USGA Executive Director Mike Davis visited Georgia Southern Monday.
M. GOLF: Alum Mike Davis Pays Eagles a Visit
4/16/2014 8:32:00 AM | Men's Golf
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STATESBORO, Ga. – It's not every day you get to meet one of the most influential people in the sport of golf, but the Georgia Southern men's golf program received that honor Monday as Eagle alum Mike Davis '87, the executive director of the United States Golf Association, paid a visit to campus.
It was Davis' first time on campus since 2001, and he caught his first glimpse of the Eagle golf facility, the Bennett-Ramsey House, where he spoke to the team for 50 minutes.
"Mike is sitting in probably one of the two most important seats in golf, not only in rules but in the development in the game of golf around the world," said Georgia Southern coach Larry Mays. "He was extremely gracious with his time, and we couldn't be happier to have him as an alum."
Davis began by congratulating the Eagles on their team title at the Schenkel Invitational, Georgia Southern's home tournament for 35 years. The Eagles won the event for the first time in school history.
He finished the talk by reminding the Eagles how important earning their degree is and how important their sport can be to their future endeavors.
"As important as golf is for all of you, don't ever look past the education part and whether some of you go on to play golf professionally or you work in another area of the sport or you find another career, you can't underestimate your education," Davis said. "I'll tell you, the ability that you have to play golf – that is going to help you for the rest of your life. It's a great thing to have and utilize."
Davis also talked about the numerous tournaments run by the USGA, including the U.S. Open, and said he'll be making a visit to Pinehurst No. 2, site of this year's men's and women's U.S. Open, in the next couple of weeks. Though his duties have changed over time, Davis still is very involved in setting up the course for the U.S. Open, a topic he discussed at length, much to the delight of a few players who have tried to qualify for the tournament. Davis talked about the graduated rough and balancing the desire to have the Open courses play difficult but fair.
"What it's really done is brought the element of shot making back," Davis said. "Part of the test of golf is trying to see how good you are at recovery. We want you to think. When we do it right, the more options we can give the player, the better. Even PGA Tour players – when you give them options, it's amazing the mental exercise they go through."
Finally, Davis touched on the future of golf, noting the decreasing participation rates at the youth level and the closing of courses around the country because of the expense of keeping up with Mother Nature.
"Long-term, the biggest issue that the game of golf is facing is water," said Davis. "We're seeing in the United States some golf courses that used to pay zero for water because they would pump it out of the ground and now it's costing them a million or two million dollars a year just to get water. It's something we are spending a lot of time and research on in developing new grasses."
The Eagles return to action in Pinehurst, N.C., for the Southern Conference Championships at National Golf Club April 20-22.
STATESBORO, Ga. – It's not every day you get to meet one of the most influential people in the sport of golf, but the Georgia Southern men's golf program received that honor Monday as Eagle alum Mike Davis '87, the executive director of the United States Golf Association, paid a visit to campus.
It was Davis' first time on campus since 2001, and he caught his first glimpse of the Eagle golf facility, the Bennett-Ramsey House, where he spoke to the team for 50 minutes.
"Mike is sitting in probably one of the two most important seats in golf, not only in rules but in the development in the game of golf around the world," said Georgia Southern coach Larry Mays. "He was extremely gracious with his time, and we couldn't be happier to have him as an alum."
Davis began by congratulating the Eagles on their team title at the Schenkel Invitational, Georgia Southern's home tournament for 35 years. The Eagles won the event for the first time in school history.
He finished the talk by reminding the Eagles how important earning their degree is and how important their sport can be to their future endeavors.
"As important as golf is for all of you, don't ever look past the education part and whether some of you go on to play golf professionally or you work in another area of the sport or you find another career, you can't underestimate your education," Davis said. "I'll tell you, the ability that you have to play golf – that is going to help you for the rest of your life. It's a great thing to have and utilize."
Davis also talked about the numerous tournaments run by the USGA, including the U.S. Open, and said he'll be making a visit to Pinehurst No. 2, site of this year's men's and women's U.S. Open, in the next couple of weeks. Though his duties have changed over time, Davis still is very involved in setting up the course for the U.S. Open, a topic he discussed at length, much to the delight of a few players who have tried to qualify for the tournament. Davis talked about the graduated rough and balancing the desire to have the Open courses play difficult but fair.
"What it's really done is brought the element of shot making back," Davis said. "Part of the test of golf is trying to see how good you are at recovery. We want you to think. When we do it right, the more options we can give the player, the better. Even PGA Tour players – when you give them options, it's amazing the mental exercise they go through."
Finally, Davis touched on the future of golf, noting the decreasing participation rates at the youth level and the closing of courses around the country because of the expense of keeping up with Mother Nature.
"Long-term, the biggest issue that the game of golf is facing is water," said Davis. "We're seeing in the United States some golf courses that used to pay zero for water because they would pump it out of the ground and now it's costing them a million or two million dollars a year just to get water. It's something we are spending a lot of time and research on in developing new grasses."
The Eagles return to action in Pinehurst, N.C., for the Southern Conference Championships at National Golf Club April 20-22.
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