What is the purpose of the MSGA?
What is the present membership of the MSGA?
How is the MSGA governed?
How are the Officers of the MSGA elected?
How is the Board of Directors elected?
When does the MSGA Board of Directors meet?
How is the MSGA financed?
What does each member club and individual handicap subscriber receive from MSGA?

What is the purpose of the MSGA?

The Montana State Golf Association, founded in 1917, is a non-profit organization of member clubs, governed by amateur golfers, and dedicated to serving the game of golf in Montana. Nearly a century has come and gone yet this fundamental principle continues to guide us.

What is the present membership of the MSGA?

The MSGA has grown to include 84 member clubs with 37,000 individual members.

How is the MSGA governed?

The MSGA is governed by three officers: President, Vice-president, and Executive Director.

How are the Officers of the MSGA elected?

MSGA officers are elected yearly by the MSGA Board of Directors at their Summer meeting.

How is the Board of Directors elected?

Montana is divided into five geographic districts and each district has four members of the MSGA Board of Directors. Each district has a director elected every year serving a four-year term. Each member club has the opportunity to nominate a candidate for the MSGA Board of Directors prior to the annual meeting each August. As volunteers, these directors donate their time and pay their own expenses when they represent the MSGA.

When does the MSGA Board of Directors meet?

The MSGA Board of Directors meets regualrly twice a year. A meeting is held in the Spring at the site of the year's Men's State Amateur and a summer meeting at the site of the Men's Mid-Amateur Championship. The Annual Club Meeting is also held at the summer meeting. Each member club is entitled to one voting delegate.

How is the MSGA financed?

Nominal member club dues, plus a per golfer handicap fee are the principal revenue sources for the MSGA. Club junior members are exempt from the handicap fee.

What does each member club and individual handicap subscriber receive from MSGA?

MSGA provides computerized handicapping. Through the MTS Handicap System, the MSGA offers the most accurate and complete system possible, sanctioned and authourized by the United States Golf Association. MSGA furnishes trained course rating teams upon request by member clubs. Montana was one of teh first states to be trained in the course rating procedure under the new Slope system.

What is Slope? Slope describes difficulty of a gold course compared to other golf courses in playing more or less difficult courses.

How do I find out more about handicaps or slope rating? Contact Jim Opitz, PO Box 4306, Helena, MT 59604, (O) 458-3359 (H) 458-9860 (Fax) 458-3359, Email: msgadir@qwest.net

MSGA furnishes each member club an opportunity to participate in a statewide golf calendar distributed each Spring, by May 1. Through membership in the International Association of Golf Administrators, the National Golf Foundation and USGA Associates Program, the member clubs are kept up to date on changing golf develpments nationwide. MSGA serves as a watchdog in tax legislation that affects the member clubs. The MSGA has successfully spearheaded legislation which now provides equitable tax relief for golf courses both private and public.

MSGA provides State Junior Golf Coordinators, Sparky McLean (563-2795) and Mike Tolstedt (259-4146), District Junior Directors, who are responsible for the conduct of Junior District tournaments. Gary Rodman serves as State Junior Tournament Director, who is responsible for the conduct of a stste junior program open to all junior-aged golfers.

MSGA conducts state championship competitions including the State Amateur, Mid-Amateur, District Junior and State tournaments. MSGA also conducts the Montana Cup with the State PGA chapters. MSGA participates and maintains membership in the Junior America Cup Program for both boys and girls. This JAC program is made of the Western States, Mexico, British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. Due to this exposure many Montana youths have accepted major college scholarships in golf.

MSGA provides news of Montana golf thorugh the annual MSGA Newsleter. MSGA has established a Liason program between Board of Directors and member clubs to improve relations and communications. MSGA works with the Womens State Golf Association, Montana Seniors, PGA Chapters and Monatana Open Organization in establishing a relationship dedicated to the promotion of golf in cooperation with the agency in its sphere of influence.

MSGA established and maintains a Monatana State Golf Hall of Fame dedicated to the golfers of teh state who have served in an extraordinary manner. MSGA also serves as a regional representative for the USGA, conducts qualifying events for USGA Championships, regulates handicaps, interprets the Rules of Golf and administers the Amateur Reinstatement Program. "Protecting the Integrity of the game." Each and every member of the MSGA Handicap System has helped provide a yearly stipend of $10,000 to both the University of Montana and the Montana State University to be used exclusively for grant-in-aid golf scholarships.

For any other questions please contact the Executive Director, Jim Opitz, PO Box 4306, Helena, MT 59604, (O) 458-3359 (H) 458-9860 (Fax) 458-3359, Email: msgadir@qwest.net