In Memoriam: Diane Dill, 1936-2023

Rose Diane Dupree was born on July 21, 1936, in Gilmer, Texas to Jake and Ruth Dupree. As the only child of Jake and Ruth, she was the apple of their eyes. Diane loved athletics and the outdoors. She played football in the front yard with the boys in the neighborhood, always being the quarterback. She played baseball and tennis, and at the age of 14, she discovered true excitement in golf. She would play with her parents and other kids who were around.

Diane attended Gilmer schools while growing up. She was in the Gilmer Buckeye marching band, where she played trombone. Gilmer is home to the cherished tradition known as the East Texas Yamboree. It is a good-old fashioned small-town festival. It typically draws over 100,000 people to the small community. The annual four-day event is held each October to celebrate the yam cash crop. In 1953, Diane was selected to be Queen Yam XVI. She presided over the Queen’s coronation and the Queen’s parade and all the festivities during the Yamboree. The floats are built by Upshur County Schools. The float that wins First Place is the Queen’s Float in the parade on Saturday. Diane always loved this fabulous experience in her young life and being Queen Yam. She loved her East Texas roots.

After graduating from Gilmer High School, Diane attended the University of Texas. She was a member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority and earned a Bachelor of Business degree.

After Diane graduated from the University of Texas, she started playing golf with local friends. Wanting to be more competitive, she started taking lessons from a golf pro at the Humble Country Club in Pasadena. He helped refine her swing. His name was Bill Dill. Not only did Diane love golf, she loved and adored Bill Dill. The feeling was mutual, and Diane and Bill married in June 1963. Although Bill was 11 years older than Diane, it was a match made in heaven. They were inseparable and shared a love of hunting, fishing, traveling, cooking and of course, golf. Together they became the stars of Bentwater Country Club. Many of their closest friends are gathered today in Diane’s honor.

The team of Bill and Diane taught so many to play and enjoy golf. Diane’s amateur legacy is impressive, as she had 14 holes in one and played in two US Women’s Amateurs. She won six Women’s Senior Strike Play tournaments and captured the Super Senior and Legends Divisions three times. When Diane could no longer play because of a back injury, she volunteered for the Women’s TGA and attended the USGA Rules School. Volunteering for the TGA allowed her to be on the courses with young ladies at the collegiate and professional level. Diane volunteered at over 20 events and helped the TGA conduct top tier women’s championships. Diane was a TGA Director on the Women’s Committee, as well.

In 1958, Diane began her career with Humble Oil, which became Exxon. She joined the Marketing Department. Who could have been better to be an ambassador for the company than a talented, organized, and friendly young lady with a degree in business from the University of Texas?

In 1977, Diane became an analyst in administration where she handled management development and compensation.

Diane retired in 1988, after 30 years of service and received many professional accolades over those years.

In her leisure time, Diane found joy and great passion in golf. Her competitive spirit, drive and determination made her a shining star for others to follow. Her devotion to golf brought respect and honor to her while impacting many others along the way.

Dear Diane lived a dream life, a full life by every measure. She was showered with God’s countless blessings of having doting and loving parents, having a marriage to her wonderful soul mate, Bill Dill, living an honored professional life, and being surrounded with loving family and friends.

Diane is survived by her stepson Johnny Dill and his family Tara Ward, Brian Stewart, and daughter Ava, stepdaughter Mary Lou Dill, and is predeceased by stepdaughter Billie June Wilson, cousins Mike and Cathy Bullard, Courtney Duperier and husband Chris, Ross Bullard and their families, cousins Paul and Beverly Rowntree, Christopher and Brandi Rowntree, Michael and Alicia Rowntree, Matthew and Rachel Rowntree and their families.

May the Lord Bless you and keep you, Diane.

To make a donation in the memory of Diane Dill, click here.

Leslie Henry Nominated to Serve on USGA Executive Committee

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Dec. 7, 2022) – Leslie Henry of Houston, Texas; Bryan Lewis of South Haven, Mich.; Michael McCarthy of San Francisco, Calif.; and Jeff Sluman of Hinsdale, Ill.; have each been nominated to serve a three-year term on the USGA Executive Committee, highlighting the USGA Nominating Committee’s 2023 slate.

In addition, Courtney Myhrum of Pittsburgh, Pa., has been nominated to serve a second three-year term on the USGA Executive Committee, a volunteer group of 15 people that provides strategic and financial oversight as the Association’s policy-making and governance board.

