Tag: Seth Waugh

PGA of America offer millions of dollars in cash grants to help industry workers

The Golf Emergency Relief Fund will help individuals who work in the golf industry weather the storm caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The PGA of America announced on Monday that it has developed the Golf Emergency Relief Fund to help individuals who work in the golf industry weather the storm caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Golf Emergency Relief Fund started with a $5 million pledge by the PGA of America with a matching fund for gifts by third parties of up to $2.5 million, raising the total to as much or more than $10 million. That money will be made available in direct payments to a wide range of the golf industry’s 1.8 million workers, not just the 29,000 PGA of America professionals. Those impacted financially by COVID-19 can apply for a share of these funds as early as Thursday.

“This is all going to individuals,” said PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh. “We tried to design it in a way that makes the most sense and gets it to the people in the most need.”

The fund will be administered by E4E Relief, an independent third-party public charity. There will be two phases, the first supplying grants of $500 to $1,500 for people in the most immediate need, then transitioning several weeks later into a second phase with grants topping out at $3,500.

Qualified applicants will include Golf Course Superintendents Association of America members, caddies who are employed through a handful of caddie companies, Association of Golf Merchandisers members, players on developmental tours and more (see the complete list of possible candidates at the bottom of this story).

The initial funding includes direct contributions from PGA of America board members and executives, and Waugh said those contributions are not yet fully determined but will reach into the high six figures. The effort also is being supported in various ways by a number of industry organizations, including the GCSAA, PGA Tour, LPGA, U.S. Golf Association, the National Golf Course Owners Association and the Association of Golf Merchandisers.

“We’ve added the Relief Fund as a next layer of defense, to pump a little adrenaline into the system in the form of cash,” Waugh said. “We’re just thinking about how to get everybody to the other side, so that’s our approach.”

Seth Waugh (Photo by Montana Pritchard/PGA of America)

Waugh estimated that with outside contributions, the fund could grow to as much as $20 million. He said the PGA of America has not been able to fully audit how much of the golf industry has been impacted by COVID-19 or to what degree, but he said “it’s a bunch of small businesses that are getting crushed” as more than half the golf courses in the U.S. are closed with 16 states banning golf altogether during the pandemic, based on a recent National Golf Foundation report.

“You go to any business with a zero-revenue model, that’s pretty hard to model, right?” Waugh said. The full impact on the golf industry “obviously depends on how long it lasts. … This is an event-driven crisis. Everything was going well. If this is a two- to three-month crisis, we probably can come back pretty much as business as usual. If it goes longer than that, there will be some failures and there will be some consolidations.”

Hence the relief fund, Waugh said, as well as delaying PGA of America membership dues and working directly with all 41 PGA sections to help them survive the pandemic.

“We’re put on earth to serve our members and the game, and what more important moment to do it than now?” said Waugh, the former CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas who took his role with the PGA of America in 2018. “You wake up every morning trying to figure out how to be smart and to be human, and the most important part is how can you be the most human. If you can do that, and prove that you have a brain as well as soul, you can come out of these things better than you went in.”

Below is the complete list of industry employees who may apply for a grant at https://relief.golf:

  • PGA of America professionals (includes members, students and associates)
  • LPGA professionals (includes members and students/apprentices)
  • Golf Course Superintendents Association of America members
  • Employed or contracted as a caddie of one of the following caddie companies (qualifying employers and their subsidiaries): Caddienow, Caddiemaster, 4C Caddies, Premier Caddies, ClubUp, CaddieU, Circuit Caddie and Caddy King
  • Association of Golf Merchandisers members
  • Players in developmental tours operated by the PGA Tour (Korn Ferry Tour, PGA Tour Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour China Series)
  • Players in developmental tours operated by the LPGA (Symetra Tour)
  • Employees of United States Golf Association authorized allied golf associations
  • Employees of PGA of America sections
  • National Golf Course Owners Association members

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How PGA CEO Seth Waugh became a force with Justin Rose at the Seminole Pro-Member

PGA CEO Seth Waugh explains how he and Justin Rose became a dynamic duo and three-time winners at the Seminole Pro-Member

At a time when most people his age are eyeing retirement, Seth Waugh, 61, is as busy as ever as CEO of the PGA of America, but not too busy to participate in the best-attended Monday pro-am in golf.

