NJSGA Hosts USGA Tournament Management Seminar

In conjunction with the release of USGA Tournament Management, powered by Golf Genius, the New Jersey State Golf Association conducted the first of four seminars at its headquarters at Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth on Wednesday, Feb. 8, to familiarize New Jersey golf professionals, staff and management with the new product.

USGA Tournament Management will enhance the NJSGA member club experience with cutting-edge tournament management software technology. The next seminar of this kind, hosted by the NJSGA, takes place March 15 at Harbor Pines Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township.

Beginning in early 2017, two distinct Tournament Management software products are being offered to GHIN customers as a replacement for the current Tournament Pairing Program (TPP).

USGA Tournament Management is a suite of products that advances golf event management technology used by golf associations and more than 13,000 clubs within its Golf Handicap and Information Network (GHIN) subscriber community, including the NJSGA.

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 to championships.

The new suite includes three product versions – Club, Club Premium and Association – and was rolled out to the State and Regional Golf Association (SRGA) community late last year. SRGAs began offering the Club version this month to GHIN-subscribing customers, with the opportunity to upgrade to the Club Premium edition at preferred rates.

“This is our first seminar in providing a great tournament management product to our member clubs,” said NJSGA executive director Kevin Purcell. “It’s a good learning experience for all of us. It gives us the opportunity to sit and learn in the room together and utilize the expertise of the representatives from the USGA and Golf Genius.”

Participants in the seminar were NJSGA Director of Handicapping and Member Benefit Services, Rich Kennedy, John Stern of the USGA, and Ken Dixon and Justin Meyers of Golf Genius. Some 40 golf pros and staff were in attendance.

“It’s the first time we’ve had a session with a large group,” said Meyers, the Golf Genius director of Northeast sales. “Any time we can get this many clubs and pros and staff together in one room, it helps us locate new ideas and new perspectives. It will also help the product get better through the eyes of the golf professionals.

“When you see what this program is capable of doing, you’ll see that it is very robust. One good thing is you can turn the features on and off as you move forward through it,” Meyers said.

USGA Tournament Management includes a comprehensive online knowledge base, an event setup wizard and step-by-step guides for setting up popular event formats. It is fully integrated with the GHIN system, giving users direct access to Handicap information as they plan their events.

“It’s got every base covered that we come across,” said golf professional Kevin Maciorowski of Westlake Golf and Country Club in Jackson. “It amazes me in how long it must have taken the inventors to write this program. With this product, it makes life for a golf pro a lot easier. It’s got all the answers to all the questions we’ve been asking over the years. All of the former obstacles are now removed.”

“It places everything n one place,” said pro Frank Vnuk of Wallkill Golf Club in Franklin. “It simplifies things and makes the job much more professional, which is always a plus.”

The new technology suite replaces the Tournament Pairing Program designed by the USGA and first offered to its member clubs in 1995. It was one of the first computer-based tournament management programs developed in the United States and is still in use today.