It was more than a decade ago that former CGA president Dennis Lyon took Joe McCleary aside and asked if he’d be interested in serving on the association’s board of governors.
McCleary didn’t hesitate in saying “yes”. And now, it seems only appropriate that McCleary will be one of Lyon’s successors as president of the CGA. After all, not only was Lyon responsible for bringing McCleary on board, but both cut their teeth as golf course superintendents and both work (or worked) for many a year for the City of Aurora.
This week, a dozen years after Lyon — who was recently honored as Superintendent of the Century at the Century of Golf Gala — stepped down as CGA president, McCleary was named to the post, the top volunteer leadership position on the CGA board.
“I’ve always enjoyed being part of the CGA with all the things they’re involved in,” said McCleary (above), who’s expected to serve two consecutive one-year terms after taking over the presidency from Phil Lane. “I’m looking forward to it in too many ways to count.”
Speaking of too many ways to count, that comes close to indicating how many ways McCleary has served the CGA — and golf in general — over the years.
As the first golf course superintendent at Saddle Rock in Aurora from 1995-2011 — being heavily involved in the construction of the course and its maintenance for many years — he had plenty of interaction with CGA and the golf community. After all, Saddle Rock hosted the Colorado Open from 1998 through 2000, along with periodic CGA championships and USGA qualifiers over the years.
And in the early part of the new millennium, McCleary championed the independent study on the economic impact and environmental aspects of golf in Colorado, a report that has had a significant impact not only in the Centennial State, but nationally. The report — supported by the CGA, CWGA and the other Allied Golf Associations in Colorado — won national recognition from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and morphed into a program at the national level, the Environmental Institute for Golf’s “Golf Course Environmental Profile”.
“We proved what could be done” when you have the data, said McCleary (pictured at left with Lane).
McCleary, who received his MBA from CU-Denver, also is a past president of the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association. Since its inception, he’s served on the board that guides the CGA-owned-and-operated CommonGround Golf Course, and he’s also worked on the GCSAA’s government relations committee and the environmental programs committee. In addition, he’s served on the CGA youth programs committee, and most recently, he was the vice president on the CGA board.
“He has a lot of experience,” said CGA executive director Ed Mate. “He’s really been involved with the whole vision of the golf course on the (CommonGround) board. And as a superintendent he’s a great sounding-board.
“He’s been about as hands-on as any volunteer since I’ve been here. He’s also a leader, well-respected in the golf community. He’s always thinking and challenging himself to learn new things. He’s no sit-still type of guy. He’s always asking, how can we expand and be more relevant.”
Said McCleary: “I have a pretty well-rounded background related to golf, so that will serve me well. I understand things from a golf operations standpoint, from a legislative standpoint, from a superintendent’s standpoint and from a player’s perspective.”
McCleary, a Colorado resident since 1988, is now the stormwater operations superintendent for the Aurora Water Department after long working at golf courses (Lone Tree, Meadow Hills and Saddle Rock). But his interest in CGA programs runs the gamut.
For instance, he calls the selection committee meeting in which Colorado finalists for the Evans Scholarship for caddies are interviewed “one of my favorite things.”
“There are so many different things going on (with the CGA) and you interact with so many different people,” the 50-year-old said. “The golf course stuff (with CommonGround) is fun. And you’ve got the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, and the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program. I’m engaged on a variety of different levels. CommonGround keeps me interested, but all the things do. There’s also interaction with the (CGA) staff and other governors. (The association) uses all the people’s expertise and experience to keep things moving forward.”
The CGA just celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding, so 2015 was a big year. But there are plenty of issues on the horizon that will demand attention from McCleary and the other board members (CLICK HERE to view the CGA’s volunteer leadership team).
McCleary said that among the top priorities are keeping the CGA and CommonGround Golf Course financially stable, working alongside the Colorado Golf Foundation, and furthering the CGA’s collaborative programs with other key players in the Colorado golf community. One of those programs is taking shape as 2016 dawns with the CGA and Colorado PGA joining forces to bolster junior golf in the state (CLICK HERE for more on that).
“One of the biggest priorities is enhancing and continuing to develop relations with the other Allied Golf Associations within the state of Colorado,” McCleary said.
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.”
