, Manager of Rules and Competitions for the IGA. “He started with a strong win at the IGA Match Play Championship… and was in contention at the IGA State Amateur until the last hole when an unfortunate bounce from a cart path sent his ball out of bounds…He wanted to win the honor of Player of the Year, so he was able to come to the IGA [TOC] and obtain those final points he needed to win the title.”

Jones has arrived.

MEN’S MASTER-40 PLAYER OF THE YEAR: JESSE HIBLER

Though late to the scene, Jesse Hibler made the most out of his limited appearances this season. Always being in contention, Hibler showed consistency and fight in each tournament—never finishing lower than sixth in each of his four showings. Hibler won the award by a mere 12 points over runner-up, Chris Boquette.

Jesse Hibler hitting his second shot into the par-4 17th at Jug Mountain Ranch during the IGA Mid-Amateur Championship.

Starting his season with a tie for sixth at the U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifier held at Falcon Crest Golf Course, Hibler rattled off a second-place finish at the IGA Mid-Amateur Championship, and two victories at the Pacific Northwest Golf Association’s Master-40 Amateur and the IGA’s Tournament of Champions — all three occurring within four weeks of each other in August and September.

Bird said this about Hibler’s play this season: “Jesse was only able to play in a few events this year, but he made the most of it for sure! He started strong with a second-place finish at the IGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Jug Mountain Ranch that went down to the last hole…That experience prepared him well for the following week when he played Jug Mountain Ranch—one of the hardest courses around—again but this time for the PNGA Master-40 championship, which he won for the second year in a row. Finally, he was able to cap off his season with a win at the IGA TOC in some tough, rainy conditions to earn the first-ever title of IGA Men’s Master-40 Player of the Year.”

SENIOR MEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR: SCOTT MASINGILL

The G.O.A.T of men’s golf in the state of Idaho doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. With some fabulous play, including two victories this season, Scott Masingill continues to drink from the bottomless Fountain of Youth. Playing in both regular and senior events, Masingill showed he’s still got it—even beyond the age of 70.

In his six events this tournament season, Masingill, as the young bucks say, “balled out.” Here are his finishes at this year’s events:

Scott Masingill rolls in the winning putt on the second playoff hole at Jerome Country Club.

-PNGA Senior (2)
-IGA Match Play Championship (T9)
-IGA State Amateur (T11)
-IGA Senior Amateur (1)
-PNGA Master-40 Amateur (Match Play)
-IGA Senior Tournament of Champions (1)

"The name Scott Masingill rings a bell with many, and he is no stranger to the Player of the Year honor in Idaho,” Bird said. “[Scott] played lots of golf this summer and earned points in everything! One of the big highlights came in the final round of the IGA State Amateur at Idaho Falls Country Club when he beat his age in competition for the first time since his birthday, shooting 69 on the day. Just a few weeks later, he did it again at the IGA Senior Amateur Championship at Jerome Country Club in the 2nd round!… Scott had an outstanding year and is very deserving of this award.”

WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR: KELLI ANN STRAND

By taking the award for the second year in a row, Kelli Ann Strand showed her fellow competitors once again why she is repeatedly at the top of the leaderboard at every event she plays in. Her length off the tee was the biggest advantage she had over her competitors—constantly having scoring clubs in hand while others did not.

”Kelli Ann is a repeat winner of this award, and it is well deserved,” said Bird. “Her junior and amateur career with the IGA has been full of victories at several tournaments.”

Kelli Ann Strands hits her tee shot on the par-3 ninth hole with fellow competitor, Sheryl Scott, looking on.

En route to her lone victory this year, Strand posted a women’s course record of 64 at The River Club in Boise during the stroke-play portion of the IGA Women’s Match Play Championship. She had every facet of her game dialed in for competition that week. Strand proved she is near impossible to beat when everything is running like a well-oiled machine.

Later in the season, Strand took eventual Women’s State Amateur winner, Carly Carter, to the wire where she fell just short of winning her second event of the year. With that finish, Strand secured the Women’s POY award by just three points over Carter.

