News
Highlighting Golf Trailblazers: The Desert Mashie Golf Club
Photo credits: Desert Mashie Facebook page
As Black History Month comes to a close, we reflect on a member of our most recent Hall of Fame class: The Desert Mashie Golf Club. Passion, pride and perseverance are just a few words that come to mind when you hear the Desert Mashie Golf Club name.
The club, which was formed in 1946 by a group of Phoenix area golf enthusiasts after a round at Encanto Golf Course, has grown into a community focused organization that boasts almost 200 members. However, at the time Encanto Golf Course was the only facility in the city where minorities were allowed to play golf. Thus, they created an organization “for all persons interested in golf regardless of race, or ethnicity,” with Encanto as its home course.
With that, the club defined its purpose, commitment and outlined a program for growth, with five objectives established:
1. To provide instructions and clinics for its members
2. To provide organized competition for its members
3. To promote a golf program for youth
4. To promote a program for women
5. To develop better public relations in the total golf community
WATCH:
Just a few years later in 1950, Desert Mashie Golf Club joined the United States Golf Association (USGA) and maintains its membership to this day. In 1953, Desert Mashie Golf Club became a charter member of the Western States Golf Association (WSGA). The founding members of the club were Dr. Thomas A. Crump, Aubrey C. Aldridge, Earl Le Near, Earnest S. Bartlett, Dr. Lowell C. Wormley, Curtis “Dock” Earl, William Robbie” Robinson, Ray Mercado and Densil Perdue.
As a result, the Desert Mashies trailblazed a path over the next 75 years in the golf community all the while championing diversity, inclusiveness and youth development. With youth development being a main focus for the organization they created the annual “Desert Mashie Spring Championship” in 1981, which became a sanctioned JGAA event in 1992. Today, they are recognized as one of the oldest public golf clubs in Arizona.
Visit the following resources to learn more about The Desert Mashie Golf Club and African American Golf History:
News
Arizona Golf Day at Chase Field
Come celebrate Arizona Golf Day at Chase Field on Saturday, April 13 to watch your D-backs take on division rival San Diego Padres! We’ll have interactive golf-inspired activities located in front of the ballpark before you enter the gates. $5 from each ticket will benefit Junior Golf in Arizona.
Date: Saturday, April 13th
Time: Golf Expo begins 1:00 PM
First Pitch is at 5:10 PM
Visit www.dbacks.com/AZGolf and use offer code: AZGOLF to get your discounted tickets today!
For questions, contact Michael Keenan at [email protected] or (602) 462–4265.
News
2019 Annual Meeting & Awards Dinner
At the 2019 Arizona Golf Association’s Annual Meeting and Awards Celebration we honored club representatives, champions, volunteer and committee members, and those who have contributed to the success of Arizona Golf.
Below is a brief message from our President, Mike McWilliams, on AGA’s activities in 2018:
For the fourth year we have experienced slow but steady growth in membership while expanding our mission to all golfers in the state through the integration with the Arizona Women’s Golf Association– now together as Arizona Golf.
Our new website, which just debuted this month, is much easier to navigate and includes many more options for golfers from competitive to social events and plenty of activities for visitors or those becoming interested in joining the world of golf.
Highlights for 2018 include 59 individuals qualifying for USGA Championships, expanded member and “Just for Fun” events for all, travel golf events from Mexico to Ireland, and the 8th Patriot All-America for the world’s best collegians playing in honor of our military heroes, once again ranked among the best events in the world. Alumni include Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger, Cameron Champ among many other current Tour stars.
The AGA magazine, AzGolf Insider, continues to receive applause from both members and outside media. Please let us know if you haven’t been receiving your free copy.
We’ve introduced the new Rules of Golf in style, having already hosted over fifty seminars for 3,000 plus members, and distributed over 35,000 Rules books, more than any other golf association to date. A new GHIN platform will be launching in 2019, and in the fall, we will begin our education on the World Handicap System in anticipation of its launch in 2020.
