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Nov 30, 2023

Montana to join Pacific Northwest Golf Association

Tacoma, Wash. – The Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) has announced that the Montana State Golf Association (MSGA) will become one of its member associations, with the new partnership taking effect on January 1, 2024.

Founded in 1899, the PNGA is the fifth oldest golf association in North America.

The current member associations of the PNGA include British Columbia Golf, Idaho Golf Association, Oregon Golf Association and Washington Golf. With the addition of the MSGA as a PNGA member association, these five associations will now serve and provide benefits and core services to more than 200,000 individual members throughout the region.

Along with providing core services to more than 20,000 individual members in Montana, the MSGA conducts 10 state championships each year as well as a full calendar of events for every level of golfer.

In the state of Montana, the MSGA serves more than 20,000 individual members and provides core services to over 100 member clubs and 97 golf courses.

“We are thrilled to welcome the Montana State Golf Association into the Pacific Northwest Golf Association family,” said Troy Andrew, PNGA executive director. “This expansion not only strengthens the bonds of the golfing community in our region, but also enhances the ongoing collaborative efforts amongst the member golf associations of the PNGA.”

For the MSGA, the partnership means a host of additional benefits for its members, including participation in the PNGA’s elite regional championships, subscription to the region’s premier Pacific Northwest Golfer magazine (published by the PNGA), collaboration with the marketing alliance created by the PNGA’s member associations, and support in providing its core services.

“This is an exciting time for us,” said Nick Dietzen, MSGA executive director. “Together we will be able to partner in so many areas and learn from one another. Our entire membership will benefit.”

Montana has already played a role in the PNGA’s long history. Opened in 1899, Butte (Mont.) Country Club was one of a handful of established clubs in the region during that era. Although Butte CC was invited to attend the PNGA’s founding meeting on Feb 4, 1899, the club did not send a delegate, so is not considered one of the PNGA’s six founding clubs, but the club would host several PNGA events during the first part of the 20th century.

In 1913, the PNGA Amateur (for men and women), considered one of North America’s premier championships, was held at Butte Country Club. The perpetual trophy of the PNGA Men’s Amateur is called the Macan Cup, and it still bears the Butte Country Club logo – the 1913 championship was won by PNGA Hall of Famer Arthur V. Macan, who later donated the trophy to the PNGA to be used as the perpetual trophy for the championship.

From the PNGA yearbook of 1930, Montana is listed at the top as being one of the states from which clubs are represented in the PNGA.

The annual yearbooks published by the PNGA in the early 1900s regularly included Montana as having clubs as members of the PNGA.

“We are really excited to be re-joining the PNGA,” said MSGA President Mary Bryson. “We believe it will provide our members with additional opportunities, from both a playing and services perspective.”

Opened in 1899, Butte (Mont.) Country Club was one of a handful of established clubs in the region during that era. Although Butte CC was invited to attend the PNGA’s founding meeting on Feb 4, 1899, the club did not send a delegate, so is not considered one of the PNGA’s six founding clubs, but the club would host several PNGA events during the first part of the 20th century.

The MSGA will now have three seats on the PNGA Board of Directors. Along with the governance and enhanced collaboration with the PNGA’s member associations, it also means coordinating the schedule of PNGA championships with the schedules of the member associations, elevating the field strength of PNGA championships and making them true regional championships for the top players, ensuring further national recognition.

About the Montana State Golf Association

Founded in 1917, the MSGA is a non-profit organization of members and member clubs, governed by volunteers, and dedicated to serving the game of golf in Montana. Serving more than 20,000 individual members and providing core services to more than 100 member golf clubs and 97 golf courses throughout the state, the MSGA works to continually expand the game of golf to people of all backgrounds and abilities. The MSGA also serves as the statewide representative of the United States Golf Association and works closely with a number of allied associations within the golf industry for the betterment of the game. Visit msgagolf.org for more information.

About the Pacific Northwest Golf Association

The PNGA was founded on February 4, 1899. It is a 501c3 charitable, international, amateur golf association dedicated to preserving the true spirit of the game by supporting its member associations, conducting quality championships, and promoting activities beneficial to golfers in the Pacific Northwest. For more than a century the Association has been a pioneer in developing competitions and services, and its mission has grown and evolved. Today, the PNGA remains committed to being a truly regional organization by providing additional benefits to the membership of each Member Association throughout the Northwest.