Dennis Walsh named 2009 Arizona Golf Association Volunteer of the Year

Left - Courtney Smyser (Tournament Administrator, AGA) Scott McNevin (Director Rules and Competitions, AGA) Dennis Walsh, Jay Anderson

Dennis Walsh, a retired information technology specialist in the banking industry was named the 2009 Arizona Golf Association Volunteer of the Year. The award was presented at the annual spring banquet March 4 at Phoenix Country Club.

“It’s nice for somebody to recognize how many hours I put into doing what I do,” Walsh said. “The thing is I enjoy doing it so much that it’s great to get this but it’s not going to change how much I give back to the AGA and the golfers in Arizona. “

Walsh, 70, who took up the game relatively late in life at age 24, enjoyed it from the first moment he swung the club in the balmy Washington state climate. Relocating to Green Valley in early 2005, he contacted the AGA about volunteering and his talents were quickly put to use as a spotter and scoring with his first event at Arizona National.

“Walsh has grown into a top notch rules official,” said Scott McNevin, the AGA tournament director. “He is a great guy to be around and brings a lot of passion and enthusiasm to the tournaments. I applaud his efforts and the extra interest he has taken in helping to grow the volunteer base. He along with so many others are the foundation that enables us to conduct such high-caliber tournaments.”

His interest soon grew to the rules and he attended workshops over the course of two years before he felt comfortable dispensing rulings at the tournaments. With this invaluable skill, his duties changed and he also offered his services to the JGAA, AJGA and the SWSPGA. Giving back to the game, he is also one of the directors of the Southwest Golf Association, which annually hosts the Southwestern Amateur Championship.

Welsh estimates that in the last year, between all the organizations he has spent 120 days volunteering. And now, with his good friends Doc Graves and Robin Farran he is working with the AGA to devise a recruitment and training program for other tournament volunteers to help them progress through the organization.