When it comes to women assuming major leadership roles in Colorado golf organizations — ones traditionally held by men — the last five years have marked a seismic shift in the landscape.

— In 2014, Leslie Core-Drevecky became the first female president of the Colorado PGA.

— A year ago, when the CGA and CWGA joined forces and became one organization, Juliet Miner and Joe McCleary agreed to serve one year as co-presidents of the CGA, with Miner becoming the first female president of the association.

— This fall, Colorado Golf Hall of Fame inductee Janet Moore was chosen the new president of that organization. Moore is a five-time winner of the CGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship.

— Also this fall, Molly Greenblatt was selected chairperson of the board for the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, which adminsters the CoBank Colorado Open Championships and The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch. Greenblatt earned low-amateur honors in the 1999 Colorado Women’s Open.

— On a national level, last month Suzy Whaley became the first female president of the PGA of America.

— Then last week, Janene Guzowski (pictured) was elected president of the CGA’s volunteer board of directors, becoming the first woman to hold that position outright. It was just over two years ago that Guzowski and Tracy Zabel became the first women to serve on the CGA board. Before the CGA and the CWGA started down the road of integrating — at the behest of the USGA — “we were operating under the understanding with the CWGA that if there were any talented women that were being considered, the CWGA would sure appreciate the opportunity to have them join their board,” CGA executive director Ed Mate said. “And that would happen a lot. We’d have a woman we thought highly of, and we’d steer that individual to the CWGA.”

But nowadays, with the boards of the CGA and CWGA having merged a year ago, roughly 40 percent of the CGA board in 2018 were women. That will remain true in 2019. And next year, three members of the Executive Committee will be women, with Guzowski joined by Dana Murray (secretary) and Miner (past president). To see the CGA’s 2018 volunteer leadership, CLICK HERE.

Asked her impression of women taking more leadership roles in Colorado golf, Guzowski said, “It’s a phenomenon, and to me it represents what happened last year with the historic merger of the CGA and the CWGA. Women are coming forward and people are giving us a chance to show everybody what we can do with golf in Colorado. It’s not strictly a man’s world anymore with golf or anything else for that matter. For us it’s an amazing growth and coming together in Colorado golf.”

The CGA has obviously experienced major changes over the last year, and Mate is among those who see the selection of Guzowski as the association’s new president as ideal in several respects.

“We have a lot of positive momentum with the integration and we just want to continue that as we have a lot of work yet to be done,” Mate said. “Having a strong, positive leader like Janene, it became obvious she was the right choice. This was the decision of the Nominating Committee, chaired by Doak Jacoway. They looked at the talent and looked at the situation and what does the organization need right now, and Janene was the clear, head-and-shoulders choice for the job at this point in time.

“She has the right set of skills. She personable. She loves caddies; that’s been her passion. The work she does with the Western Golf Association (which administers the Evans Scholarship for caddies) is also part of our mission. She was the right person at the right time.”

Though McCleary ended up serving three years as CGA president/co-president — while Miner did two as CWGA president and one as CGA co-president — traditionally CGA presidents have served two consecutive one-year terms. That was the case for every president from 2000 through 2015, and likely will be true for Guzowski as well.

“I hope to take us into the new year strong,” said Guzowski, a resident of the Cherry Creek area of Denver who belongs to Lakewood Country Club and Frost Creek in Eagle and owns a 15 handicap. “The committee chairs are all picked and they’re all off and running. I have some big shoes to fill after Joe and Juliet. I have four huge shoes to fill. They were instrumental in bringing the CGA and the CWGA together and they’ve led strongly and wonderfully through the process. I’m looking forward to taking what they have done and running with it.”

Guzowski, a graduate of Southern Methodist University who sells the Carlisle clothing line, is certainly no stranger to being in golf leadership roles on boards traditionally dominated by men. As mentioned, she was one of the first two women on the CGA board. She was also the first female director in Colorado for the WGA, joining that organization in 2011. In addition, she was the first female chairperson of the caddie committee at Lakewood Country Club.

