It’s been a year since our last distribution of gifts — Colorado golf-style — and we’re back in the holiday mood.

We’ve studied our naughty and nice lists, and taken time to pick out that perfect something for deserving souls. Of course, given who we are, we’ll stick with a golf theme.

Time’s a wastin’, so without further ado …

To: John Ogden, head professional at Cherry Hills Country Club. Gift: Credit where credit is due after you predicted in the weeks leading up to the BMW Championship that the winning score would be 264 to 268. Billy Horschel won with a 266 total.

To: Rory McIlroy. Gift: That no hole ever treats you as badly as the par-3 12th at Cherry Hills did during the BMW Championship. (He four-putted the hole twice in the final two rounds, including from 4 feet on Saturday. The result: triple bogey, double bogey).

To: Phil Mickelson. Gift: The ability to think of a better excuse for withdrawing from a tournament after pulling out of the no-cut BMW Championship before the weekend at Cherry Hills, citing a need “to rest and prepare for the Ryder Cup” — which took place three weeks later.

To: The CGA. Gift: In 2015, an unforgettable 100-year anniversary year worthy of an organization with such a rich history.

To: The CWGA. Gift: See above, except in 2016 in your case.

To: Hale Irwin. Gift: Just as your competitive career winds down, an ever-expanding impact on Colorado kids through the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program, the AJGA Hale Irwin Junior, and hopefully other things to come.

To: Former Coloradan Brandt Jobe, who has finished second four times — but has never won — on the PGA Tour. Gift: That 2015 brings a victory — either on the PGA Tour or the Champions circuit, for which you become eligible in August.

To: Colorado-based Champions Tour player Mark Wiebe, who battled injuries this year. Gift: That 2015 more resemble 2013 (two wins) than 2014 (0 top-25s).

To: New CGA managing director of operations Dustin Jensen, who is moving back to Colorado from North Dakota. Gift: A touch of winter warmth, Colorado style.

To: Officials from Coal Creek Golf Course in Louisville. Gift: A banner season in the summer of 2015 after then being closed for more than 18 months by the September 2013 flooding.

To: George Solich. Gift: A stress-free summer in 2015 after anything but in 2014 as general chairman of the BMW Championship.

To: Doug Rohrbaugh of Carbondale. Gift: After having so much success in Colorado in recent years — including winning titles in the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open (one) and the Colorado PGA Professional Championship (two) — a top-10 finish as a member of the Champions Tour.

To: The University of Colorado women’s golf program. Gift: A top-three finish at the Pac-12 Conference Championship that you’re hosting in April at Boulder Country Club.

To: Wyndham Clark of Lone Tree, the 2014 Big 12 Player of the Year at Oklahoma State. Gift: After a lot of close calls, an individual college victory.

To: Jack Vickers. Gift: In receiving the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award, satisfaction in the impact you made in graciously hosting a PGA Tour event in Colorado for 21 years, The International.

To: Ross Macdonald (left). Gift: A third consecutive CGA Junior Stroke Play title to match Scott Petersen’s remarkable feat from the late 1980s.

To: CSU-Pueblo golfer Leina Kim. Gift: An NCAA women’s Division II title in 2015 after leading the nation in stroke average so far this season.

To: Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster. Gift: A win in a national event leading into your freshman season at Wake Forest beginning in the fall.

To: Former CU golfer Emily Talley. Gift: After knocking on the door so many times as a professional, an answer in the form of an individual title.

To: Connie Gallagher of Denver, who in October aced a par-4 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Gift: A return trip to Pebble to relive the moment.

To: Kent and Janet Moore, both Colorado Golf Hall of Famers. Gift: That you both win state senior titles in the same year.

To: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton. Gift: That you don’t miss a beat in competitive golf next year despite those two recent knee replacements.

To: John Elway. Gift: A shot at winning both a Super Bowl (as Broncos general manager) and a HealthOne Colorado Senior Open (as a competitor) in the same year.

To: The late Jim Moore, former Western Golf Association educational director. Gift: That your ever-present upbeat spirit will live on in the Evans Scholarship program for caddies, including those at the University of Colorado.

To: Sherry Andonian-Smith (left), who almost made the cut in the 2014 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open, and who went 3-0 for the Colorado PGA in the Taylor Cup matches. Gift: Colorado PGA Senior Player of the Year honors in 2015.

To: The guy who eagerly volunteered to caddie for a competitor in the 2014 HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open, only to quit mid-round, saying he had phone calls to make. Gift: That your services are required elsewhere during the 2015 tournament.

To: Leslie Core-Drevecky, the first female president of the Colorado PGA. Gift: A marked increase in play by women and girls golfers in Colorado.

To: Eric Hoos, who got struck in the head by a competitor’s golf ball while picking his ball out of the cup at the 2014 CGA Senior Stroke Play. Gift: A military-style helmet for the 2015 tournament.

