As meetings go, what could be better than an event which features the Rules of Golf being taught Dr. Seuss style — complete with rhymes and big colorful hats — and adds equal doses kids-based philanthrophy, collaboration, awards and learning, with a little frivolity mixed in?

The CWGA Annual Meeting, held Saturday at The Inverness Hotel & Conference Center, included all of the above and more. With almost 200 people on hand, many representing about 75 clubs from around the state, there was a little something for everyone.

CWGA rules officials Jan Fincher, Karla Harding and Sandy Schnitzer set a humorous, yet educational tone by donning Dr. Seuss hats and even writing Seuss-like rhymes for their Rules of Golf breakout session:

Look at the greens. Look ’em over with care. Mark your ball and proceed. Do it with flair.

The rule that has changed is quite fundamental. Just put the ball back. Was it accidental? …

“We do it every year (with an ingenious approach to a Rules breakout session), but we’ve gotten more fun,” noted Harding, pictured below with Schnitzer.

“Every year we have Rules of Golf breakout sessions, and every year Jan Fincher, Karla Harding and Sandy Schnitzer come up with a new educational way to teach the Rules of Golf,” noted CWGA executive director Laura Robinson. “Last year it was a Jeopardy game. This year they came up with the Dr. Seuss adaptation. And they wouldn’t be the three of them without wearing the hats.

“It’s a balance. The Rules are complex and can be overwhelming, and what we’re trying to achieve in these breakout sessions is some education, and we’re going to bring it down to a level that’s easy to understand so that when you’re out on the golf course you have the confidence to apply some of these Rules. We’re not trying to teach all 500 pages of the Decisions book.”

Among those in attendance for the Annual Meeting festivities on Saturday was a who’s who of golf orgnizations from Colorado and beyond: There was representation from the USGA and leaders of the CGA, Colorado PGA, CoBank Colorado Open championships, the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado and the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Included was Highlands Ranch resident Mark Passey, a director of regional affairs for the USGA who plans to retire from the national organization on July 1, after more than 27 years.

“Look around the room,” noted Colorado Golf Hall of Fame executive director Sammie Chergo, one of Saturday’s speakers. “You have so many people here from the world of golf in Colorado that want to work together and make golf in Colorado great.”

And much of that effort revolves around building a solid foundation for the future through support of junior golf. So on Saturday, the CWGA presented a check for $10,000 to the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, a comprehensive set of programs and tournaments led by the CGA, Colorado PGA and the CWGA. In its inaugural year of 2016, the JGAC included 836 members, who played 3,695 rounds in Junior Alliance events. The JCAC also includes such things as the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program, the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, PGA Junior League, the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program and Drive, Chip & Putt competitions.

“Our beginning year we were hoping to shoot, using a golf analogy, 1 or 2 over par,” said Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Alan Abrams, the president of the JGAC . “But we had an incredible sub-par round and ended up winning the tournament. Exciting things happened for us that first year.

“Thanks to all of you (CWGA members) for … the wisdom to (support) junior golf. Obviously, that’s a legacy that you’ll have, and this Alliance covers everything junior golf in the state. Congratulations for giving us this great gift. I promise we will take it and do great things with it.”

(Abrams is pictured at top receiving the check from CWGA president Juliet Miner.)

In addition to the $10,000 — which was raised in 2016 by the CWGA — the association earned another $6,723 for junior golf through a silent auction and other sales held Saturday at the Annual Meeting.

“It looks like the silent auction once again broke the bank so we’re very pleased,” Miner said.

Overall regarding the meeting on Saturday, “In spite of the beautiful weather — it’s hard to compete with 70 degrees in March — we had a great turnout,” Miner noted.

Fitzsimons, Patty Jewett, Heggie Receive CWGA Awards: Saturday’s meeting also recognized the CWGA’s award winners for 2016, including the Club of the Year, which is a new honor.

The women’s clubs from Fitzsimons and Patty Jewett Golf Courses shared the inaugural Club of the Year Award for their work in raising money for charity, growing membership, etc.

Fitzsimons made significant charitable contributions thanks to annual golf events for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Colorado chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. And it took pro-active steps to bringing new golfers into the fold, and paid tribute to veterans and their families, which is inherent given the course’s military roots.