“I look forward to welcoming these talented, respected and passionate leaders to our Executive Committee,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan. “Along with all my USGA teammates, I am excited to begin working together with them to strengthen and advance our great game.”

Henry is the immediate past president of the Texas Golf Association (TGA), the first female to hold that role. She became a member of the Women’s Texas Golf Association (WTGA) board of directors in 2012 and played an integral role in the process of merging the WTGA with the TGA in 2014. She joined the TGA Board of Directors that year and was elected as the TGA’s first female officer in 2016. She played tennis collegiately at Louisiana State University and earned her law degree from the South Texas College of Law. Henry took up golf at the age of 35 and has since won the Greater Houston Women’s Senior City Championship four times and has played on the Texas Cup South Team seven times. She has also qualified for the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, and recently competed in the World Amateur Golfers Championship in Malaysia after winning the Nationals in Orlando, Fla.

A litigator of more than 25 years, Henry divides her time between the Houston and New Orleans offices of Adams and Reese, LLP. She formerly served on Adams and Reese’s Executive Committee, which oversees the firm’s strategic operations across its 21 markets. She currently serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Henry also works closely with young attorneys through Adams and Reese’s mentorship program.

Lewis has been a USGA committee member since 1998 and is a recipient of the association’s Ike Grainger Award, which recognizes 25 years of volunteer service. He has served on the Rules Committee for 84 USGA championships, four Masters Tournaments and the 2021 Walker Cup Match. He has served on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee since 2017 and has been an instructor at USGA/PGA Rules Workshops since 2019. Lewis played in the 1980 U.S. Junior Amateur and was a member of the Western Michigan University varsity golf team. He also served for four years on the Golf Association of Michigan Board of Governors.

Professionally, Lewis spent 32 years at Whirlpool Corporation before retiring in 2017 as an information security manager. He was a nationally recognized expert in identity and access management. His governance experience includes 22 years on the South Haven (Mich.) Public Schools Board of Education, eight of those as board president.

McCarthy is a lifelong golfer, competing at an early age in Northern California junior events. He earned his B.A. in history from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was a member of the 1988 golf team that won a national championship. McCarthy currently serves on the board of his hometown San Francisco Golf Club, and he was a longtime board member of the First Tee of San Francisco, where he helped start the program in conjunction with the restoration of Harding Park Golf Club. Still competitive, McCarthy qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship in 2010 and has won 12 club championships.

McCarthy, whose career at Franklin Templeton Investments spans more than 30 years, currently serves as executive vice president and chief investment officer for the Franklin Equity Group. He has oversight of the San Mateo (Calif.) and New York-based investment teams who manage Franklin’s equity and hybrid strategies, along with Franklin Equity Group’s research team. He is also the lead portfolio manager for the Franklin Small Cap Growth strategy. McCarthy is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.

Sluman, who played in the 1980 U.S. Open as an amateur and turned professional later that year, joined the PGA Tour in 1983 and PGA Tour Champions in 2007. He has 18 professional victories, including the 1988 PGA Championship. Sluman has four top-10 finishes in the U.S. Open, including runner-up in 1992 at Pebble Beach. In 2019, Sluman became the 21st player in history to play more than 1,000 events on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions, and has recorded six victories on each tour. He was a two-time PGA Tour Policy Board member and two-time Champions Tour Policy Board member and served as an assistant captain for three U.S. Presidents Cup and two U.S. Ryder Cup teams.

Sluman, who played at Florida State University, is a member of his alma mater’s Hall of Fame, as well as the New York State Golf Association Hall of Fame in recognition of his stellar amateur career in his home state, punctuated by a victory at the 1978 New York State Amateur.

Current USGA Executive Committee members include Myhrum; Tony Anderson of Chicago, Ill.; Chuck Brymer of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; Sinclair Eaddy Jr., of Baltimore, Md.; Cathy Engelbert of Berkeley Heights, N.J.; Kendra Graham of Winter Park, Fla.; Kevin Hammer of Boynton Beach, Fla.; Deborah Platt Majoras of Cincinnati, Ohio; Tony Petitti of Irvington, N.Y.; Sharon Ritchey of Longboat Key, Fla.; and Fred Perpall of Dallas, Texas, who was previously nominated to become the USGA’s 67th president.

Per the bylaws of the association, Henry, Lewis, McCarthy and Sluman will each serve a three-year term beginning in 2023, with the potential to be elected for a second and final three-year term in 2026.

