The U.S., Canada, The Bahamas, Brazil, Scotland, England, France, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, China, Thailand and Australia.

And if he’s forgotten a nation or two, that’s understandable. Things can become a bit of a blur when racking up frequent-flyer miles at roughly a six-figure-per-year pace.

But now, his command of the Rules of Golf will bring him back home in a sense — to a place where he laid his foundation in the golf business. You see, for a decade before being hired by the LPGA, Lis worked for the CGA, spending the last seven years of that stint as the association’s director of rules and competitions.

And now, after being named by the LPGA late last year to serve as its liaison on the powerful USGA Rules of Golf Committee, Lis will attend his first committee meeting in about three weeks as part of the USGA Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. And though the business at hand will be very important — with the Rules modernization and simplification project going full throttle — it will be a “family” reunion of sorts. After all, three of the roughly dozen committee members worked at the CGA together a decade ago — Ed Mate (who remains the CGA’s executive director), Thomas Pagel (currently the USGA’s senior director of Rules of Golf and Amateur Status) and Lis (a manager of rules and competition for the LPGA Tour).

“On a personal level, I take great pride in that,” Mate said last month. “For a long time, Colorado has had strong representation with the USGA. And it’s nice because you can be candid with friends.”

Indeed, among the other Coloradans in recent decades who have served on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee are Will Nicholson Jr., M.J. Mastalir, Jim Bunch, Robin Jervey and Christie Austin. Nicholson, Mastalir, Bunch and Austin have all chaired the committee, with Austin being the first woman to have done so.

Both Mate and Lis serve as “advisory members” of the committee, with Mate representing state and regional golf associations and Lis the LPGA.

“It’s a unique and unbeliebable opportunity,” Lis said in a phone interview last month. “I remember when Ed, Thomas and I would talk Rules at a mediocre level (while with the CGA). Now, I’ll be sitting there with those guys and some of the best Rules minds in the world. Hopefully I’ll have an opportunity to provide a little insight and help out.

“I’m excited to do it. I’m sure there will be a little nerves about when to speak up. But I’m there as an LPGA liaison. Hopefully I can help them from the tour’s perspective.”

Lis and Mate, both relative newcomers to the Rules of Golf Committee (Mate joined in the fall of 2015), have come on board at a key time as the USGA and R&A are in the midst of a special project designed to simplify and clarify the Rules of Golf. The new Local Rule that eliminates the penalty when a ball is accidentally moved on the putting green is a working example of the simplification.

For Lis, filling a role on the USGA Rules Committee is a good fit, given his current role with the LPGA, his former role with the CGA, and his long association with the USGA.

What does it say about the CGA to have three current or former staffers now serving on one of the golf world’s top rule-making bodies?

“It goes back to Ed Mate and what a great leader he’s been,” Lis said. “You look at the entire staff and where people have gone. He did a great job challenging us. It was the same with Thomas (Pagel).

“It’s an honor. All of Colorado in general has had good representation on the committee with M.J., Christie, Will and Jim Bunch.”

These days, Lis said he works about 25 LPGA Tour-related events each year, putting him on the road about 29 weeks with the preparation involved. (He’s pictured above, in green, alongside Stacy Lewis at the 2013 Solheim Cup at Colorado Golf Club in Parker.) Last year, one of the events he worked was in Brazil for the women’s Olympic tournament, which (along with the men’s competition) marked the return of Olympic golf after a 112-year hiatus.

“It was much better than it was billed,” Lis said of the Summer Games. “I didn’t see one mosquito. It was cool to be a small part of history. I was fortunate to walk with Shanshan Feng (of China), the bronze medal winner. And I had the distinction of (giving out) the first pace of play penalty in the Olympics — to a Brazilian player, unfortunately. But I managed to get out of there alive.”

All told, Lis doesn’t mind all the travel he does for work.

“I really enjoy going to all the places,” said Lis, who is based in the Milwaukee area along with his girlfriend, Kelley Mawhinney, a former CWGA tournament and junior golf operations manager. “Fifteen hours (traveling overseas) is a long trip, but it’s a pretty special opportunity.

“I love what I do. I love the interaction with players, volunteers and staff. I feel the exact same at the LPGA as I did with the CGA. We’re all brothers and sisters. It doesn’t feel like a job, but kind of a traveling circus.”
  

For the fourth time since late May, the Colorado golf community lost one of its most notable members as Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Bill Bisdorf passed away last Monday (Sept. 19) in Denver at the age of 87.

Ironically, the man who was born exactly four months before Arnold Palmer in 1929 died just six days before The King did on Sunday.