In the West wing of The Broadmoor, there’s a hall of fame that includes an impressive photographic array of people of note who have visited the resort over the years.
There’s everyone from Arnold Palmer to Babe Zaharias, from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama, from Aerosmith to Liberace, from Bing Crosby to Bob Hope, from Mickey Rooney to John Wayne, from John Elway to Peyton Manning, and even from Ted Cruz to Hillary Clinton.
Such a site seemed an altogether appropriate venue for Saturday night’s Century of Golf Gala at The Broadmoor, which featured a who’s who of golf in Colorado — and beyond.
About 1,250 people attended the Gala, the culmination of a year of activities and initiatives held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CGA. Both the history and future of golf in the state were celebrated, with all proceeds benefiting the Colorado Golf Foundation and its mission of youth development through golf.
Jack Nicklaus — who won the first and last of his eight USGA championships in Colorado, the 1959 U.S. Amateur at The Broadmoor and the 1993 U.S. Senior Open at Cherry Hills Country Club — was the headliner on Saturday. He noted that it was his first trip back to the resort since the 1960 NCAA Championships — and just his second since his career-launching victory over defending champion Charlie Coe in the 36-hole U.S. Amateur final 56 years ago. (Nicklaus is pictured above at the Gala and at left on the 18th green at The Broadmoor’s East Course.)
“I’m really pleased to have had the pleasure to have Colorado be such a large part of my golfing life,” Nicklaus said before a fireside chat with journalist Tim Rosaforte. “… I’ve been blessed to be able to (design or redesign 10) golf courses in Colorado (including Castle Pines Golf Club, site of the PGA Tour’s International for 21 years, with three other Colorado courses done by Nicklaus Design). I’ve had a blast coming here. I’ve had two or three homes in Colorado, skied a lot in Colorado and spent a lot of time with (President) Gerald Ford when he was here; what a man. What I’m trying to say is, we’ve had a great, great time in Colorado, and it’s nice to be back here this evening.”
Also in attendance Saturday were the president and executive director of the USGA — Thomas O’Toole and Mike Davis, respectively — along with John Kaczkowski, president and CEO of the Western Golf Associaton, and Rhett Evans, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
And, of course, there were the six Colorado golf People of the Century who were recognized on Saturday: Will Nicholson Jr. (Man of the Century), Judy Bell (Woman of the Century), Hale Irwin (Male Player of the Century), Barbara McIntire (Female Player of the Century), Charles “Vic” Kline (Golf Professional of the Century) and Dennis Lyon (Superintendent of the Century). (Five of the six are pictured above: from left, Kline, Bell, Nicholson, Lyon and Irwin. McIntire missed the event after feeling ill.)
To put things into perspective, there are six players in the history of golf to have won three or more U.S. Opens, and two of them were at the Gala, Nicklaus (four-time champ) and Irwin (three-time winner).
“We’ve got a five-time USGA champion in Hale Irwin,” O’Toole noted Saturday. “We’ve got the greatest major winner ever in Jack (Nicklaus). We’ve got two past presidents of the USGA (Nicholson and Bell). We’ve got a past chairman of the Women’s Committee (actually two in Bell and McIntire, in addition to Joan Birkland, who was also in attendance). We’ve got a many-time Curtis Cup captain in both Judy and Barbara. It was important for us to be here tonight.”
(For more about the People of the Century, CLICK HERE.)
And Nicholson, a longtime acquaintance of Nicklaus through the former’s longstanding roles with the USGA and the Masters, was responsible for getting the Golden Bear to headline Saturday’s Gala.
“Will has been an unbeliebable friend,” Nicklaus said. “He’s a great man and you’re lucky to have him in Colorado.”
Nicklaus’ fireside chat — covering his tournament, design and personal experiences in Colorado and beyond — was popular with the big crowd (left) at The Broadmoor.
Nicklaus has said in the past — and reiterated on Saturday — that the U.S. Amateur victory at The Broadmoor in 1959 was one of the most important in his career. He sank an 8-foot birdie putt on the 36th hole to secure the first of his 20 major championships, if U.S. Ams are still considered majors.
“That’s probably the most important putt I ever made,” Nicklaus said. “In those days it was a major championship. What it did was it put me in a position where if I had to make a putt if I wanted to win something, I did. And winning breeds winning.