If elected, the new four members will assume seats vacated by retiring members Thomas Barkin of Atlanta, Ga.; Paul Brown of Brookeville, Md.; Nick Price of Hobe Sound, Fla.; and Stu Francis of Hillsborough, Calif., who is concluding his three-year term as USGA president.

The USGA Annual Meeting will take place Feb. 25, 2023 in Napa, Calif.

About the USGA 
The USGA is a nonprofit organization that celebrates, serves and advances the game of golf. Founded in 1894, we conduct many of golf’s premier professional and amateur championships, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica. With The R&A, we govern the sport via a global set of playing, equipment, handicapping and amateur status rules. The USGA campus in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, is home to the Association’s Research and Test Center, where science and innovation are fueling a healthy and sustainable game for the future. The campus is also home to the USGA Golf Museum, where we honor the game by curating the world’s most comprehensive archive of golf artifacts. To learn more, visit usga.org.

Remembering Nick Bramlett

“Generous.” This word, more than any other, was used by the people closest to Nick Bramlett when they described him. The longtime TGA Volunteer and Rules of Golf expert passed away on April 27. He was 81 years old.

Known as “PoPo” to his family and closest friends, Bramlett loved being outdoors. He was an avid bird hunter, but especially enjoyed hunting white-tailed deer on his West Texas deer lease near Sonora.

Another of Bramlett’s loves was the game of golf. Volunteering and mentoring were in his blood. He was named the Legends Junior Tour’s Volunteer of the Year in 2013 and was also the recipient of the TGA’s South Texas Volunteer of the Year award in 2016.

“He was very generous with his time, particularly in the support of amateur golf,” said A.J. Cortez, a TGA Volunteer and close friend of Bramlett. “In the last 10 years, I don’t know of anyone who volunteered more for the TGA, USGA, LJT and the Houston Golf Association. Additionally, he was extremely generous with his skills and knowledge and served as an important mentor to many of the new volunteers starting their path to becoming a certified Rules Official.”

Bramlett was passionate about all things golf – it was what originally led him to becoming a Rules Official. He loved spending time on the course playing golf, but he was equally passionate about giving back to the game that meant so much to him. Bramlett was a dedicated servant of the game and from 2010-19 he spent nearly 250 days volunteering at TGA events. And that’s not counting the days he spent helping other associations during that time.

“He loved the sport. He loved being a Rules Official no matter what event he was working, whether it was for the STPGA, NCAA or lending a hand at a local qualifier,” said TGA Volunteer Bobby Grabstaldt. “He just loved being a team player. There was no one in the TGA that was more generous with their time and willing to help and be a part of a team than Nick was.”

Bramlett’s peers spoke just as highly about who he was outside of golf.

“He was just a really kind, thoughtful person,” Grabstaldt said. “He was always there for everybody and was a true friend to all.”

“Nick was one of those lucky people who never met a stranger,” Cortez said. “Nick was well known to all the people we dealt with from the players and parents to the caddies and volunteers. Nick was never without a story and he relished telling them to anyone and everyone who would listen.”

Bramlett also had a deep impact on the TGA staff.

“I worked a number of events with Nick over the years, and I always looked forward to seeing him,” said Mark Button, the TGA’s Senior Director of Communications. “He was always so welcoming, nice and genuinely interested in helping people. I was really sad to hear of his passing.”

The TGA sends its deepest condolences to Nick Bramlett’s family and friends. Instead of sending flowers, his family asked that you might consider making a donation to the TGA on Nick’s behalf. He would’ve liked that very much.

Jim Brown Honored with Bob Wells Volunteerism Award

The Texas Golf Association is pleased to announce longtime director and past president Jim Brown has received the Bob Wells Distinguished Service Award, the TGA’s highest honor for individuals who’ve contributed to the growth of the game through their volunteerism and meritorious service.

The words volunteerism and service define Brown, a retired personal injury attorney who joined the TGA Board of Directors in 2010 and in less than a year promptly received the North Texas Volunteer of the Year Award. From the outset, Brown annually has averaged more than 50 days a year working both on the course as a TGA Rules Official at multiple men’s, women’s and junior championships and off the course attending to association-related business matters at board meetings. That’s in addition to the time he’s given volunteering as a Rules Official for the United States Golf Association, Southern Golf Association and Trans-Mississippi Golf Association.

Brown was surprised when he received the news – “aghast” is the word he used – but there’s been no one in recent TGA history who is more deserving.

