Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2021 - 4

INSIDE
THE MG A
What is MGA
Membership?
Inspiration Is
Everywhere
* BY TOM RYAN *
I
nspiration is defi ned as
a feeling of enthusiasm
you get from someone
or something, which you act
on in a new or creative way.
Mike Davis, CEO of the
USGA, often says USGA
championships provide
inspiration to golfers and
nongolfers alike. While he
focused on how the championships
motivate people
to take up or improve their
game, I believe the stories
of golfers at the highest level
can also inspire us in more
ways beyond the golf course.
Amy Olson of Fargo
found herself just one shot
off the lead after three
rounds of the U.S. Women's
Open at the Champions
Club in Houston this past
December. That evening,
she received the news
that her father-in-law had
passed away suddenly. Her
husband, who had traveled
to Houston to follow
her, rushed home the next
morning to be with family.
Amy stayed to fi nish
competing,
playing that
fi nal round with the loss
clearly on her mind. She
played very well, and only
a late charge by A Lim Kim
kept her from victory in the
world's most prestigious
women's championship.
4
MINNESOTAGOLFER Summer 2021
But more impressive
than her play was how she
handled herself in the postround
interviews. Everyone
wanted to know how she
was able to play so well
under those circumstances.
She referenced her faith,
the love and support of her
family back home, and her
fellow competitors,
who
supported her throughout
the day.
She did each interview
with grace, humility, and
with a calmness and clarity
that was too impressive for
words.
I wasn't inspired to play
golf that day, or go work
on my game, but instead
remember having a tremendous
sense of pride to be
associated with a game that
can produce a story with
such power and impact,
highlighting life's highs and
lows. Amy Olson has every
quality we admire in people
that play golf.
Now fast forward to the
story of Bella McCauley,
a high school junior, who
recently qualifi ed for the
U.S. Women's Open at
The Olympic Club in San
Francisco, at 17 years, three
months and 27 days old,
the youngest Minnesotan to
ever qualify.
While her golf was inspiring,
birdieing three of her
last seven holes along with a
clutch 8-foot par putt on the
18th hole to earn her spot,
how she handled herself
over the next few days doing
interviews and TV spots was
equally impressive.
In a Star Tribune article
following her qualifying,
Bella
talked about
being inspired herself. As
a 12-year-old, she won a
13-15 age group event and
said of the win, " that was
against all my peers, people
I looked up to. I was able to
do well under pressure ... it
gave me a lot of confi dence. "
Just as she was once
inspired, I'm quite certain
Bella and her obvious skill
and love of the game will
inspire many young girls to
work on improving their
games; to " be like " Bella.
We're fortunate to play a
game where inspiration can
come from anywhere, from
anyone, and in many different
ways. It's more than the
skill at which people play,
but the character of those
who play, that not only
gives us the enthusiasm to
improve, but more importantly,
to be better as a person.
See
you on the course.
It's your invitation
to play some of the
fi nest golf courses
around, through
participation in MGA
Associate Members' Days or
the MGA Senior Tour. * It's
your USGA Handicap Index,
now updated daily, after
a posted score. * It's your
subscription to Minnesota
Golfer magazine, delivered to
your home. * It's your support
of programs and services
that make the game better.
TRENDS INDICATE INTEREST
IN GOLF IS STILL STRONG
POST-COVID-19
GOLF ROUNDS IN APRIL 2021*
81.4%
Nationally
76.0%
Minnesota
39.4%
West North
Central Region
(Iowa, Kan., Minn., Mo.,
Neb., N.D. and S.D.)
Compared to the year before, this
trend is not surprising, given that
most golf courses in the U.S. were
closed for much of March through
May of 2020 due to COVID-19.
Shipments of wholesale golf
equipment units for Jan-April
2021 were up 25%** over the
same period in 2019, suggesting
the industry is continuing to ride
a wave of demand created during
the pandemic.
According to GolfDatatech* and the
National Golf Foundation**
mngolf.org
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2021

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