GCAA – Syndication Server

Golf Coaches Association of America accepting applications for 2024 Ron Balicki scholarship

The recipient must be a current high school senior or current college undergraduate or graduate student.

The Golf Coaches Association of America is accepting applications for the 2024 Ron Balicki Scholarship until March 1. The recipient, a current high school senior or current college undergraduate or graduate student, will receive two $2,500 scholarships, one per 2023 semester.

The Ron Balicki Scholarship for aspiring golf journalists is dedicated to the memory of Ron Balicki for his lifelong commitment to covering the game of golf.

Few individuals have done more to bring exposure to college golf than Balicki. Since practically inventing the college golf beat while at Golfweek in 1983, Balicki became part of the fabric of the college and amateur game. He covered his first golf tournament in 1980 while with the Northwest Florida Daily News. He won first and third in GCAA writing contests and won four firsts and numerous honorable mention awards with the International Network of Golf. Balicki also won three first-place awards from the Texas Golf Writers Association. He was a winner of the Golf Writer’s Association of America Jimmy D’Angelo Award and the Northwest Florida Sports Association Al Byrne Award, both of which are presented to a person for contributions, devotion and service to the organization and the community.

A 2010 inductee into the GCAA Hall of Fame, Balicki covered every NCAA Championship dating to 1985 and every GCAA National Convention since its inception until 2013, when the cancer that claimed his life prevented him from traveling. Dubbed “Wrong Ron” for his propensity to incorrectly pick the winner of the NCAA Championships and playfully teased for his uncanny ability to bring the rain with him to events he covered, Balicki was truly fond of the sport and people he covered and was loved back by the players, coaches and everyone involved with college golf.

Past winners of the Ron Balicki Scholarship include Luke Hendry (University of Texas), Tracy Peyton (Palm Beach Atlantic University), Brayden Conover (University of Oklahoma), Cade Tjomsland (Palm Beach Atlantic University), Alex Gelman (Arizona State University), and Carson Racich (Florida Gulf Coast University).

Gregg Grost out as CEO/Executive Director of Golf Coaches Association of America, Dustin Roberts to take over

The GCAA will officially celebrate Grost’s tenure and contributions to college golf at its December national convention.

There’s a big change at the Golf Coaches Association of America.

Gregg Grost is out as CEO and executive director of the association, it was announced Thursday. Dustin Roberts, who has served in numerous positions for the GCAA since November 2002 and most recently COO, will assume the CEO and executive director position, effective immediately.

Grost has moved to the role of CEO Emeritus before transitioning to pursue other passions in golf, per the release.

“We are certainly grateful for Gregg Grost and his numerous contributions to the GCAA,” GCAA President Ryan Cabbage said in a release. “Our profession as college golf coaches and the Golf Coaches Association of America as a whole are both in a wonderful position due to his many years of hard work and dedication on our behalf. We now look forward to continuing to build on what Gregg has put in place with Dustin as our CEO.”

Grost was named executive director in September 2000 before being named CEO. He has a long association with college golf, beginning his playing career at McLennan Community College before graduating from TCU. Grost joined the coaching ranks as an assistant under Hall of Famer Dan Rogas at Lamar in 1981. Before moving to the University of Oklahoma in the spring of 1986, Grost guided Lamar to three Southland Conference Championships and earned the first of his two Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award honors. He led the Sooners to the NCAA title in 1989, claiming his second National Coach of the Year award honors. He was inducted into the GCAA Hall of Fame in 2005.

During Grost’s tenure, the GCAA membership doubled, now numbering more than 850. The association also went from debt to solid financial footing under his stewardship. Along with the WGCA (Women’s Golf Coaches Association), the GCAA has grown its national convention attendance from fewer than 150 attendees to more than 340. Additionally, with partners the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation, Rolex and Nike, the Arnold Palmer Cup has grown from a competition between eight U.S. men’s college golfers versus their counterparts from GB&I to an event that includes men’s and women’s college golfers from around the globe.

