Swinging North: A national tournament elevates Alaska golf.

• Author: Newman, Amy
• Position: TOURISM

Golf courses in every state and the District of Columbia have hosted a championship for the United States Golf Association (USGA) during its 128-year history. Every state, that is, except Alaska--until this summer.

The 2022 US Senior Women's Amateur Championship tees off at Anchorage Golf Course on July 30, finally completing the USGA's scorecard of states.

"It's a monumental occasion for us to bring a championship to Alaska, something that has been a long time coming," USGA CEO Mike Davis said in an October press release announcing Alaska's selection. "Players from all over the country dream of becoming USGA champions, so it is important we bring our events to all corners of the United States to expose golfers and golf fans to the inspiration and competitiveness of our championships. We're so thankful to Anchorage Golf Course for working with us to make this dream a reality."

Turning that dream into reality didn't happen overnight. When the first golfer steps onto the greens at the end of the month, it will mark the culmination of five years of work by Anchorage Golf Course staff and volunteers to design and implement course improvements, recruit volunteers to run the tournament, and raise the funds needed to bring it all together.

And it will be a feather in the cap for the thirty-five-year-old course.

"Having a USGA event at your facility as kind of a nod to a profession is really nice," says Rich Sayers, general manager of Anchorage Golf Course, a city-owned facility off O'Malley Road. "It's fascinating for myself and all the staff to be involved in so many facets of this event. It's been pretty exciting."

Road to the Championship

Bringing a USGA championship tournament to Anchorage was a lesson in patience, persistence, and timing. For years, Sayers and architect Forrest Richardson, who has designed several projects for the course over the past fifteen years, "put the bug in the ear" of USGA officials.

Sayers' desire to host a USGA tournament is part personal, part professional. A competitive junior and collegiate golfer with local and national tournament wins under his belt, golf has been a lifelong passion. He took a step back after college graduation when he moved to Alaska and took a job on the North Slope, but he gravitated back to the sport and began working as an assistant golf pro and instructor at the Anchorage Golf Course in 1988. In 2008, he was named general manager.

But it wasn't until 2017, when Davis became CEO of the USGA, that the organization began to show real interest in Alaska, Sayers says. Davis and members of the USGA's future sites committee came...