Patty Jewett raised almost $10,800 for charity through golf and related events in 2016. In addition to that money, members volunteered for Special Olympics, for cleanup day at the course, and for the CWGA.

“I think what you heard today through our Club of the Year awards and our fundraising efforts is that a lot of women’s organizations are very good at giving back,” Robinson said. “I think what you saw here was reaffirming that it really is about helping others through what we do.

“We tried to tally how much our clubs raised for charity this year through grassroots events and we think it’s well over $100,000, not including what we do in the office.”

Meanwhile, the 2016 CWGA Volunteer of the Year Award went to Vivian Heggie, who worked as a rules official at more CWGA championships and USGA qualifiers last year than any other volunteer. That included a dawn-to-dusk 36-hole U.S. Women’s Open qualifer in very cold and rainy conditions at Heritage at Westmoor.

“Our winner (Heggie, pictured in a yellow shirt-collar with Schnitzer) personifies dedication to the game of golf and dedication to making sure the players are well looked after and that they have a memorable experience,” Miner said. “It takes more than knowledge of the Rules to be a good rules official. It takes tact and the appropriate way to deliver a difficult message at times. Of course, it always helps if you have a delightful English accent (like Heggie). It takes perseverance and patience, and great respect for the players.”

The CWGA Player of the Year and Senior Player of the Year winners, both previously announced, also were recognized on Saturday. Both Jennifer Kupcho (the POY who is competing in a college tournament for Wake Forest) and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton (the SPOY who is playing in a Legends Tour event in Arizona) could not attend because they’re at tournaments, but sent their thanks. For more on their accomplishments in 2016, CLICK HERE.

“I’d like to thank the Colorado Women’s Golf Association for selecting me for this award,” said Kupcho, who received the POY honor for an unprecedented third straight season. “It’s a great honor to be your Player of the Year … My first time at Denver Country Club (in winning the CWGA Stroke Play) was definitely one to remember.”

Said Eaton, the SPOY for the seventh time in eight years: “Thank you to the CWGA for this honor. I had every intention of being there today, but I received a better invitation — to play in the LPGA Legends Tour event in Arizona. I had a great year and did not want to pass up that opportunity. … I’m very grateful that I continue to play well and enjoy the game so much.”

Also receiving recognition Saturday was the nine-hole women’s club from Raccoon Creek Golf Course, which was the top 2016 CWGA fundraiser for the Evans Scholarship for caddies, bringing in $1,450. Almost 60 caddies currently receive full tuition and housing Evans Scholarships at the University of Colorado, with about a quarter of them being young women.

Chip Shots: Among the speakers on Saturday besides Chergo were CGA executive director Ed Mate and Colorado Open Golf Foundation CEO Kevin Laura, both of whom spoke on topics in the news this week. Mate, who serves on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee, gave attendees an update on the Rules changes the USGA and R&A proposed that are expected to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. And Laura noted some big news that was announced on Thursday — that the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open is increasing its purse to $150,000 and more than quadrupling its first prize to $50,000. …

CWGA Centennial Committee co-chairs Phyllis Jensen and Nancy Wilson assembled 357 slides, 511 pictures and a lot of memorabilia from CWGA centennial-year activities and events in 2016 into a scrapbook and a slideshow. On Saturday, they presented their work to Miner for CWGA historical purposes. “I want to thank (Jensen and Wilson) for stepping forward,” Miner said. “They made our centennial a great success.” (Wilson, Miner and Jensen are pictured at left.) …

With the CWGA planning to unveil an updated logo in the near future, 24 proposed logo submissions that the association received were showed off to attendees on Saturday. “Many people have said a woman with a long skirt (as in the current logo) is not representative of golf today,” Miner said. “We don’t want to necessarily change the logo to something that is unrecognizable, but we do want to modernize it.” …

CWGA organizers were pleased with Saturday’s attendance, which was just shy of 200. “We had one of the biggest turnouts, and as a follow-up to the centennial year, that says something,” Robinson said. “Today we achieved our objective by making it educational and giving lots of information, besides celebrating women’s golf in Colorado.”
 

With the annual get-together of members, association leaders and staff “” along with assorted other interested parties “” set for Saturday (March 4) at The Inverness Hotel & Conference Center in Englewood, more than 175 people are expected to attend.

