VOLUME #1, ISSUE #3  -  NOVEMBER 01, 2007

Welcome to the third issue of WPGA Times. The purpose of this electronic newsletter is to update the golf community on events and happenings of the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association.  Readers are welcome to suggest articles, photos, and other materials for upcoming editions.

Former WPGA President passes away (10/11/07)
Richard J. Boughner, WPGA President, 1993-94, died on Tuesday, October 9, at the age of ninety. 

A member at Youghiogheny CC in McKeesport for decades, Boughner won two club championships and two senior club titles.  He served on the WPGA Executive Committee, 1984-94. (more)

Nathan Smith, Paul Schlachter named Players of the Year (10/09/07)
Nathan Smith won his third Player of the Year honors since 2003, heading the 2007 WPGA Honor Roll with 826 points, one of the highest totals since the system began in 1994.  Smith, whose hails from Brookville, resides in Pittsburgh and is a member at Wildwood GC.  He is the most recent golfer area to win a USGA Championship with the 2003 USGA Mid-Amateur title.  This season, he performed well in all kinds of competitions, being the first golfer to win in one season, the WPGA’s Tournament of Champions, Mid-Amateur and Amateur. (more)

Brandon Pompeani named Junior Player of the Year (10/02/07)
By winning a three hole playoff in the WPGA Junior Championship, Brandon Pompeani of Aliquippa started a season that saw him also make the finals of the C.R. Miller Match Play Invitational and finish as runner-up in the Pennsylvania Junior Championship. In addition to his junior achievements, Pompeani also returned a 54-hole score in the WPGA Amateur Championship. (more)

Vander Borght accepts job with Northern California Golf Association
John Vander Borght, who served the Association as Director, Membership Development & Service, 2002-06, and Championship Director during the past season, has accepted the position of Junior Tour Operations Manager with the Northern California Golf Association, the largest regional amateur golf association in the USA.  Vander Borght leaves the WPGA employ while officiating at the USGA Mid-Amateur Championship, September 29-October 4, and begins NCGA duties on October 22.  Vander Borght previously resided in Northern California for more than twenty years. 

Vander Borght’s impacts on the Association are many and varied—heading two of three WPGA major departments, data base management, Rules of Golf knowledge and education, customer service, Scholarship Fund, membership growth and stability, communications and publications.  Commented Executive Director, Jeff Rivard,--“We’ll certainly miss John, not only for his efforts but for the enjoyment of working with him.  We are a better organization for his having joined our staff for five years.”

Players Dinner concludes championship season
On Thursday, October 17, the Fall Players Dinner took place at Nevillewood, with more than eighty in attendance.  Players, family & friends, officials, and a host club delegation were on hand.   The Players of the Year all made remarks appropriate to the occasion—Brandon Pompeani, Aliquippa, Junior; Paul Schlachter, Bridgeville (Nevillewood), Senior; and Nathan Smith, Pittsburgh (Wildwood).  Frank Fuhrer, III, presented the Collegiate Player of the Year Award, named for him, to Mike VanSickle, Marquette, and Robert Rohanna, Penn State.   Beginning his duties as Championship Committee Chairman, was Jim Boughner, McKeesport (Youghiogheny), succeeding the outgoing chair, Dario Cipriani, Erie (Lake View).

Honor Rolls—2007
Amateur
1. Nathan Smith, Pittsburgh
2. Sean Knapp, Oakmont
3. Mike VanSickle, Wexford
4. Arnold Cutrell, Greensburg
5. Robert Rohanna, Waynesburg
6. Frank Fairman, Punxsutawney
7. David Brown, Pittsburgh
8. William Miller, Venetia
9. Adam Hofmann, Pittsburgh
10. Artie Fink, Jr., Altoona

Junior
1. Brandon Pompeani, Aliquippa
2. Sean Brannan, Hollidaysburg
3. Michael Klaric, III, Heermitage
4. Gregor Orlando, Erie
5. Grant Martens, Allison Park  

Senior
1. Paul Schlachter, Bridgeville
2. John Benson, Punxsutawney
3. Don Erickson, III, DuBois
4. Bob Allshouse, Greensburg
5. Joe Cordaro, Pittsburgh

Special recognition was given to John Popeck, Washington, for outstanding play in national junior competitions throughout the 2007 season.  Popeck, in the midst of a strong high school showing, has accepted a golf scholarship at the University of Maryland. ’08-’09.

College Golfers
Brett Bergman, Villanova
Brendan Borst, Penn State
Sean Brannan, Georgia Southern (Fall, 2008)
David DeNunzio, Rollins
Ronald DeNunzio, Rollins
Adam Hofmann, Vanderbilt
Jim McGrath, Jr., Ohio
Jim Markovitz, Penn State
William Miller, Georgia Tech
John Popeck, Maryland (Fall, 2008)
Chuck Nettles, Ohio
Doug Stadler, Villanova
Mike VanSickle, Marquette
Chad Warmbein, Ohio

Championship trophies refurbished
The C.R. Miller Memorial, the WPGA’s junior match play championship begun in 1977, had a trophy that could be charitably described as “getting the job done.”  Due to the generosity of Mark Miller, Venetia, junior trophies were upgraded.  The Miller was finished this summer and made its first appearance at the Fall Players Dinner on October 17 at Nevillewood. 