“The U.S. Amateur was the one that gave me the confidence to know that I could play, that I could do things under pressure. That was important to me.”
Nicklaus also noted that he defeated Robert Tyre Jones III, son of Grand Slam winner Bobby Jones, in the first round of match play.
Jones III told Nicklaus that he had called his dad and asked the elder Jones if he was going to come out and watch him. Bobby Jones asked who Jones III was playing. After being told it was Nicklaus, Bobby Jones told his son, “I’ve heard of him. No, I’m not coming out to watch you play 13 holes.”
And, noted Nicklaus, “We played 13 holes” in the Bear’s match play victory.
As for his performance in the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills, where he finished runner-up — as an amateur — to Arnold Palmer while being paired with Ben Hogan for the final two rounds …
“Probably the best thing that ever happened to me in my career was not to win that tournament,” Nicklaus said. “Had I won that tournament, I probably wouldn’t have put my nose to the grindstone and would not have wanted to get better. It brings you down to earth.”
But Nicklaus would win again in Colorado, both at the 1977 Jerry Ford Invitational, then prevailing by one shot at Cherry Hills over fellow former Ohio State golfer Tom Weiskopf in the 1993 U.S. Senior Open.
And though Nicklaus’ competitive golf days are now over — aside from periodic participation in the PNC Father-Son Challenge — he still isn’t done making his mark in Colorado. Just in recent months, he made alterations to numerous holes at the Castle Pines Golf Club course which opened in 1981.
“It’s a better course now,” Nicklaus said.
(For more about Nicklaus’ many accomplishements in Colorado, CLICK HERE.)
Odds and Ends from The Broadmoor: In tribute to Nicklaus for playing such a prominent role in the Century of Golf Gala, CGA president Phil Lane said that $25,000 will be donated to the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. …
George Solich, a former Broadmoor caddie who provided the lead gift for the Colorado Golf Foundation three years ago, spoke at the Gala along with current University of Colorado Evans Scholar Josh Aguilar (left, next to Solich). Aguilar was a product of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, one of the beneficiaries of the Colorado Golf Foundation. Solich, a CU Evans Scholar alum, encouraged support of the Foundation and the programs it supports. …
About 20 Evans Scholar caddies from CU assisted with Saturday’s Century of Golf golf outing, held at The Broadmoor’s East and West courses, along with the Gala. …
Roughly 170 players participated in the golf on a mid-November day in which the temperature reached the mid-60s. Each threesome/foursome/fivesome competed Saturday by seeing if its net best-ball score bettered that of Jack Nicklaus during the 36-hole U.S. Amateur final in 1959 at the East Course. Also, each competitor had the chance to try an 8-foot birdie putt similar to the one Nicklaus sunk to win the Amateur on the 18th green at the East Course, with those making it being awarded a Century of Golf in Colorado poster created by artist Lee Wybranski.
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.”
The choice of Pete Bevacqua as keynote speaker for the second annual G4 Summit wasn’t just serendipitous, but in some ways it seemed ideal given the nature of the gathering.
After all, this was an event designed so that Colorado’s top golf organizations could join forces to combat issues that keep golf from realizing its full potential in the state.
And who better to talk about what can be achieved by teaming up than someone who has held major leadership positions at both the PGA of America and the USGA? Bevacqua has seen the game from both sides — as well as from having been a caddie, a caddiemaster and a golf shop attendant.
Especially given his background, he realizes that organizations staking out territory often is counterproductive, especially when they share the overarching goal of growing the game of golf.
Bevacqua (left) has noted the possibilities when groups such as the PGA of America, the USGA, the PGA and LPGA Tours, and Augusta National collectively attack an issue.
“We all come at it from slightly different angles, but the similarities so vastly outweigh the differences, so what we can do is profound,” he said Tuesday in a speech at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs. “And I think collaboration is at an all-time high.”
While Bevacqua, now the CEO of the PGA of America, was speaking about the national golf organizations, his words fit just as well on a local level in Colorado.
At the Broadmoor, representatives from the CGA, CWGA, Colorado PGA, the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents and the Mile High Chapter of the Club Managers Association came together in an effort to help make the game in Colorado take a step or two in the right direction.
And certainly something must have struck a chord for those in the golf industry as about 300 people — up from a little more than 125 last year — attended the second G4 Summit.