Coming off its 100th-anniversary year in 2016, the CWGA will devote a little time to reflecting on its past, with Centennial Committee co-chairs Nancy Wilson and Phyllis Jensen presenting a scrapbook and compilation from the centennial year festivities to CWGA president Juliet Miner.

As for the present/recent past, the CWGA will recognize some of its best from 2016 with its annual awards. That includes Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster (Player of the Year for an unprecedented third straight season) and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton (the Senior Player of the Year for the seventh time in eight years). Those honorees were previously announced, but a couple of others will be disclosed at the meeting: the Volunteer of the Year and the winner of a new award, CWGA Club of the Year, in recognition of all the work done at the club level in growing membership, raising money, etc.

But most of Saturday’s proceedings will be devoted to improvement looking ahead. That covers an array of items:

“” The CWGA will present a check for $10,000 to the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, which is beginning its second season as a one-stop-shop for junior golf in the state. The JGAC is a combined effort of the CGA, the Colorado PGA and the CWGA.

“” Club officials will be involved in an orientation session regarding the new USGA Tournament Management Software (powered by Golf Genius), led by CWGA tournament manager Kate Moore and Golf Genius’ Rory Luck.

“” In breakout educational sessions held opposite of the USGA Tournament Management session, meetings will focus on the Rules of Golf (led by Jan Fincher, Karla Harding and Sandy Schnitzer), handicapping (led by Laurie Steenrod), and a President’s Roundtable (led by CWGA vice president Kathy Malpass).

“” From 7:30 to 11:15 a.m., a silent auction will be held, with the proceeds benefiting junior golf, most notably the programs that fall under the auspices of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado.

In addition, there will be updates on the impending and recent changes regarding the Rules of Golf (presented by CGA executive director Ed Mate, who sits on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee) and the JGAC.

Overall, in addition to education, training and networking, “the theme (of Saturday’s meeting) is collaboration and community,” CWGA executive director Laura Robinson said. “In order to grow golf effectively in Colorado, it’s important to work hard to collaborate with the various golf organizations and associations in the state, including the CGA, Colorado PGA, the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, the First Tee, etc. We want to be a strong remember of the community.”

The keynote speaker at Saturday’s business meeting will be Sammie Chergo, the new executive director of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Chergo was head coach when the University of Denver women’s golf team posted fifth- and sixth-place finishes in the women’s NCAA Championships, and she later also coached at Oregon State.

In addition, the CWGA is in the midst of modernizing its logo. The association has opened the idea up to members and 17 new logos have been submitted. The CWGA will get input on those logo submissions at the meeting.

Speaking of new looks, the CWGA launched its new website (coloradowomensgolf.org) about two months ago. The site includes many new resources and features for members and clubs, including how to find a club to join.

For the CWGA Annual Meeting agenda, CLICK HERE.

A group of about 220 gathered on Sunday at Pinehurst Country Club to celebrate a rather remarkable year in Colorado golf.

Among those in attendance at the Colorado Golf Awards Brunch were seven Colorado Golf Hall of Famers — along with another person who will be inducted next year — and an eclectic group of award winners ranging from young kids to retirees.

Among the honorees were:

— Jennifer Kupcho of CommonGround Golf Course, who was named the CWGA Player of the Year two years after her brother, Steven, received the CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year award. At 17, Kupcho is the youngest CWGA POY since 1999. And for good measure, she earned the CWGA Junior Player of the Year honor for the third straight year. That matches a record and thus Kupcho becomes the first winner of the CWGA Player of the Year and Junior POY in the same season.

— Michael Harrington of Kissing Camels at Garden of the Gods Club became, at age 42, the second-oldest CGA Player of the Year since the award was first given out in 1978, with only Rick DeWitt (age 50 in 2006) being older. Like Kupcho, Harrington also won another major award on Sunday as the CGA’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year.

“I take a look at the people who are on this Player of the Year award — the Steve Joneses (twice), the Derek Tolans and the Kevin Stadlers — and I’m honored that my name is going to be etched on the same trophy,” Harrington said.

— Christie Austin of Cherry Hills Country Club received the CWGA Senior Player of the Year honor roughly six months before she’ll be inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame along with PGA life member Ron Vlosich.