“I think the pivotal moment to her winning the IGA Women’s Player of the Year this year came on the back-nine of the stroke-play portion of the IGA Match Play Championship at The River Club,” Bird said. “[Kelli Ann] made the turn at even par and was in the mix of several players to earn the #1 seed heading into the match-play portion. However, she made birdie after birdie on the back-nine, shooting an unbelievable 28 for a score of 64. The event was her first experience at match play, but she handled it like a pro and earned the honor this year.”

Now playing college golf at the University of Nebraska, Strand looks to keep trending upwards.

WOMEN’S MID-AMATEUR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: LORI RUIZ

Lori Ruiz played some exceptional, consistent golf during the 2022 tournament season. Taking both the medalist position at the USGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Qualifier held at Falcon Crest GC and first place at the IGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, Ruiz set herself up nicely to take home the first Women’s Mid-Amateur POY Award.

Lori Ruiz hits her approach shot into the par-4 sixth hole at Elkhorn Golf Club in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Bird stated: “Being unable to attend the USGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship in Florida due to a scheduling conflict, [Lori] traveled to Jug Mountain Ranch a week later for the IGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. Down by two strokes after the second round, [Lori] had her best round in the final round of very steady golf, shooting 74 for the victory.”

Relying on her good ball striking and a dependable flat stick proved to be the trick for Ruiz this summer. Having played several tracks that demanded its participants to hit it straight and on point, Ruiz’s game set up nicely for her at those courses. Knowing how to win events, Ruiz held strong while her competition faltered around her.

Along with her two wins, Ruiz also received POY points for her performance at the 2021 PGA National Club Championship and for making it to the semi-finals of the IGA Women’s Match Play Championship.

SENIOR WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR: KRIS FENWICK

The IGA couldn’t think of a more well-deserving recipient for the 2022 Senior Women’s Player of the Year than Kris Fenwick. As someone who has shown pure dedication to this craft, Fenwick’s hard work showed on multiple occasions throughout the year. Owning a swing that almost every golfer around would covet, Fenwick had her game ready to go, no matter who her opponents were.

”The Senior Women’s Player of the Year honor has long been a goal of Kris Fenwick’s,” Bird explained. “This season started with a putting lesson and a new putter that led to some much-needed confidence on the greens.”

Kris Fenwick stripes a tee shot on the par-4 fourth hole at the IGA Senior Women’s Amateur held at Jerome Country Club.

Bird went on to further explain: “This new assurance is what led her to take [Kelli Ann] to the 15th hole of the IGA Match Play Finals. It was an exciting match to watch. Her hot putter carried over to her third-place finish at the IGA Women’s Senior Amateur, as well as her second-place finish at the IGA Women’s Mid-Amateur. This event included a final-round score of 69 on one of the hardest courses out there! She capped off a fantastic season of golf with her first victory of the year at the IGA Senior Women’s Tournament of Champions.”

Here is how she placed in the seven events, which doesn’t include her Four-Ball victory with Karen Darrington at the beginning of the tournament season:

-2021 PGA National Club Champ (2)

-PNGA Women's Senior & Super Senior (T13)

-2022 IGA Match Play Championship (2)

-2022 IGA Senior Am (T3)

-2022 IGA Mid-Am (2)

-IGA Senior TOC (1)

FINISHING THOUGHTS

The IGA would like to personally thank each individual who played in a tournament run by the IGA this year. There was some phenomenal golf played and a lot of great competition. The IGA is looking forward to another great season next year and would like to encourage future participation by any interested in playing against the best in the state of Idaho.

Congratulations again to Seth Jones, Jesse Hibler, Scott Masingill, Kelli Ann Strand, Lori Ruiz and Kris Fenwick on their amazing accomplishments this season and wish them the best of luck next year!

For a complete look at the total point breakdown of each division, click HERE!

Team pride leads local professionals to repeat victory

Written by Beaux Yenchik, Manager of Media and Communications

BOISE, ID—The air loomed over TimberStone Golf Course with a certain heaviness as players began wrapping up their individual matches. Countenances were varied to the point that each victor walked off the green with what appeared to be a little pep in his step, while those who had lost their team valuable points, appeared as if a personal thundercloud lingered above their heads, ready to pour at any time. It was clearly evident that one team had a few more smiles than the other.

What was looking to have been a much closer competition after round one’s results turned quickly into one of the most lopsided wins in Carter Cup history. Team Rocky Mountain PGA had flexed its professionally-sized golf muscles while it routed Team Idaho Golf Association, 40.5-19.5.

