Golf: Rochester's Major League Sport
As you all know, Rochester is truly a special golf community. Almost unmatched in the country. I have said for years that Golf is Rochester’s major league sport!
There are so many reasons for why that is – we have 66 RDGA Member golf courses in the 7 county area that surrounds Rochester and makes up the RDGA geographical territory. We have some 20,000 RDGA Member Golfers – our golfers are such fantastic people, and there are some great golf courses in our region!
The RDGA is just one part of what makes golf great in Rochester. I thought I would share some information with you on who we are and what we do.
– We were founded in 1929. We are an official Allied Golf Association of the United States Golf Association under contract with them to provide USGA core services in our designated territory. Some of those services include administering the handicap system, rating golf courses, rules education and administration, oversee amateur status, offer tournament play to our community and host official USGA Qualifiers and developing and implementing additional USGA programs and services.
– The RDGA has 5 full time staff: Marketing and Communications Director Dave Eaton, Development and Junior Golf Director Cody Dubiel, Rules and Competitions Director Ty McHerron, Handicapping and Course Rating Director Tim LaGeorge and myself serving as Executive Director. It is a great team! We also have 3 paid interns each summer.
– What makes us truly exceptional are our volunteers – approximately 120 in total. These people give substantial time helping do the work mentioned above. And they do this work at a very high level, bringing great honor and respect for the RDGA and wonderful service to our golf
community.
– We are overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors consisting of both men and women who bring experience and wisdom from many different talents and work experience. Our current President is Dennis Olbrich of Irondequoit Country Club.
– Outside of our USGA core services we bring many other programs and services to Rochester golf. Many of these are focused on growing the game.
– At the heart of our mission lies a commitment to accessibility and opportunity. Through programs designed to introduce golf to children and young adults in underserved communities, we aim to make the sport a vehicle for positive change.
– Golf is more than a game; it teaches discipline, perseverance, honesty, integrity and sportsmanship – qualities that extend far beyond the fairways and into the fabric of our community.
– The RDGA Foundation,(a 501C-3 organization) is a separate and supporting philanthropic arm of the RDGA, who oversees the fundraising and programming of our grow the game efforts. The Foundation has a separate Board of Directors and it’s President is Chuck Ryan of Oak Hill Country Club.
I would sincerely like to thank all the members of this RDGA Team that I am blessed to be associated with. And thanks to all of you in the Rochester golf community – let’s enjoy our best golf season ever!
Best,
Tim Vangellow
Executive Director, RDGA