In winning three of the first four Colorado Opens at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, Bisdorf is one of just three players who have captured that title at least three times, along with Dave Hill (four wins) and Bill Loeffler (three).

Bisdorf (pictured) was runner-up to Bob Pratt in the 1966 Colorado Open, meaning his first four finishes in the tournament were first, first, second, first. He was also second in 1975 (placing just in front of Peter Jacobsen), third in 1971 and fifth in ’72.

Add it up and that’s seven top-five finishes in the first dozen Colorado Opens. He also won the the 1959 and ’66 Colorado Section PGA Championships, the 1960 Wyoming Open and the 1965 Mile High Open.

Ronn Spargur, a former longtime executive director of the Colorado Open, noted that Rocky Mountain News golf writer Dave Nelson — who’s also in the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame — had a nickname for Bisdorf back in his prime.

“He called him ‘the blacksmith’ because (Bisdorf) could hit the ball two or three miles,” Spargur said. “He was really strong.”

Indeed, it’s said that Bisdorf out-drove Jack Nicklaus during practice leading up to the 1967 PGA Championship at Columbine Country Club.

Not surprisingly, Bisdorf was named the Colorado PGA’s Player of the Year following his first two Colorado Open victories (1964 and ’65). He also claimed the championship in 1967. Interestingly, Bisdorf didn’t receive any official prize money for winning the first Colorado Open as there was no purse that year. And it’s notable that the runner-up that first year, amateur Jim English, also passed away in the summer of 2016. In ’65 and ’67, Bisdorf won $1,000 and $1,200, respectively, for his Colorado Open victories.

Bisdorf competed in 46 events on the PGA Tour from 1956 to ’71, including a career-high 14 in 1957. He posted two top-10 finishes, including a third place in 1956.

Bisdorf played 16 major championships over the years — 10 PGA Championships and six U.S. Opens. He finished tied for 20th — along with Raymond Floyd — in the 1967 PGA Championship at Columbine.

And after the creation of the Senior Tour — now known as PGA Tour Champions — Bisdorf competed in nine events on that circuit from 1980 to ’86, recording three top-25 finishes.

A member of the PGA of America since 1955, Bisdorf served as the head professional at Green Gables Country Club from 1959 through ’67. He later owned Denver Capitol Golf, where golfers could receive year-round lessons, then was head professional at Twilight Golf Course from 1979 to ’89.

Bisdorf was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1989. Since May, fellow Hall of Famers Will Nicholson Jr., English and Ed Nosewicz have also passed away.

Norma Bisdorf, Bill’s wife, said there will be no services, but half of his ashes will be placed at Fort Logan Cemetary. Bill Bisdorf served in the Navy and played on Naval Championship teams along with Billy Casper and Gene Littler during the early 1950s. 

Bisdorf is survived by Norma, five children, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
 

That was apparent long before Wednesday, when Saint John’s Cathedral in Denver was at near capacity for the service for Nicholson, one of just three Coloradans to have served as a president of the USGA.

Nicholson, a former chairman of the Rules and Competitions Committees at the Masters and for the last 43 years a board member for the CGA, passed away on May 28 at the age of 87.

In the wake of Nicholson’s death, CBS’ Jim Nantz paid tribute to him during the network’s coverage of Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial tournament on Sunday.

And on Wednesday, a who’s who of golf from Colorado and beyond bid Nicholson a fond farewell. Among the hundreds who attended the service at Saint John’s Cathedral were Judy Bell, the Colorado Springs resident who was the first female president of the USGA; 1958 PGA Championship winner Dow Finsterwald; CBS Sports golf producer Lance Barrow; Fred Ridley, the former U.S. Amateur champion and USGA president who succeeded Nicholson as chairman of the Masters Competition and Rules Committees; executive directors of the CGA (Ed Mate) and the Colorado PGA (Eddie Ainsworth), George Solich, who originally funded the Colorado Golf Foundation for which Nicholson served as the first chairman; former USGA Executive Committeeman M.J. Mastalir; CGA president Joe McCleary; numerous members of both the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (along with its president and CEO, former CGA president Tom Lawrence) and the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

The list could go on and on.

Obviously, there was no shortage of people upon whom Nicholson had an impact over his 87 years. It’s little wonder why he was honored as the Colorado golf Man of the Century last fall during the Century of Golf Gala at The Broadmoor.

As Ridley noted when he eulogized Nicholson on Wednesday, “When Will spoke, everyone listened.”

(Nicholson is pictured above, at left, in a USGA photo while at the 2015 USGA Annual Meeting.)

For an earlier story about Nicholson’s life, CLICK HERE.
 