“The competition [was] phenomenal,” said Joe Malay, Team IGA Captain.

The overall score would paint a plethora of stories in the minds of those who beheld it, allowing the imagination to run wild. It could be taken that Team IGA was simply outmatched and not as talented as Team Rocky Mountain, or that one team’s sticks went cold while the other’s stayed toasty warm throughout both days. Whatever the reasons may be, which could include the two reasons already listed, the overarching disparity between the two teams comes down to a single word: pride.

“The mentality [for my team] I would say is pride,” said Michael Kastner, Team Rocky Mountain PGA Captain. “These are our best players and they come here with a sense of pride, and they very much want to win and hold up their end of the bargain. That is just their mindset. They love to grind…The competitive juices flow and [they] just want to make it happen.”

It wasn’t long after the final pairing had reached its conclusion that Team Rocky Mountain PGA was shuffling its way back out into the cold for a team photo. The players were laughing and enjoying themselves. It was as if pride, the unofficial theme for the event, was the “11th Man” on the squad and in the middle of their make-shift circle. There was a certain confidence displayed as the team celebrated with “man-hugs” and a certain jockeying as players shared how many points they contributed to their team’s overall score.

“There is a comfort zone,” Malay said. “I think the pros are more comfortable in their position. They go into it with the idea that we are professionals, and we’ve taught these individuals.”

Nick Blasius, of Team Rocky Mountain PGA, hits his approach shot on the par-5 14th.

Just from those few moments alone, a total outsider would have been able to distinguish that the victors of the 2022 Carter Cup held a certain level of pride within themselves as individuals but as a collection of PGA Professionals — the very individuals who teach each of us the game of golf and all its little intricacies.

Though they aren’t playing on Sundays on CBS or NBC for a lucrative amount of money, golf is their livelihood. There is a reason why they turned professional and the rest of us didn’t.

”The IGA Team is filled with very talented, amateur players,” Kastner explained. “The only difference is over time our professionals are a little more hardened in tournament golf formats. While amateurs play a lot of tournament golf, they don’t necessarily live it like we do all the time. It’s important to realize that when you are an amateur and you are playing a professional, most guys are going to feel like I am an underdog…I think there is more probably more confidence with the professionals than the amateurs.”

As the opening round came to a close, the gap between Team IGA and Team Rocky Mountain PGA was only two points. The matches had gone back and forth all morning, and the two-some of Mike Hamblin and Nick Blasius took the lead back for Team PGA to finish the morning session with the lead — a lead they never again relinquished to their amateur foes.

Brian Swenson/Fran Matthias 0.5 - 2.5 Lance Rieber/Brady Nelson

Jason Azzarito/David Bishop 0 - 3 Justin Snelling/Travis Hofland

Bob Wheeler/Gilbert Livas 3 - 0 Jim Empey/Tyson Bowen

Nate Smith/Jeff Anderson 3 - 0 Ben Bryson/Tad Holloway

Scott Masingill/Austin French 0 - 3 Mike Hamblin/Nick Blasius

6.5 - 8.5

The afternoon foursome matches were a serious time of mourning for Team IGA. In what was standard golfing weather for Fall in Idaho and a format of play that favors PGA Professionals more so than amateurs due to experience, the moment may have been a bit too much for the second-place finishers.

Jason Azzarito, of Team IGA, watches his putt carefully on the par-3 13th.

For a sport usually based on the performance of a single individual, Team IGA struggled to gel like their opponents. It very well could have been the first time that some of these players ever met, let alone played with each other.

Not taking away from the caliber of players that the amateurs are by any stretch of the imagination, but it was clearly evident that experience, poise, connectivity, etc. were key factors in what led Team PGA to a lopsided win not only in the foursome matches but in general. With 15 points on the line, Team IGA scrounged together three and a half points to the professionals’ nine and a half.