“The collaboration is better than it’s ever been,” noted Eddie Ainsworth, executive director of the Colorado PGA. “We’re in control of our future, and I’m excited about it.”
Asked his reaction to how the day played out, CGA executive director Ed Mate said, “I would just say ‘home run’. You plan a day like today — it’s a team effort; it was truly the G4. Really what it shows is when you work together you get better results. … It’s going to be a tough act to follow, frankly, for future years. It was an A-plus.”
The main speakers covered a wide variety of topics, all very important to golf’s future. Hunki Yun, who as director of strategic projects with the USGA helps oversee pace-of-play issues for the organization, detailed that problem and ways to combat it. “The more (data) you have about what’s happening, the better,” he said. “It’s crucial to have control over the system.”
Sandy Cross (left), senior director of diversity and inclusion at the PGA of America, discussed the importance of understanding generational attributes in trying to attract young, middle-aged and older players — as well as both women and men — to the game. “It has dramatic implications for what (golf) is trying to accomplish,” she said. “Marketing must evolve. We have to adapt.”
And some ingrained ideas are simply outmoded, Cross said, citing for example the idea of selecting tee boxes based on gender rather than ability. “That’s deeply flawed. It’s denigrating and not welcoming.”
And Bevacqua not only spoke about the PGA’s strategic plan, but in steps the organization has taken recently to grow the game and become more inclusive. He cited Suzy Whaley becoming the first national female officer of the PGA of America, working with the LPGA to create the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the national PGA being more open to ideas emanating from the PGA Sections, and PGA programs such as Get Golf Ready, PGA Junior League and the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship.
“It was a great day of education and exchanging information and best practices,” said CWGA executive director Ann Guiberson, who was attending her first G4 Summit after being hired early last spring. “It was very informative, with some top speakers. And I think the mix of speakers appealed to a wide audience.”
Given that nationwide, the National Golf Foundation reports that only about 21 percent of all golfers are women, the CWGA was especially interested in getting Cross’ perspective on growing the game among females. To that end, the CWGA leadership met with Cross to exchange information, ask questions and “get some more ideas as to what we can do to grow women’s golf in Colorado,” Guiberson said.
In addition to the presentations, there was a panel discussion in which Bevacqua, Yun, Cross and J.D. Dockstader, chief business development officer of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, addressed a wide variety of golf industry-related topics (photo at bottom).
While many major hurdles remain for golf, they don’t seem quite as insurmountable when the golf industry throws its collective weight behind trying to implement solutions.
“Combined, we can make golf all it can be,” noted CGA president Phil Lane, who served as an unofficial host at his home club at the Broadmoor.
All in all, what came to fruition Tuesday gave the organizers a sense of satisfaction in taking a noteworthy step forward.
“This is something Ed Mate and I have been passionately working on (along with the CWGA, superintendents and club managers) for several years now,” Ainsworth said. “We are singularly focused on moving the needle together.”
Notable: The CGA provided a sneak preview of its new logo to those in attendance at the G4 Summit. The full-scale public unveiling will be coming shortly. … The Colorado PGA reported the Golf in Schools Program, a joint effort of the Allied Golf Associations in Colorado, has now reached 30,000 kids through P.E. classes over the last five years. … To date, 29 Colorado golf facilities have signed up for PGA Junior League Golf, where the idea is to bring a Little League atmosphere to junior golf competition for boys and girls of all skill levels. … Local qualifiers for the 2015 Drive Chip & Putt Championship will take place in June and July, with a sub-regional planned for CommonGround Golf Course on Aug. 30. The competition is open to boys and girls age 7-15. For a list of the Colorado qualifying sites, CLICK HERE.
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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.”
In at least one respect, and perhaps others, Phil Lane will be that.
Lane — who is about to begin a two-year term as president of the CGA, succeeding Tom Lawrence — resides in Colorado Springs and has for most of his life, which makes him unusual for the golf association’s top volunteer position. Almost all past CGA presidents have lived in the greater Denver metro area, but Lane will be an exception.
“We’re the Colorado Golf Association, not the Denver Golf Association,” noted Lane (pictured above). “So how do we add value to (CGA) member clubs outside Denver and make them feel part of the CGA’s mission and work, and reward them for being associated with the CGA?”