The Senior Inter-Club trophy was begun this year, with a combination of new engraving and work on an existing trophy by former WPGA President, John McMurdy, Indiana.  An accomplished woodworker, McMurdy also redid the Jamison Cup (Interclub) several years ago. 

Nineteen Association trophies are now completed.  The Tournament of Champions began a senior division last year, so another one will need to be developed for this event. 
 

David Axson to speak at South Hills on 01/19/08
Highly regarded consultant David Axson will conduct a workshop for Member Clubs at South Hills Country Club on Saturday, January 19.  He will cover membership recruitment, club governance, demographic trends, successful turnarounds, and other items of interest for club officials and leaders.  Details will soon be available on registration and pricing. 

Axson moved from England to American in 1991, and has worked for financial firms like Bank of America and Deloitte, Haskins, & Sells.  He is President and founder of the Sonax Group, a business research and consulting firm.  The company has a club consulting wing, and Axson consults several private clubs in the Cleveland area.  He is a member of the Northern Ohio Golf Association Board of Directors, and he also serves NOGA as a rules official.  He resides in Bath, Ohio, with his family.

Club Studies ready in November
Odd numbered years mean the Association’s Club Operations Study for Private Clubs, including Green Operations is published.  The document will be set up the third week of October for an early November printing.  The publication covers local trends and statistics such as membership, number of active golfers, dues, initiation fees, demographics, budgets, and other issues vital to club planning, both short and long term.  Each Member Club receives several copies, and copies are also available to those interested. 

The Green Operations for private clubs is done annually.

The Public Course Operations Study is published in even numbered years.

Classic course re-opens
Bedford Springs Resort, in Bedford, an historic landmark and golf course, celebrated its reopening with a golf outing on October 11.  The original course, 18 holes designed by Spencer Oldham, was modified in 1912 by A.J. Tillinghast back to nine holes and expanded back to 18 holes in 1923 by Donald Ross.  The course, closed for several years, was restored and modified by Ron Forse, Uniontown, who has done reworked several classic courses around the country.  The resort itself dates prior to 1800.  The 216-room hotel, closed in 1986, opened this July. 

The active season for score posting officially on Wednesday, October 31, 2007. The final revision is scheduled for November 7, 2007. We schedule a time delay on the final revision to make sure all Member Clubs transmit all scores to the GHIN Service before the final revision becomes effective.

The USGA Handicap System will update on January 1, 2008. The WPGA will send to each Member Club a copy in the spring, and to each Handicap Chair whom which we have an updated address. Please forward Handicap Chair information updates to the WPGA office in order to update our records.

One important change in the USGA Handicap System is the revision to peer review. There will now be two types of scoring records--Complete and General. This will affect how records are displayed on www.ghin.com. A complete scoring record will be what is presently posted: Used, Type, Date (mm/dd/yy), Score, CR/Slope, Diff., and Course Name. A complete scoring record can only be viewed if the individual uses a player's GHIN number under Handicap Lookup. A General scoring record will display the same information as a Complete scoring record, except that it will exclude the specific date (mm/yy) and course name. Any individual using the last name lookup and state feature will be provided a General scoring record.

The Course Rating Committee has completed 20 of the 21 courses that were scheduled to be rated in 2008. The only course to be rated is Seven Oaks Country Club, and we hope to complete this rating in the next few weeks. As courses are re-rated, the Association updates the Course Rating Database on the GHIN Service, the USGA National Course Rating and Slope Rating Database™, and the Association’s website under Course Rating Update.

Over 9,000 WPGA Members presently receive their USGA Handicap Index through the eRevision Service. If you are not taking advantage of the eRevision Service that is being offered by the GHIN Service at no charge, please enroll today (click here). On each revision day you will be sent an update.

Please contact Terry Teasdale (tteasdale@wpga.org) if you have any questions or need assistance of any kind.

Applications for WPGA Scholarships for the 2008-2009 school year are now available.  Any student who is graduating from high school or in their freshman or sophomore years in college and have worked at least 2 years at a WPGA member club may apply.  Applications are due back by December 15, 2007.  More information about the Scholarship Fund and the Application can be found by clicking on the links.  Online donations with a credit card are always appreciated.

Oakmont fund-raiser successful
In conjunction with the First Tee of Pittsburgh, the WPGA Scholarship Fund will held an outing at Oakmont Country Club on Monday, October 29, 2007. The weather was favorable and 112 people participated. Approximately $40,000 was raised, to be split evenly between the WPGA Scholarship Fund and The First Tee of Pittsburgh. We would like to thank all that participated for support of each organization.

We have received word of the passing of the following golfers in 2007.

Joe Andron, Erie, runner-up, 1969 USGA Public Links, at Downing Municipal GC, Erie.

Richard J. Boughner, Youghiogheny, WPGA President, 1993-94, on October 9.

John W. "Jack" Brand, Oakmont, WPGA President, 1964-65 and 1974-75.

Jess Eyler, Greensburg, WPGA President, 1991-92.

Robert Swinston, Longue Vue, WPGA President, 1987-88.