“I am excited about the new stage of my life with my family while pursuing opportunities in the game which I have wanted to focus on since retiring from coaching,” Grost said. “I am equally excited that the GCAA National Advisory Board has chosen Dustin Roberts to step into the CEO position at this time. Since the day he was hired over 20 years ago, he has exceeded all expectations with tireless effort on behalf of our member coaches. He is simply the right person at the right time.”

The GCAA will officially celebrate Grost’s tenure and contributions to college golf at its December national convention.

Rankings, new scoring website and more takeaways from the annual college golf coaches convention

Rankings were the big topic of the week.

LAS VEGAS — College golf coaches from across the country were in Las Vegas this week for the Golf Coaches Association of America and Women’s Golf Coaches Association annual convention at Planet Hollywood.

And there was no shortage of discussion points. The main topic? The new ranking system in college golf, which has caused drama, chaos and discombobulation throughout the fall.

Mark Broadie, who is in charge of the rankings, was in attendance and held two sessions to discuss the new rankings and take questions from coaches to clarify how they work. In addition, there were other breakout sessions and news announced.

Here are the big takeaways from the 2023 college golf coaches convention in Las Vegas.

Golf Coaches Association of America announces 2023 Hall of Fame inductees

To be selected to the Hall of Fame, a coach must be nominated by their peers and then selected by the GCAA Hall of Fame Committee.

The Golf Coaches Association of America announced Thursday its 2023 Hall of Fame class.

Steve Card, Josh Gregory, Grier Jones, and Marlin “Cricket” Musch will be inducted Dec. 4 at the GCAA Hall of Fame Reception and Awards Dinner in Las Vegas.

Card spent more than 33 years in Western Washington’s athletic department in various leadership roles. He served as men’s golf coach from 1993 to 2013. Western Washington won 45 tournaments, including 10 conference and four regional championships, and made 12 NCAA Championship appearances (eight team and four individual) in 15 years as well as four NAIA Championship appearances (Western Washington competed in the NAIA until becoming an official member of NCAA Division II in 1998).

Gregory served as the men’s golf coach and director of golf at Augusta State (now Augusta), where he led the Jaguars to a program-record 18 tournament wins, including becoming the first program since Houston (1984-1985) to win back-to-back NCAA Division I National Championships in 2010 and 2011. Gregory produced 12 All-Americans, 14 PING All-South Region selections, five GCAA All-America Scholars, six Arnold Palmer Cup and two Walker Cup participants while winning the NCAA Division I Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award twice (2010-2011). He then went to SMU, where he coached Bryson DeChambeau, and has also spent time on Will Zalatoris’ bag on the PGA Tour.

Jones was the coach at Wichita State from 1995 until his retirement in 2019. In his tenure, the Shockers won 49 tournaments, including 15 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) championships, and 45 medalist honors, including 11 individual conference championships. The 13-time MVC Coach of the Year and MVC All-Centennial Team coach (2007) also led Wichita State to 13 NCAA Division I regional appearances, and his players received eight MVC Golfer of the Year awards, 60 All-MVC, and five All-America selections, including two from current head coach Judd Easterling. He played collegiately at Oklahoma State.

Musch started the UTEP varsity program, which had previously been a club sport, and was the head coach from 1981 to 1990. In 1988, the Miners shared national runner-up honors with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State after the conclusion of the 1988 NCAA Division I National Championship, finishing only three shots behind champion UCLA and GCAA Hall of Fame coach Eddie Merrins. Musch received the NCAA Division I Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award that year, and UTEP made it back to the national championship in 1989 before Musch earned Regional Coach of the Year honors. In all, Musch, a three-time Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Coach of the Year, led the Miners to the 1985 WAC Championship, six national championship appearances, and 10 All-American honors. After coaching, he had a 30-year career in golf agency.

In 1980, the GCAA began inducting outstanding men’s college golf coaches into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame. Since then, the hall has grown to include more than 160 members. To be selected to the Hall of Fame, a coach must be nominated by their peers and then selected by the GCAA Hall of Fame Committee. Selection criteria not only include a coach’s record on the golf course, but also their contributions to the game, student-athletes, and school.

‘Change is hard’: What to know about Clippd, Spikemark’s failures and future of college golf scoring and rankings

“We’re super excited about this partnership… and we know they’ll get it done.”