David Bishop/Fran Matthias 2 - 1 Jim Empey/Mike Hamblin

Bob Wheeler/Brian Swenson 0 - 3 Justin Snelling/Tad Holloway

Scott Masingill/Jeff Anderson 0 - 3 Ben Bryson/Lance Rieber

Austin French/Gilbert Livas 0 - 3 Travis Hofland/Tyson Bowen

Jason Azzarito/Nate Smith 1.5 - 1.5 Brady Nelson/Nick Blasius

3.5 - 9.5

Round three’s singles matches showed somewhat of a push and some pride from Team IGA — not wanting to get completely shut out on the last day of the competition. The amateurs wanted to prove they could keep up with their local professionals and possibly steal a few points out from under their noses.

The charge, though unsuccessful, was led by the likes of former Korn Ferry Tour player Nate Smith for Team IGA — getting points in each of the three sessions for his team and earning a total of seven and a half points for them. His highlight, and maybe one for the team, was Smith’s hole out for the eagle during his singles match against Bryson on the back nine.

Scott Masingill 2 - 1 Tad Holloway

Fran Matthias 0 - 3 Mike Hamblin

Bob Wheeler 0 - 3 Jim Empey

Gilbert Livas 2 - 1 Travis Hofland

Brian Swenson 1.5 - 1.5 Lance Rieber

Austin French 0 - 3 Nick Blasius

Jeff Anderson 1 - 2 Brady Nelson

Nate Smith 3 - 0 Ben Bryson

David Bishop 0 - 3 Tyson Bowen

Jason Azzarito 0 - 3 Justin Snelling

9.5 - 20.5

With the next Carter Cup taking place in 2024, pros and amateurs alike are already looking forward to the next time these two teams can square off against each other. Team IGA will be hoping for some sweet revenge and a do-over following this year’s performance. Team Rocky Mountain PGA will look to show that unconquerable pride again as it hopes to keep the Carter Cup trophy in its unbreakable grasp.

Tracy wins World Hickory Open

Article and images attributed to Tom Tracy

Susan Tracy, of Star, Idaho, playing out of River Birch Golf Course, captured the Ladies Division of the 2022 World Hickory Open, played in the Highlands of Scotland on October 11-13. The W.H.O. annually draws hickory shaft enthusiasts from around the world to compete over classic Scottish courses. The great Sandy Lyle has won the men’s division twice. Tracy ran away with the gross competition, winning by 22 strokes on three difficult, world-famous links courses near Inverness.

The 54-hole stroke play event was held over the links of Nairn, Castle Stuart and Royal Dornoch Golf Clubs in cool, blustery and sometimes wet conditions. She bested competitors from Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, the U.S. and other countries.

High scores were the rule on the long, tough courses played with 100-year-old clubs. Brutal slopes, bunkering and wind made the tourney a test of survival for both gents and ladies. Tracey’s final round of 90 at Castle Stuart was far and away the best ladies’ score of the tourney, with the seaside wind howling over the last nine.

2022 World Hickory Open participants posing for a group photo in their throw-back garb.

“The scoreboard was not quite up to date, so I wasn’t sure where I stood entering the last round,” Tracy said. “My husband, Tom, decided to caddy for me the third day, which helped with some decisions and especially in avoiding the bunkers, which are brutal, often with faces 5 to 8 feet high in front of you. I think I was only in two bunkers on the last day. It also helped that we arrived in Scotland a month before the event, and were able to play some great links courses like Brora, Tain, Golspie, Gullane, Kilspindie and Dunbar beforehand. And, I had a bunker lesson from the pro at Tain GC, which saved me a few shots!”

Tracy started playing hickory golf in 2018 after Tom talked her into it. She still much prefers her modern clubs, but she has won several events in the U.S., including the Pacific Northwest Championship four times, the Arizona Desert Hickory, and the U.S. Hickory Open—finishing as the runner-up in this event in 2021. Her next scheduled hickory event is the popular Arizona Desert Hickory in February 2023.

Shirley Englehorn - Northwest Shooting Star

Article published by and credited to the Pacific Northwest Golf Association

Shirley Englehorn, an 11-time LPGA Tour winner and major champion, passed away on October 2, 2022 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was 81.

Englehorn’s accomplishments on and off the course were legion, and those who knew her remember a person whose love for the game knew no bounds.

Born in Caldwell, Idaho in 1940, Shirley grew up in a house next to the third tee of Fairview Golf Course, a public nine-holer in Caldwell. From the time she was nine years old she wanted to become a professional golfer.