“I have admired the people who previously have received this award ever since I’ve been involved with the TGA,” Brown said. “Those people have mentored me, with or without their knowledge, with all the dedication they’ve shown. That’s what makes me so gratified to just be considered among those people. I’m so grateful I found the Texas Golf Association. The people and the association add immense value to my life.”

TGA Executive Director Stacy Dennis said there is no better representative for the game of golf and the association than Jim Brown.

“He is the kind of person I imagine this award was created to honor,” Dennis said. “He has meant more to the TGA than the deep Rules knowledge and countless days he’s contributed as a volunteer. He is a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. He sincerely loves the game and, most importantly, he loves our players.”

One of the foremost experts on the Rules of Golf in Texas, if not the entire country, Brown served as TGA President from 2016-18.

“His heart and soul are in the TGA,” said his friend, neighbor and colleague Carey Schulten, an esteemed Rules Official in his own right who succeeded Brown as TGA president from 2018-20. “Jim has done everything. The number of days he does Rules work is virtually every tournament that is within his reach.”

Schulten, who lives two streets away from Brown in central Dallas, met his friend back in 2010 when they found themselves working TGA championships together. Schulten, a former U.S. Air Force and Delta Air Lines pilot who won the Legends Junior Tour’s Volunteer of the Year Award in 2015, said it’s the lawyer in Brown that makes him such a trusted expert on the Rules.

“I think he sleeps with a Rules book,” Schulten joked. “He drinks and sleeps the Rules book. He’s on it all the time, and it reflects his background. He’s down to the fine print on that Rules book.”

First presented in 2005, the Bob Wells Distinguished Service Award is named after the late Bob Wells, who served as TGA president from 1980-87.

Current president Leslie Henry met Brown in 2012 when she began serving on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Texas Golf Association, which eventually merged with the TGA in 2014. Henry said Brown joined her in championing the idea of the men and women golfers in Texas coming together as an inclusive statewide association.

“I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Jim,” Henry said. “He is one of the most caring, compassionate human beings I have met in my lifetime. He’s the true example of treating everyone with respect and fairness. The award is so deserving, and we are all proud to call Jim Brown our friend and a force for the TGA.”

Brown, 75, is in his 12th year as a director of the TGA. Prior to his tenure as president in 2016-18, Brown served two-year terms as 1st Vice President and 2nd Vice President. He’s also put in countless hours as a member of several sub-committees, including Nominating, Finance, Compensation and Rules & Competitions.

A longtime advocate for amateur golf, Brown has also been a member the Southern Golf Association’s Board of Directors since 2001 and a member of the Executive Committee since 2011. He’s a former SGA president, too, and previously served as the SGA’s 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President and Treasurer.

Brown received his BBA and JD from SMU in Dallas. He was a letterman on the Men’s Golf Team from 1963-1965 and has continued to support his alma mater by taking an active role on the Payne Stewart Cup Committee, the SMU Golf fundraiser, since 2003, serving as Chairman in 2009 and 2011. He’s also just about the biggest SMU fan anyone will ever meet.

Brown and his wife Camille have two adult children and four grandchildren.

March Volunteer Spotlight: Scott Beaty

On Dec. 2, 1972, JFK Memorial Stadium in Philadelphia held 97,000 strong. It was the annual Army-Navy game, and the Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen were competing for the first Commanders-in-Chief’s Trophy.

Scott Beaty, a senior at the United States Military Academy West Point, was playing outside linebacker. The score was 12-7 Navy, and the Midshipmen were lining up for a field goal. Navy snapped the ball, and Beaty’s teammate Tim Pfister blocked the kick. The ball took a couple short hops before landing in Beaty’s hands.

“Every player has a responsibility on each play,” Beaty said. “For field goals and extra points, mine was to tackle the quarterback if it was a fake or pick up a blocked kick. So, when the ball came to me, there was no hesitation at all on what to do. I wasn’t the fastest guy on the team, but it happened so fast I was quite a way down the field before anyone knew I had the ball.”

Beaty’s 84-yard scoop and score was the turning point. The Black Knights outscored Navy 10-3 during the remainder of the game to win, 23-15. It was the last football game Beaty would ever play; but it was just the beginning of a successful military and civilian career.

WATCH: Beaty’s 84-yard touchdown (3:37-5:11)

Following his graduation from West Point in 1973, Beaty began his mandatory military service. He was initially assigned to the Third Infantry Division in Germany for his first three years in the Army. After making the decision to make the Army a career, Beaty spent the next 21 years serving in Washington D.C., the Gulf War, Hawaii and Korea.