The start of the 2023-24 college golf season has been tumultuous, to say the least.

On Monday, Oct. 16, the NCAA announced Clippd, a technology business founded and staffed by passionate golfers, would take over as the official scoring and rankings provider for college golf. This comes on the heels of numerous failures from Spikemark Golf, which replaced Golfstat in July and was supposed to provide tournament scoring, real-time leaderboards, detailed statistics, in-depth analytics and media, allowing fans to keep track of their favorite teams and players.

However, from day one, Spikemark’s website encountered numerous issues, there have been no official college golf rankings with the fall season nearing completion and plenty of questions remain from coaches and those involved with the inter-workings of the sport about the future.

Here’s what you need to know about Clippd, Spikemark’s failures and the future of college golf scoring and rankings.

Golf Coaches Association of America seeking nominees for 2023 Ron Balicki scholarship

The recipient, a current high school senior or current college undergraduate or graduate student, will receive two $2,500 scholarships, one per 2023 semester.

The Golf Coaches Association of America is accepting applications for the 2023 Ron Balicki Scholarship until Feb. 28. The recipient, a current high school senior or current college undergraduate or graduate student, will receive two $2,500 scholarships, one per 2023 semester.

The Ron Balicki Scholarship for aspiring golf journalists is dedicated to the memory of Ron Balicki for his lifelong commitment to covering the game of golf.

Few individuals have done more to bring exposure to college golf than Balicki. Since practically inventing the college golf beat while at Golfweek in 1983, Balicki became part of the fabric of the college and amateur game. He covered his first golf tournament in 1980 while with the Florida Daily News. He won first and third in GCAA writing contests and won four firsts and numerous honorable mention awards with the International Network of Golf. Balicki also won three first-place awards from the Texas Golf Writers Association. He was a winner of the Golf Writer’s Association of America Jimmy D’Angelo Award and the Northwest Florida Sports Association Al Byrne Award, both of which are presented to a person for contributions, devotion and service to the organization and the community.

“This past year has changed my life,” Alex Gelman, the 2022 Balicki Scholarship recipient, said. “I used to only cover basketball and football games, and although I am very passionate about these two sports, I never felt like I fit in. With golf, I’m home. I now know that I want to cover the sport of golf as a professional, and it is an honor to represent Ron Balicki’s name.”

Past winners of the Ron Balicki Scholarship include Gelman, Cade Tjomsland (Palm Beach Atlantic University), current Golfweek writer Brayden Conover (University of Oklahoma), Golf on CBS social media personality Tracy Peyton (Palm Beach Atlantic University) and Valero Alamo Bowl business developer Luke Hendry (University of Texas).

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01f1jy2metwcg6v9hc image=]

Patriot All-America will expand to include top female amateurs in 2021

Organizers of the Patriot All-America have announced the tournament will now include a women’s division.

[mm-video type=video id=01fb7ssb1g4886sbbvps playlist_id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fb7ssb1g4886sbbvps/01fb7ssb1g4886sbbvps-025398dbe66cfcc51de8581661b3b08a.jpg]

Amateur golf is steeped in tradition, and the calendar normally repeats itself from year to year. One of the final stops for the nation’s best college players is the Patriot All-America Invitational at the Wigwam Golf Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona.

Beginning in 2021, the “best” college players will mean all college players. Organizers of the Patriot All-America have announced that, in partnership with the Women’s Golf Coaches Association of America, the tournament will feature a women’s division for the first time. A field of 42 of college golf’s best women will join the field of 84 men on Dec. 28-31 to end the year.

“The WGCA is excited to partner with The Patriot,” said Angie Ravaioli-Larkin, WGCA President. “This is so special to our organization especially with our involvement and commitment to The Folds of Honor. What a tremendous opportunity to recognize some of the finest players in women’s college golf while honoring those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.”