“She’s the most likeable person,” Mate said of Guzowski. “She made it so comfortable for everybody. Let’s be honest: There’s a patriarchal culture, but she came in and didn’t miss a beat (in the WGA role). Now there are more women being considered for director’s positions around the country, and she was a pioneer in that respect.”

Guzowski also has served on the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame board since 2015.

As Guzowski begins her term as the CGA president, we conducted a Q&A with her last week. Here’s some of that conversation:

Q: How does it feel to be one of first women to become president of the CGA?

Janene Guzowski: “Of course, I’m honored and I’m humbled. I’m looking forward to leading the united group (after the merger of the CGA and the CWGA) and serving golf in Colorado for all people. I’m just thrilled. It’s going to be a learning experience for all of us.”

Q: Whenever you were first approached about possibly taking the role as president, what compelled to say yes?

JG: “I didn’t say yes right away. I was first of all very stunned. I understand the reason why they have asked me. I needed to see what kind of time commitment was involved, which is a lot. I’m approaching it as a full-time unpaid job. It already is. I had to think about it, talk to my husband (Alan). I have an 82-year-old gorgeous mother who I spend a lot of time with. I assume it’s going to take some time away from everybody — friends, family — and I wanted to make sure that it was OK with everybody.

“Of course, I was honored and flattered. I feel I can do a good job and do what they’ve asked me to do and expect me to do — and I’m excited to go forward.”

Q: What are your priorities for your time as president?

JG: “We’re introducing our new branding, our new logo, which is amazing. That will all come out at the end of January, and I look forward to representing that logo and getting it out there for people to look at and know what it stands for. I’d like to work with a lot more women’s groups and getting more women involved with the CGA. I’d like to have tournaments that serve a broader range of mainly men — a handicap or flighted tournament for a golfer of any handicap, which we don’t have right now with the CGA. Women have all kinds of (those types of) tournaments, but there aren’t any for the men. I’d like to see if we can get one of those tournaments implemented (possibly for 2020 or 2021). I’d like to have a co-ed tournament sponsored by the CGA open to all level of players as well. Those are some top issues for me.”

Q: Caddies are close to your heart. Will that be another priority for you, whether it be the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course or the Evans Scholarship at CU or whatever the case may be?

JG: “I’ve been on the caddie committee at Lakewood Country Club for 18 years. I chaired the committee for five years on and off. Next year will be my ninth year on the board of directors for the WGA. I’ve work with the Solich Caddie Academy kids. I was the chairman of the Caddie Development Committee for the CGA. All that will continue. It’s all near and dear to my heart.

“I was put on the caddie committee at Lakewood Country Club 18 years ago and watching these 13- and 14-year-old children — they’re children at the time — being trained to be a caddie, trained to talk to adults, trained to get up and be at a job at 6:30 in the morning … These kids are trained to be accountable and to have a future job throughout high school and perhaps college. Watching these kids grow and mature, talking to them about the Evans Scholarship and the possibility of getting full-ride tuition at CU, it changes children into adults and it’s an amazing thing to see. I’ve enjoyed it and will continue to enjoy it. I enjoy training caddies (left), I take caddies, I keep in touch with caddies. It’s going to continue to be a big thing for me. One of my favorite things that Ed Mate always says is the ‘C’ in CGA stands as much for caddies as it does for Colorado. That’s perhaps one of the reasons I became so involved so quickly because I have that same love that Ed does.”

Q: Having been on the CGA board, how do you think the integration of the CGA and CWGA has gone?

JG: “It could not have gone better. Joe and Juliet are now almost best friends. They got along so famously. I love Juliet’s analogy of a marriage. She gave up her name, her bank account, she moved. The CGA offered the CWGA so much in return for what they gave up. Golf in Colorado is going to be so much better for everybody. The Colorado Golf Association is all people, all ages — women, kids, men, people of all backgrounds and all inclusive of golf — whereas it wasn’t in the previous years.”

Q: What’s been your experience like since joining the CGA board in September 2016?

