Monthly Archives: November 2023

Every year the Utah Section PGA is proud to recognize individuals who go above and beyond in our golf community. We are fortunate to have so many people who dedicate their time and talents to the growth of the game. We congratulate all of them on a job well done.

On behalf of the Utah Section PGA officers and awards committee, we present the 2023 Utah Section PGA Award winners:

Professional of the Year – Jeff John, Logan River

Teacher of the Year – Jake Blair, Victory Golf Works

Youth Player Development Leader – Tele Wightman, Thanksgiving Point

Assistant Golf Professional of the Year – Dustin Pimm, Mountain View 

PGA Professional Development Award – Jared Barnes, Cedar Ridge

Merchandiser of the Year-Private Facility – Chris Moody, Riverside Country Club

Merchandiser of the Year-Public Facility – Jordan Van Orman, Palisade

Player Development Award – Bruce Summerhays, Glenmoor

Jeff Beaudry Golf Ambassador Award – Aaron Goodman, Utah Section Office

Bill Strausbaugh Award – Chris Johnson, Sun Hills

Wesley Ruff Golf Citizen Award – Garrit Johnson, Fairways Media

Jon Unger Sales Person of the Year – Phil Deimling, FootJoy

Doug Vilven Distinguished Service Award – Dan Roskelley, Retired

Superintendent of the Year- Private Facility – Eric Gifford, The Country Club

Superintendent of the Year- Public Facility – Jason Moon, Hubbard

Governor’s Golf Industry Service Award – Jackie Price, Wendover Casinos

They saved their golf course, and now they’re headed to the inaugural 17u National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship. For a group of 14-to-16-year-olds, they’ve already accomplished a lot, and the future is bright. Today’s opening day live scoring link, Click Here.

Led by PGA of America Golf Professional Darci Olsen, the 17u All-Star team out of Glenmoor Golf Club in South Jordan, Utah, has been many years in the making.

“We have worked for a long time on this,” said Olsen, the PGA of America Head Golf Professional at Glenmoor. “I have been on board with PGA Jr. League since the beginning. I love that these kids have been with me since 2017, and now we’re headed to a National Championship.”

In fact, 2017 was a landmark year for Glenmoor Golf Club. Olsen had only accepted her role a year prior amidst a dispute between the owners, and devastating news of an impending sale and conversion to a residential development began to spread.

Her PGA Jr. League players weren’t going to stand by and let that happen.

Olsen invited the Mayor and City Council members to attend a PGA Jr. League game, where she says, “their eyes were opened on how important and impactful our golf facility was and is to our youth, families and community.”

Thanks to the city’s youngest influencers and the overwhelming public support they helped garner, the course was saved––and it continues to thrive under Olsen’s leadership. Her in-house PGA Jr. League program has grown to over 200 players, from true beginners to seasoned competitors, and it averages roughly 20 teams per season. 

“We have some great coaches, players and parents that are a part of our Glenmoor family,” she said. “With the demand, we have added a nine-month PGA Jr. League travel team that starts in January. This year was the first, and it was a success!”

“PGA Jr. League played a much larger role in keeping Glenmoor a golf course than anyone truly realizes,” Olsen continued. “I attribute saving the course to our PGA Jr. League program. It is such a big part of my life and our community. It’s so awesome to now fast forward to 2023 and be taking these same kids to a National Championship. They deserve it!”

Team Utah consists of six competitive veterans: 

• Parker Goodman, 16, a member of his high school’s varsity team who can be found competing in the Glenmoor Men’s League with his dad, PGA of America Golf Professional Aaron Goodman.
• Ian Miyasaki, 15, the 2023 Glenmoor Men’s Club Champion and Junior Club Champion.
• Jaxon Erickson, 16, who won the 2022 Utah Junior PGA Championship and represented Utah in the 2023 Eddie Hogan Cup.
• Elliot Bond, 16, ranked 450th nationally on the Junior Golf Scoreboard and 100th in the 2025 class, who has made the 6A All-State and All-Region Teams all three years of high school.
• Jared McCleary, 16, who notched a career low of 62, finished fifth in 5A State, second in the Region and made the 5A All-State First Team.
• Krew Saunders, 14, who made the varsity golf team as a freshman, won several U.S. Kids Golf events this season and won the B Flight in the Glenmoor Amatuer.

