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Simmons Wins Updegraff Award

Updegraff Award
Warren Simmons
Warren has given much of his life to service, beginning with the Air Force and transitioning to golf with the USGA, Colorado Golf Association, Pacific Coast Golf Association, the AGA and Arizona Women’s Association, and even a brief stint as Tournament Director for a PGA Senior Tour championship, among others. The International Association of Golf Administrators honored their former president in 2003 with the Distinguished Service Award for contributions to the Game.Part of his USGA volunteerism included work in shaping the USGA Handicap System, Course Rating System and participation on the Handicap Research Team at meetings worldwide, where his Masters in Physics from Cal Tech came in handy.As a competitor, from junior championships and an appearance in the US Open at age 18, Warren had much success, especially when a $2.00 bill was on the line for the winning. His New Mexico State Amateur championship was followed by multiple wins at the Denver City and Broadmoor Invitational among others.He has made Arizona home after retiring from the Executive Director’s position with the Colorado Golf Association 14 years ago, although wife Barbara, a member of the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame, keeps his hands in the association mix on a regular basis when he’s not on the links himself. Other current pastimes include editing the Rules of Golf for the USGA and creating artistic scoreboards for the Patriot All America.A great friend of golf everywhere, his escapades included christening the Amazon River with a hand-crafter tree branch and purloined golf ball, a dugout canoe night-hike with sleeping birds and a gigantic Budweiser Frog. More relaxed activities like Teaching Rules of Golf and Course Rating from Taiwan to Peru and points in between. Warren has experienced much of the world, all the more memorable because of these myriad golf adventures. Throw into it his incredible sense of humor in the face of occasional double bogeys, and you have an image of the person well-deserving of being honored with the Dr. Ed Updegraff Award this year.