June 29, 2021 | By JAMES BEATTY

Which golf organization with 18,000 members in 78 countries recently launched their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative (D,E and I) Initiative?

Which organization’s CEO gave up his time for a day and a half to be involved in the meetings launching this initiative?

Which organization recruited six industry D,E and I leaders to serve on its Advisory Council?

Which organization dedicated a full-day to host a D,E and I meeting at its Headquarters?

Which organization had it Board President and Vice President lead and conduct the DE and I meeting?

Give up guessing???

It was GCSAA. Yes, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, headquartered in Lawrence, Kansas who had the temerity, audacity and courage to launch and host this powerful initiative at its facility on June 23 and 24.

Under the leadership of CEO J. Rhett Evans, Board President, Mark Jordan and Board Vice President, Kevin Breen with the approval and direction from their Board of Directors, GCSAA formally launched their 2021 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council.

The agenda was a no holds barred session with a full slate of topics ranging from career mapping to meeting  with the internal GCSAA Task Group. Bob Randquist, COO, also took his valuable time to lead the Council on a  tour of the facility. GCSAA clearly is serious about not just talking about D,E and I but taking actions on this most important matter.

Perhaps Colonel John Morley, the founder of GCSAA, knew something of the inevitability of this activity as stated  in his quote from 1926 which is emblazoned on the GCSAA main entry wall “No life is or can be self existent, we depend upon each other.”

In addition to GCSAA board and staff leadership previously mentioned, Shelia Finney, Senior Director of Membership Programs for GCSAA is a key member of the effort.

The Advisory Council is composed of:

• Jan Bel Jan, immediate past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and owner of Jan Bel Jan Golf Course Design Inc. in Jupiter, Fl,
• Craig Kirby, Founder and CEO of Golf. My Future. My Game. located in Washington, DC.
• Azucena Maldonado, Founder of the Latina Golfer’s Association in Anaheim, CA, 
• Jamie Taylor, CEO and founder of the Black Golf Directory in Sanford, FL
• Desiree Walker, CEO of Road2Par and a founding member of the Black Golf Alliance in Bowie MD
• and your’s truly, James Beatty, Executive Editor of the African American Golfer’s Digest, President of Jim Beatty Golf Ventures in Omaha, NE and organizer of the African American Golf EXPO and Forum which will be held Aug 21 -24 at the Hilton Conference Center in Marietta ,GA.

GCSAA without hesitancy opened itself for scrutiny and constructive feedback on all of its activities, programs and marketing materials in an effort to ensure that it was genuine in its outreach efforts  to underrepresented and underserved communities as well as to  establish and maintain a pipeline for its current and  future workforce needs.

A Really Real Discussion 

The discussion was very real, the feedback was candid, the atmosphere was positive and the GCSAA responses were not defensive but accepting and understanding. I and the other members of the council applaud this bold move and ask that other golf organizations emulate this effort to continue to make D,E and I real and a part of their respective organizational fabric.

Case in point is the unique collaboration as previously reported in AAGD with Golf My Future My Game and GCSAA. Four college students of color are participating in a three-month internship experience at the Westfield Country Club located in Westfield Center, Ohio focused on Golf Operations and Golf Course Management. The participants are sophomores and include students from Albion College, located in Albion, MI and Howard University located in Washington DC. The primary outcome of the program is to create a diverse pool of future talent for the Westfield Country Club and the golf industry

As stated by CEO, Rhett Evans, also a triathlete and active adventurist, using a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to close the session: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” He is serious about leading GCSAA on this most important adventure. His actions and deeds are evidence of his commitment. Right on Rhett!

I am eager and anxious to see and hear others in the industry break that silence and express their commitment.

June 28, 2021 | BY AAGD STAFF

Tim O’Neal is not unfamiliar with the professional golf circuit. He’s been playing in minor leagues for decades and each time he hits the greens he is on a quest to win. But this weekend, the soon to be 49-year-old, Savannah, Ga., born golfer was the oldest player competing in The John Shippen, an event designed to bring top Black players together for an exemption opportunity into PGA Tour and LPGA Tour events.

At this competition O’Neal was at the Detroit Golf Club with contenders on the field who could be his children, and even grandchildren. Take for instance 17-year-old Amari Avery who, in the women’s field, was holding her own. O’Neal turned pro in 1997 after playing collegiate golf at Jackson State. He has four pro wins include three on the Latinoamerica Tour (the last coming in 2016).

Organizers of The John Shippen had selected some of the nation’s top Black golfers to compete at the Detroit Golf Club for a top-level golf experience Named after the first American-born golf professional and also the country’s first Black pro, John Shippen.

In a men’s field of 21 invitees, O’Neal, emerged as the winner, backing up his opening-round 71 with a 67 on Monday to beat Kevin Hall by two shots. O’Neal’s prize is to play in this week’s PGA Tour Rocket Mortgage Classic.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: PGA Member Kendall Murphy Named as New PGA Career Consultant

Playing in two-person teams in the women’s division, the winners were Shasta Averyhardt and Anita Uwadia, who scored 73-68 to finish at three under. They earned an exemption into the LPGA’s Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational (July 14–17 in Midland, Mich.), which is also a team event.

