When compiling a list of the year’s top stories in Colorado golf, the toughest part is paring things down to a manageable number.

This year, as usual, there’s no lack of candidates for such a list. But in 2014, we’re taking a little different approach to our annual year-end countdown of the top Colorado golf stories of the last 12 months.

Over the next several days, we’ll break the top stories list into two installments. To stick with a golf theme, we’ve assembled the top 18 — as in an 18-hole round — plus an honorable-mention list.

We’ll “play the course” in reverse order so as to preserve some measure of suspense. And we’ll include the honorable-mention selections as part of the second installment.

18. DU Women Extend Improbable Streak: Winning NCAA Division I college golf tournaments is usually no simple matter, but the University of Denver women’s team has been able to consistently catch lightning in a bottle at conference championships. That continued in 2014 when coach Lindsay Kuhle’s Pioneers extended their streak of claiming conference titles to a remarkable 11 by winning the Summit League crown. From 2004 to ’14, the Pios — under Sammie Chergo, then Kuhle — have captured titles in the Sun Belt Conference (nine times), Western Athletic Conference (once) and the Summit League (once). Tonje Daffinrud, who went on to place 10th in the NCAA finals and earn first-team All-American honors, won the individual championship at the Summit League tournament in the spring. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

17. Humerickhouse Falls Just Short of Five-Peat: In September, Keith Humerickhouse of Glenwood Springs Golf Club was attempting to become the first player in the 114-year history of CGA championships to win five consecutive titles in the same CGA event. But the former pro finished a stroke out of a playoff at the CGA Mid-Amateur at River Valley Ranch Golf Club, where Chris Thayer of Bear Creek Golf Club won the championship. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

16. Joining Forces at G-4 Summit: The Allied Golf Associations of Colorado have made an increasingly concerted effort over the years to solve problems and address major issues in Colorado golf through joining forces. That continued in 2014 with, among other things, the inaugural G-4 Summit, held in February at Inverness Golf Club. The event featured high-level meetings, roundtables where best-practices were exchanged, and sessions featuring several issues crucial to the game. It’s a joint effort of the CGA, CWGA, Colorado PGA, Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association and the Mile High Chapter of the Club Managers Association. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

15. Birthday Gifts for New Colorado Golf Hall of Famers: The timing of the voting on the 2015 class of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame was remarkable considering who was chosen for induction. Former USGA Executive Committee member Christie Austin was voted in on her birthday and Ron Vlosich, long one of the best players in the Colorado PGA, earned the honor four days before his birthday. Austin and Vlosich, coincidentally, were born four days apart in the same year, 1956. Full story: CLICK HERE.

14. 64s Wild for Oraee: Suffice it to say that things worked out pretty well when David Oraee (left) shot 64s in 2014. The golfer from Greeley fired a bogey-free 64 in the final round at Lakewood Country Club to win the CGA Stroke Play, which completed his career sweep of the CGA’s major championships, the Stroke Play and Match Play. Full story: CLICK HERE. Then less than two months later, the University of Colorado golfer carded another bogey-free 64 — this one at Colorado National Golf Club in the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational — en route to claiming his first individual title in college. He posted rounds of 64-67 for a 13-under-par 131 total, the best 36-hole tally in CU program history. Full story: CLICK HERE.  

13. USGA Success for Harrington, Eaton: USGA amateur championships typically draw the country’s — and sometimes the world’s — top amateur golfers, so making hay at those events is no small feat. In 2014, two players with strong Colorado connections made it to the quarterfinals of match play in USGA championships. Michael Harrington of Colorado Springs advanced to the final eight of the U.S. Mid-Amateur, which is limited to players 25 and older. That performance helped the 42-year-old become one of the oldest winners of the CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year award. The week after Harrington made his run, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur for the third time since 2009. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

12. The Moore, the Merrier: Give Kent Moore an award for both longevity and variety regarding his amateur golf success. When the longtime Coloradan won the CGA Senior Stroke Play in September, he continued to hit the mark in both categories. In the longevity division, Moore is believed to be the first player to win CGA championships in five consecutive decades, having captured the Junior Match Play in 1973, the Stroke Play in ’86, the Match Play in ’89, the Mid-Amateur in ’95, the Senior Match Play in ’06 and the Senior Stroke Play in ’14. As for variety, the Colorado Golf Hall of Famer has won almost every individual CGA championship for which he’s been eligible. For good measure, in 2014 Moore also earned low-amateur honors in the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open for the second time, leading to him winning CGA Senior Player of the Year award. Full story: CLICK HERE.

