At the 91st WSGA Annual Meeting held October 27 at Meridian Valley Country Club in Kent, Wash., Frank Horton of Bremerton, Wash. was elected President of the Washington State Golf Association (WSGA). At the banquet the night before the Annual Meeting, the WSGA named two of its longtime volunteers, Ray Monroe of Kelso, Wash. and Steve Kay of Burien, Wash., as recipients of the George Holland Volunteer of the Year award.
"Frank has been a dedicated volunteer of the WSGA, WJGA and the USGA for many years," said Troy Andrew, WSGA CEO and Executive Director. "I am very excited to work closer with him in his new role as WSGA President. His thoughtful leadership and professional experience will make the WSGA a better organization."
A native of the Northwest, Horton worked for 33 years at Bremerton's Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in the Nuclear Engineering Department as a mechanical engineer. Before and since retiring in 2004, Frank devoted much of his time to the game of golf. First nominated to the WSGA Board of Directors in 2001, Horton has been a fixture in the region's golf community. He has served on the WSGA Course Rating Committee for over 10 years, and served as WSGA secretary from 2005-2010. He is also a PNGA Hall of Fame Committee member. He was General Chairman for the 2006 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and the 2011 U.S. Junior Amateur, both of which were held at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton. The typical term of a WSGA President is two years.
"The game is much different today than it was in the past," says Horton. "Trends are showing that many decisions won't be easy to make. That is why I would like to devote my term to developing a strategic plan by gathering as much information as possible to make data-based decisions. In addition to input from golfers and Club Reps, I want to reach out to the folks who run the fabulous courses in Washington to find out what the WSGA can do to help them grow the game of golf and be successful. Their success is our success."
Horton has been a volunteer Rules Official for the WJGA for almost 15 years, and also works high school and college events, as well as PNGA and WSGA championships. He was an invited Rules Official for the 2010 U.S. Senior Open at Sahalee Country Club.
He has been married to his wife, Lynn, for nearly 38 years. Lynn, who was mayor of Bremerton from 1994 through 2001, is responsible for the building of the Olympic Course and the new clubhouse at city-owned Gold Mountain. They have one daughter, Leslie.
At the banquet the night before the Annual Meeting, the WSGA honored Ray Monroe and Steve Kay as recipients of the George Holland Volunteer of the Year award. Recipients of this award are selected each year by WSGA Past Presidents.
"Ray and Steve both gave a tremendous amount of time and effort to our Association this year," said Andrew. "They really went 'above and beyond,' and are both so enjoyable to have around and be involved. They're a great example of how much our volunteers mean to us, and to the game of golf. They really do make everything possible."
Monroe is a Club Representative of Three Rivers Golf Club and also a member at Alderbrook Golf Club. He has been a Club Representative, for the WSGA and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA), since 1991, and has been a WSGA and PNGA Championship volunteer since '91. An active member of the WSGA Course Rating Team for over 15 years, in 2012 Monroe volunteered for 34 course ratings throughout WSGA territory, including eight separate trips to Eastern Washington. No other course rater has ever volunteered for this many days in a single year.
Kay is a Club Representative of Riverbend Golf Complex in Kent. He has been a WSGA and PNGA Club Representative since 2006, and a volunteer at WSGA and PNGA Championships since 2007, where he serves as a Rules Official. In 2012, Kay volunteered for 27 days at WSGA and PNGA Championships, as well as USGA Qualifiers. A member of the WSGA Course Rating Team since 2007, Kay volunteered for eight course ratings in 2012, including three courses in the Spokane area.
The George Holland Award annually recognizes volunteers who have made extraordinary contributions to the WSGA and the game of golf throughout the WSGA territory of Washington and Northern Idaho. These dedicated individuals contribute many hours of time and effort, as well as resources, to the WSGA, simply for the satisfaction of knowing they are benefiting the game of golf. The award is named in honor of longtime volunteer, contributor and two-time past WSGA President, George Holland.