That will be one of many things on the plate for Lane, the CGA Board of Governors and the association staff in 2014 and ’15 and perhaps beyond. COgolf.org discussed such matters recently with Lane as he gears up for his two-year term as CGA president. (Note: A feature story on incoming CWGA president Joanie Ott will be posted on COgolf.org next week.)
Besides the CGA bringing in a new president heading into 2014, it’ll also have four new members of the association’s Board of Governors: Carl de Rozario of Columbine Country Club and Ballyneal, Doak Jacoway of Cherry Hills Country Club, Tom Markham of Valley Country Club, and Chris McClain of Canongate Colorado. Departing the board after years of service are Steve Anderson, Rick George, Jim Hayes and Don Sall. To see brief biographies on all of the CGA’s Governors, CLICK HERE.
Lane, a 48-year-old who owns undergraduate and Masters degrees from Northwestern University, is currently a private investor and businessman. For many years he worked for Pepsi and in his family’s longstanding business as a large Pepsi franchisee in Colorado and surrounding regions. That franchisee business was sold just over five years ago.
Besides the CGA, Lane sits on the boards for the Nature Conservancy and the YMCA, and in the past he’s served on the board for the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. He’s a member at the Broadmoor Golf Club and Castle Pines Golf Club.
“Phil is really engaged in civic projects,” noted Ed Mate, executive director for the CGA. “He has a very diverse background in civic and community projects. He’s helped guide other non-profits, which is a valuable asset for us. Today’s CGA is no longer your dad’s CGA. We have a far broader and deeper reach in the community.”
As for the CGA work that lies ahead for himself, the board and the staff, Lane foresees several priorities:
— Getting CommonGround Golf Course, owned by the CGA and CWGA and home to many golf-related community outreach programs, back to its former self after suffering significant damage from the September floods. CommonGround is operating as a nine-hole facility — in addition to the nine-hole Kids Course — while the eight damaged holes are restored.
CommonGround is home to the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program and many other “for the good of the game” and junior development initiatives.
“Getting the course up and running full-speed is clearly a top priority for us,” Lane said. “People have been great, playing the nine-hole course, the junior course, hitting balls and supporting (the golf shop and dining facility), but we have to focus our efforts in getting that back up and running (full-bore) as soon as possible in 2014. Obviously, that was an unforeseen need. The flooding threw us a bit of a curve, but we’re working through the challenges and we’ll come back stronger on the back end.”
— Enhancing the collaboration with the CWGA and other major golf organizations in the state.
Regarding the CWGA, Lane said, “We’re working better than we ever have with the CWGA. We need to continue to find ways to work more closely together and serve members better than ever before.”
— Helping the newly formed Colorado Golf Foundation get its legs.
Founded early this year, the Foundation aims to provide assistance for innovative programs that use the game of golf to instill hard work and self-reliance in young people.
“There are a lot of organizations that want to promote golf,” Lane said. “How do you find a balance between all of them and not have groups pulling on the same rope from two different ends? We want to make sure we’re all rowing together.
“The (lead) gift George Solich gave is fabulous, and under Will Nicholson’s leadership (as foundation chairman), it will take off in 2014. And the CGA will be intimately involved with how it evolves over its lifetime.”
— Celebrating the CGA’s centennial in 2015.
“That’s a huge opportunity to highlight all the great things that have happened over the last 100 years, (and) to have a year-long celebration of the game.”
The CWGA, by the way, will reach its 100-year anniversary the following year, in 2016.
Lane has served on the CGA Board of Governors for more than four years, under the presidencies of Bill Fowler, Jim Magette and Lawrence.
“They all brought great strength and passion and leadership,” Lane said. “I hope I can continue the momentum and continue to strengthen our board. There are always opportunities to find new people and to tap into the talent of the existing board. It’s a personal interest of mine to get the most out of the board. And Ed (Mate) and I also want organizational development to bring out the best in the staff.”
Lane didn’t start playing golf until well into adulthood, but he’s certainly dived head-first into the game since. He served as co-general chairman for the 2008 U.S. Senior Open at the Broadmoor, and joined the CGA board the following year. And now becoming the CGA president is another big step in that regard.
