Committed to
Promoting the
Game
MON TANA PRI TCHARD/ THE PGA OF AMERICA
The Midwest PGA Section ranks No. 1
among all Sections in participating facilities
in Play Golf America programs
The Herb Graffis Award is named in honor of
the late golf historian, author, founder of golf
magazines, the National Golf Foundation and
co-founder of the Golf Writers Association of
America. Graffis died at age
95 in 1989.
The Midwest PGA Section, with headquarters
in Blue Springs, Mo., was recognized at the 93rd
PGAAnnual Meeting at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in
New Orleans.
The Midwest PGA Section, composed of 280 members and apprentices, is the recipient of its first Herb Graffis Award, presented annually to a PGA of America Section for extraordinary or exemplary contributions in player development, whether by
conducting or supporting Play Golf America initiatives.
Demo’s Tips for Player Development at the Section Level
• Call The PGA of America national staff. The PGA’s Player Development
staff is more than willing to help you plan and promote your Play Golf
America Day(s), suggest and/or secure wonderful speakers and provide
media contacts.
• Commit to securing volunteers. Our Section established a Communications
Committee in 2007, and since then we have excelled in volunteer driven
and sign up programs.
• Outline your objectives. Our Section has 10 Strategic Objectives outlined in
its annual Business Plan. The current Board of Directors has made a strong
commitment to all growth of the game initiatives.
Midwest PGA
Section President
Ken Leland (left)
accepts the Herb
Graffis Award from
PGA President Jim
Remy at last
month’s PGA
Annual Meeting.
“Our Section Professionals have worked for
years and years continually promoting golf in all
areas of the Section,” says Midwest PGA President
Ken Leland of St. Joseph (Mo.) Country Club. “
Several years ago, we revised our mission statement to
read ‘Visible, Valuable and Viable.’ Our efforts are
to ensure that we all can remember the ‘three Vs.’
“It is gratifying to see how our Professionals are
more than willing to assist with any promotion. We
had
100 percent participation in Patriot Golf Day,
and it’s another example of when a Section member
grabs on and goes for a cause, he or she will do an
outstanding job.”
Leland’s praise stems from statistics. As of June
23 of this year, the Midwest PGA Section ranked
No.
1 among
41 nationwide Sections in participating facilities in Play Golf America programs and
PGA Free Lesson Month.
The Section was No.
2 in total registered events,
President’s Council participation and PGA Free
Fitting & Trade Month participation.
The Midwest PGA Section excelled in Play Golf
America initiatives that included “Play Golf
Kansas City,” when
41 PGA Professionals gave
21
hours of free 10-minute lessons from Feb.
6–8, to
more than
6,000 golf enthusiasts at the Kansas
City Golf Show.
The Women’s Golf Expo has grown from
120
attendees in its inaugural year (2006) to 272 this
year. Twenty-six PGA Professionals teamed with
Play Golf America spokesperson Donna Richardson Joyner at Tiffany Greens Golf Club in Kansas
City, the home facility for Section Player Development Committee Chairman Michael Zadalis.
“The response to the Women’s Golf Expo
continues to be tremendous,” says Zadalis. “Our
members understand that the women’s market is
the chance for growth in our industry. Everybody is
getting on board in this Section to try to grow the
game of golf.”
Section Executive Director Brad Demo says
that his job is made easier by the teamwork he
witnesses throughout the year.
“The members of our Section truly understand
the importance of player development,” explains
Demo. “I was at a mall recently, wearing a Midwest
PGA Section logoed shirt, and a lady approached
me and told me she attended the Women’s Golf
Expo at Tiffany Greens. She wanted to know when
the next event was being held. And, she was a
beginning golfer. That makes all our work so
worthwhile.” ■
Herb Graffis Award
From 1974 to 2001, the Herb Graffis Award was presented annually to the PGA Section with the
highest financial contribution to National Golf
Day/National Golf Month charities. In 2006, The PGA
Board of Directors established a special award
recognizing the PGA Section for extraordinary and
exemplary contributions in Player Development. A
golf historian and founder of several golf magazines,
Herb Graffis died in 1989.