“I hope you appreciate the great game that we all play,” Austin said on Sunday. “I didn’t start golf until I was 26. It has brought me incredible joy, dear friendships and life-changing experiences that I never could have even imagined.”

— Organizers of the BMW Championship, held in September at Cherry Hills, earned special recognition after the record-setting and award-winning PGA Tour playoff event they put on.

— The CWGA’s Most Improved Junior Player of the Year, Anna Kennedy of Denver Country Club, lowered her USGA Handicap Index from 7.4 to 0.7 in less than six months, thus earning a spot on the roster for the Brigham Young University women’s golf team next year. Kennedy was among a half-dozen players honored on Sunday who will play NCAA Division I golf starting next year. That includes Kupcho (Wake Forest) and CGA Junior Player of the Year Ross Macdonald (University of Colorado).


Here’s a rundown of the various awards that were given out on Sunday:

CWGA Player of the Year — Jennifer Kupcho (left) of CommonGround Golf Course. Kupcho, a senior at Jefferson Academy who recently signed to play college golf at Wake Forest, had a year to remember, particularly considering she accomplished what she did as a 17-year-old.

 A member of the Hale Irwin Elite Player program at CommonGround, Kupcho won three CWGA championships, a couple of major CJGA titles and a state high school crown. She also qualified for two USGA national championships and finished second in the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open.



Here are some of the specifics:



Kupcho not only won numerous tournaments, but she posted huge margins of victory. She prevailed in the 4A state high school meet by 14; the CWGA Junior Stroke Play by nine, the CJGA Tournament of Champions by 12; the CJGA Junior Series Championship by eight; the 99th CWGA Match Play by 6 and 5 in the final, and she took low-amateur honors in the Colorado Women’s Open by 12.


“Winning three CWGA championships this year (was memorable), especially the 99th Match Play,” Kupcho said on Sunday. “To have my name on that trophy with women’s names all the way back to 1916 is pretty awesome.”


Kupcho also posted a victory in the CWGA Chapman (with Jaclyn Murray) and qualified for the 2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior and the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball (with Gillian Vance). At the U.S. Girls’ Junior, Kupcho finished eighth in the stroke-play portion of the event before falling in the round of 64 of match play.



Kupcho’s runner-up showing in the Colorado Women’s Open marked the best finish by an amateur in that event since 2008. She also placed eighth in the Girls Junior America’s Cup and 29th in the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships, marking the best finish ever by a Coloradan in the girls 15-17 girls age division.

CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year — Michael Harrington (left) of Kissing Camels at Garden of the Gods Club. Harrington’s most eye-catching feat of this year was advancing to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Mid-Amateur. It was his best showing in nine USGA championship appearances. Harrington lost in the quarterfinals to Tom Werkmeister of Kentwood, Mich., who won the 2013 Michigan Open title as an amateur and subsequently was elected into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame. By making it to the final eight, Harrington will be exempt into next year’s national Mid-Am.



Harrington also qualified for his third U.S. Amateur since 2009. And at age 42, he was the top Colorado finisher in the championship, at 134th place.



The Colorado Springs resident also won another CGA championship, capturing the title in the Mid-Amateur Match Play Invitational. He placed fifth in the CGA Mid-Amateur and represented Colorado at the Pacific Coast Amateur.

CWGA Senior Player of the Year — Christie Austin (left) of Cherry Hills Country Club. Austin also captured this honor in 2007, when she was a senior “rookie”. This time ended a five-year run of winning this award by Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton, who “retired” from CWGA championships at the end of the 2013 season. Austin will join Eaton in the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame on May 31 after recently being voted in.



The former USGA Executive Committee member won two CWGA championships and qualified for two USGA national tournaments.



Austin won the CWGA Senior Stroke Play for the second time, this one in a playoff with Lynn Larson. And she placed second in the senior division of the CWGA Match Play, losing 1 down to champion Deb Hughes. In a team event, Austin and Tori Glenn earned the trophy in the CWGA Brassie.



In qualifiers, Austin landed spots in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, advancing to match play in the latter.