“I had a great Army career,” Beaty said. “However, for some career officers, the transition to the private sector can very difficult. I was lucky to cross paths with an executive from the Bank of Montreal and he was interested in some work I had been doing in the Army.”

Beaty spent his first year out of the Army with the Bank of Montreal’s Institute for Learning in Toronto. He traveled Monday-Thursday from his home in Dallas and was eventually contacted by a recruiter on behalf of Royal Dutch Shell.

“They were also looking to become more of a ‘learning organization’ which was a trendy management initiative at the time,” Beaty said. “I spent the next 14 years with Shell.”

During that time, Beaty served in the Learning and Organizational Effectiveness group, as the head of a global practice and ultimately as Vice President of Human Resources for the Americas which included Canada and South America in addition to the United States. Beaty retired in 2011.

Following retirement, Beaty would travel to Brandon Dunes with a couple of Army officers who were golf Rules officials. They encouraged Beaty to get involved, and even though he was hesitant at first, he has volunteered with the TGA at amateur and junior championships across the state since 2014.

“I’ve enjoyed the challenge of mastering the Rules,” Beaty said. “I also enjoy the camaraderie with the other Rules officials and the team aspect of officiating. When you’re on a course and you encounter a situation you’re not sure about, there’s a trusted colleague to call on the radio.”

Jim Brown of Dallas, a past TGA President, has volunteered alongside Beaty for years. He’s recognized the leadership Beaty demonstrates on and off the golf course.

“Scott is a leader by example,” Brown said. “He has become an incredible TGA Volunteer by giving his time to the game we love and sharing himself with his fellow volunteers as well as the players. He has a genuine, quiet, confident manner that has come from his continuous study of the rules. He is truly a hero to me and many others, and we are all proud to call him a friend.”

Beaty’s experiences have shaped a leader, teammate and dedicated individual to the job at hand. Through his hard work, he’s always looking for a chance to help, guide and teach.

“I like the fact that being a referee in golf tournament isn’t like being a referee in a football game where you are throwing a flag on somebody who’s incurred a penalty,” Beaty said. “You’re trying to help people play the game within the Rules.”

The TGA extends its sincere appreciation to Scott for his efforts in making our championships a success. The work and dedication from all our volunteers allow the TGA to grow and continue to support the game we all love.

For more information on the TGA Volunteer Program, click here. To view the 2020 Competitions Calendar and Volunteering Opportunities,  click here.

Winter Golf and Loose Impediments

One of the many great things about Texas is our year-round golf season. It might mean an extra layer or two of clothing, but plenty of Texans already are playing golf and posting scores. And, while playing this time of year can be wonderful, it does lead to some extra challenges we don’t face in the summer. If you play this weekend, you’ll probably encounter more objects on the ground than usual, such as fallen leaves and branches. These and other natural objects are classified by the Rules as loose impediments. Luckily, you can move loose impediments out of your way without penalty.

By definition, loose impediments are unattached natural objects like stones, loose grass, leaves, branches, pine needles, clumps of compacted soil (including aeration plugs), etc. Dead animals, worms, insects and other similar life forms that can be removed easily, and the mounds or webs they build (such as worm casts and ant hills), are also loose impediments.

However, and be careful here, such natural objects are not “loose” if they are attached or growing, solidly embedded in the ground (that is, cannot be picked out easily) or sticking to the ball. Those are not loose impediments.

Neither is loose soil, sand, dew, frost and/or water. Snow and natural ice (other than frost) are either loose impediments (meaning they can be moved) or, when on the ground, temporary water (meaning free relief is available), at your option. While sand and loose soil are not loose impediments by definition, you may remove them on the putting green.

With the new Rules that were implemented in 2019, players now are able to remove loose impediments that lie anywhere on the course without penalty, see Rule 15.1a. There previously were restrictions against moving them in a penalty area, but you may now move loose impediments that lie in any area of the course, including in a bunker or a penalty area.

While you may remove loose impediments anywhere, you should take care to not move your ball in doing so. If the removal of a loose impediment causes your ball to move, you must replace the ball on its original spot and you usually get a one-stroke penalty, see Rule 15.1b. There are exceptions to the Rule though. When your ball lies on the putting green, there is no penalty if you accidentally cause it to move when removing a loose impediment. Also, you can remove loose impediments by any means! Go ahead and use your towel or hat to remove any such items that may be in your way.

Another common question related to loose impediments is what happens if your ball deflects off a loose impediment while it’s in motion? If your ball in motion hits a loose impediment, you must play it as it lies with no penalty. This applies whether the loose impediment is moving or at rest and whether your ball is on the putting green or elsewhere.