The Patriot All-America Invitational features PING All-Americans from the previous season in NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and NJCAA; as well as 2021 First Team All-America seniors from the AJGA. The tournament is unique in the way it allows players to honor fallen or severely wounded soldiers in partnership with the Folds of Honor Foundation. Each player receives a golf bag donated by PING Corporation at the event’s opening ceremony that carries the name and branch of service of a fallen or injured military member. Participants also receive a card with the soldier’s story so they can be familiar with that soldier. The golf bags are then sold with proceeds donated to Folds of Honor to support the families affected.

“I’m grateful and excited about the return of the Patriot All-America Invitational in 2021,” said Lt Col Dan Rooney, founder and CEO of Folds of Honor. “This outstanding golf tournament honors those who have given so much for our country. I’m especially enthusiastic about the addition of women collegiate golfers in this year’s field. These are some of the best players in America. Women play an integral role in the military and have sacrificed so much.”

The Patriot All-America is the latest tournament to expand its field to include top women’s golfers or to offer a separate women’s division. This week marks the inaugural Sea Island Women’s Amateur. Sea Island, Georgia, has long been an important stop in men’s amateur golf, having hosted the Jones Cup tournaments (together with Ocean Forest Golf Club) since the early 2000s. Now, women get the chance to compete there annually, too.

The Southwestern Amateur added a women’s division recently and the Palmer Cup, a Presidents Cup-style match pitting the best American college players against their International counterparts, became a co-ed match in 2018.

[lawrence-related id=778082139,778078517]

Sam Houston State’s Brandt Kieschnick highlights Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award winners

Sam Houston State responded to COVID controversy with a deep run in the postseason.

One of the best stories of the 2020-21 college golf season ended with some hardware after all.

On Wednesday the Golf Coaches Association of America and Golf Pride Grips announced the six 2021 Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award winners, with Sam Houston State’s Brandt Kieschnick taking home Division I honors.

The Bearkats were forced to complete the Stillwater Regional without leader and star player, William Holcomb, due to COVID-19 contact tracing. His teammates rallied without him to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championship, the first in program history. Sam Houston made the first cut but lost out on a spot in match play by seven strokes.

“I am so humbled to receive this award and words can’t express how thankful I am,” Kieschnick said. “To be recognized by your peers is truly an honor. I’m so proud of this program and our team. This is a reflection of the hard work that was put in by our guys and our coaches, Tommy Chain and Robert Thompson. Everyone shares in this recognition.”

The other winners were Arkansas Tech’s Luke Calcatera (Division II), Illinois Wesleyan’s Jim Ott (Division III), Dalton State’s Ben Rickett (NAIA), Hutchinson’s Chris Young (NJCAA DI) and Parkland’s Corbin Sebens (NJCAA DII).

[listicle id=778073458]

Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker, Solheim Cup captain Pat Hurst advise next generation of golfers

Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker and Solheim Cup captain Pat Hurst are no strangers to resiliency.

The 2020 WGCA/GCAA Virtual Member Convention has been a fitting representation of golf this year. While each looks a little different, both have been resilient.

On Wednesday, during a recorded session hosted by Golf Channel’s Steve Burkowski, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker and Solheim Cup captain Pat Hurst shared past experiences with facing adversity and gave a bit of advice for how coaches and players can continue to grow amid a pandemic.

“You have this dream of taking it to the next level but you never know what that means,” said Stricker. “Fortunately for me, I was able to see some success at each level. At each level I got a jolt of confidence knowing I could potentially play at that level.”

“You go through your ups and downs and you have to persevere, that’s what I did,” explained Stricker, winner of 12 PGA Tour titles. “It wasn’t always great, it took me my fourth time through qualifying school to get my Tour card, there’s always those challenges.”

The first-ever joint virtual convention began Dec. 1 and runs through Tuesday, Dec. 15. Instead of loading the schedule with hours of daily programming, events were spread out, allowing members to pick and choose various online meetings and sessions to attend, much like an a la carte menu.

Unlike Stricker, Hurst wasn’t as fortunate in the confidence department early in her professional career, despite a blistering amateur and collegiate career. The Bay Area native won the 1986 U.S. Girls’ Junior and 1990 U.S. Women’s Amateur. The year prior, Hurst was a medalist at the 1989 U.S. Women’s Amateur and won the team and individual NCAA title with San José State.