I especially wish to thank all of you attending, and the hundreds of other members and supporters who make Arizona Golf the success that it is. You can count on us in the future. The AWGA has joined with the AGA to make your golf experience even more valuable and interesting in 2019.
Sincerely,
Mike McWilliams
2019 Award Winners
Legends Player of the Year……………………………………..Tom Preston
Super Senior Player of the Year………………………………Rusty Brown
Senior Player of the Year………………………………………..Jeff Benton
Women’s Senior Player of the Year………………………….Liz Waynick
Masters Player of the Year………………………………………Thuhashini Selvaratnam
Open Player of the Year……………………………………………Adam Walicki
Senior Cup Champions…………………………………………..John Richards & David Schlenker
AGA Doc Graves Volunteer of the Year Award………….Jeff Vincent
AWGA Kathy Ehrlich Volunteer of the Year Award……Jan Biddle
Champion of Golf………………………………………………………John Spensieri
AWGA Representative of the Year……………………………Twyla Gerdes
Honorary Captain…………………………………………………..Lyman Gallup
Host Club of the Year……………………………………………..Jeff Ostlund, Tonto Verde Golf Club
Dorthy Pease Award……………………………………………….Tina Barret
Updegraff Award……………………………………………………Drew Woods
News
2018 Arizona Golf Hall of Fame
Dr. Paul Rowe, Pia Nilsson, Lynn Marriott, Robin Farran & Bill Johnston
Arizona Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2018
Bill Johnston
Bill Johnston was a successful professional golfer, with 15 career wins… won the 1954 Utah Open, the 1958 Sahara Pro-Am, the 1961, 1967, and 1972 Arizona Opens, the 1972 Colorado PGA Championship and the 1973 Colorado Open. As a member of the PGA Tour, Johnston won the 958 Texas open Invitational and the 1960 Utah Open Invitational.
Johnston is also recognized for designing well-known golf courses in Arizona and Texas including: Dominion Country Club in San Antonio, Texas; Tapatio Spring Resort in Boerne, Texas; Lookout Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona; Rancho Manana in Cave Creek, Arizona, and the Links Course at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club.
Paul Rowe
Paul Rowe has been a valued member of the USGA Green Section Committee for more than 15 years…taken the time to learn about the care and maintenance of golf courses… put this information to good use as a standing member of the Arizona Country Club Green Committee, but also to advise green committees throughout the region…given several presentations at the USGA Regional Conferences throughout the Southwest and Northwest Regions about the role of the green committee…written articles on the same subject for the Green Section Record magazine…volunteered to consult with green committees from Minnesota, Idaho and California to listen to their concerns and report those issues to the USGA staff in the hope of making meaningful changes.
Robin Farran
Robin Farrans’s been an influential member of the Arizona golf community since moving here in 2003… volunteering between 100-120 days a year on Arizona golf courses either as a Rules Official or preparing the course for competition…served as a tournament director, an educator and committee member…receives calls and emails from volunteers throughout the country and always takes the time for a considerate reply…distributes weekly Rules of Golf quizzes to over 550 volunteers and golf administrators.
The name Robin Farran is synonymous with the Rules of Golf, not only here in Arizona but on a national level as well….served on the USGA Senior Amateur Championship Committee since 1998 …. Invited to officiate his first USGA Championship (U.S. Senior Open) in 1999…teaches advanced rules classes at the Golf Academy of America in Chandler.
Lynn Marriott & Pia Nilsson
Lynn Marriott & Pia Nilsson are co-founders of VISION54, are internationally recognized for their a breakthrough program and golf school based at Talking Stick Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona… ranked the two highest ranked female instructors in America…regularly featured among Golf Digest’s Top 50 Greatest Teachers… published four best-selling books… created MYGAME, an online Golf School, and an iPhone app to give golfers easy access to VISION54 skills.
VISION54’s Golf Schools, 54GOLF, have been awarded the “Best Golf School in America” multiple times. VISION54’s Coach Programs, 54COACH, have repeatedly received the highest marks by peers of training for teachers / coaches.