JG: “I think it’s one of the best boards I’ve ever served on. I think the Colorado Golf Association is the best golf association in the United States if you ask me — not that I’ve served on other ones. But in comparison to other boards I sit on, it’s organized and it runs smoothly. The staff … Ed Mate is amazing as our executive director. Meetings are run efficiently and timely. The issues that are brought up are important for golf in the state of Colorado. The talent on the board itself, there’s so much talent that can be tapped. I hope to do that as well; I hope to bring out the best in every person on the board, to get them involved in volunteering. There are so many smart, intelligent, talented people to work with. It’s thrilling.”
 

The Colorado PGA will recognize some of its best of 2016 tonight (Nov. 4) at its Awards Gala at Colorado Golf Club in Parker.

Most of the award winners were announced in August (READ MORE), including Leslie Core-Drevecky being named the Section’s 2016 Golf Professional of the Year, its highest honor. Core-Drevecky, the PGA head professional at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora, became the first female president of the Colorado PGA in 2014.

Finalized more recently have been the Colorado PGA’s Players of the Year. Player honorees will be:

— Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year: Geoff Keffer (pictured above), PGA Learning Center at Park Hill. Keffer, who won his first Colorado PGA Professional Championship in September, receives this award for the third consecutive year and for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Others who have been Player of the Year three straight times include Bob Hold (1966-71), Vic Kline (1977-79) and Ron Vlosich (1986-88).

— Senior Player of the Year: Mike Northern, Colorado Springs. Northern, a three-time Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year, claimed the title in the Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship in mid-August.

— Apprentice Player of the Year: Pat Grady, University of Colorado men’s golf assistant coach. Grady won the National Car Rental Colorado PGA Assistants Championship in August and on Sunday he placed 11th in the National Assistant PGA Professional Championship.

Here are the recipients of the Colorado PGA’s special awards for 2016:

— Golf Professional of the Year (overall performance, including leadership, service and promotion of the game of golf): Leslie Core-Drevecky, Murphy Creek Golf Course.

— Teacher of the Year: Steve Patterson, Hiwan Golf Club.

— Assistant Golf Professionals of the Year: Brad Gannaway, Colorado Springs Country Club.

— Bill Strausbaugh Award (mentoring fellow PGA professionals): Dale Smigelsky, Collindale Golf Course.

— Horton Smith Award (exceptional contributions to promote and improve PGA educational programs): Mark Bacheldor, UCCS PGA-PGM.

— Warren Smith Award (special contributions to game of golf, the Colorado PGA, junior golf and their facility): Craig Parzybok, Fox Hollow Golf Course.

— Noble Chalfant Inductee (distinguished service to the Colorado PGA) — Tom Apple, Country Club of the Rockies

— Player Development Award: Trent Wearner, Trent Wearner Golf Academy.

— Youth Player Development Award: Katie Milstead, The First Tee at Green Valley Ranch.

— Private Merchandiser of the Year: Greg Bryan, Roaring Fork Club.

— Resort Merchandiser of the Year: Rich Parker, Kissing Camels Club.

— Public Merchandiser of the Year: Mark Pfingston, The Golf Club at Bear Dance.

— President’s Award: Ed Mate, CGA

— Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year: Geoff Keffer, PGA Learning Center at Park Hill

— Senior Player of the Year: Mike Northern, Colorado Springs

— Apprentice Player of the Year: Pat Grady, University of Colorado

— Charles “Vic” Kline Award (outstanding service and leadership in the Colorado PGA through work on CPGA Board of Directors): Theo Gregory, El Pomar Foundation.
 

Gott Receives National Clubfitter Honor from Callaway: The people who will be recognized tonight aren’t the only members of the Colorado PGA Section who have been honored recently. Brian Gott, PGA director of instruction at Gott Golf, was named Callaway Golf’s National Club Fitter of the Year on Oct. 17 in San Diego.

Gott opened Gott Golf in 2008 and was named one of Golf Digest’s top 100 club fitters in America in 2015 and ’16. Among the clubs Gott works with in Colorado are Cherry Hills, Castle Pines, The Broadmoor and Maroon Creek.

