A Summer of Golf – And a Thank You to the People Behind It
Jeff Ranf, AGA President
As summer draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to recognize the golf courses and facilities that helped make this season such a memorable one. It was our privilege to work with every one of them.
To every course, club, superintendent, grounds crew, golf professional, events team, volunteer, and staff member who welcomed us onto your grounds – thank you. Your partnership, trust, and willingness to help us get the job done made every event better.
We started the season at Settlers Bay Golf Course, where our first three events of the year were held, beginning in early June with the Spring Jackpot. The course was in great shape, and it was a pleasure working with Vicky, Amos, and their staff. We followed the Jackpot with the State Match Play and then the Senior Am. All three events were well attended, and Settlers also hosted a U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifier in July.
From there, we headed over to Moose Run Creek for the 2-Person Best-Ball – or Four-Ball, if you want to use the proper terminology. Once again, we had a good turnout, and Josh, Jessie, and Steven were there every step of the way, helping with whatever we needed. The Creek was in very good shape and provided a great setting for the event.
Moose Run also hosted USGA qualifiers for the U.S. Senior Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur. Then came the State Amateur at the Creek, which fielded 39 players, with the winner earning a spot in the U.S. Amateur at Merion. As we’ve mentioned before, the State Am will be changing how it is structured going forward. And for good reason. Alaska is coming into the 21st century.
Up north, Chena Bend in Fairbanks hosted our first-ever Last Frontier Championship. The course was in amazing shape, and Dustin and his staff were more than accommodating throughout the event. We’re looking forward to having them host the State Am in 2027, with more details on that to come.
Anchorage Golf Course hosted the U.S. Senior Women’s Qualifier this summer. Although hole 14 was still under renovation, the course overall was in very good shape, and the players had plenty of good things to say about it. Our final event of the year, the Fall Jackpot, was held there on September 12th. We’re looking forward to a fuller schedule with AGC in 2027.
We also want to mention Palmer Golf Course, where we very much look forward to working again. The track is in great shape, and we believe they’re excited to have Alaska Golf return for future events. We know we’re looking forward to being back.
And we’d be remiss if we didn’t give a huge shoutout to our Junior Program this year. Zach Perry and Steven Taylor, along with Cable Starling, not only helped increase participation in the program, but the tournament events they hosted provided a very necessary platform for our juniors. These kids are the future of Alaska Golf, and giving them more opportunities to compete, learn, and simply spend time on the golf course is important to all of us.
Lastly, we want to recognize the Anchorage Women’s Golf Association (AWGA) for co-hosting our Women’s State Am this year and combining it with their Eclectic Tournament at Moose Run. Their collaboration helped increase participation in the State Am to roughly three times what we normally see. That’s a pretty good result, and we’re looking forward to continuing to work with the AWGA in the years ahead.
From early mornings on the first tee to long afternoons spent sorting out the details, we were continually reminded that good golf events don’t just happen because the tee sheet says they do.
They happen because people care.
Every venue has its own personality. Some have sweeping fairways and big views. Others have tricky green complexes, mature trees, or the quiet beauty that comes from a golf course simply being well cared for. But what they all have in common are the people behind them – the ones mowing the fairways before most of us are awake, fixing things that weren’t supposed to break, answering questions, moving things around, and doing whatever is necessary to make an event happen.
We were fortunate this summer to work with a lot of those people.
We collaborated, learned, solved a few problems, probably created a few others, and celebrated a whole lot of good golf along the way.
For all of it, we’re grateful.
Thank you to everyone who opened their doors to Alaska Golf this summer. We appreciate the partnership, the hospitality, and the pride you take in your courses.
We’ll see you on the first tee.