Headline: Prepping For the Golf Season... MGA Member Services Staff Hosts Education Seminar for Member Club Representatives at Needham Golf Club

For Immediate Release: February 14, 2017

Member Club Representatives Enjoyed a Day of Education at Needham Golf Club

Needham, MA — Over the weekend, grounds crew members were focused on clearing out from the most recent snow storm.

But on Tuesday, the attention at Needham Golf Club was completely turned back to golf as the clubhouse played host to the second of four MGA seminars to inform Bay State golf professionals and those who manage the handicap and tournament software programs of new technology in play for 2017.

With representation from a dozen Massachusetts clubs and other golf organizations, the MGA team of Mark Gagne, Director of Member Services, in addition to Mike Wice and Drew Rosen, spent the day introducing attendees to the new USGA Tournament Management system, the software program that the MGA will begin using this season.

While the software will be used by club staff, the software is aimed at providing better and more enhanced experiences for the golfers who enjoy the club-level events that are run throughout the season.

“From the club championship to the Monday scramble, this software will help clubs provide an even better experience for their golfers,” said Gagne. “So much behind-the-scenes work goes into hosting any type of club event, so our job is to equip the club staff with the best tools.”

The program will be a mainstay across all 94 golf associations under the USGA umbrella beginning in the 2018 season, so the opportunity to help get as many member clubs as possible migrate over to the new software program this season was a top priority for Gagne and his staff.

“The new USGA Tournament Management system was released earlier this year and by hosting these seminars, it is our intention to help as many club professionals as possible become familiar with the new system and get them switched over to the new products as soon as possible” stated Gagne. “This week’s seminar served as a great opportunity to not only meet with many instructors ahead of the upcoming season, but it created a platform to properly instruct professionals whose clubs will be using this new system while allowing individuals to ask questions and troubleshoot any problems before the season starts.”

Replacing the current Tournament Pairing Program (TPP) software program, the USGA Tournament Management, a suite of products that advances golf event management technology, was designed with the concept of new technological advancements and provides users with the maximum opportunities with minimal work.

Powered by Golf Genius Software, USGA Tournament Management improves efficiency and enhances the golfer experience by helping golf professionals and association staff better manage a wide array of competitions – from leagues to charitable outings, club tournaments and championships.

Some of the featured upgrades included with the new system are that the software is “cloud based,” allowing for easy access from any computer and any location, while there are a comprehensive library of formats and scoring options that weren’t previously available with prior scoring systems.

With the interest of golf professionals in mind, the USGA Tournament Management system also allows users to display leaderboards on televisions and monitors, instead of previous print out scoreboards, while the new system also provides users the opportunity to create a custom website for each specific tournament, allowing competitors to be informed in the easiest way possible.  

Sponsored by the USGA, NEPGA and the MGA, Tuesday’s seminar provided attendees with a walkthrough of the software program and the backend of its new website, detailing some of the new options included within the system and the opportunity to ask questions in an open-ended setting. It also allowed each individual to test out various features provided in the new software in regards to the many different type of tournaments that each club may offer throughout a given season.

The MGA have two more scheduled seminars in February, as the Members Services Department will be at Pocasset Golf Club on February 16 and Chelmsford Country Club on February 21. Golf Professionals who attend will receive educational points.