The John Shippen Shoot-Out, a three-hole individual competition, followed the end of the women’s tournament and was held as a three-hole individual competition among the six women who finished directly behind the winners. Amari Avery, from Riverside, Calif., shot one under (birdie-par-par) to win, earning a spot in the LPGA’s Cognizant Founders Cup (Oct. 4-10 in West Caldwell, N.J.).

For O’Neal, his win this week was his goal. Because, in seven previous appearances on the PGA Tour, dating back to 2002, he has yet to make the cut. In 2019, O’Neal had his last start on the PGA Tour at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, and his biggest leap of all time was in qualifying for the 2015 U.S. Open.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time, he said in an interview. “For me at 48, still to be able to compete and be able to play means a lot to me,” O’Neal said. “Hopefully it’s going to inspire guys not to quit and keep grinding.”

It’s a different road to The John Shippen for Shasta Averyhardt and Anita Uwadia. Averythardt, got her conditional LPGA Tour card in 2010 Q-School. A Jackson State alum, she succumbed to several injuries and was unable to maintain her playing status. Her last start on the LPGA was in 2013. Nigerian-born Uwadia attended the University of South Carolina and has had six starts on the Symetra Tour, having never yet played on the LPGA Tour.

“Obviously, we’re going to embrace it, and we’re very thankful for the opportunity,” Averyhardt said during an interview. “This is a great way to honor Mr. Shippen. So we’re going to stay in the present and just stay in the moment and really just one shot at a time. That’s like a cliche, right, but we don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves. We still want to enjoy it and have fun.”

High schooler, Amari Avery has great potential and is already set to play college golf at USC. The humble golfer qualified for this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur and won the 2019 California State Women’s Amateur. This past May she played in her first LPGA event at the U.S. Women’s Open and missed the cut, shooting 76-77. Forging ahead, Avery has signed up for LPGA Q-School and will most likely turn pro should she earn her card.

THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational was designed by Intersport specifically to showcase and provide heightened opportunities and recognition to Black golfers. The 36-hole, two-day tournament, was played Sunday and Monday, and invited 33 of the nation’s top amateur and professional men’s and women’s Black golfers to compete at Detroit Golf Club.

June 29, 2021

Pro golfer Camiko Smith played strong in his debut in The John Shippen National Invitational at the historic Detroit Golf Club in Michigan.

Finishing sixth among a field of 21 players, Smith, born and raised on the beautiful island of Bermuda where he enjoyed eating his mom’s homemade banana pancakes and codfish with potatoes, carded an even-par 144 over two rounds.

“It wasn’t my best ball-striking by far, but I managed and I’m pleased with my score,” Smith said.

“I’m feeling good but need to get off the tee better, hit more fairways and sharpen up my iron shots into the greens to give myself a chance at more birdie putts.”

Smith was two shots behind the leader and eventual winner Tim O’Neal after shooting an opening-round 73 at the PGA Tour Rocket Mortgage Classic.

He got off to a flying start after rolling in back-to-back birdies on the 2nd and 3rd holes.

However, Smith could not maintain his momentum and dropped shots at the 7th and 9th holes, making even par at the turn.

His situation got even worse when he bogeyed two of the first four holes on the back nine after missing the fairway to move to two over.

Smith did manage to play the remaining five holes at one under after refocusing and gaining a better hold of his ball-striking, His garnered a third birdie of the round at the penultimate hole.

“Unfortunately none of the players were able to get a practice round in due to the course being flooded, so we basically played the first round blind,” Smith said.

Close, but not close enough, Smith, just two shots off the lead, remained in the hunt going into the second round.

He got off to another good start after making birdie at the first hole.

However, he lost momentum after carding bogeys at the 2nd and 7th holes before a birdie at the par-four 8th left him at level par at the turn for the second straight day.

His fortunes then took another turn for the worst when he bogeyed two of the first four holes on the back nine after missing the fairway to move to two over.

But after refocusing and tightening up his ball-striking, Smith managed to play the remaining five holes at one under, rattling in a third birdie of the round at the penultimate hole.

“Unfortunately none of the players were able to get a practice round in due to the course being flooded, so we basically played the first round blind,” Smith said.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: GET TO KNOW CAMIKO SMITH

At just two shots off the lead, Smith remained in the hunt going into the second round. He got off to another good start after making birdie at the first hole.

Smith sunk to two under after rolling in back-to-back birdies at the 13th and 14th. He dropped a stroke at the par-four 16th but was able to sustain his way to end with a one-under 71. This left him at even par for the tournament.

Tim O’Neal won reigned as the winner of the 36-hole event named after John Shippen Jr, the first American-born golf professional and first Black golf professional. O’Neal pulled if off by two shots grabbing the sole spot up for for an exemption into the Rocket Mortgage Classic to be held at the same venue June 27-28.