For the first time in almost a half-century, the Masters field won’t include a single competitor with major Colorado ties.

Each year prior to this since the late 1960s, at least one player with strong Colorado connections was in the field at Augusta National Golf Club. Carrying the torch for the state over that period were the likes of Boulder High School and University of Colorado graduate Hale Irwin (21 appearances, including four consecutive top-five finishes from 1974 to ’77); 1982 champion Craig Stadler, a Colorado resident since 1994, whose run of 36 consecutive Masters ended after the 2014 tournament; Fort Morgan and CU product Dale Douglass; former Evergreen resident Dave Hill; part-time Boulder resident and former CU golfer Jonathan Kaye; Yuma High School and former Buff Steve Jones; Cherry Hills Village resident David Duval; Coloradan Gary Hallberg; former Cherry Creek High School golfer Mike Reid; Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe; Aurora resident Mark Wiebe; former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird; and part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler. Kevin Stadler competed at the Masters last year after finishing eighth in his debut in 2014.

It’s been a great run, but it will end with this week’s Masters. Past champion Craig Stadler wrapped up his competitive run at Augusta National after competing with his son Kevin in 2014, and no other “local” earned an invitation for 2016.

But just because no one with strong Colorado ties will be playing beginning Thursday in Augusta, Ga., that certainly doesn’t mean that Colorado won’t be represented in other official roles at this year’s Masters.

Here are a few examples:

— Former Castle Pines resident Esteban Toledo — who won his fourth PGA Tour Champions event in February — will caddie for former Masters champion Sandy Lyle (CLICK HERE). (Toledo and Lyle are pictured together Monday in an Augusta National photo.) Also on the caddie front, Coloradan Steve “Pepsi” Hale will loop for Keegan Bradley.

— CGA executive director Ed Mate will be a rules official at the Masters, thanks to joining the USGA Rules of Golf Committee within the last year.

— Craig Stadler, while not competing, returned for Tuesday evening’s Champions Dinner and for Wednesday’s Par-3 Contest.

— Steamboat Springs resident Verne Lundquist — he of “Yes, Sir!” broadcasting fame — will be back at Augusta National as part of the CBS television crew. Also on that team will be Dottie Pepper, one of the speakers at the G4 Summit held in February at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Pepper will be the first on-course female broadcaster for CBS at Augusta National.

— Duval, who’s lived in Colorado for about a dozen years, is also at Augusta National on TV assignment, serving as an analyst for the Golf Channel. Also working for the Golf Channel at the Masters is Colorado State University product Steve Sands.

— Veteran award-winning golf journalist Kaye Kessler of Littleton will cover the Masters for the 53rd time, a run that started in 1963.

— And, of course, Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Will Nicholson Jr., has been a fixture at the Masters in recent decades, serving as chairman of the Masters Competition Committee from 1992 through 2006, when he was responsible for setting up Augusta National for the Masters. Nicholson also chaired the Masters Rules Committee for 17 years.
 

About 1,250 people attended the festivities, which were a culmination of a year of activities and initiatives held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Colorado Golf Association.

The Gala featured a fireside chat with Jack Nicklaus and the honoring of six Colorado golf People of the Century:

Man of the Century — Will Nicholson Jr.

Woman of the Century — Judy Bell

Male Player of the Century — Hale Irwin

Female Player of the Century — Barbara McIntire

Golf Professional of the Century — Charles “Vic” Kline

Superintendent of the Century — Dennis Lyon

The Colorado Golf Foundation, which was founded three years ago, benefits youth player development, caddie programs, community partnerships, and college scholarships.

For links to Gala-related information:

— Article on the Gala: CLICK HERE

— YouTube: Nicklaus Reflects on Career in Colorado at The Broadmoor: CLICK HERE

— Photos for Download: CLICK HERE
 

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.
 

The Century of Golf Gala set for Saturday night (Nov. 14) at The Broadmoor will feature more golf luminaries than you can shake a stick — or a golf club — at.

Of course, heading the list will be arguably the greatest golfer of all time, Jack Nicklaus, the featured guest at the Gala. (To read about his many accomplishments in Colorado, CLICK HERE). The Golden Bear will participate in a fireside chat with another notable, columnist and Golf Channel insider Tim Rosaforte.

Other headliners at the Gala will be the six Colorado golf People of the Century who will be recognized at The Broadmoor:

Man of the Century — Will Nicholson Jr.

Woman of the Century — Judy Bell

Male Player of the Century — Hale Irwin

Female Player of the Century — Barbara McIntire

Golf Professional of the Century — Charles “Vic” Kline

Superintendent of the Century — Dennis Lyon

(Pictured above are five of the six, from left: McIntire, Bell, Nicholson, Kline and Lyon.)