It’s the Seminole Pro-Member at the 1929 Donald Ross masterpiece in Juno Beach, Florida, site of the 2021 Walker Cup and ranked No. 13 on Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list, where past champions of this one-of-a-kind event dating to 1937 include Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. It has been played the Monday after the Honda Classic since 2017. (From 2004-16, it was held the Monday after the World Golf Championship at Trump Doral Resort.)

Look to the wall of champions on the mahogany board in the northeast corner of the Seminole Golf Club locker room in gold lettering for Waugh’s name alongside his partner Justin Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open winner and Olympic gold medalist.

Webb Simpson, right, and CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas Seth Waugh pose with the trophy after the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship golf tournament at TPC Boston.
Webb Simpson, right, receives the 2016 Deutsche Bank Championship trophy from then-CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas Seth Waugh

At the PGA Merchandise Show in January, Waugh, a former executive with Deutsche Bank, who has teamed with Rose to win the Pro-Member three times (2012, ’16-17), proved he knows his numbers and has his sights set on hoisting another trophy.

“Four is more than three, right?” he said with a wink.

The Waugh-Rose bond runs deeper than a glorified one-day pro-am. It dates to 2003, when Waugh green-lighted his then tournament director Jay Monahan – yes, the PGA Tour Commish once ran the Deutsche Bank Championship near Boston – to offer Rose a sponsor’s exemption via the foreign-player exemption category.

“It was the first year of the tournament and we were at the governor’s state house for the pro-am draw party and Mitt Romney was governor,” Waugh says, setting the scene for a well-practiced story.

“I see this young man nibbling on shrimp cocktail at the seafood bar. I went up to him and asked if he was Justin Rose. He said he was. I said, ‘Well, what are you doing here?’ He said he got an exemption from Deutsche Bank and thought he should thank somebody. I said, ‘That was very nice. Did your agent suggest it?’ He said, ‘I don’t have an agent, I just thought it was the right thing to do.’

“He was staying out in Providence like 90 minutes away. I said, ‘I’m Seth Waugh and you just thanked me. Go home and get some rest and win this thing.’ He finished third and got in the next week’s tournament and got his (PGA Tour) card and was on his way. In a world of entitled folks, he got in his rental car, drove up to Boston and was looking for someone to thank from Deutsche Bank.”

Seth Waugh knocks knuckles with partner Richard Bland at the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

A friendship took root and before long, Rose was staying at Waugh’s home whenever he competed at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. For the longest time, Waugh played in Seminole’s Pro-Member with New England’s favorite son, Brad Faxon, until Faxon got hurt in 2011 and Waugh invited Rose to fill his shoes.

“We had a good time,” Waugh said. “The next year Fax was good to go, but we were short on players, if you can believe that. I called Justin and asked if he could play and he said sure. I hung up and realized I think he thought I had invited him to play with me. So, I called Fax and told him I screwed up. How about you play with Tom Ryan (CEO of CVS) and we’ll play in the same group? Fax agreed but before he hangs up he says, ‘It’s all good as long as neither of us wins,’ and we both giggled. Backstory: we had finished second two or three times as a team and we always screwed up 18.”

But not this time with Rose.

“We were in the last group, and both birdie 17 and (Seminole head professional) Bob Ford comes out to tell us we need one more. I hit a wedge to 15 feet and made it for a 3 for 2 and we ended up winning by one stroke. Even before I said anything to Justin, I turned to Fax and said, ‘Sorry! I absolutely threw up with you, but with Justin I got it done.’ ”

Three wins at the Seminole Pro-Member is no fluke and Waugh, an 8.4 handicap, is quick to point out that he did help a little, though one year Rose shot 63 and they won both net and gross.

“He’s a baller,” Rose says of his pards. “When he’s got a stroke hole, he has this amazing knack to make the putts for net birdie. Seth’s a competitor and that’s why I love playing with him.”

If any further confirmation of the depth of their friendship is needed there is this: When Rose’s daughter Charlotte was born in 2012, he asked Waugh to be her godfather.