11. A First for the Colorado PGA: The Colorado PGA broke some new ground in October when Leslie Core-Drevecky, the only head professional Murphy Creek Golf Course has ever known, became the first female president in the history of the Colorado Section. For an organization committed to growing the game, the move certainly should send a welcoming message. Full story: CLICK HERE. 

10. Jervey Departs CWGA After 22 Years: Robin Jervey (left) was a fixture on the Colorado golf scene for more than two decades, but after a record 22 years as executive director of the CWGA, she stepped down in the early spring to become director of event management for JBC Golf, a Boston-based management company founded, owned and operated by Jane Blalock. Jervey made a significant impact in Colorado over the years, as evidenced by the Distinguished Service Award she’ll receive from the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame next spring. Full story: CLICK HERE. Ann Guiberson, a former director of regional affairs for the USGA, succeeded Jervey. 

It has become a staple of golf around this time of year, when it’s the off-season in much of the U.S.: debate over equipment, technology, innovation and change — and how they should be incorporated into the game.

Four years ago, it was new groove regulations. A year ago, the hot topic was anchoring, most notably when making a putting stroke.

This winter, extra-large cups and non-conforming clubs designed to make the game easier and faster, and distance-measuring devices have made some headlines.

All of which makes the job of John Spitzer fall under the general category of “never a dull moment”.

Spitzer, the managing director of equipment standards for the USGA since early last year — and a USGA staffer since 1997, was a keynote speaker at last week’s G-4 Summit in which many of Colorado’s golf industry leaders met to discuss key issues facing the game.

As one of the governing authorities for the Rules of Golf, including equipment standards, the USGA draws both plenty of praise and criticism for the role it plays. Even at the G-4 Summit, with plenty of PGA professionals in attendance, there’s a wide diversity of opinion.

“It’s a balancing act,” Spitzer noted of the USGA’s role. “We’re always trying to find out and protect what’s best in the game and maintain the sustainability (and) not stifle innovation too much. We believe if we do our job and we do it well, we’re going to serve the best interests of the game.”

Of course, there’s always debate about exactly what the best interests of the game are. That was demonstrated just last month when TaylorMade CEO Mark King made a minor splash when he announced plans to spend $5 million over the next five years on a program that he hopes will attract more players to the game.

One of the ideas is to use a 15-inch cup, which is more than 3.5 times the norm, with the goal being to make the game easier, faster and more fun. (Such a cup would be cut on a green that also includes a regulation-size hole.) Another idea is to utilize an oversized ball and set of four clubs, which are also oversized (and non-conforming to the Rules of Golf).

“We want to hear everyone’s ideas on how to bring new players to the game,” King said. “The key here is innovation. What we are doing is just a start.”

During his speech in Colorado last week, while not mentioning King’s plans directly, Spitzer said the USGA receives plenty of off-beat equipment with the hopes that the association will give the clubs, balls, etc., its blessing.

Some would “have you believe that this is the way to grow the game,” Spitzer said. “‘Take off the rules and we’ll get more participation. It’s a game.’ I’ll give them that. But it wouldn’t be the game of golf that we love so much. …

“(Participation in the game) didn’t grow astronomically during these periods of time where there were tremendous technological advances. There’s no indication that technology — make the giant club head or a giant hole — is going to bring more golfers to the game. One of the reasons we play is because it’s a challenge.”

In some instances, it just takes time for the USGA to implement changes. One example came this month when the association announced it will allow the use of distance-measuring devices in all USGA amateur championships and their respective qualifying events, starting this year.

Such devices can measure distance only. They can’t legally be utilized in such championships for tracking other conditions, such as wind speed, elevation, direction or temperature. And the DMDs still will not be allowed at the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open or U.S. Senior Open — or their qualifying tournaments.

(Note: Since 2006, the CGA has allowed competitors in most of its championships to use distance-measuring devices. The CWGA gave the devices the OK in the fall of 2010 and the CJGA did so last year.)

“Several of the guys from my department did some measurements (at the 2013 USGA Women’s State Team Championship, where the devices were allowed as a trial), and we didn’t see anything that (DMDs) slowed down play at all,” Spitzer said after his speech. “We compared it as our base line to the (U.S.) Women’s Mid-Amateur. The data didn’t show any detrimental effect, so I think they said, ‘Let’s go ahead and let them use them and see how it works out.'”