Gott Golf is based at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.
 

There was a nice bit of centennial symmetry at work on Wednesday.

One hundred years ago this month — in September, 1916 — the CWGA held its first championship. Twenty-eight women competed at Colorado Springs Golf Club (now known as Patty Jewett Golf Course) in the debut of the event we now call the CWGA Match Play.

Almost exactly a century later, the CWGA put the other 100-year bookend in place on Wednesday by hosting a Centennial Celebration Tournament at Hiwan Golf Club Club in Evergreen.

The association capped off its yearlong celebration of its 100th anniversary with, appropriately, a fun round of golf at a course that is about as Colorado as can be.

Eighty-eight players enjoyed the mountain setting — elk bugling and all — in the final major festivities marking the CWGA’s centennial.

“This was the culmination of our centennial,” said CWGA president Juliet Miner. “We couldn’t have asked for a better day, weather-wise; better turnout; better food; better hospitality. We’re so fortunate to have it here. And it gives us a chance to reflect what a good year it’s been and how grateful we are for the participation and volunteers. We’ve had great support.”

Among those participating in the golf and/or lunch that followed on Wednesday were past CWGA presidents Jan Ford, who chaired the association’s 75th-anniversary celebration, and Kathryn Davis; current president Miner; Colorado PGA president Leslie Core-Drevecky; CGA executive director Ed Mate; Colorado Open Golf Foundation board member Melissa Hubbard, mother of PGA Tour player Mark Hubbard; and a host of other CWGA supporters and volunteers and board members.

In other words, it was quite a cross section of the Colorado golf community, especially on the women’s side.

The CWGA started the year with three major centennial-related events on the agenda. In February at the CWGA annual meeting at The Inverness Hotel & Golf Club, exceptional players, volunteers and friends of the CWGA from over the years were recognized and a video history of the association was shown. Last month, Denver Country Club hosted the CWGA Stroke Play Championship, and a celebratory 100th anniversary luncheon and awards ceremony followed the final round. Then there was Wednesday’s Centennial Celebration Tournament in which CWGA tournament/flight winners, volunteers and board members from the last couple of years, among others, were invited for a fun round of golf and lunch.

“I think this is a really special day because this is the first time this year (non-tournament players) got to do what we love, which is play golf,” said Laura Robinson, executive director of the CWGA. “Every other time, we got to watch or celebrate with a luncheon, but this time we got everyone out there playing golf. It was a lot of fun.”

Robinson and CWGA vice president Kathy Malpass are both members at Hiwan Golf Club and helped facilitate this third leg of the centennial celebration. Malpass returned home to Evergreen just in time for the event as she has been on the road the last two weeks — first at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur in Erie, Pa., as a member of the USGA Women’s Mid-Am Committee, then competing at the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur in Wellesley, Mass., where she made match play and competed in the round of 64 on Monday.

But making it back for the Centennial Celebration Tournament was a priority for Malpass both because she’s a CWGA board member and as a member at Hiwan.

“This (event), I fought hard for it,” she said. “I think we need to give back to the people that spend countless hours trying to make things happen for us: the rules officials, the tournament people and the grinders — the ones that play in our events and they win their flight, but you don’t ever see their name in the headline. So I’m really pleased with how we’ve done that.”

Two women who made all the centennial-related events come together and run smoothly were CWGA board members Nancy Wilson and Phyllis Jensen (together at left), who have co-chaired the Centennial Committee. They also made sure the events complemented one another and drew a variety of “constituents”, if you will.

“What we (at the CWGA) tried to do, we were successful with, which was to involve and engage all of our members,” Malpass said. “The annual meeting (draws) a lot of presidents of clubs, some of whom don’t play in our events, and they don’t know a lot about us, so we reached out to them and got them involved. The Stroke Play, what a field! Oh my gosh. It gives me chills just thinking about caliber of player that was there. And for Jennifer (Kupcho, the 2015 and ’16 champion) to play so well and break the (Denver Country Club women’s course) record set eons ago by Babe (Zaharias) … that engages the younger player and the higher-caliber player. And then this.”