To: Part-time Colorado resident Jonathan Kaye, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour. Gift: After competing very little since 2010, some success on the Web.com Tour in 2015.

To: Priscilla Lind, who recently passed away. Lind was the wife of Babe Lind, who was in the first class of inductees for the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Gift: Many thanks for sharing some of Babe’s historic golf trophies and memorabilia with the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame and the University of Denver.

To: Golf courses such as Broadlands, Saddleback, Park Hill, Springs Ranch and Eagle Vail which have opened part of their facilities to “footgolf”, an activity in which participants essentially play golf with their feet, using a soccer ball, much shorter holes and large cups. Gift: An “A” for effort in thinking outside the box to generate additional revenue for their golf courses.

To: The golden oldies who play golf at Heather Gardens. Gift: Good health, good friends and great fun hitting the links well into your 90s.

To: All Colorado golfers. Gift: Happy holidays.
 

This week, the focus is more on turkey than two-putts, more on pumpkin pies than pars, and more on family and fellowship than fairways and flagsticks.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t reasons to reflect on the game of golf, and reasons to be thankful for it, especially here in Colorado.

Therefore, in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, here are nine things for which to be grateful, Colorado golf-wise:

— Stellar Golf Venues: Think of the golf courses and locales that are options in the state, and it’s enough to make anyone who loves to play the game salivate as if they were sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner. And not only are venues like Arrowhead (pictured above), the Broadmoor, Ballyneal, Sanctuary, Eisenhower, Perry Park and Red Sky jaw-droppingly beautiful, but the topography of the state makes for a great variety of courses.

— Diversity of Major Events: When The International PGA Tour stop took its final bow in 2006 after a 21-year run, there’s no doubt it created a big void. But looking back on the diversity of tournaments that helped fill that void is truly remarkable. Over the last seven years, Colorado has hosted the best men’s and women’s professionals in the world, the best seniors, as well as the best amateurs. There’s been the 2008 U.S. Senior Open and the U.S. Amateur Public Links, the 2009 Palmer Cup, the 2010 Senior PGA Championship, the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open, the 2012 U.S. Amateur, the 2013 Solheim Cup and the 2014 BMW Championship. Suffice it to say it’s been a pretty nice lineup for Colorado golf fans.

— Relatively Inexpensive Golf: While there are plenty of golf courses in Colorado that cost a pretty penny to play, there’s also an abundance of quality, well-maintained venues that charge $40 or less for a round. And there are even some nice courses where you can walk up to the counter on a summer weekend, pay your 18-hole green fee, and get change from the $30 you hand the golf shop attendant. For those who have played much in other states, you can get some pretty good bang for your buck in Colorado.

— Outstanding Golf Associations: While your average golfer in Colorado may or may not know it, there is tireless work being done behind the scenes by local golf associations — the CGA, CWGA, Colorado PGA, the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents and others — to assure that the game thrives not just now, but well into the future.

Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kent Moore summed it up well on Sunday at the Colorado Golf Awards Brunch. While he was speaking specifically about the CGA, it’s safe to say the general notion applies as well to the other major golf associations in the state: “I’ve seen this come from a cigar box and two guys on the first tee to an incredible organization that runs championships as professional as any you’ll ever see, and now making an incredible impact in the community. It’s just fabulous.”

— Volunteerism: While there are many paid staffers that make Colorado golf special with their day-to-day work, the amount of time and energy and wholehearted effort devoted by volunteers in the game is impressive. More than 2,500 people — 90 percent coming from Colorado — volunteered in the first week of September at Cherry Hills to help make the BMW Championship the PGA Tour’s Tournament of the Year. Other volunteers devote countless hours year-in and year-out to the CGA, CWGA, Colorado PGA and a myriad of other organizations to make the game what it is. In yet another example, just this week it was announced that Colorado Golf Club head professional Graham Cliff will serve as a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Denver men’s golf team. Without all these volunteers — and those who donate financially to the game — golf would be a shell of what it is.

— A Game of Honor: While this one certainly isn’t limited to Colorado, it’s noteworthy that golf is a leader in the world of sports regarding sportsmanship, integrity and honesty. Seldom does more than a couple of months go by without stories coming out about how a golfer reported a costly rules violation on himself or herself that no one else was aware of. Even at this year’s BMW Championship at Cherry Hills, Keegan Bradley withdrew after having lingering doubts about an embedded-ball ruling he received early in the tournament (CLICK HERE). 

— Great Programs for Juniors: Knowing that kids are the future lifeblood of the game, there is particular emphasis in recent times in drawing youngsters to golf and exposing them to all the virtues of the game, including through caddying.

Among the many worthwhile local programs that focus on youth are the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy (left) at CommonGround Golf Course, the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program, the Evans Scholarship house for caddies at the University of Colorado, and the local First Tee chapters.