Spitzer said the analyses the USGA has done aren’t conclusive on whether DMDs actually help pace of play, but he indicated more tests may be conducted to study that.

While some in the golf industry wish the USGA would embrace more change when it comes to innovation, technology and the like, Spitzer said there’s a reason the USGA works the way it does.

“We want to make sure the game that our great grandparents fell in love with, and our great grandchildren fall in love with hopefully, is the same that we all recognize today,” he said. “That’s tradition.”
 

For those concerned about the long-term health of golf, one of the most sobering statistics to come out in recent years was from the National Golf Foundation concerning the number of junior golfers in the U.S.

The NGF noted that from 2005 to 2011, the number of kids playing the game dropped a whopping 37 percent, from 3.8 million to 2.4 million. That’s after the junior numbers had increased by leaps and bounds for every five-year period since the NGF started keeping track in 1985.

Though the amount of junior golfers did rebound somewhat in 2012 — to 2.7 million — it’s a worrisome sign for the game that participation has been dwindling among the next generation of golfers.

The good news is that the powers that be in golf — both locally and nationally — haven’t just been twiddling their thumbs about the issue. In Colorado, that’s been particularly apparent in the last several years.

Among the programs and initiatives that have been rolled out or greatly expanded during that time are:

— The Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program, a collaborative effort of the Allied Golf Associations, including the CGA and CWGA. Over the last four years, more than 30,000 kids in the state have been exposed to golf through this program during their physical education classes.

— The Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course, which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA. Now in its third year, the Academy has yielded about 1,000 caddie loops per summer, many for kids from families with major financial challenges. The Academy uses caddying and golf to teach youngsters valuable leadership skills, and promotes the use of caddies by paying all of their base fees. The program also helps kids become candidates for full tuition and housing Evans Caddie Scholarships at the University of Colorado.

— The establishment a year ago of the Colorado Golf Foundation, which provides funding and assistance to Colorado-based organizations and programs that use golf to build important life skills and character, instilling hard work and self-reliance in youngsters.

— The efforts of The First Tee chapters throughout the state in influencing youngsters through the game of golf and life-skill lessons.

And that just touches the surface of junior golf-related efforts, with many individual clubs offering kids free or reduced-fee golf, and with initiatives like the Hale Irwin Elite Player program at CommonGround, the Junior Golf Experience at the Denver Golf Expo and the CGA/CWGA’s Used Club Sale which benefits junior developmental programs. The list goes on and on.

Now, the idea is to try to cover all the bases for juniors. Between Golf in Schools and the CJGA’s variety of tournaments and championships, the Colorado PGA is hoping to fill in some gaps to help reverse that downward junior trend golf saw from 2005 through 2011.

At last weekend’s Denver Golf Expo and this week’s G-4 Summit at Inverness, the Colorado PGA started introducing programs that it plans to implement in 2014. That includes multi-day junior golf summer camps in a partnership with the YMCA, Girl Power Golf camps, “Team Golf” scramble competitions throughout the summer for beginner and developmental players, a Junior Tour Qualifier Series leading up to the Colorado PGA Junior Championship in July, and a Colorado PGA Junior Golf Membership program.

“Soup to nuts in junior golf,” Colorado PGA executive director Eddie Ainsworth summed up at the G-4 Summit. “It’s awesome what (the Section, the CGA, the CWGA and others) are doing together for junior golf.”

Information on the Colorado PGA’s new efforts are featured on a new web site, ColoradoPGAJuniorGolf.com.

“For years, we’ve been doing the Golf in Schools program, so where do these kids go (from there)?” Ainsworth said. “Where is the next step? … It’ll be interesting to see what 2014 looks like with all the stuff that’s going on.

“I think 2014 could just be a huge year in the life of Colorado golf.”

First G-4 Summit Hits the Right Note

The inaugural G-4 Summit, billed as “a coming together of the golf industry in Colorado”, proved to be a popular event as more than 125 golf leaders in the state gathered at Inverness earlier this week.

The event featured high-level meetings, roundtables where best-practices were exchanged, and sessions featuring several issues crucial to the game. It’s a joint effort of the CGA, CWGA, Colorado PGA, Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association and the Mile High Chapter of the Club Managers Association.

“I’m thrilled with (the Summit); it’s exactly what we hoped for,” said CGA executive director Ed Mate. “The attendance was great, the speakers were fantastic. For the first try, I think we set the bar pretty high.