“I love golf, and any opportunity to give back to the game in a small way gets me excited,” he said. “It should be a fun, interesting two years.”
After all, he was the product of just such a program.
Solich earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado after going to school on an Evans Caddie Scholarship, and now he’s doing his best to pay it forward.
His latest venture in that regard is one on a very large scale. With a $2 million lead gift from Solich and his wife Carol, the CGA on Monday announced the formation of the Colorado Golf Foundation, which will provide assistance “for innovative programs that use the game of golf to instill hard work and self-reliance in young people.”
For Solich, the kids are the key.
“I love golf and what it can teach kids of all socio-economic backgrounds — good lessons about character and competition,” he said. “For me, the game has affected my life in so many great ways.”
The CGA has been designated the organization that will manage the day-to-day affairs of the CGF, with guidance provided by an independent nine-person board of directors and five advisory directors who will review opportunities and distribute appropriate grants.
Former USGA president Will Nicholson Jr., a lifelong Coloradan who helped structure the foundation, has been named the CGF’s chairman.
Among the programs the Colorado Golf Foundation anticipates funding are two which Solich has helped fund and support in the past: the year-old Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course, and the CGA’s Evans Scholarship Recruiter position. Others programs that have been specified for anticipated funding are other Colorado-based caddie programs and the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround.
(Solich is pictured above congratulating a participant in the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy.)
And the plan is to consider support for “other youth-based programs and initiatives that place a high value on leadership, character development and the traditions of the game of golf.”
“I think the (CGF) will make a big difference,” said Nicholson, who has a long history of volunteerism in the game. “And I think it will be great particularly for young people; that’s the emphasis. I’m delighted and honored that George asked me to be chairman.”
Like Solich, Nicholson believes golf is an especially effective vehicle for instilling key values in young men and women.
“The key is that golf is a game of self-discipline and doing what’s right when no one is looking,” said Nicholson, who last year was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.
Solich hopes to see the $2 million seed he’s planted blossom into something that other philanthropists support and which will grow and thrive over the long haul.
The foundation “is almost a co-op for a lot of different programs we want to support through golf, and we hope others see the benefit (and assist in the effort),” Solich said. “I hope that $2 million (grows to be) a much bigger foundation and will drive some good programs in the state of Colorado that are rooted in golf and that will have a broad effect on people’s lives.
“When we look back in five or 10 years, I hope we can say, ‘Look at what we started and how many kids we affected.'”
The nine members of the CGF board, which must include at least two members of the CGA Board of Governors, are Nicholson, George Caulkins, former Cherry Hills Country Club head professional Clayton Cole, Jim Hayes, Phil Lane, CGA president Tom Lawrence, CGA executive director Ed Mate, Geoff Solich (George’s brother and an Evans Scholars alum) and Castle Pines Golf Club general manager Keith Schneider.
The advisory board will include George Solich, World Golf Hall of Famers Hale Irwin and Judy Bell, and Colorado Sports Hall of Famers Jack Vickers and Dow Finsterwald.
For several reasons, Solich feels the CGA is the ideal organization to manage the day-to-day affairs of the foundation.
“The mission of both organizations are strongly aligned, and what the CGA has done with CommonGround (which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA) as a tool is so admirable. They have the caddie program, the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program; it’s turned out to be an incredible confluence, a great staging area to deliver all these great programs. I also believe the leadership at the CGA has never been stronger, and the mission and direction has never been stronger. So it was perfect alignment.”
Providing the lead gift and guidance for the Colorado Golf Foundation is the latest of several major endeavors Solich has taken on in the golf realm over the last several years.
He was a major force in bringing the 2014 BMW Championship PGA Tour playoff event to Cherry Hills Country Club, and he will serve as general chairman of that tournament. The BMW Championship helps fund the Evans Caddie Scholarship. And in a related matter, Solich has been a Match Play Challenge partner in an initiative in which major donors match contributions of $2,500 or more to the Evans Scholarship. And that’s all in addition to the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy — which is named in honor of brothers George and Geoff, both former Evans Scholars and prominent players in the oil and gas business — and George funding the CGA’s Evans Scholars Recruiter position.
“I’ve been blessed to be able” to give back, Solich said.
For more information on the Colorado Golf Foundation, or to support the CGF, contact Will Nicholson at 303-585-7100.
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