In essence, the centennial celebrations have been both a look back and to the future.

“I feel like this has been a really special year because we focused on how far we’ve come — on the history, on the amazing women who contributed to supporting golf in Colorado,” Robinson said. “We hope it continues just as successfully for another 100 years.”

Added Miner: “We don’t plan to rest on a laurels. We’re ready for the next 100 years.”

As part of Wednesday’s festivities, money was raised through merchandise sales and other means for the 2018 Girls Junior America’s Cup, which will be played at Hiwan Golf Club. For instance, for $20 (with Westerra Credit Union matching the donation), players could utilize one of the “long hitters” from the CWGA staff — Kate Moore (left) or Aaron Guereca, depending on the hole — to hit potentially imposing shots for them.

Meanwhile, since this was a tournament, there was a contest involved — in this case a variable best-ball, with each group counting one ball on par-5s, two balls on par-4s and three balls on par-3s.

Here are the top three finishers in the gross and net divisions:

Gross: 1. Jo Ann Higgins, Darlene Evans, Harlene Bowman and Constance Brodt 152; 2. Linda Loveland, Lucille Moreno-Peacock and Lourdes Swanson 153; 3. Marie Schriefer, Debbie Mills, Dana Rinderknecht and Hee Chung 153.

Net: 1. Janine Lowe, Katherine Rojas, Ellen Thomas and Mary Jo Turner 121; 2. Kirk Huggins, Jeanne Surbrugg, Jennifer Cassell and Melissa Hubbard 124; 3. Carol Iwata, Maureen Fujiki and Anne Mursch 125.

Core-Drevecky (pictured) was one of a dozen special award winners announced on Thursday by the Colorado PGA. All will be honored on Nov. 4 during the Section’s Awards Gala at Colorado Golf Club in Parker.

The Golf Professional of the Year award goes to a Section member for overall performance, including leadership, service and promotion of the game of golf.

Core-Drevecky has been a PGA member for 23 years, and prior to being elected president she served for six years on the Section’s board of directors, as well as two terms on the PGA of America national Education Committee. She has twice won the Colorado PGA Horton Smith Award for outstanding and continuing contributions in developing and improving educational opportunities for the PGA golf professional. 

During Core-Drevecky’s time as president, the Colorado PGA teamed up with the CGA to form the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, which oversees many junior tournaments and events and features Golf in Schools, PGA Junior League, the Drive Chip & Putt Championship and more. Core-Drevecky was also instrumental in the creation of the Colorado PGA Women’s Championship, which debuted this year.

Among the other Colorado PGA award recipients is longtime CGA executive director Ed Mate, who has worked alongside Colorado PGA executive director Eddie Ainsworth in forging a strong alliance between the two organizations to nurture and grow the game of golf in the state. Most recently, that includes forming the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, which just wrapped up a successful inaugural season. Mate, who worked for the Colorado PGA before being named the head of the CGA staff in 2000, will receive the President’s Award.

(Updated Oct. 6) Here are the Colorado PGA’s special awards recipients for 2016:

— Golf Professional of the Year:  Leslie Core-Drevecky, Murphy Creek Golf Course.

— Teacher of the Year: Steve Patterson, Hiwan Golf Club.

— Assistant Golf Professionals of the Year: Brad Gannaway, Colorado Springs Country Club.

— Bill Strausbaugh Award (mentoring fellow PGA professionals): Dale Smigelsky, Collindale Golf Course.

— Horton Smith Award (exceptional contributions to promote and improve PGA educational programs): Mark Bacheldor, UCCS PGA-PGM.

— Warren Smith Award (special contributions to game of golf, the Colorado PGA, junior golf and their facility): Craig Parzybok, Fox Hollow Golf Course.

— Noble Chalfant Inductee (distinguished service to the Colorado PGA) — Tom Apple, Country Club of the Rockies

— Player Development Award: Trent Wearner, Trent Wearner Golf Academy.

— Youth Player Development Award: Katie Milstead, The First Tee at Green Valley Ranch.