“The thing I feel best about is this really was an Allied Associations event. Everybody played a role. We had a great session with all the executive committee members of all the associations — which we’ve never done before. We had a joint meeting with the CGA and CWGA. The point is, it’s a time of collaboration and coming together, which is our moniker.”

The plan is to make the Summit an annual event, probably set for February.

Adding Value to CGA/CWGA Memberships

The CGA and CWGA have been making a concerted effort recently to increase what they offer through their memberships, and they used the G-4 Summit and the Denver Golf Expo last weekend as opportunities to feature those efforts.

“We need to become relevant to today’s transient golfer population who don’t want to join anybody,” Mate said. “What we’d like to do is add value to membership.”

Specifically, the CGA and CWGA recently partnered with Denver Golf and South Suburban to offer time-restricted green fee discounts to the roughly 60,000 CGA/CWGA members at the City of Denver and South Suburban District golf courses, as well discounts through other partners. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Those benefits supplement what CGA and CWGA membership has long offered, most notably an official USGA handicap, support for the many “for the good of the game” efforts the associations espouse, discounts at the CGA/CWGA-owned CommonGround Golf Course, electronic newsletters, etc.

Colorado PGA Launching New Tee-Time Alliance

Being the executive director of the Colorado PGA, Eddie Ainsworth (left) has never hidden his feelings about the practice of courses discounting green fees, especially by getting tee times filled through one of the many national tee-time services on the market, including GolfNow.com.

As he said Tuesday at the G-4 Summit, “If we keep discounting, we’re going to discount ourselves right out of business.”

Rather than seeing money for such tee-time booking services go out of state, the Colorado PGA is planning to launch a tee-time service of its own: ColoradoPGATeeTimes.com. The site is tentatively expected to go “live” in early April.

The idea is to keep the money in Colorado that has been going to out-of-state companies. Figuring that $1.95 million per year currently flows out of state through national online tee-time brokers, Ainsworth believes those dollars would be much better spent on something Colorado-based. And he thinks the initiative could save Colorado facilities $1.2 million annually over the current set-up.

With each participating course paying a set amount — and establishing its own green-fee prices — part of the set fee will go to technology; another portion to running, advertising and marketing the statewide reservation system; and some to “growth of the game” initiatives in Colorado, including junior golf and “Get Golf Ready” programs.

“The vision is unbelievable how we could change things by keeping that money here locally,” Ainsworth said.

Obviously, it’s still in question how much market share ColoradoPGATeeTimes.com can take from heavily-advertised golf-discount services such as GolfNow.com. But if the Colorado program is a success, there’s been talk that it might become a pilot program for the PGA of America on a national basis.
 

That’s the idea behind the new G-4 Summit, which is billed as “a coming together of the golf industry in Colorado”.

The inaugural G-4 Summit will take place Tuesday (Feb. 11) at the Inverness Hotel & Golf Club in Englewood. Though similar events have been held in recent years — most notably, the Colorado Golf Summit — this effort is a little more concerted than in the past.

“I’m a firm believer that the more we work together, the more we accomplish in Colorado golf,” said Eddie Ainsworth, executive director of the Colorado PGA. “We’ve proven that with the Golf in Schools program and the Colorado Open Golf Foundation.”

Added Ed Mate, executive director of the CGA: “This is a recognition of the Allied Golf Associations that we need to work more collaboratively on issues the industry faces, especially with the decline in the number of golfers in recent years. Player development will always be a focus of the Summit.”

The G-4 Summit is a joint effort of the CGA, CWGA, Colorado PGA, Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association and the Mile High Chapter of the Club Managers Association. (For those keeping track, the CGA and CWGA are counted as one organization out of the four for the purposes of the G-4 Summit.)

Tuesday’s initial Summit will feature a variety of meetings, sessions and roundtables. The three biggest sessions will focus on teamwork, the future of junior golf, and equipment’s impact on golf participation. The latter will be presented by John Spitzer, the managing director of equipment standards at the USGA.

The day will conclude with a meeting of the state’s public course operators.

“We hope this (Summit) leads to idea generation and sharing of best practices,” Mate said. “The objective is getting people working together (even more) on the state level. We’re encouraging facilities to bring their golf professional or general manager, and we’ll be the facilitator.”

With player development being such an integral mission of the Colorado PGA, the Section has come up with numerous initiatives it plans to roll out, with much of the emphasis placed on junior golf.

“We’re fixing to launch a comprehensive junior program to help build the base and supplement what the CJGA does,” Ainsworth said.