As a teenager, Shirley dominated women’s amateur golf in Idaho. She won the Idaho Women’s State Amateur three years in a row (1956-1958), and won the McCall (Idaho) Amateur in 1957 and 1958.

Englehorn won the Trans-Mississippi Amateur at age 15, and remains the youngest to ever win that title.

After graduating from Caldwell High School, Shirley won the 1959 Oregon Women’s Amateur. In her final competition as an amateur, Shirley won the 1959 PNGA Women’s Amateur, held that year at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland.

She turned professional later in 1959, with initial sponsorship support from Spokane’s Athletic Round Table.

During her playing days on tour, she was a devotee of the 1-iron, a long-forgotten butterknife of a club that required a level of precision few possessed. Jack Nicklaus enjoyed hitting a 1-iron, but even he did not make it part of his clinics as Englehorn did for years. In fact, in her later years her email address incorporated her nickname, Dimples, with her favorite club: “Dimple1iron.”

Her direct approach and exceptional abilities, first as a player and competitor, and later as a coach, teacher, mentor and friend, left an indelible mark on the LPGA, the golf community at large, and on those who knew her.

“She was a wonderful player and could have won many more tournaments than she did,” said Kathy Whitworth, the World Golf Hall of Famer who lost in a playoff to Englehorn in the 1970 LPGA Championship. “Unfortunately, she had two incredibly bad accidents that most people probably would never recover from. She did recover, though, and returned to win again. She had a lot of courage.”

Those accidents occurred on horseback and an in automobile, the first coming at an equestrian event in Georgia in 1960, right after she turned pro, and the second in 1965 when she was in a near-fatal car crash. The latter earned Englehorn the Ben Hogan Award, given by the Golf Writers Association of America to a golfer who successfully comes back from illness or injury.

Shirley was named the LPGA National Teacher of the Year in 1978. She played in her final LPGA Tour event in 1979.

Shirley became the director of instruction at Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs, where she built a loyal following of students for more than 30 years.

In addition to being a national television sports broadcaster, she wrote numerous articles for various golf publications, including Golf World, Golf for Women and Sports Illustrated. From 1964 to 1976, Shirley was on the Sears Sporting Goods Advisory Staff, the only woman to be selected for such a role.

In 1991 she received the Ellen Griffin Rolex Award for her dedication as a golf instructor, and she was inducted into the LPGA Professionals Hall of Fame in 2014. She had been inducted into the North Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984.

In 2016, she received the LPGA Pioneer Award, a mark of achievement as a player who kept the door alive after the LPGA’s founding.

*For a complete look at this article, please click HERE.

2022 Volunteer of the Year

BOISE, Idaho—The Idaho Golf Association is pleased to announce Kathy Steele as the 2022 Volunteer of the Year. This annual award is given to an individual chosen by the IGA for going above and beyond as a volunteer in assisting the IGA with its various functions and needs.

Steele was selfless as she gave of her time and talents in helping the IGA at multiple events during the 2022 golf season. Serving in multiple capacities (shuttle driving, scoring and registration), she easily caught the attention of the IGA staff as someone who was more than happy to help. She volunteered at the following events this year:

-IGA Match Play (The River Club)
-Idaho Junior Amateur (RedHawk GC)
-U.S. Open Qualifier (Banbury GC)
-U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier (RedHawk GC)
-U.S. Girls Junior Amateur Qualifier (RedHawk GC)
-U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifier (Falcon Crest GC)

“[Kathy Steele] is someone we can always count on to help out with any of our events,” said Nicole Bird, Manager of Rules and Competitions for the IGA. “She's comfortable with scoring, shuttling, registration, etc. It doesn't matter what task we ask her to help with, we know she will have it under control every time! [Kathy] loves being around golf and we love having her at our events!”

The IGA would again like to thank Kathy Steele for all she did this year. It would also like to express its gratitude to each of its volunteers who served in their various roles. Without them, the IGA couldn’t do what it does.

*The IGA relies on volunteer help for each event it hosts. Individuals are assigned at least one role during an event. Those roles consist of live scoring, registration, player-shuttle services, starting and rules officiating. With the appropriate training given for each role, individuals come from all over the state to assist at tournaments or IGA-member services like Course Rating. 

For those interested in volunteering next season, please send an email to nicole@idahoga.org.