— Private Merchandiser of the Year: Greg Bryan, Roaring Fork Club.

— Resort Merchandiser of the Year: Rich Parker, Kissing Camels Club.

— Public Merchandiser of the Year: Mark Pfingston, The Golf Club at Bear Dance.

— President’s Award: Ed Mate, CGA

— Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year — Geoff Keffer, PGA Learning Center at Park Hill

— Senior Player of the Year — Mike Northern, Colorado Springs

— Apprentice Player of the Year — Pat Grady, University of Colorado
 

Let the celebration begin.

On Saturday, just two weeks before the official 100th birthday of the CWGA, the association will throw a wingding commemorating the occasion.

It will be part of a meeting — the CWGA annual meeting, to be precise — which is appropriate because it all started with a meeting, the one that took place on March 14, 1916 that formed the CWGA.

At Saturday’s event at the Inverness Hotel & Conference Center in Englewood, the association will kick off its centennial year with a celebration that will draw many of the most influential figures in the history of the CWGA.

Though association officials want to leave some suspense for Saturday’s festivities, among those expected to be on hand are a Colorado Sports Hall of Famer, seven Colorado Golf Hall of Famers, at least seven past presidents of the CWGA and numerous prominent past staffers. And though World Golf Hall of Famer Judy Bell of Colorado Springs won’t be able to attend due to a recent injury, the former USGA president sent a videotaped message.

“We see this as a very big event,” CWGA acting executive director Laura Robinson said this week. “It’s a great opportunity to celebrate our history, introduce our history to new members attending, and look forward to the next 100 years.”

Also expected to attend are leaders of other major golf organizations in the state, including president Joe McCleary from the CGA, president Leslie Core-Drevecky and executive director Eddie Ainsworth from the Colorado PGA, along with representatives of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation and the LPGA.

“This shows we not only have history, but we have a history of working with partners” within the Colorado golf community, Robinson said. “It’s special that we share this with them.”

In all, the CWGA expects about 230 people on Saturday, with about 120 clubs represented.

During the centennial celebration portion of the annual meeting, a 10-minute video history of the CWGA will be shown publicly for the first time. “It was humbling and touching,” Robinson said of previewing part of the video.

And three groups of outstanding people will be recognized: 10 exceptional volunteers, nine outstanding players who have won at least five major individual CWGA championships, and three especially valued friends of the association.

A “Volunteer of the Century” and “Golfer of the Century” will be singled out.

Also at the annual meeting, three items of CWGA centennial memorabilia will be available for purchase — a ball marker, bag tag and water bottle, all featuring the association’s centennial logo.

A silent auction will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting, with proceeds benefiting LPGA*USGA Girls Golf. Among the more than 50 items that will be up for auction will be an autographed photo of Bronco DeMarcus Ware, a Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado hat autographed by former LPGA standout and current CBS on-course reporter Dottie Pepper (left), a puck from the Colorado Avalanche, and plenty of rounds of golf at Colorado courses.

In addition, the CWGA is inviting people to sign up for its Centennial Club, which will raise fund for the association’s centennial events. In addition to what will take place on Saturday, that will include a celebration during the CWGA Stroke Play at Denver Country Club in early August, and a centennial celebration tournament Sept. 21 at Hiwan Golf Club.

Though the centennial celebration and related activities are a big draw for Saturday’s annual meeting, there are also some things on the agenda that take place every year at this event. Most notably, there’s a business meeting and several breakout sessions planned, including on the Rules of Golf (Karla Harding, Jan Fincher, Sandy Schnitzer), an update on GHIN/Handicapping (Gerry Brown), Test Your Golf Knowledge and Play the Rules Game (Jennifer Lorimor), a Club Presidents Roundtable (Kathy Malpass), and Acupuncture for Golfers.

And in many ways the activities and initiatives that were directly the result of the “Century of Golf” exceeded expectations. The Century of Golf Gala and related activities raised roughly $400,000, according to CGA executive director Ed Mate — significantly more than originally envisioned. The proceeds from the Gala and related undertakings benefit the Colorado Golf Foundation and its mission of youth development through golf, including junior player development, caddie programs, community partnerships, and college scholarships.