CGA Senior Player of the Year — Kent Moore (left) of Cherry Hills Country Club. It’s been eight years since Moore last won this award, as a senior “rookie”, but an impressive season as a 58-year-old made him a two-time honoree in this category (he also was named the CGA’s Les Fowler Player of the Year in 1989).



The Colorado Golf Hall of Famer won the CGA Senior Stroke Play by six shots, matching the largest margin in the event since 2007. With that victory, he’s accomplished the remarkable feat of winning CGA championships in five consecutive decades. He 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.



Moore earned low-amateur honors in the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open for the second time (he first managed the feat in 2006). This time, Moore placed sixth overall in the Senior Open.

CGA Mid-Amateur Player of the Year — Michael Harrington of Kissing Camels at Garden of the Gods Club. Harrington captured this award for the second time in the last six seasons. See the CGA Player of the Year entry for Harrington above.

CGA Junior Player of the Year — Ross Macdonald (left) of the Country Club at Castle Pines. Macdonald, a member of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program, won the CGA Junior Stroke Play for the second straight year, becoming the first competitor since Scott Petersen in the 1980s to capture consecutive Junior Stroke titles.
 


The Valor Christian senior, who has signed to play college golf at the University of Colorado, also won the CJGA Junior Series Championship this year. And he placed third in the 2014 4A state high school tournament.

CWGA Junior Player of the Year — Jennifer Kupcho of CommonGround Golf Course. Kupcho becomes just the second player to win this award for three consecutive years, joining Becca Huffer (2005-07). See the CWGA Player of the Year entry for Kupcho above.
 

CGA Jim Topliff On-Course Official of the Year — Cope and Judy Bradford (left) of Colorado National Golf Club. This marks the first time a joint award in this category has been given out.

Program Partner of the Year — Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado.

CWGA Volunteer Award — Karla Harding (left) of Collindale Golf Course.

CJGA Junior All-Stars (pictured at bottom) — Christian Agelopoulos, Pierce Aichinger, Traejan Andrews, Katie Berrian, Chunya Bead Boonta, Jack Castiglia, Jake Chesler, Alex Chitkoksoong, Amy Chitkoksoong, Sofia Choi, Andrew Jang, Jordan Jennings, Anna Jordaan, Caroline Jordaan, Marie Jordaan, Christopher Kennedy, Cade Kilkenny, Elijah Knudsen, Jennifer Kupcho, Maxwell Lange, Katelyn Lehigh, Lauren Lehigh, Ross Macdonald, Gage Messingham, Sarah Murphy, Jaclyn Murray, Brittlynn O’Dell, Canon Olkowski, AJ Ott, Morgan Sahm, Amisha Singh, Jackson Solem, Gillian Vance, Mary Weinstein, Coby Welch, Jake Welch, Ashleigh Wilson, Liam Wood.

CJGA Academic All-Stars (honorees must carry at least 3.0 grade-point average) — Christian Agelopoulos, Drew Anderson, Dietrich Berning, Katie Berrian, Aili Bundy, Cole Bundy, Caden Campbell, Jack Castiglia, Cole Chalmers, Sofia Choi, Mariah Ehrman, Delaney Elliott, Ty Findlow, Carly Gallant, Daniel Gallant, Sydney Gillespie, Freddie Gluck III, Kacey Godwin, TJ Hicks, Mark Hillary, Nicholas Hughes, Jordan Jennings, Clara Jeon, Jake Johnson, Max Johnson, Trey Jones, Caroline Jordaan, Marie Jordaan, Anna Jordaan, Cade Kilkenny, Brett Krants, Cole Krantz, Jennifer Kupcho, David Leede, Lauren Lehigh, Katelyn Lehigh, Nick Leibold, Charles Markel, Madison McCambridge, Trevor McCord, Peyton Mogavero, Hannah More, Tyler Mulligan, Lauren Murphy, Roger Nakagawa, Brittlynn O’Dell, Trevor Olkowski, Andrew Reppe, McKenna Reppe, Ashlee Sample, Ryan Sangchompuphen, Erin Sargent, Hailey Schalk, Tim Scherman, Gary Schlatter Jr., TJ Shehee, Parker Skiles, Jackson Solem, Jake Staiano, Amisha Singh, Emilee Strausburg, Sam Taylor, Brady Wilson, Ryan Zetwick, Ben Zimmerman.