“With all the rain and flooding that Detroit has had, there is some standing water on the course,” Smith said.

“Other than that, the course is in great condition and I’m sure it will be in greater shape for the [tournament].

“Sommer Woods and Jason Langwell with their team have done an amazing job with organizing and getting this event off the ground.”

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (June 22, 2021) – The PGA of America has named PGA Members Kendall Murphy and Ed Winiecki as PGA Career Consultants for the Northern California and Southern California PGA Sections, respectively. Murphy and Winiecki join the PGA Career Services Department, which includes a team of 22 field consultants strategically located across the country to forge stronger relationships with both PGA Members and employers. 

PGA Career Services offers a toolbox of invaluable resources to meet the hiring requirements demanded by employers today, while better serving employers, PGA Members and individuals seeking to gain employment within the golf industry. 

“The PGA is committed to establishing stronger relationships with golf industry employers, while ensuring that PGA Members and golf industry professionals are prepared and equipped to advance their career paths to the highest level,” said PGA President Jim Richerson. “As PGA Members with an outstanding background in golf administration, both Kendall Murphy and Ed Winiecki will serve PGA Professionals and the golf industry in ensuring that top candidates are hired for the best position possible.”

Having grown up in Oakland, California, this is a return to Murphy’s Northern California roots.  He previously served as the Assistant Director and Program Coordinator of the PGA Golf Management Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where he is also an alumnus of the program. Prior to that, Murphy served as the Tournament Director at The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs and the Assistant Coach for the Saint Mary’s College of California golf team, while earning his Master of Arts degree in Kinesiology and Sport Management.

Among his accomplishments, Murphy has served on the PGA of America’s National Education Committee and the Advisory Council for the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, and is currently Honorary President of the Southern Nevada Chapter of the Southwest PGA Section. He also worked for the PGA of America for nearly two years as a PerformanceTrak Representative, researching and analyzing golf data.

Murphy was named PGA Professional of the Year in 2018 and 2019 for the Southwest PGA Section’s Southern Nevada Chapter. In 2016, he was the Chapter’s PGA Player Development Award recipient, and in 2018 he was named “Rebel Pride” Golf Professional of the Year at UNLV. 

Throughout his 30-year career in the golf industry, Winiecki has served in many capacities including Assistant Professional, Head Professional, General Manager, Tournament Director, Executive Director and Regional Manager. He also served seven years on the Board of Directors for the Southern California PGA Section, and more recently seven years on the Board of Directors for the Northern California PGA Section. In 2010, he was named Golf Professional of the Year for the Southern California PGA, then received the same high honor for the Northern California PGA in 2017 — the only PGA Professional to be honored by both Sections. In 2020, Winiecki also became a Certified Club Manager.

PGA Career Services was created to assist golf industry professionals throughout their careers while creating lifelong partnerships with employers to support their needs in today’s golf economy. The department continues to add resources and specialty services, highlighted by the 2020 launch of ExecuSearch powered by the PGA of America, a premium executive placement service for the golf industry that has become a valuable tool for both PGA Members and employers.

Additional resources available through PGA Career Services include career consulting, resume review, job placement outreach and continuing education resources, among others. 

The PGA Career Services Department is led by Scott Kmiec, Senior Director of Career Services, along with Regional Team Leaders: Don Sweeting (Southeast), Tim Marks (Central), Kelly Gilley (West) and Jonathan Gold (Northeast), who are also responsible for managing their respective sections. 

Below are the 22 Career Consultants, with the PGA Sections in their coverage areas:

• Jason Boaz, PGA – Southwest, Sun Country 
• Ken Ferrell, PGA – Aloha 
• Keith Fisher, PGA – Kentucky, Northern Ohio, Southern Ohio
• Kelly Gilley, PGA – Northern Texas, Southern Texas 
• Jonathan Gold, PGA – Metropolitan, New Jersey, Philadelphia 
• Kathy Grayson – South Florida
• Monte Koch, PGA – Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountain 
• Chris Kulinski, PGA – Central New York, Western New York, Northeastern New York 
• Jacqueline Madison, PGA – Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota
• Tim Marks, PGA – Illinois, Wisconsin
• Michael Mueller, PGA – Carolinas 
• Jim Remy, PGA – Connecticut, New England
• Todd Smith, PGA – Michigan, Indiana
• Keith Soriano, PGA – Colorado, Utah 
• Greg Stenzel, PGA – Middle Atlantic, Tri-State 
• Don Sweeting, PGA – Georgia
• Sean Thornberry, PGA – Global
• Doug Turner, PGA – Gateway, Midwest, South Central 
• Kevin Walls, PGA – Alabama-NW Florida, Gulf States, Tennessee 
• Kendall Murphy, PGA – Northern California 
• Ed Winiecki, PGA, CCM – Southern California 
• Jim West, PGA – North Florida