“I think he’s godfather to about 20 kids, to be honest with you, because he’s such a cool guy. But having just one son (aspiring tour pro Clancy) I thought a baby girl would be fun for him, and it’s a great excuse for us as a family to stay in touch,” Rose says.

“I was flattered and honored,” Waugh says. “What I love about Justin is he’s never changed. He’s always on point. To watch him mature over the past 16-17 years has been a real joy.”

As for their annual date in the Seminole Pro-Member, Waugh says, “For us, it’s become a chance to catch up.”

And chase another title. After all, four is more than three.

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Forecaddie: Is the PGA Merchandise Show’s days numbered in Orlando?

The PGA Merchandise Show has been in Florida for 67 years, but could it be headed to Frisco, Texas, when the PGA moves its headquarters?

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ORLANDO – Ever since the PGA of America announced it was moving its headquarters to Frisco, Texas, rumors have swirled that the PGA Merchandise Show wouldn’t be far behind in packing its bag for the suburb of ‘Big D.’

Not so fast my friends – at least that’s what leadership at the PGA and Reed Exhibitions, the operator of the Show, will have you believe.

A spokesperson for Reed Exhibitions tells The Forecaddie that the PGA contract with the Orlando County Convention Center runs through 2028, and dates are reserved until 2050, said Marc Simon, Reed Exhibitions event vice president.

“It’s not on the radar for us,” said Jeff Price, PGA’s chief commercial officer. “Frisco doesn’t have the space (for the 10 miles of exhibit aisles), not sure if Dallas does, but it has a future plan for expansion.”

Price added, “We think of the PGA Show as the global golf gathering. We’re open to everything but Orlando has been a really good partner.”

The SiriusXM Town Hall at the 2020 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

This year marked the 67th annual PGA Show in the Sunshine State and it has set up shop in Orlando since 1985.

The reasons for the “major of golf business” to stay put are plentiful: the Orlando County Convention Center provides 1 million square feet of meeting, floor and special event space, and also hosts the National Golf Course Owners Association and the Racquet & Paddle Sports Show. Orange County National Golf Club is ideal for handling more than 7,000 participants at PGA Demo Day with more than 200 hitting bays. The warm climate, direct flights, nearby attractions and ability to store exhibit booths also make Orlando a perfect fit.

The PGA Merchandise Show, which began in the trunks of cars at a winter golf tournament in 1954, has grown into the world’s largest annual gathering of the golf industry and is organized in partnership by PGA Golf Exhibitions and the PGA of America.

If the PGA Show is to move to Frisco, it is more likely that it will be for the PGA Fall Expo, which has been held in Las Vegas (Sept. 18-19) for years. That contract, Simon said, is on a year-to-year basis and offers more flexibility. The Fall Expo also receives only about 3,000 attendees compared to 40,000 that participate in the three-day January affair to discover the newest trends and technology from some 1,000 exhibiting golf companies and brands.

PGA CEO Seth Waugh provided an update on the development in Frisco, calling the city a Texas miracle.

“They built a highway, they built a practice football field and now it’s the fastest growing city in the country,” he said. “Every time out there the dream gets bigger.”

Waugh detailed how the PGA is targeting to open its new headquarters there in June 2022, which would include the resort hotel, golf operations at the two championship courses and a convention center.

He also addressed the possibility of the AT&T Byron Nelson moving to Frisco after the PGA Tour event ends its run at Trinity Forest later this year, saying everyone is kicking the tires around.

“Are we happy to talk to them about it? We are,” Waugh said. “We’re not pursuing it but if it makes the most sense for the city and for us and our partners and golf we’ll be happy to entertain it and see if it is possible.”

The PGA already has 23 championships, including the PGA and Ryder Cup, scheduled in Frisco in the first 12 years. Waugh confirmed he met with the Salesmanship Club and had discussions with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.

So just kicking the tires?

“Well, we don’t have any tires (yet),” Waugh said. “There is no car.”

But soon there will be and whether the PGA Show or the Byron Nelson end up there, Frisco is destined to be on the golf map soon.

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