And many other big names will be among the roughly 1,250 people expected to attend the Gala or the 160 planning to play golf as part of the festivities earlier in the day, weather-permitting.

The Gala and related events are being held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the CGA. The Nov. 14 events are being conducted by the Colorado Golf Foundation, with all proceeds benefiting the Foundation’s mission of youth development through golf.

As a primer to the Gala, here’s a look at the People of the Century, by the numbers:

1 — Women who have served as USGA president since the position was created in 1894, with that one being Judy Bell of Colorado Springs (1996-97).

1st — U.S. captain for the President’s Cup, Hale Irwin in 1994.

2 — World Golf Hall of Famers among the People of the Century, Judy Bell and Hale Irwin (left).

2 — People of the Century who lost to the great Mickey Wright at the 1952 U.S. Girls’ Junior. Judy Bell fell to Wright in the semifinals and Barbara McIntire in the final. McIntire was also the runner-up in 1951.

2 — Major national awards earned by Dennis Lyon in the years shortly following his retirement as manager of golf for the city of Aurora: USGA’s Green Section Award, given to individuals who contribute significantly to the game of golf through their work with turfgrass (2011) and the Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award, presented by the GCSAA to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the golf course superintendent’s profession (2013).

2 — Sports in which Vic Kline lettered at the University of New Mexico (golf and basketball) and in which Hale Irwin lettered at the University of Colorado (golf and football). Irwin was a two-time All-Big Eight defensive back in football (1965 and ’66) and won the 1967 NCAA individual title in golf.

3 — Coloradans who have been presidents of the USGA, with People of the Century Will Nicholson and Judy Bell joining Frank Woodward.

3 — Courses Hale Irwin has designed in Colorado: Highlands Ranch GC, Indian Peaks GC and the Cordillera Mountain Course.

3 — National amateur titles won in the U.S. and Great Britain by Barbara McIntire from 1959-64. She claimed the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1959 and ’64 and also captured the 1960 British Ladies Amateur, becoming just the fourth American to win that event.

3 — Coloradans who have chaired the USGA Women’s Golf Committee, with People of the Century Judy Bell and Barbara McIntire joining Joan Birkland.

4 — People of the Century who are in the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame: Hale Irwin, Judy Bell, Will Nicholson and Barbara McIntire.

4 — Times Hale Irwin, 70, shot his age or better during the 2015 Champions Tour season, including his final two official rounds of the year (both 68s).

5 — USGA championships won by Hale Irwin, including three U.S. Opens and two U.S. Senior Opens. Also the number of CGA championship titles he captured, including three straight Stroke Plays (1963-65). In addition, Irwin claimed the 1963 state high school title at Boulder High, where he was a teammate of Dick Anderson, who would go on to be a three-time NFL Pro Bowler with the Miami Dolphins.

5 — Times Vic Kline was named the Colorado PGA’s Player of the Year. Also, years he served as president of the Colorado PGA from 1975 to ’92.

6 — People of the Century who’ve been inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

6 — People who have won the U.S. Open at least three times: Jack Nicklaus (4), Ben Hogan (4), Bobby Jones (4), Willie Anderson (4), Hale Irwin (3) and Tiger Woods (3).

7 — Recipients of the Will Nicholson Jr., Award who are members of the World Golf Hall of Fame: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Judy Bell, Hale Irwin and Ernie Els. The award goes to people who have demonstrated a lifetime of commitment and dedication to the game of golf. Nicholson himself was the first recipient.

8 — Curtis Cup teams on which Barbara McIntire competed (6) or captained (2). Judy Bell played in two and captained two.

11 — Years Will Nicholson Jr., spent on the powerful USGA Executive Committee.

11 — Times the Vic Kline Award has been given to a member of the Colorado PGA Board of Directors for outstanding service and leadership for the Section.

13 — Match wins by Hale Irwin in the Ryder Cup (against five losses and two draws).

15 — Age at which Judy Bell won the first of her three Kansas state women’s amateur titles, in 1952.

17 — Years Will Nicholson Jr., chaired the Rules Committee for the Masters. Nicholson was responsible for setting up Augusta National for the Masters from 1992-2006.

20 — PGA Tour victories recorded by Hale Irwin from 1971-94.

25 — Years of volunteer service on USGA committees for which Dennis Lyon received the Ike Grainger Award.

38 — USGA championships in which Judy Bell competed.

45 — Record total of career Champions Tour victories posted by Hale Irwin, 16 more than runner-up Lee Trevino. The total includes seven senior major championships.