— Local Tour Players: Every golf fan has his/her favorite tour players, but many Coloradans take a special interest in those who cut their teeth in the state as junior golfers and college players, then make it to the big time. Certainly that’s true in Colorado, with players like Hale Irwin, Steve Jones, Brandt Jobe, Kevin Stadler, Martin Laird and Jill McGill. And now there’s a younger group of local players who are getting their chance on golf’s big stages, golfers like Mark Hubbard, Espen Kofstad, Emily Talley and Becca Huffer, along with transplanted Coloradans like Sam Saunders. It’s always fun to see the local kid make good on a national/international level.

— The Sheer Camaraderie Achieved Through Golf: As the world gets ever faster-paced, and more and more time is devoted to gadgetry of one type or another, spending a few hours on the golf course with friends, family or random acquaintances can be remarkably refreshing.

Kind of like Thanksgiving.
 

Now that we’ve flipped the calendar to 2014, perhaps a good New Year’s wish for fans of Colorado tour players is that this year turns out to be as successful for local competitors as 2013 was.

Last year proved to be arguably the best collectively in at least the last handful of seasons for tour players with strong Colorado connections.

There were six victories on top-level tours in 2013 by current or former Coloradans, plus several more another level or two down.

Making it to the winner’s circle were former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird (PGA Tour Valero Texas Open), Aurora’s Mark Wiebe (Champions Tour Senior British Open and Pacific Links Hawaii Championship), former Castle Rock resident Esteban Toledo (Champions Tour Insperity Championship and Montreal Championship) and Evergreen’s Craig Stadler (Champions Tour Encompass Championship).

Also gaining big victories were onetime Golden resident Andrew Svoboda (two on the Web.com Tour), former Denverite Mark Hubbard (one on PGA Tour Canada), former University of Denver golfer Sue Kim (one on the Symetra Tour), and former University of Colorado player Emily Talley (Big Break NFL on the Golf Channel).

Add it all up and it was hardly a typical year for Colorado’s “local” tour players.

The 2014 tour golf schedule begins this weekend as the PGA Tour’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions runs Friday through Monday (Jan. 3-6) in Maui, Hawaii. The LPGA and Champions Tours get rolling later this month.

Here’s some of what’s new on the major tours in 2014 from the perspective of players with strong Colorado ties:

— This week marks just the third time Laird (pictured above) has competed in the Tournament of Champions. After all, the event is limited to winners of PGA Tour events the previous year, with this week’s field numbering just 30.

Laird, who qualified by winning the 2013 Valero Texas Open, has made the most of his two previous T of C appearances, finishing fourth in 2010 and second in 2012.

Unlike previous years, the Tournament of Champions isn’t the PGA Tour season opener this time. With the newly instituted wraparound schedule, this will be the seventh event of the 2013-14 season.

— When the Web.com season begins in 2014, it will have two new faces familiar to many Colorado golf fans. Hubbard, who grew up in Denver, and Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch, winner of two HealthOne Colorado Opens, will compete on the circuit on a regular basis for the first time this year.

Hubbard earned a card by finishing third on the PGA Tour Canada 2013 money list and improved his status by placing 15th in the Web.com qualifying finals. Tolan will have conditional status after ending up 105th in the final stage of Q-school. Both are former CGA champions.

Meanwhile, new Colorado resident Sam Saunders, grandson of Arnold Palmer, will return to the Web.com Tour after finishing 11th in qualifying last month.

— Mike Reid, who played part of his high school golf career at Cherry Creek, will be back on the Champions Tour full time in 2014 after ending up second in the tour’s national qualifying tournament.

Reid, winner of two Champions Tour majors, competed in just seven official Champions events in 2013.

— Two “local” players regained top tour status by virtue of their season-long showings in golf’s versions of the high minors.

Kim (pictured at left) is back for her second season on the LPGA Tour after finishing sixth on the Symetra money list as the top 10 automatically earned LPGA cards. And Svoboda returned to the PGA Tour after placing 25th on the Web.com Tour’s 2013 regular-season money list and fifth on the Web.com Tour finals priority rankings.

For a rundown on all players with strong Colorado ties who are competing on major golf tours in 2014, CLICK HERE. (Note: This rundown is updated on a weekly basis throughout the year.)

It’s the time of year for figuring out the perfect gift for that certain someone, and for spreading good cheer to kith and kin.

Here at COgolf.org, where we have an obvious affinity for a certain game, the gifts we divvy out not surprisingly follow a given theme.

So without further ado, after perusing our naughty and nice lists, here are our holiday gifts, golf-style:

To: BMW Championship. Gift: Extending that run of being named PGA Tour Tournament of the Year to three straight years with a memorable 2014 edition at Cherry Hills Country Club. (For information about BMW Championship holiday ticket packs, CLICK HERE.)

