Tournament Season Underway

(Franklin, TN) - The 2010 tournament season officially began yesterday as player's competed in the TGA Championship Series event at The Governor's Club in Brentwood, TN. The season began, as it has the past couple of year's, with some of the state's top players competing in this Level I Player of the Year point event. A field of 72 players competed in their respective Mid-Amateur, Senior Amateur, and Super Senior divisions all hoping to get an early jump on the points race. Home court advantage may have played a part in this year's opener as two Governor's Club members claimed titles in the Mid-Amateur and Senior Amateur divisions.

Kevin Watford (Franklin) and Danny Simmerman (Nashville) found themselves in a tie for first after the completion of the 36 hole stroke play event, both carding a 3 over par total of 147. In the end, Mr. Watford took the Mid-Amateur title as he ran in a 30 foot birdie putt on the first hole of the sudden death playoff. Craig McElhaney (Nashville), the winner of last year's season opener, took third with a four over par total of 148. First round leader, Charlie Keene (Nashville), took fourth place honors with a five over total of 149.

Doug Harris (Franklin) set an early lead in the Senior Amateur division after day one posting a three under par 69 giving him a four shot lead heading into today's final round. Battling back from a late triple bogey, Mr. Harris managed to right the ship and post a 2 over par 74 giving him a two day total of 143 (-1). Tom Baird (Signal Mountain) finished second with a two day total of 146 (+2), three shots behind winner Doug Harris. Mike Carroll (Knoxville) rounded out the top three with a tournament score of 150 (+6).

2010 marked the introduction of the Super Senior division (65+) to each of the TGA Championship Series events. Bobby Perkinson (Alcoa) won in convincing fashion posting a two day total of 150 (+6), seven shots better than second and third place finishers Gary Pierce (Franklin) and Tony Cox (Crossville) who both posted totals of 157.

Less than a month away

It's amazing how quickly time passes...more so the older you get. It seems like yesterday I was returning back to work from the Holiday break, yet here I sit less than a month away from our first event. Lately, my time has been filled with tournament favor orders, trying to plan out course rating trips, site visits, and making sure that I am ready for tournament preparation to begin. For those not in and around the tournament admin portion of golf it may come as a shock the amount of prep work that goes into even the easiest of events. I know when I began my internship with the TGA, several years ago, that was the biggest shock to my system. Weeks of preparation can go into an event and even more so for our major championships. Sure, our attention to detail may add a few days of work here or there... but I truly feel that it is because of our discipline to make sure everything is correct that we separate ourselves from other associations.

In a couple of weeks we will be conducting our first event of 2010, a TGA Championship Series event at The Governor's Club in Brentwood, TN. Last year we opened with the same event and the weather was very unkind to us. My fingers are crossed for good weather this year! So tournament preparation continues...in a few short weeks we will find ourselves marking hazards, dotting hole locations, and writing rules sheets all in preparation for a great beginning to the 2010 season.

TGA Annual Board Meeting

On Saturday, February 27th, the TGA staff, Executive Committee, and Board of Directors met for the annual TGA Board of Directors Meeting at Hillwood Country Club in Nashville, TN. This meeting allows the TGA staff to give both the Executive Committee and the TGA Director's a recap of the previous year and to discuss goals for the upcoming one. The meeting began with a roll call of all TGA Member Club representatives followed by reports from both the Handicap and Course Rating leaders informing of the past year's results and current year's goals.

Kathy Gordon, Southeast Regional Affiars Director for the USGA, gave her annual USGA report in which she stated that the entire Southeast Region had weathered the economic storm well the past year. She informed the attendees that the USGA was feeling the impact of the economy as well but that no major changes were going to have to be made. She also reported on the new USGA president, Jim Hyler, and his vision of taking the USGA "green".

Following Kathy, the Board received yearly reports from the TGA President, TGA Treasurer, Men's and Women's Competition Committees, Rules of Golf Commitee, the Tennessee Golf Foundation, and the Strategic Planning Committee. Through the reports given it was clear that 2009 had been a great year given the economic struggles that we faced, and it was apparent that we were headed in a very good direction moving forward into the new year.

The meeting was concluded with the honoring of Lewis Foster, who had served as the Tennessee Golf Association President for the past two years. Mr. Foster was a great asset for our association to have at the helm and we were very appreciative to him for all the work he had put into bettering us as a premier golf association. Mr. Tim Jackson will replace Mr. Foster as the TGA President for the 2010-2011 term. As most of you know Tim is a staple of Tennessee Amateur Golf and we couldn't be happier to be represented by such a wonderful leader on and off the course.

2010 Rules of Golf Workshops

The Tennessee Golf Association is pleased to announce their 2010 Rules of Golf Workshops. These statewide educational workshops will cover everything from definitions, most common and abused rules to highlighting several new and revised Decisions on the Rules of Golf which went into effect this year. These popular workshops are sure to fill up fast so act quickly and register today! In addition to the Rules Workshops, a Tournament Administration Workshop will also be held in the Nashville area and will cover all aspects of conducting a golf tournament.

The registration fee for the Rules of Golf Workshops is $25 and includes lunch and various Rules of Golf materials. Each workshop will feature a visual presentation and an outdoor session (weather permitting). The Tournament Administration Workshop's registration fee is only $10 and includes refreshments and related materials.

Sign up today at www.golfhousetennessee.com or contact the TGA at (615)790-7600 to register.


Click here to download a .pdf version of the Rules of Golf Workshop entry form.


