By Steve Ethun
VP of Communications

As I grow older, I’m finding my ‘Things-I-Know-Now-That-I-Wish-I Knew-Then’ list continues to grow in inverse proportion to the hair on my head. To the amazement of family, friends and co-workers who may be reading this, things like putting the toilet seat down and covering my mouth when I sneeze are starting to make sense.

In fact, at the ripe old age of 27 (well, almost 28), things make more sense now than ever for me, especially when it comes to relationships. Now I’m not talking about those with the opposite sex, mainly because my wife would contend I have a long way to go before I can claim that as a skill mastered. I’m talking about the relationships with all those with the people I come in contact with every day – from my neighbor who refuses to mow his grass to the reporter who is looking for Esther Choe’s bio. And while I have my wife to thank for proper bathroom etiquette and curbing my use of a shirt sleeve during a Gesundheit-type moment, I have the AJGA for teaching me the importance of making fast friends.

Could you be the next AJGA member to grace a magazine cover?

The AJGA is an organization that thrives because of its relationships, resulting in an industry-wide level of respect that yields results. The AJGA doesn’t have the luxury of making enemies. In fact, we couldn’t survive as a nonprofit in the golf industry without others – juniors, parents, sponsors, and, in my line of work, the media – supporting our Mission. I’m reminded of this fact each year when Rob Coleman and I travel to the New York metropolitan area to pay a visit to a bevy of our golf-writing contacts. And while gaining exposure for the AJGA and those players who make up our organization is the ultimate goal, building relationships is at the core of our adventure up the Eastern seaboard.

Because of this annual voyage (we use about every mode of transportation available), we would list, in no particular order, USA Today, GolfWorld, Golf Digest, Golf for Women, ESPN, Golf Magazine and Sports Illustrated as friends of the AJGA simply because, without fail, all of these outlets are willing to take us in, listen, and ask questions about the talented players who line our fairways each summer (We’re planning a trip to Golfweek and The Golf Channel in Orlando in the coming weeks). Sometimes, this results in coverage of the next generation of junior golf, but more often than not, it simply re-affirms the AJGA stature as the leading golf organization in the world.

Obviously, our main goal in this media tour is to place story ideas – that’s my job, by the way. To do this, I need to know your story. A few weeks ago I e-mailed our members and asked them to tell me their story, and I thank all of you who participated. If you forgot, or didn’t get an e-mail, send me your story now (sethun@ajga.org). Believe it or not, you don’t have to be the best player in your city, or state, or the AJGA for the media to be interested. If you have an extraordinary story, someone will want to tell it.