Lynn and Pia have coached players to well over one hundred tour victories…. the LPGA Tour, PGA Tour, European Tour, Ladies European Tour, and Japan Tour…coached nine different major winners, four number one ranked players in the world.
News
Allied Associations
Arizona Golf Association
What started as a small group of golfers who got together to run the annual Amateur Championship has grown to an association of more than 400 clubs and 55,000 members. Today the AGA is a volunteer-based organization directed by amateur golfers passionately dedicated to promoting the game of golf and providing valuable benefits and services to its members.
More Information | Upcoming Events
Arizona Women’s Golf Association
The AWGA is a full-service golf association serving 23,000 Arizona women. Since the first state women’s tournament in 1924, the AWGA has been an advocate for women golfers and promoter of golf’s positive social and health benefits. Both a 501c3 charitable organization and a leader on the State and National levels, the AWGA plays a pivotal role in creating opportunities for women of all ages to grow and thrive through golf, by offering programs, information, and encouragement to girls and women from the time they first think of picking up a club, throughout their lifetimes.
More Information | Upcoming Events
Junior Golf Association of Arizona
Founded in 1983, the Junior Golf Association of Arizona (JGAA) is a non-profit organization that introduces Arizona’s youth to the game of golf and helps junior golfers develop golf and life skills through competitive programs and tournaments. Our mission is to educate, motivate and inspire Arizona’s youth through the game of golf.
More Information | Upcoming Events
Southwest Section PGA
The Southwest Section of the PGA of America is a professional organization serving the men and women golf professionals in Arizona and Southern Nevada who are the recognized experts in growing, teaching and managing the game of golf. The Southwest PGA is responsible for the administration of competitive golf tournaments, junior golf programs and events, educational opportunities, support programs and growth of the game initiatives. With 1306 members and apprentices, the Southwest PGA is the fifth largest of the 41 regional entities or Sections that comprise the PGA of America.
More Information | Upcoming Events
The First Tee of Phoenix
The First Tee of Phoenix is a not for profit organization made possible by The Thunderbirds that teaches the life skills of honesty, integrity, sportsmanship and respect through the game of golf to young people who would not otherwise be able to have affordable access to the game. Currently, The First Tee of Phoenix is impacting over 100,000 youth each year through regular programming at 13 area locations, The First Tee National School Program in over 150 schools and special Outreach Programming with allied organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA, church groups and many others.
More Information | Upcoming Events
LPGA USGA Gilrs Golf of Phoenix
Girls ages 3-18 are invited to join the local Phoenix program that provides 20+ events {year round} with fun, engaging and varying formats to energize the girls with self-development, team building opportunities and family involvement. This program was formed specifically to create a network for girls to learn to play golf, build friendships & compete in a non-threatening environment.
More Information | Upcoming Events
Cactus & Pine GCSA
The Cactus & Pine, GCSA is dedicated to enhancing the Professional Recognition of its Members through Education, Leadership, Collaboration, Government Relations and Environmental Stewardship. To Represent, Advocate and Educate for the Environmental and Economic Well Being of the golf industry and to be a diverse alliance recognized as a unified voice for the business of the Turfgrass Industry in Arizona.
More Information | Upcoming Events
Club Managers Association of America
The Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) is the professional Association for managers of membership clubs. With close to 6,500 members across all classifications, our manager members run more than 2,500 country, golf, city, athletic, faculty, yacht, town and military clubs. The objectives of the Association are to promote and advance friendly relations among persons connected with the management of clubs and other associations of similar character; to encourage the education and advancement of its members; and to assist club officers and members, through their managers, to secure the utmost in efficient and successful operations.
More Information | Upcoming Events
National Golf Course Owners Association
Established in 1979 and headquartered in Charleston, S.C., the NGCOA is the leading authority on the business of golf course ownership and management. The Association represents the industry’s key decision makers with ultimate responsibility for golf courses throughout the world. The not-for-profit organization is the only trade association dedicated exclusively to golf course owners and operators.
More Information | Upcoming Events