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The VSGA’s
True Heartbeat
by CHRIS LANG
THE VIRGINIA STATE GOLF ASSOCIATION features a professional staff of 13
full-time employees, along with a handful of independent contractors who help keep
the organization running smoothly on a daily basis.
That said, the true heartbeat of the association comes from the volunteers who
selflessly donate time and energy to the sport they love in Virginia. Among those vol-
unteers are Rules officials, those who drive shuttles to transport players at events, and
online scorers. All of these volunteers help elevate the experience of playing in a VSGA
competition, whether it be a championship or a One-Day event. And members of the
VSGA course-rating team evaluate each hole on a given course in accordance with the
USGA Course Rating System, helping enhance everyday play.
One of the best parts of the VSGA Annual Meeting, which was held Jan. 11 at The
Country Club of Virginia, is the chance to recognize those volunteers with the VSGA’s
four major awards.
The 2019 winners:
• President’s Award, which recognizes many years of service to the association
and the game of golf. The 2019 recipient is Fred Tattersall, who led the charge 20
years ago to establish a chapter of The First Tee in Richmond. Fred and his wife,
Roddy, rallied community financial support to establish the Richmond chapter,
enlisting help from the Goodwin and Ukrop families to become the lead founding
benefactors of the facility.
• Service to Golf Award, which is presented to an individual who has selflessly
contributed to bettering golf in the Commonwealth as an administrator, volun-
teer, VSGA staff member, PGA professional, or otherwise. The 2019 recipient is
Dick Fisher, superintendent at Lake Chesdin Golf Club who has led a long and
distinguished career in Virginia.
• Volunteer of the Year, which recognizes service to the game as a volunteer,
including efforts to assist the VSGA in the areas of tournament administration,
junior golf, rules, course rating and governance. The 2019 winner is Sara Cole,
who has spent the last six years as the captain of the Virginia team for the Virgin-
ia-Maryland Junior Girls’ Matches and captain of the Virginia-Maryland team
at the Mid-Atlantic Junior Girls’ Challenge Matches.
• Grow the Game Award, which has been presented since 2017 and in ’19 went to
Michelle Holmes, one of four current VSGA Junior Golf Circuit coordinators.
Holmes runs the Michelle Holmes School of Golf in the Tidewater area and has
been consistently recognized as one of the nation’s top youth instructors.
Do you want to get involved? There are many ways to contribute to the VSGA and
golf in Virginia, and you don’t have to be an expert in the Rules to give back. Visit
vsga.org/engage/volunteer to read more about ways you can contribute your time
to give back to the game in Virginia.
Chris Lang, Editor
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V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | J A N UA R Y / F E B R UA R Y 2 0 2 0
News & Notes
NEW LOOK AT BAY CREEK
Last November, Preserve Communities
purchased Bay Creek Resort in Cape Charles
and announced plans for a significant change
to the property’s two golf courses.
Once home to two 18-hole courses—
one designed by Arnold Palmer, the other
by Jack Nicklaus—Bay Creek will fea-
ture 27 holes of golf when it reopens in
March. The back nine holes on the Nick-
laus course closed in November and when
Bay Creek’s golf reopens, it will feature
the 18 holes of the Palmer Course and the
front nine of the Nicklaus Course.
“The significant change to the golf
courses will deliver the best golf experi-
ence for the membership, offering pos-
itives such as improved overall course
conditioning, sensible capacity utiliza-
tion, and more efficient use of resources,”
Preserve noted in a press release.
Bay Creek’s Palmer Course opened in
2001, with the Nicklaus Course opening
in 2005.
MILLEN TO RECEIVE
MAPGA HONOR
Michael Millen, a member
at Farmington Country
Club and the VS GA’s
immediate past presi-
dent, will be honored
with the Middle
Atlantic PGA’s David
Wortman Citizen of
the Year Award at
t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n ’s
Special Awards Ban-
quet March 21 at Army Navy
Country Club in Arlington.
Millen recently concluded his two-year
term as VSGA president and has been a
VSGA board member for more than 20
years. He is one of 13 who will be recog-
nized with awards at the banquet.
POCHILY JOINS VSGA STAFF
Matt Pochily has joined the VSGA staff
as the organization’s manager of mar-
keting and business development, a new
position. Pochily spent the past 11 years
working for the Salvation Army, first
as Communications Director and most
recently as Development Director. Poch-
ily began work at the VSGA on Jan. 6.
vsga.org
Opening Drive