Besides the Gala and other fundraising efforts, and an extensive look back on the last 100 years of Colorado golf, the Century of Golf included a rebranding for the CGA, and “positioning the Colorado Golf Foundation as a mechanism for collaboration to raise money for golf,” Mate said recently.

“We made the most of the centennial,” Mate noted. The Gala was “the biggest golf gathering of our time (with about 1,250 in attendance at The Broadmoor). We raised a ton of money. We launched an exciting relationship with the PGA. It’s a home run. I look back on this as a special year. It’ll be a tough act to follow.”

Indeed, the question now is, where to go from here? And what will the second century of the CGA — the the future of Colorado golf in general — look like?

Of course, it’s much easier to foresee the short term, but that may provide some hints about what’s to come decades from now.

“Going forward, there’s a lot of ways it will manifest itself,” Mate said when asked what he hopes will come out of the Century of Golf. “None is more important than our collaboration with the (Colorado) PGA on junior golf (READ MORE). That’s evidence of us working together. We’re walking the walk. By (joining forces) we can accomplish the greatest good in golf.” (Pictured at top are CGA president Phil Lane and CPGA president Leslie Core-Drevecky signing a memorandum of agreement in October.)

Indeed, many activities and initiatives revolving around the Century of Golf were collaborative efforts of the CGA, Colorado PGA, CWGA and the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association.

Looking ahead, another partner, the USGA, is examining its business model and how it works with state and regional golf associations like the CGA and CWGA, Mate said.

“It’s a great opportunity to create a stronger partnership with the USGA — one robust and with more meat on it,” said Mate, who recently joined the USGA Rules of Golf Committee. “I think our future over the next 100 years will look much different. We’ll have ways to reach more golfers — whether it be through technology, apps or other things to be determined. We’ll work very closely with the USGA and Colorado PGA to reach more golfers — including more casual and less serious golfers. And then there’s things like the World Handicap System (READ MORE). Some game-changing stuff is being worked on.”

And some of those things currently in the pipeline, or in their formative stages, could significantly blossom over the coming decades. That includes programs such as Colorado PGA Golf in Schools; the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship, PGA Junior League, etc., etc.

“I foresee our role being more significant,” Mate said. “The CGA won’t exist unless the game of golf is healthy, and I think the game of golf will be. It’s a fundamentally great game. I think we’ll look back on this chapter, when we were so oversupplied with golf courses because of the real-estate bubble. We went through soul-searching, and I think we kind of were grasping at straws — with things like using a bigger hole, less holes … — but the game isn’t broken.

“If we’re smart — with things like Golf in Schools, Drive Chip & Putt and PGA Junior League — we’ll make sure the game is put in the hands of the next generation in a thoughtful way. Sanity has returned. We got back to the basics of blocking and tackling (in growing golf). The game will take care of the rest. I think we’ll see the game thriving.”
 

When the executive directors and the staffs from the CGA and the Colorado Section PGA met last October to determine what programs it made the most sense to team up on, junior golf ended up major priority No. 1.

A year later — after plenty of brainstorming, meetings and work on all sides — the seeds bore fruit on Monday, when it was announced that the CGA and Colorado PGA are joining forces in a major effort to bolster junior golf in the state.

As part of a memorandum of agreement signed by CGA president Phil Lane and Colorado PGA president Leslie Core-Drevecky (pictured) on Monday at the Section’s Fall Membership Meeting at Heritage Eagle Bend Golf Club, a Junior Tour will be created that includes four junior major championships in Colorado.

Three of those events currently exist — the CGA’s Junior Stroke Play and Junior Match Play, and the Colorado PGA Junior Championship — and will be part of the Junior Tour, along with the Tour Championship, though the names will be rebranded.

All the major championships will feature both boys and girls competitions. There will also be plenty of other Junior Tour tournaments, mostly 36-hole events on Mondays and Tuesdays, with those competitions meant for top-level junior players who aspire to play college golf (handicap 8.1 or lower).