2010 TGA Rules of Golf Workshop Locations

March 15th
Council Fire Golf Club
Presenters:
Nathaniel Hantle & Carter Page, TGA

March 23rd
Germantown Country Club
Presenters:
Nathaniel Hantle & Carter Page, TGA

March 29th*
Hillwood Country Club
(Tournament Admin. Workshop)
Presenter:
John Morrissett, USGA

March 30th
Hillwood Country Club
Presenter:
John Morrissett, USGA

April 6th
Holston Hills Country Club
Presenters:
Nathaniel Hantle & Carter Page, TGA

Here before we know it

Where did the first half January go? It seems like just the other day we were all filing back into the office after the holiday break, a glassy haze over our eyes, and all struggling to take the plunge back into the stack of work that had accumulated on our desks. Things have steadily picked up around the office over the past couple of weeks or so, and it is abundantly clear that tournament season is just around the corner. It's a bittersweet moment for me right now. Sure, I love the winter months. It is a time for me to take a deep breath and relax in fact that I have some much needed time to re-charge the "battery", but it is also a time where being disciplined can allow you to jump start the new year on the right track. For us (TGA), the off-season is an opportunity to lay the ground work for the upcoming tournament season...the months where we get to shine.

We are currently working on finalizing our 2010 Tournament Schedule. The final step to finalizing this is to get the TGA Championship Series events on the books. It is my hope that all of these events will be scheduled by the middle of February in time for the March 1 tournament registration open date. I am also currently in the process of finding host sites for our 2010 Rules of Golf Workshops. The TGA will be conducting 4 workshops in the Franklin, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Memphis areas. These workshops are 1-day events that will be conducted by the TGA staff between March 15th and April 15th. *Sites and dates will be posted on our website once they are confirmed.*

Holidays approach, preparations for 2010 underway.

It seems that only a few short months ago, we had just started the 2009 TGA season. Now as the weather changes and the holiday season draws nearer, we are starting to finalize everything for the 2010 season. The TGA is excited to build on 2009 and is putting the finishing touches on the schedule. Once the schedule is set be on the lookout for an email containing information about the upcoming season as well some important changes to our policies and procedures that will be instituted for 2010.

As we say goodbye to the first decade of the new millenium in the coming weeks, we here at the Tennessee Golf Association and Golf House Tennessee would like to thank everyone for their contributions to the game of golf over the last ten years. Without your help, passion, interest, and commitment, we would not be able to provide the quality events and tournaments for you, the amateur golfer. The TGA is pleased to be able to host 15 championships, as well as numerous other tournaments thoughout the year.

As I said 2009, was a great year and we look forward to many more in the coming decade. Have safe travels as you visit with family and friends this holiday season. From all of us at the TGA, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

2009 Tournament Season Comes to a Close

It has been a whirlwind at our office in the last month and a half. Carter and I have crisscrossed the state as we have put on three Championship Series events and two championships. With the conclusion of the TGA Mid-Amateur Championship presented by Gentleman Jack on Thursday, the 2009 TGA tournament season official came to a close. And it could not have ended in better fashion.

Play began on Tuesday, as 117 players descended on historic Holston Hills Country Club. Holston Hills is a Donald Ross gem that has hosted USGA and NCAA championships and sits near the Tennessee River. As play got underway, players were determined to conquer this classic layout and the scores from the first day let the players believe they could accomplish that task. Rob Garland led a group of nine players that broke par on the first day, highlighted by his round of 5 under par 67 that featured a front nine of 6 under par 31.

While players may have believed they had the right plan of attack to win the championship, the weather and course fought back on Wednesday. With the sky opening up and rain falling for most of the morning, low scores were much harder to come by. Jay Wise was able to play consistently in the rain and fired an even par round to become the overnight leader at 3 under par. Justin Emil tied for the low round of the day and gained valuable spots on the field as he shot a round of 2 under par 70 in the steady rain to move into a tie for second with Jeff Golliher and Todd Burgan.

When the players arrived at the course for the start of the third day, rain was falling again. After a weather delay, play in the final round began and one Holston Hills member had his sights set on claiming the championship. Jeff Golliher was able to play well enough on the outward nine to seize the lead at the turn. As Golliher was was making the turn, Buzz Fly was putting the finishing touches on the round of the championship. Fly shot an astounding 8 under par 64 to shoot himself up the leaderboard and become the leader in the clubhouse. Fly's round wrapped up what had to be a magical summer as he became what is believed to be the first person to sweep all the Memphis Golf Association tournaments.

If word had reached Golliher on the course he did not let it affect him as he played his inward nine. He was able to offset bogeys at 11 and 18 with three birdies as he came in with a third round 3 under par 69 to finish the tournament at 4 under par 212. The TGA Mid-Amateur Championship was Jeff's first individual title and could not have possibly been sweeter as he clinched it on his home course. Jeff's win also added a little bit of history as he joins his brother Steve, the 1996 TGA Mid-Amateur Champion, as the only two brothers to have their names engraved on the John Atkins Mid-Amateur Trophy.

It is always sad to see another tournament season come and go. This year was a great year for me, as this was my first year being involved completely with the Tennessee Golf Association. We had great turnouts for our championships, highlighted by Peter Malnati's Amateur Championship triumph at The Honors Course. And the highlights were not restricted to our own events. I know that I will not forget watching Tim Jackson take the 36 hole lead at this year's U.S. Senior Open Championship or becoming the oldest medalist at the U.S. Amateur. We had nine golfers represent us in the U.S. Mid-Amateur, eight at the U.S. Amateur, and Todd Burgan was a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Mid-Amateur. The golf is good in the state of Tennessee and I am proud to be apart of it.