To: Cherry Hills Country Club. Gift: For the first PGA Tour event in Colorado in eight years, a champion along the lines of Arnold Palmer (1960 U.S. Open), Jack Nicklaus (1993 U.S. Senior Open) or Phil Mickelson (1990 U.S. Amateur).

To: Colorado Courses Still Recovering from September Flooding. Gift: Great spring weather and golfers eager to see facilities such as CommonGround and Mariana Butte back at full strength.

To: Winners of BMW Championship Pro-Am contest. (Info: CLICK HERE) Gift: A great time for you next September at Cherry Hills, and plenty of support for the Evans Caddie Scholarship and the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy in the meantime.

To: U.S. Solheim Cup Players and Coaches. Gift: Selective amnesia after what happened in mid-August at Colorado Golf Club.

To: Kim Eaton. Gift: After retiring from CWGA championship play after 21 wins, different-looking trophies to put on your mantle.

To: Kaye Kessler, who this year celebrated his 90th birthday and his 50th year of covering the Masters. Gift: That your ever-present smile will keep you spry as ever well into your 100s.

To: Keith Humerickhouse (left). Gift: For the winner of four straight CGA Mid-Amateur Championships, an even handful of Mid-Am titles.

To: Denver resident Jim Bunch. Gift: A “bunch” of thanks from the golf community for your years on the USGA Executive Committee and for your just-ending two years as chairman of the Western Golf Association.

To: Longtime Coloradans Mark Hubbard and Derek Tolan. Gift: A one-year stint on the Web.com Tour en route to The Big Show.

To: David Duval of Cherry Hills Village. Gift: That 2014 be the year when you regain your golf mojo.

To: CGA, CWGA and Colorado PGA. Gift: To see the fruits of all your grow-the-game labors in recent years.

To: Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson. Gift: To feel right at home in your new home state of Colorado.

To: The Broadmoor. Gift: That your hopes of luring a major men’s championship get some bona fide attention from the powers that be in the game.

To: Former University of Colorado golfer Emily Talley. Gift: That you can parlay your two “Big Break” appearances on the Golf Channel into a spot on the LPGA Tour.

To: Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround. Gift: That other programs like yourself spring forth around the country.

To: The Colorado Open Championships. Gift: Another year featuring a clean sweep of titles by Colorado golfers.

To: Craig Stadler of Evergreen. Gift: That you don’t have to wait almost nine years to get your next Champions Tour victory, unlike the last time around.

To: Mark Wiebe of Aurora, winner of the 2013 Senior British Open. Gift: That that Christmas drink taste all the sweeter coming out of a certain claret jug.

To: The new Colorado Golf Foundation. Gift: That what was started this year pays dividends for decades to come in Colorado golf.

To: Harry Johnson, winner of both the CGA Senior Stroke Play and Senior Match Play in 2013. Gift: That age 64 treats you as well as age 63 did.

To: Doug Rohrbaugh, winner of the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open, Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship and Colorado PGA Professional Championship in 2013. Gift: Nothing we could give you could top what you’ve already received this year.
 

In teaming with Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and Isaac Sanchez to beat a trio led by Chris Doleman in Tuesday’s season finale on the Golf Channel, Talley earned $50,000 and a spot in the 2014 ShopRite LPGA Classic, set for Galloway, N.J., May 30-June 1.

The part-time Boulder resident made an 18-inch putt to clinch the victory for “Team Rice”.

“It’s amazing when things come down to a (short putt like that),” Talley said following the finale of the golf skills challenge competition. “It’s thrilling. I can’t believe this just happened. To get this done is such a momentous moment for me. … This is so cool.”

Talley, who also competed on Golf Channel’s Big Break Mexico earlier this year, is a regular on the Symetra Tour, where she finished 45th on the 2013 money list. Talley placed fourth in the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open in September.

Besides the $50,000 and the Shoprite LPGA exemption for winning Big Break NFL, Talley receives an endorsement contract from Adams Golf, which includes $10,000 in cash, and a four-day, three-night stay for two at the Dorado Beach Plantation Village in Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico.

As Talley said in an interview with COgolf.org in September, the Big Break series was invaluable for her.

“It was a good learning experience because you’re starting to get attention,” said Talley, a former California Women’s Amateur champion. “People are going to follow you that you don’t know who they are. That’s a good thing to practice — being able to play golf in front of people and not so much worry about what they think about you or your golf game. You can’t let that stuff bother you. It’s been a really good learning experience for that, attention-wise.

“And then it’s fun because no one really cares about women’s golf — especially at our level. Maybe LPGA, but Symetra Tour, not really. So having a name that’s recognized in the golfing world just because of that is really helpful in getting sponsors and getting invited to pro-ams. Those are really lucrative opportunities for me. That’s how we make our money on the mini tours, at least for now.”