The bond Olsen has formed with her team and their families is a testament to the community she’s worked so hard to build through PGA Jr. League. It can be summed up perfectly by an anecdote at the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Regional Championship in September, where the team’s win clinched their spot in the 17u Championship.

“One of the parents came up to me and said that his son, Elliot Bond, and teammate, Jaxon Erickson, wanted to win so badly for me, their coach,” Olsen said. “They know how much I love this program and have wanted this. It means so much to me for these kids to want to work hard for me. One of the greatest highlights of my career.”

Written by By Hayley Wilson, Published on PGA.com, Wednesday, November 15, 2023

 A spot in the 2024 PGA Professional Championship at PGA Frisco is on the line as the 47th National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship tees off tomorrow at PGA Golf Club Wanamaker Courtse in Port St. Lucie, Florida. 

The 132-player field includes Utah PGA Members Tyler Dalton (Southgate GC), Aaron Purviance (Red Ledges GC) and Evan Wartgow (Park Meadows CC). They qualified for the national championship with their finish in this year’s Utah Assistant PGA Assistant Championship at Hobble Creek Golf Course. 

The four-day 72-hole stroke play championship will be cut to the low 70 players and ties after 36-holes. The top four finishers and ties will earn exemptions into the 2024 National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/ye298w8n

As the month of November kicks off, and Veterans Day looms large on Nov. 11, it seems fitting to recognize what’s become one of the most special weeks of the year on the PGA of America calendar: PGA HOPE National Golf & Wellness Week.

This year’s edition took place Oct. 12-16 in the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C., at Congressional Country Club in nearby Bethesda. Twenty military Veterans around the country, graduates of their local PGA HOPE programs, participated in an immersive five-day event including advanced golf coaching from PGA of America Golf Professionals and wellness training that culminated in a golf outing at the legendary venue.

Jayme Turner’s U.S. Army experience on the front lines taught him the value of preparation. Those pre-combat checks and inspections can apply to getting ready for a round of golf.

Yet in his role as a Utah’s PGA HOPE Ambassador, representing the Utah Section PGA, Turner believes that what happens afterward is now his biggest job.

After veterans complete the eight-session golf experience, Turner said, “It’s my responsibility to work the network and keep the guys together. We’ve got to maintain some kind of connection.”

Turner participated in the PGA HOPE National Golf & Wellness Week, his biggest takeaway was playing a course “like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” he said. “The fairways were like greens.”

Commissioned as a PGA HOPE Ambassador, he promised to fulfill the duties of “a champion for PGA HOPE” in Utah. Turner is a graduate of Utah PGA Member Rob Kreiger’s PGA Hope sessions at Southgate Golf Club in St. George. 

“He is all in on golf and PGA HOPE and is completely hooked on the game,” Krieger said. “We could not have nominated anyone any better that is so excited to be in and around golf. … PGA HOPE has been transformational for Jayme and I could not be happier for his active participation and how he will be helping us grow our programs.” 

This Veterans Day, GIVE WITH PURPOSE! Join us in celebrating our nation’s heroes who protect our freedom, while raising awareness and support for Utah PGA HOPE programs. Raising funds for PGA HOPE will allow us to create additional PGA HOPE sessions for veterans, like Jayme Turner, across the state. 

Thank you for joining our effort, CLICK HERE

Story written by Ryan Adams, PGA of America and Kurt Kragthorpe, Fairways Media senior writer. Photos by PGA of America and Fairways Media.