Hello, my name is Morgan Rodgers, and I am starting my second summer as an intern with Miami Valley Golf! I will be a senior at Ohio University in the fall as a member of the women’s golf team studying journalism and I would like to pursue a career in golf as a writer or reporter. This past week, I attended the P.J. Boatwright Summit in New Jersey at the USGA headquarters with a fellow intern: Lauren Thompson. 

Day One

The first evening of the Summit was a great opportunity to network and explore the USGA museum! We arrived at the USGA Golf Museum and Library where we learned all about golf history. My favorite part of the museum was seeing the club that Rory McIlroy hit from the bunker right before his 2025 Masters win and completion of the Grand Slam. After the museum, we went outside for dinner and got to hear from some USGA staff members and P.J. Boatwright’s daughter, Cindy.

Day Two

On day two of the Summit, we started off the day with a couple of lectures – one about the relationship between the USGA and AGAs and another about USGA Championship Administration. It was also very beneficial to hear some advice about working as a Boatwright intern from Tyler Riggin (Regional Affairs Director at USGA) and Kevin Purcell (Director of New Jersey AGA). Next, we moved into some breakout sessions and rotated through the USGA headquarters to learn about course rating and handicap systems, merchandising and licensing (particularly at the U.S. Open), USGA partnerships and my personal favorite: media and communication at the USGA. I absolutely loved the media presentation because we were able to learn about behind the scenes of a USGA championship event and all the prep that goes into setup. One of my favorite stats we learned was that there are about five miles of cable that run across the course at the U.S. Open to provide power for all the cameras and mics during a broadcast! 

After the breakout sessions, we had lunch and then moved to the putting championship & first tee setup challenge. The putting championship was a great way to meet more interns and have some friendly competition. Lauren and I competed in the first tee challenge to see which pair of interns could set up the first tee in the shortest amount of time! Later in the evening, we had dinner at food trucks and took some photos on the lawn – another great networking opportunity and time to meet some peers.

Day Three

On the final day of the Summit, we got to hear from many influential speakers in several panels. First was the Boatwright alumni panel. All the panel members were once in our exact seats as interns, so they gave us some great advice. My personal takeaway was to not be paralyzed by fear of failure – just be adaptable and problem-solve quickly. Next, we had the leadership development panel and got to hear from three leaders and donors of the Boatwright program. Each of them echoed the same sentiment: the importance of having a positive attitude and appreciating experiences and people. The next group of speakers came from GHIN and talked about the development of the app and how to make score posting more accessible for players. I loved hearing about statistics, including the number of scores posted in 2025: 85 million! The final group came to discuss player relations and the USNDP (United States National Development Program). It was great to hear about the grant program that allows so many young golfers to access valuable resources in their development. 

After all the panels, we traveled to Watchung Valley Golf Club for some breakout sessions. These were particularly exciting because we got to go on course for a rules demonstration, a hole locations summary, a green care/turf explanation and a photography seminar. After traveling back to the USGA headquarters, we got to hear from Mike Whan – the CEO of the USGA! He was a very engaging speaker and a great storyteller. Whan provided so many incredibly useful tips for succeeding in the golf industry and it was very inspiring to hear him talk about his journey to becoming the CEO in 2021. From being on the grounds crew as a teenager, to working at a number of companies, to the role of LPGA commissioner in 2010 and now finally in his role at the USGA, Whan described his belief in 

taking risks and being bold enough to make mistakes. One of my favorite pieces of advice that he gave was that setbacks truly lead to some of the greatest things in life. He provided numerous examples in his life when things went wrong but ended up turning out to be some of the most valuable lessons that led to an even better job or opportunity.

Closing Thoughts

The P.J. Boatwright Summit was such an amazing experience, and I wish we could have stayed longer! The best part was meeting the other interns and making great connections with people along the way. Everyone was so welcoming and outgoing, and it was easy to make conversation and talk about golf. I loved hearing about everyone’s journey to working at their AGA and their experience in the world of golf! A special thanks to Steve Jurick and the team at Miami Valley Golf for providing Lauren and me with the chance to experience everything at the Summit and learn about the inner workings of the golf industry. I am so grateful to have so many opportunities to learn and grow in my role while being surrounded by amazing people. 

Miami Valley Golf is a mission-driven 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to uniting the community through foundational programs and initiatives. We support the game by providing handicapping services, course rating, and meaningful playing opportunities while championing philanthropic efforts like Youth on Course, High School Golf Stewardship, and Golf, My Future, My Game among many others. Our work focuses on advancing the game’s sustainability, accessibility, and inclusivity, fostering wellness and community connection. As an Impact-First Charitable nonprofit, we are committed to transparency and ensuring golf’s enduring impact for current and future generations. For more, visit miamivalleygolf.org