When Ann Guiberson attended the CWGA Annual Meeting on Saturday at the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center, she was expecting to see just a smattering of people she knew from back when she worked for the association.

After all, it’s been 15 years since she departed Colorado to take a job at the USGA.

“I thought I’d see a handful of people that I knew from 15 or 20 years ago, but I saw dozens,” Guiberson said after the meeting. “The players’ names are familiar to me. Many volunteers are still the same; they’re still volunteering and giving back to the game. So I’m very comfortable here in Colorado.”

That’s part of the reason Guiberson (pictured above) was hired this week to become just the third executive director in CWGA history. She’ll officially succeed Robin Jervey on April 1, about two weeks after Jervey bids adieu to Colorado after a 22-year run as the CWGA’s top staff member.

Jervey will move back to her old stomping grounds on the East Coast, where her fiance Scott Whitcomb works and resides. Jervey will handle tournament operations for the Legends Tour, the 45-and-over LPGA senior circuit. Officially, Jervey’s title will be director of event management for JBC Golf, a Boston-based management company. (For more about Jervey’s departure, CLICK HERE and see below.)

While Jervey is moving back East, Guiberson — her right-hand person at the CWGA from 1995 to ’99 — is returning to guide the CWGA after 15 years on the East Coast. Guiberson was introduced to the membership at Saturday’s meeting, and she’ll spend the next week working with Jervey on making a smooth transition. Then after attending the Women’s (golf) Association Roundtable Meeting with some CWGA staff and board members March 10-12 in Phoenix, Guiberson will return to her home in Rochester, N.Y., and get ready to move back to Colorado.

Jervey believes she’s leaving the CWGA in very good care.

“I’m happy to turn it over to Ann,” she said. “She’s excited to come back to Colorado. I know her heart is in the right place. The CWGA will be in really good hands.

“She’s wonderful with detail. Nothing will be undone. She’s the kind that will make sure everything is just right. I know we got along very well when we worked together because we both had that same quality of checking all the boxes.

“Her temperament is excellent. It takes a lot to fluster her. Working with volunteers is kind of an art that you learn over time because you’re working with a ton of different personalities. The (USGA) has thousands of volunteers around the country. I think she really enjoys that. It will be great to bring her here because we’ve got our pool to work with and we rely on them heavily to get everything done.”

Guiberson — an All-Big Eight golfer and Scholastic All-American at the University of Nebraska where she played from 1988 to ’92, and an assistant coach at NU and Colorado State University — worked for the USGA from 1999 to March of last year, when her department was realigned. For those 14 years, she was the director of regional affairs for the East and Great Lakes Regions, covering nine states and the District of Columbia and encompassing roughly 30 golf associations. For much of her time at the USGA, she also was the director of the USGA Women’s State Team Championship.

“With the USGA I wore many different hats,” Guiberson said. “I might be giving a presentation, working on a website, marking a golf course, recruiting volunteers. I’ve done a lot of different things. At the CWGA, I worked in the day-to-day, then I went to work at the USGA in more of a strategic position. Now I’ll be coming back and working in the day-to-day as well as the strategic, so I can blend the experience of those two positions.

“I’m excited to get back to Colorado. It’s really returning home for me.”

It was Guiberson’s work with the USGA that helped set her apart for the CWGA executive director job.

“Just look at her resume and the experience she had with the USGA,” said CWGA president Joanie Ott, part of a five-person group that selected Guiberson. “She has all the tools that we’re looking for. Her interview was incredible. She has a fine sense of humor, and her attention to detail, her skill set, her expertise, it just came out. It was head and (shoulders) above other candidates. We’re just thrilled to have her.”

When Guiberson worked at the CWGA in the 1990s, she and Jervey were the association’s only staffers (compared to now, when there are five women on staff). That was also a time in which golf was growing considerably. The number of female golfers in the U.S. jumped from 5 million in ’95 to 5.4 million in 2000, and courses were opening on a regular basis. But from 2005 to 2012, the ranks of female golfers dropped from 7 million to 5 million, and no new course has opened in Colorado since 2009.

“The staff is larger, and it’s more sophisticated,” Guiberson said of the CWGA. “They’re expanding their programs. Golf was booming back in that time; it was doing well. There were golf course openings in Colorado. It seemed like every couple of weeks we were working with a new club. Now, there’s a different set of challenges with golf overall — participation, affordability and access and making golf fun and welcoming. That’s all things the (CWGA) is working on. … Everyone is interested in getting more women and players out there to play golf. What every association in the country is addressing every day is membership — growing membership and also retaining membership. That will be a priority.”

While Guiberson has some familiarity with the golf market in Colorado, she will take some time learning how the landscape has changed, and getting to know the CWGA staff and volunteers, the clubs that have opened in Colorado in the new millennium, as well as local PGA professionals.

“The CWGA is a leader in promoting women’s golf,” she said. “I’m confident everything is going to be pretty solid. And we can come in and take a look at where we can expand and what we need to do to increase our membership at this point.”

Guiberson, a 4.0 handicap and a former regular at Willis Case Golf Course who competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1996, also plans to uphold the CWGA’s long tradition of running first-class state championships and national qualifiers. In addition, she’ll be part of the leadership of the CGA/CWGA-owned CommonGround Golf Course, and she’ll be at the forefront of the CWGA’s plans to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2016. That just touches on a few of her many duties.

But Guiberson knows it won’t be easy to follow in the footsteps of Jervey, who is one of the longest-serving executive directors in Colorado golf history.

“As I was sitting through the meeting, I was thinking all the things Robin Jervey has done over the last 22 years,” Guiberson said. “She’s done a lot. Those are going to be very big shoes to fill.”

Fond Farewell for Jervey: If there was any question how much Jervey is appreciated for her 22 years as CWGA executive director, it was answered at Saturday’s Annual Meeting, the last Jervey will preside over before heading East for a new job.

When she closed her remarks by noting her impending departure, those in attendance at Inverness gave her a 20-second ovation.

Two of those in attendance, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton and former CWGA president Pat Kuntz, thought so much of Jervey (pictured at left) in her time with the CWGA that they made a special trip from their residence in Tempe, Ariz., to attend Saturday’s meeting.

Not surprisingly, Jervey became emotional when she spoke about leaving in the final minutes of her business-meeting address.

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve you for the last 22 years,” she said. “Colorado is an amazing state filled with outstanding people. I will cherish my experiences here and all the wonderful friends and acquaintances I’ve made. … Thank you very much.”

Ott then presented Jervey with “a medallion for you to remember us by.”

Meanwhile, Saturday marked the final day for fellow staffer Kelley Mawhinney, the CWGA’s tournament and junior golf operations manager, who is moving to Charleston, S.C., after three years with the association, the last two as a full-time staffer.

CWGA Annual Meeting Notes: A total of about 240 people attended Saturday’s meeting, with 96 clubs from around the state represented (see photo below). … The three members of the CWGA board of directors who stepped down from that role at the end of 2013 were recognized for their years of service: Kathryn Davis, Karla Harding and Sue Romek. Davis is a former CWGA president. … Also recognized was Jan Fincher, who received the CWGA Volunteer Award at last fall’s Colorado Golf Awards Brunch. … Jervey announced that the CWGA will hold a season kickoff party on April 10, from 4-8 p.m., at the PGA Tour Superstore in Greenwood Village. Admission is free. … Also noted was a new series of social golf outings at CommonGround Golf Course this year, called Monday Mixers. For more information on these and a multitude of other social golf events, CLICK HERE. … Janene Guzowski of Lakewood Country Club, a director for the Western Golf Association, gave those in attendance a brief preview of the BMW Championship, the PGA Tour FedEx Cup playoff event that will be held at Cherry Hills Country Club the first week of September. “It is rockin’ awesome because I went to the one in Chicago last year,” Guzowski said. “It’s going to blow Denver away.”

While Ott would no doubt like to lower her handicap index from its current 23, she takes some pride in being that “average golfer”, especially given that she’s just about to embark on a two-year term as president of the CWGA.

“I bring that perspective,” Ott said in a recent phone interview. “My background is in education — as a teacher and an administrator. I bring the lifelong learning element to the table.”

That goes not just for her professional background, but for her history in golf. Ott, 66, began playing the game when she was 12, becoming a regular — along with her two sisters — at Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis.

