Posted Jan 01 2013, 09:27 PM by Cathy Erickson
Happy New Year friends…and happy 2013 golf season! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to a new year full of great golf! I faintly remember writing a “resolution” post about this time last year so I looked it up and read it.
 
A year ago I appeared to be motivated, but as I look back at 2012, I hit more than my share of stumbling blocks…I am one of the 85% who generally failed. But not completely! And that’s what gives me hope once again as we start the 2013 journey. What I wrote a year ago makes sense, and the experts that know about goal making and being successful at it give us wise guidance. Small attainable goals, write your goals down, don’t give up, and find support – all good stuff!

Posted Dec 08 2012, 10:17 PM by Cathy Erickson
Happy Holidays!  While I'm waiting for the first winter storm of the season to hit Minnesota tonight, I started thinking about how much I miss golf.  Even though I hit golf balls on Thanksgiving day when it was 57 degrees, golf isn't the same after the pins are pulled and the greens covered for the winter.
 
I'm also mourning the loss of Q-school as the last dreamers competed for a chance to play on the PGA Tour this past week.  From this year on, dreamers will only be playing for a chance to get a card on the Web.com Tour.  I'm excited for Minnesotan Donald Constable who did get is card and will be in the big show next season.
 
But before we get to 2013 (which I am excited for!), I need to check back in on my predictions for 2012 that I wrote back in January.  As you know, this can be a very humbling review...sometimes my heart can't stop me from dreaming about some magical finishes!  Let's see how I did...

Posted Dec 04 2012, 12:39 PM by Cathy Erickson
Well, it's the day after the FINAL Q-school process as we know it, and while I failed to keep up to date here (sorry about that!), I did try to follow along when I had a chance (darn work has kept me busy!).  Is it okay if I just get to the giddy parts right now?
 
As you know, I'm a fan follower of all Minnesota Q-school participants - there have been some moderate successes, but since I've been following Q-school, no Minnesota golfer has made it into the Top 25 to earn their card...that's not to say no Minnesota golfer has ever made it (think Tom Lehman!), but we've had dry spell for awhile.  Last year, Clayton Rask was looking poised to make a move after successfully passing through the first 2 stages, but the best he could do was get some status on the Nationwide (not Web.com) tour.  But in what feels like a little golf gift to me, a Minnesotan has broken through and will have a PGA Tour card in 2013.

Posted Oct 24 2012, 10:12 AM by Cathy Erickson
It's Q-School Time!!  I know, I know, this isn't usually a hot topic in the golf world, but I can't help it, I'm a fan!  But this year brings with it some sadness.  Q-School, as we currently know it, will end after the final stage in California in December.  The PGA Tour voted to change the route to the PGA Tour, eliminating the Q-school process starting in 2013.
 
There'll still be a Q-school, but instead of joining the big Tour, guys will find themselves members of the Web.com tour (formally the Nationwide Tour).  It should also be noted, the whole PGA Tour schedule will change starting in 2013 - the Fall Series that follows the Tour Championship will now be the beginning of the 2013-14 PGA Tour year and those events will be a part of the FedEx Cup points totals.  There will be a three tournament event on the Web.com Tour that will determine which 50 players will get PGA Tour cards for the next year.

Posted Aug 31 2012, 08:17 PM by Cathy Erickson
We all find ourselves out on the golf course for different reasons and with different people depending on the day.  Today, I had the great fortune to play golf with four awesome women at an event to honor our friend Steve Anderson who passed away a few months ago.  It all came about at the last minute for me.  A few days ago one of my favorite golf pals, Deb, sent me a note saying they were short one person for the event and wondered if I could play.  My work life has been a little nutty lately and I just wasn't sure if I could commit to taking part of the day off, but I told her I'd see how my day went, and if I got a lot accomplished I would make it work.  By the end of Wednesday I thought I could swing it so I said yes...I knew it was just what I needed after several weeks of feeling overwhelmed.

This has really hit home for me because our golf course is struggling.  I wrote about it last year, and the end result was that revenues were down significantly.  Since the course I play at is municipal, there is always the threat that it won't be a priority anymore.  And with our current economic culture it's something that worries me.
 
The good news is that most of our City leaders see the value in having a golf course in our community.  Since I'm in one of the "snowy states" our season is at best about 6 months long, so we need to cram a lot of activity to get the needed revenues to operate and improve our course.  What I have learned is that some things are in our control and others are not.  The weather played a large factor in less playable days in 2011 compared to 2010 and it also impacted the spring growth and summer maintenance.
 
But what I also realized is that each one of us that shares a passion, or just appreciates the opportunity to play golf in our town, can be a part of improving our financial condition.  It's not easy.  A change in mindset might be needed.  From my experience, there can sometimes be the attitude that golfers aren't vested in their course...they come and play, maybe have some food or drink, but that's often where the relationship ends .  Many golfers have no idea (or maybe no interest) in knowing about the challenges and struggles the course is going through.
 
 A sense of ownership or a sense of pride as a community member can really make a difference in people caring about the success and future of the course.  Sometimes a trust may need to be rebuilt, especially if golfers have expressed concerns or suggestions for improvement and their voices landed on deaf ears.
 
Late last fall, after the season was over and it was apparent that we didn't have a prosperous season, I had some great conversations with a few people who share a common passion for golf.  From there, a small group was formed with the purpose of seeing a better golf course and finding ways to increase revenue.  I can't tell you how inspiring it is to sit at a table with people that want to see better things and are willing to do something to help.
 
One of the things I'm focusing on is our own community golfing base.  While one of our main industries is tourism, I know our golf course can become better by both engaging our membership to share in thet mission of a better course and to introduce (or welcome back) community members not currently playing golf.  When you're a small town golf course with a scrappy operating budget, sometimes you must rely on the time and talents of other folks who care.  Without that, there may be no more golf.
 
I believe that golf on every level, whether it's a local municipal course or a private country club, needs each member to see golf with a new set of eyes...to see the opportunity share the game and appreciate all of the positive things it can bring.  I read last fall that a beautiful Tom Lehman designed golf course in Minnesota closed.  It had lots of things going for it, but apparently it just couldn't cover its costs.  If things are great where you are, take a look around and see if you can share your golf passion at other courses or in other programs that might need help.  Golf needs you!
 
As I look ahead with anticipation to our upcoming golf season, it's my goal to bring a positive energy into our golf course community and encourage not only golfers, but our community and City leaders to be partners in making our golf course a success.  That means dispelling the notion that "only golfers benefit from a golf course".    It also means that long-range planning and a closer look at operations could help find more money for improvements.  I'm focusing on looking at ways to increase play, so if anyone has ideas, I'd love to hear them!
 
PS...after going this most of this winter thinking we were going to get a jumpstart on the golf season, we had a blizzard yesterday!  That Mother Nature...funny gal.
 
Filed under: Minnesota, passion, Golf, Cathy Erickson, municipal course, increasing play

Posted Feb 09 2012, 06:29 PM by Cathy Erickson ​
I had been meaning to check in on the latest changes to the Rules of Golf after seeing an article last fall that there would be a revision and new printing.  Browsing through a few articles on the internet, I found out that with this revision, all of the different golf associations including the R&A and the USGA will be using 1 main document with the same formatting throughout, with the main difference being appropriate translations into different languages.
 
It was off to the USGA web site to find out what's important to know about this new revision.  I found a "Complete Rules of Golf" document dated January 2012 and I clicked on it.  It was 215 pages in PDF form!!  WHOA!  (don't believe me, check this out! http://www.usga.org/uploadedFiles/USGAHome/rules/CompleteROGbook.pdf )