45 — Age at which Hale Irwin won the 1990 U.S. Open, making him the oldest champion of that event.

67 — Score Judy Bell shot at the 1964 U.S. Women’s Open, which remained the record for the championship for 14 years.

302 — Four-round total shot by Barbara McIntire in the 1956 U.S. Women’s Open in forcing a playoff with Kathy Cornelius. If McIntire had won the playoff, she would have become the first amateur to capture the U.S. Women’s Open title, but Cornelius prevailed 75-82.

1250 — Prize money earned by Vic Kline for winning the Colorado Open in 1968.

1973 (to present) — Time Will Nicholson has served on the CGA Board of Governors.

1980-81 — Years Will Nicholson Jr., served as president of the USGA.

1987 — Year Judy Bell became the first female to serve on the USGA Executive Committee.

1988 — Year the junior golf program at Indian Tree Golf Club in Arvada was named the best in the nation at a municipal facility by Golf Digest. Vic Kline was the longtime director of golf at Indian Tree.

1989 — Year Dennis Lyon became national president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

2000 — Year Barbara McIntire received the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the USGA, in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.

2000 — Year Vic Kline was presented the PGA of America’s top award, as national Golf Professional of the Year. Only one other member of the Colorado PGA has earned the honor, Warren Smith in 1973. Five years later, in 2005, Kline was inducted into the PGA of America Golf Professional Hall of Fame.

2002-03 — Years Dennis Lyon served as president of the CGA. In 2008, he would become general chairman of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora.
 

By the time the USGA and R&A released their 2016 edition of the Rules of Golf on Oct. 26, CGA executive director Ed Mate had already returned from meetings in Far Hills, N.J., that began to set the stage for the next edition.

Basically, it’s an ever-evolving process, and the personnel working behind the scenes on such matters come and go.

Mate (left), who’s headed up the staff of the CGA since 2000, is one of the newcomers to the Rules of Golf decision-making process.

In fact, with his recent appointment to the USGA Rules of Golf Committee, he becomes the first CGA staff member to ever serve on the committee. He’s one of five advisory members on the 13-member committee as he’s filling the slot reserved for a representative of the state and regional golf associations. Former CWGA executive director Robin Jervey served in that same position several years ago.

Being the first CGA staffer on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee “is not a compliment to me, but to the CGA,” Mate said. “We have a good reputation” with the USGA.

Indeed, two living Coloradans have been presidents of the USGA, Will Nicholson Jr., and Judy Bell. And in the last quarter-century, several other residents of the Centennial State have served on the powerful USGA Executive Committee, including M.J. Mastalir, Jim Bunch and Christie Austin.

Nicholson has been a fixture on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee since 1974 and is among those currently serving alongside Mate. Other Coloradans who have been on the committee in the relatively recent past are Mastalir, Bunch and Austin, all of whom have chaired the committee, and Jervey. Austin was the first female chair of the Rules of Golf Commitee, which works with the R&A in establishing and interpreting rules standards worldwide.

For Mate, having a hand in the process is a dream come true.

“I’m very excited to be on the committee,” he said. “I can tell you how welcome I felt and how sincere (others on the committee) were in welcoming my input. I didn’t know what to expect, but I have every opportunity to contribute.”

The invitation to serve on the committee came from a person with whom Mate is very familiar, Thomas Pagel. Pagel has been the USGA’s senior director of Rules of Golf & Amateur Status since 2011. He worked on the CGA staff from 2003-08 and was the assistant executive director of the association for two years until being named executive director of the Utah Golf Association in 2008.

Pagel asked Mate during this year’s U.S. Women’s Open if he’d like to join the USGA Rules of Golf Committee. And, after checking with the CGA board, Mate couldn’t say yes quickly enough.

“It’s pretty much a no-brainer for me,” he said. “I’m a self-proclaimed Rules geek. I’ve always been interested in the Rules since I got involved in the game. So to be part of process is amazing.”

The USGA Rules of Golf Committee, along with its R&A counterpart and their executive committees, are currently attempting to streamline the Rules as much as is practical.

“The stated objective is to find a way to simplify the Rules,” Pagel said on Oct. 26. “That’s our primary focus moving forward. … Are there wholesale ways to help simplify it?”

The USGA Rules of Golf Committee typically includes advisory reprepsentatives from the PGA of America, the Mexican Golf Federation, the PGA and LPGA Tours, and from state and regional golf associations. They and the rest of the committee normally meet three times per year.

To read about the changes made for the 2016 edition of the Rules of Golf, CLICK HERE.