“I was really lucky that I had parents who really loved the game,” she said. “Golf was important to my family when I was growing up.”

The amount of golf Ott played waxed and waned over the years, largely depending on her career. But when she retired from the Aurora Public Schools in 2001 — though she did contract work for another decade, largely recruiting teachers — Ott joined Heather Ridge, a course on which she now lives.

But suffice it to say her fondness for the game never left her, which is one reason she now finds herself in the top volunteer leadership position for the CWGA. Ott officially will succeed Kathryn Davis as president on Jan. 1.

“Joanie is a very soft-spoken individual, but very well respected,” CWGA executive director Robin Jervey said. “She’s not a boisterous type of individual, but when he speaks, I always listen because she has something (important) to say.

“She’s really good at working with people and she’s mentored a lot of volunteers over the years. She has a great personality in working with others, and she’ll be a great person to work with the leadership of the CWGA.”

Ott discussed her vision for the CWGA for the coming two years with COgolf.org. (A feature story on new CGA president Phil Lane was posted on COgolf.org last week. To read it, CLICK HERE.) 

“I’m looking forward to the next two years,” Ott said. “We’ve got a lot of challenges ahead, and I’m looking forward to working with the (CWGA) board and the membership.”

While Ott will be moving up to the president’s seat in 2014, there will be one newcomer to the CWGA’s Board of Directors, Jennifer Cassell of Denver’s City Park Golf Course. Meanwhile, leaving the board after years of volunteer service are Davis, Karla Harding and Sue Romek. Cynthia Evans stepped down from the board earlier this year. To see brief biographies on all of the members of the CWGA Board of Directors, CLICK HERE.

Among the top priorities Ott set forth heading into her term are:

— Increasing CWGA membership.

As has been the case with many golf associations since the economic downturn started five-plus years ago, the CWGA experienced a membership drop in recent years, though it leveled out in 2013. Ott would like to see a jump in membership.

“I want the face of the CWGA to be the face of everyone (regardless of golf ability level),” Ott said. “Sometimes I think we’re known as an organization that does tournaments for golfers. We do do that, but we’re also interested in connecting with women who may not have a handicap or may not be interested in tournament golf.”

Ott said the CWGA has made some inroads with events such as the CWGA Experience — golf outings that combine small-group instruction with some fun social interaction with other women interested in the game — and other similar golf outings. But she’d like to make more progress in promoting women’s golf.

— Getting more girls involved in the game. The number of girls — and women — playing golf has dipped significantly since 2005, at a greater rate than among males. Female golfers dropped almost 29 percent from 2005 to 2012, while the number of golfers overall have decreased 16 percent, according to the National Golf Foundation.

“We need to work at getting more girls interested in the game, and that’s a challenge,” Ott said. “It’s one of our goals.”

One recent step in the right direction was the Girls Golf Fair that took place at CommonGround Golf Course in May. The CWGA, Colorado PGA and other golf organizations put together the event, which was attended by 81 girls.

— Speaking of CommonGround, given that it’s the home to many community-outreach and growth-of-the-game programs, getting it back to full strength is one of the foremost issues at hand for the CWGA and CGA. CommonGround, which opened in 2009, is owned and operated by the two golf associations.

September’s flooding did significant damage at CommonGround, which is operating as a nine-hole facility — in addition to the nine-hole Kids Course — while the eight affected holes are restored.

“What CommonGround is going through after the flood is very challenging financially for the CWGA and CGA,” Ott said. “That’s a tough ticket. It’ll be difficult to work our way through that, but I’m sure we’re up to the task.”

Ott began working with the CWGA as a volunteer six years ago, when she joined the Course Rating and Handicap Committee. She became chairperson of that committee two years later and has served on the Board of Directors for the last four years overall, including the last two alternating as secretary and vice-president.

Professionally, the University of Colorado graduate was a teacher and administrator in the Aurora Public Schools, and an administrator at Arapahoe High School in Centennial. After retiring as the director of instruction for the Aurora Public Schools in 2001, she spent a decade doing contract work, primarily focused on the recruitment of teachers.

“I’ve found in my career that one of my strengths is I’m able to empower others,” Ott said. “To be frank, I’m a pretty good leader. That’s one of my strong points.”