In addition, there will be a developmental Junior Series that will help players not yet ready for the Junior Tour to progress with their game.

Staff from the CGA and Colorado PGA will jointly oversee both the Junior Tour and Junior Series.

Another aspect of the collaboration will be the creation of a website that acts as a clearinghouse for all things junior golf-related in Colorado, including but not limited to registration for Junior Tour and Junior Series events; the PGA Junior League; the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program, which exposes school kids to the game through P.E. classes; the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy and the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship.

The name for that website as well as the name for the collaborative program in general — and many other details — have yet to be finalized. But with 2016 being the first year for the program, the plan is to have all the details ironed out in time for a Golf Summit that’s scheduled for February.

“With the two organizations and what great things they’ve accomplished, just imagine now becoming one powerhouse where our focus is all going to be about the kids and the families. How can that not be great?” said Eddie Ainsworth (left), executive director of the Colorado PGA. “For me, this is a major day. This is just huge.”

Between the CGA and the Colorado PGA, many pieces that will make up this collaborative effort have been in place, while others will be new. The bottom line is to streamline the junior golf process, fill in the voids, further build the junior golf ranks, and create some new excitement with a series of grand slam events.

“It’s the best practices of two organizations (being joined) and I think they’re really going to be complementary,” said Ed Mate, executive director of the CGA. “We’re basically taking the best of what the PGA has been doing — you’ve seen how much they’ve grown their junior golf programs in the last few years — and the history and the legacy of the CGA and the CJGA, and putting the two together. It’s really exciting.

“It will be better (for junior golfers) because it’ll be cooler. It’s going to be better because the tournamemts are going to feel different. They’re going to feel more like, ‘Wow!’ It’s going to be better for parents because the website is going to be simple to use and easy to navigate and very user-friendly. It’s going to be better top to bottom.”

The CGA plans to revamp the trophies for its oldest junior championships — the Junior Match Play, which dates back to 1951, and the Junior Stroke Play, which began in 1977. But the list of champions for those events, which include such luminaries as Hale Irwin, Mike Reid, Brandt Jobe and Mark Hubbard, will remain a fixture on the re-done trophies.

“The kids are going to want to win the ‘Grand Slam’ (in a calendar year),” noted Mate (left). “How cool will that be?”

Mate likened the impending tweaking of the championship names to what was done for the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship, which for most of its storied history was known as the Western Open.

The Colorado associations are following the lead of Nebraska and Northern California, where PGA Sections and golf associations have joined forces for the betterment of junior golf. For the CGA and CPGA, Monday’s memorandum of agreement has been more than a year in the making.

“We’re just at the beginning of a long journey,” said Mate, who once worked at the Colorado PGA. “(Nebraska and Northern California) are three or four years in, and their feedback is, ‘This is the best thing we’ve ever done.’ It’s not without its challenges. You have two organizations and a lot of people’s fingers in the pie. The thing I probably appreciate more than anything at this stage of my life is, ‘Is it sustainable?’ We’re going to build this to last.”

And beyond the benefits for junior golf, this collaboration marks another area where the CGA and the Colorado PGA have found it makes more sense to work in tandem than separately. Those areas have also included the annual Golf Summit and the upcoming Century of Golf Gala, which will celebrate 2015 marking the 100th “birthday” of the CGA.

“I’ve been saying it since the first day I’ve been in this job: We’ve all got to check our logos at the door and work together,” Ainsworth said. “We can make more things happen. I know Ed’s heart, I know my heart. It’s about junior golf, it’s about making a difference and introducing more people to the game.

“It’s like Ed said, ‘Everybody’s chips are in and we’re going to make this thing work.'”

As part of the changes, the CJGA, which was jointly created in 1984 by the CGA and the Colorado PGA but eventually was overseen exclusively by CGA staff, will go by the wayside, with many of its functions becoming part of what will be essentially a joint operating agreement.

“A lot has changed (since ’84),” Mate said. “Now we’re going back to the spirit of working together.”
 

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.
 

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.