Abnormal Conditions

In addition to loose impediments being more pervasive in the winter, it’s also the time of year when many courses undergo various maintenance projects, so you may encounter some abnormal conditions on the course.

The offseason often is a time when clubs schedule regular maintenance, such as aeration or course improvement projects. Let’s take a look at how these practices might affect play on the golf course. Any hole made by the Committee or the maintenance staff in maintaining the course (such as a hole made in removing turf or a tree stump, or laying pipelines) as well as grass cuttings, leaves and any other material piled for later removal are deemed ground under repair by definition. Therefore, you are automatically entitled to free relief, see Rule 16.1.

A Committee may also wish to define certain areas as ground under repair because of course conditions. If the Committee clarifies that an area is treated as ground under repair, you may also take free relief provided your ball does not lie in a penalty area.

Aeration holes do not fall within the meaning of a hole made by the maintenance staff, and thus are not ground under repair. Therefore, you may not repair them on the putting green (or anywhere on the golf course) or automatically take free relief from them in the general area. As such, holes can interfere with the proper playing of the game, a Committee may choose to use a Local Rule to give relief from these holes (Model Local Rule E-4). If this Local Rule is in effect, you may take free relief when your ball lies in or touches an aeration hole.

When playing golf at this time of year, or really at any time of year, there is always a chance that you will encounter loose impediments or abnormal conditions on the golf course. Hopefully you now have a better understanding of how to proceed in these situations under the new 2019 Rules of Golf. Continue to enjoy golf in the New Year!

For more on the Rules, click here.

December Volunteer Spotlight – Paul Marchand

Paul Marchand bleeds maroon and white. He dons the Aggie logo on his daily apparel and loves Texas A&M University. The die-hard fan calls Traditions Club in Aggieland home; and though it might surprise some to learn he doesn’t own a gold Texas A&M class ring.

“Well, I graduated from Baylor,” Marchand said. “But my wife and I are Aggies at heart, and it’s a great place to live. There is a lot to do in association with the school.”

Marchand’s daughter attended Texas A&M from 2007-11, and over the years he became involved with the university. In 2008, the former avid amateur golfer started to volunteer with the Texas A&M Men’s and Women’s golf programs. He started as a spotter for the Aggie Invitational and eventually served as a volunteer Tournament Director for the 2011 NCAA Women’s Golf National Championship at Traditions Club in Bryan.

“Through my involvement with the Aggie golf teams, I met a guy named Larry Cooper, who was the USGA Regional Affairs Committee Member,” Marchand said. “I asked him how he got involved with Rules officiating and he pointed me toward the Texas Golf Association.”

In 2012, Marchand contacted the TGA and attended a PGA/USGA Rules of Golf Workshop. The Aggie golf volunteer quickly became involved with TGA Volunteer Program.

“I wanted to continue to give back to the game of golf,” Marchand said. “It has provided me with a lot enjoyment, a lot of fellowship and I wanted to see how I could help grow the game.”

Marchand’s dedication to the TGA was evident from his first tournament. He leaned on the experience of longtime TGA volunteers and eventually was named a TGA Board of Director in 2013.

“I was extremely fortunate to meet Bobby Grabstald (TGA Volunteer since 2002), Nick Bramlet (TGA Volunteer since 2007) and Woody Fail (TGA Volunteer since 2007),” Marchand said. “They took me under my wing as I started to get involved with the TGA and they were very influential on where I am today as a Rules Official and Board of Director.”

Today, Marchand serves on the Executive Committee and Chairs the TGA Championships Committee. He says his goal is to provide support to the TGA and game of golf.

“I believe the TGA is one of the best golf associations in the United States,” Marchand said. “It is all about the team effort and the TGA does a great job of building a very good team.”

The reward from volunteering and giving back to the game has been a focus of Marchand since his first Aggie Invitational. Now as one of the influencers on the game of golf through his leadership at the TGA, his passion for giving back has not changed.

“I didn’t get into this to go work the U.S. Open or get on TV,” Marchand said. “I’ll climb the ladder as high as it’ll take me, but my goal is to be able to give back to the game, develop relations and help grow the game as much as we possibly can.”

The TGA extends its sincere appreciation to Paul for his efforts in making our championships a success. The work and dedication from all our volunteers allows the TGA to grow and continue to support the game we all love.

To volunteer in 2020, click here.  To register for a 2020 PGA/USGA Rules of Golf Workshop, click here.