All that winning came with a price. After she left school, Hurst quit golf for a year. She had gotten to the point where she hated the game she used to love.

“I remember being out at Spyglass caddying for my now husband,” explained Hurst. “I’m at one of the most beautiful places in the world and I’m carrying his bag caddying and I’m like, ‘I hate golf. What am I doing?’”

Hurst ended up taking some time away from the game before getting the itch to return to competition. She worked her way to LPGA Rookie of the Year honors in 1995, a major championship at the 1998 ANA Inspiration and six LPGA victories. Not to mention decades of Solheim Cup experience, where she boats a 10-7-3 record (3-1-1 in singles).

As student-athletes face COVID-19 uncertainties, both captains stressed the importance of not only time, but body management, while also pointing out how the new generation of players is more prepared than ever.

“These kids start out so young, taking care of their bodies, eating right, practicing correctly, the drills that these kids do is mindblowing to me,” said Stricker. “I never did any drills, still don’t, and these kids come out on Tour with all their putting devices and drills and sticks and everything lined up just right and they’re working at it and they’re working at it correctly. They just dial it in.”

“Back in the day I don’t remember having workouts, which is kind of sad but its true,” added Hurst, who still remembers hitting balls on the football field through the uprights and picking her “range” on the soccer field. “We didn’t have study hall like they do. It’s more demanding on their time and I think it teaches them a lot of time management.”

“It’s definitely changed but for the better.”

Proposal that could have led to Division I cuts shot down by NCAA

Power Five athletic directors had asked for a blanket waiver that could have suspended non-revenue sports for up to four years.

College golf coaches and players worried that a blanket waiver from the NCAA might allow Division I programs to suspend non-revenue sports for up to a four-year period and still maintain their status can breathe a small sigh of relief after the Division I Council said it will not consider that provision.

At present, FBS schools must field at least 16 teams, with a minimum of six men’s teams and a minimum of eight women’s teams. Division I schools must field at least 14 teams.

According to a release from the NCAA:

The Council discussed the issue in response to a request from the majority of Division I conferences to consider providing a blanket waiver for all Division I members of several legislative requirements. The letter asked for the blanket waiver for a period of at least two years to allow schools to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While several legislative changes will be considered for blanket waivers, the Council indicated that sport sponsorship minimums should be removed from that list. Schools still can request sport sponsorship requirement waivers on an individual basis.

That means the schools that have been the hardest hit financially during the coronavirus pandemic are not out of the woods, but a formalized process for being granted a waiver has yet to be determined.

“Higher education is facing unique challenges, and the Division I leadership believes it’s appropriate to examine areas in which rules can be relaxed or amended to provide flexibility for schools and conferences,” said Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, athletics director at Pennsylvania. “We will prioritize student-athlete well-being and opportunities balanced with reducing costs associated with administering college sports, but a blanket waiver of sport sponsorship requirements is not in keeping with our values and will not be considered.”

This surfaced after a letter to NCAA President Mark Emmert dated April 10, in which the commissioners of the Group of Five conferences – the American Athletic, Conference USA, the Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt – said: “In order to provide NCAA Division I institutions flexibility in addressing the challenges for the foreseeable future, we request temporary relief from several regulatory requirements for a period of up to four years. A blanket waiver for relief will provide institutions the ability to make prudent and necessary decisions for the financial well-being of the institution.”

Representatives of 17 coaches’ associations, including the Golf Coaches Association of America and the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, responded to Emmert.

Golfweek received a copy of the letter GCAA CEO Gregg Grost sent out to members, detailing the concern the group has over the potential waiver.

“If this waiver passes, it would mean the potential for fewer teams, fewer scholarships and fewer opportunities for student-athletes competing in Olympic and non-revenue producing sports,” the letter said. “The GCAA strongly opposes this drastic measure and has signed off on a letter with other coaches associations that was sent to NCAA President Mark Emmert.”

Although the blanket minimum was removed for the waiver, the Council still intends to work through a number of issues in upcoming weeks, including transfers and scheduling concerns.

[lawrence-related id=778041611,778041601,778041587,778041578]