Greetings Golfers,

The PGA of America just announced that they have a new CEO – Seth Waugh. Waugh used to be the CEO of Deutsche Bank … so he’s been around the block.

The previous CEO of the PGA of America – Pete Bavacqua – was a star … but Seth Waugh might be just what the PGA needs.

The PGA of America is not the same as the PGA Tour. They were once the same organization, but split-up in 1968. However, the rumor is that they will be united and Seth Waugh will lead the procedure.

But that’s not why I think Waugh could be so important to the members of the PGA of America. Waugh is all about developing a culture … and the PGA of America needs help in that department.

Here’s a quote from Waugh talking about developing a culture at Deutsche Bank “ I tried to create a culture and abide by a culture at all times and always do the right thing. Part of that culture was – No assholes allowed. Everybody knew that.”

Here’s some more “ You try to hire talent but also hire culture. At the end of the day we’ve had to wash a few out. Often times, the better the producer, the bigger the jerk. If you actually take one of them out, particularly if they’re a big producer, people start going, ‘Wow, they’re actually serious about this.’ As much production as somebody does, there is an enormous amount of damage that they do because they bring down the happy factor, bring down the fun, bring down the culture, and zap energy in a way that is divisive, as well as waste management time. You should leave places if you think the bad guys are ruining them.”

How good is that? The golf business is fundamentally about hospitality. The bad guys wreck hospitality. He could be a much needed breath of fresh air.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional