WVGA director says he has one of the best jobs in state

By Pat Hanna
Register-Herald regional editor

May 02, 2008 09:25 pm

— CHARLESTON — Ken Tackett is the executive director of the West Virginia Golf Association.
So what does that entail?
Well, consider this:
- The WVGA has right around 10,000 members and 84 active member clubs.
- The WVGA conducts 15 state championship tournaments, 11 one-day Seniors Series events and, new this year, four one-day Stableford Series events. Plus, there are 11 qualifiers for the WVGA’s top two championship events, the West Virginia Open and West Virginia Amateur, and six USGA qualifiers.
- Beginning this year, the WVGA is working in partnership with the state chapter of the PGA and tour founder Larry Martin of Parkersburg to conduct 15 Top Flite Junior Tour events. (In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Top Flite Junior Tour this summer, a two-day event for supporters of youth golf and former Top Flite players, including Pat Carter, Tim Fisher and Anthony Reale, is set for Aug. 23-24 at Stonewall Resort. Officials hope to raise $50,000 to $60,000 at the event for junior golf in West Virginia.)
- The WVGA has brought in the state women’s golf association in a merger.
- The WVGA manages the West Virginia Golf Foundation, which has awarded over $60,000 in William C. Campbell Scholarship money to more than 50 recipients, and is establishing the West Virginia Golf Hall of Fame and Museum with an eye on a golf learning center. The first Hall of Fame induction ceremony should be held in the fall.
- The WVGA is involved in handicapping, course ratings, fundraising and the development of corporate partnerships.
A lot of responsibility? You bet. And Tackett enjoys every minute of it.
“I think I have one of the top 10 jobs in the state,” the personable 33-year-old says.
Tackett joined the WVGA as tournament director in February 2003. Eighteen months ago, he was named executive director when his predecessor, Danny Fisher, resigned to go into private business.
In the face of such a hectic pace, Tackett is unflappable. Always smiling. Never forgets a face or name. Mention a course and he can tell you its characteristics.
“Ken has certainly done an outstanding job the last 18 months,” WVGA president Paul Moran said. “He’s accomplished so much because he’s organized and he works hard.”
Butch Freeman of Daniels, who will become WVGA president in December when Moran’s term ends, echoed those comments.
“He’s a natural leader, I think, very knowledgeable, and he’s done a real good job of putting a good staff together,” Freeman said. “He really loves what he’s doing. He seems to know how to get along with people and get a lot of things done.
“I just can’t say enough good things about him. And I think all the golfers around the state feel that way.”
Tackett, however, says it’s not a one-person effort. His staff is not only knowledgeable, but versatile. He draws on the advice of the 20-member WVGA executive committee, and the wisdom of people like West Virginians Bill Campbell and Stuart Bloch, both former presidents of the U.S. Golf Association.
The staff includes Brad Ullman, assistant director and director of junior golf; Amber Hooper, membership services manager; Sarah Menefee, business manager; and Samantha Cook, communications manager. There are also three USGA interns.
When putting the staff together, Tackett looked for people with organizational skills who could handle a variety of responsibilities. He calls it the “A-team.”
“People might look at us in December and ask, ‘What could you possibly be doing?’’’ Tackett said. “I refer to it as preparation and organization. When April 1 hits (and the tournament season draws near), 80 percent of our work is done. The entry forms are done. We’ve already done hotel reservations. Food and beverage is done. Gift certificates are done. All of that is done. Then we go and conduct the tournaments.”
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Tackett was born and raised in Charleston. His younger years saw him develop skills not only in golf but in music, specifically the drums.
He played golf at Capital High School and at Concord College for two years before taking a serious look at the future.
“With the time constraints, I started making some decisions,” he said. “I knew my limitations (in golf), so I decided to focus my energy on school and education.”
He transferred to the University of North Florida in Jacksonville and earned a bachelor’s degree in music in 1998.
He went to Las Vegas and became the house drummer at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. As a jazz drummer, he played music “around the country.” His group, the Noel Freidline Quintet, appeared in two films, “The Legend of Bagger Vance” and “Ocean’s Eleven,” and entertained at Julia Roberts’ 35th birthday party.
Then came Sept. 11, 2001.
“It was a life-changing day,” he said. “When you live in a big city, you look out and see skyscrapers in every direction.” He and his wife Tammy, who’s from Florida, were expecting their first child, “and we were 3,000 miles away from any family. So we packed up the truck and headed back to the mountains.
“We love it here. We have great friends here, old and new. There are a lot of great people around this state. I think golf brings out a lot of great people.
“You hear a lot about economic opportunity. My generation has to make a commitment to live in this great state to help make economic development happen. I hear friends say, ‘There are not enough jobs here.’ Well, we have to create them.
“I think we’re in a transition here, a rebirth. Tourism is a big thing, and we have some of the best golf courses around.”
When Tackett returned to West Virginia, he sold cars for a Kanawha Valley dealership. And then one evening he ran into an old friend, Danny Fisher.
“He and I had played junior golf together. Danny was a great junior golfer,” Tackett said. “He said he was looking for a part-time tournament director, and that’s what happened.
“It gave me great insight into the golf business and got me headed in the right direction.
“I had always been into the Rules of Golf. I was interested in that aspect. But I had no experience except playing in tournaments and setting up a couple of fundraising tournaments.”
But he had sharpened his organizational skills in the music business. “And I had a lot of computer skills,” he said. “I knew how to develop a plan and take the next step to turn that plan into action and results.”
By the time Fisher resigned, Tackett was a full-time staff member and was involved in every aspect of the organization. His appointment as executive director was greeted with enthusiasm around the West Virginia golfing community.
“I think it’s the best thing that’s happened to us, to have him in charge as executive director, because he’s a real conscientious individual,” Freeman, the incoming WVGA president, said. “He has a lot of ideas to improve the golf association, to get a lot of people involved in golf.”
The Tackett family now includes two children, Hannah, 6, and Zachary, 3. The summer tournament season frequently finds him on the road, but he always tries to spend quality time with his family.
“People will say to me, ‘Man, you get to travel and eat out,’” he said. “But it’s nice to come home. I’ve talked to a lot of traveling sales reps. They can’t wait to go home and eat fried potatoes and pinto beans.”
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The first West Virginia Golf Summit held recently at Edgewood Country Club in Sissonville brought together WVGA officials, club pros, course superintendents, college coaches, tournament sponsors and media representatives from around the state, 52 people in all, with one goal in mind — to grow the game of golf in West Virginia.
Tackett believes everyone is on the same page, and he’s thankful for the cooperation.
“People are willing to help wherever you go,” he said. “Hill Herrick and The Greenbrier are unbelievable to work with. Mike James, Keith Honaker, Bill Gilmore, Wes and Gerald Duncan at Glade Springs ... everybody at that establishment is so easy to work with.
“The clubs and the general managers, I consider them partners and I consider them friends. If something slips through the cracks, we immediately fix it. It never becomes an issue.
“People want to be involved. We have three volunteer course rating teams headed by Butch Freeman, Gary Roush and Larry Simpson. One of those guys is at every course rating.”
Northwestern Mutual Insurance has signed a five-year deal to help sponsor the West Virginia Amateur. Tackett says WVGA sponsors become involved because they want to help the game of golf; they don’t look at it in terms of what’s in it for them.
“They want to support golf,” he said. “They don’t just write a check. They want the involvement.
“It’s a partnership, not a sponsorship.”
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Although much has been done in the past 18 months — the merger with the women’s association, the partnership with the state PGA/Top Flite Junior Tour and an improved Web site (WVGA.org) — the work and the planning go on.
The growth of junior golf will remain a priority.
“The future of golf is junior golf,” Tackett said. He would like to see golf, a lifetime sport, become part of the physical education curriculum in elementary schools statewide.
He envisions a new facility, a learning center, complete with the hall of fame and memorabilia. He sees the Campbell Scholarship Fund of more than $500,000 growing to $1 million, praising the work of Moran, Harold Payne, Ron Satterfield and others with the foundation.
And he hopes to have a huge celebration for the WVGA’s centennial in 2013.
Tackett says the improved WVGA.org Web site is a “one-stop for what’s going on in West Virginia golf,” providing “any information they need.”
“If you’re having a tournament, send me, Brad or Amber an e-mail, and we’ll put it on there.
“We want to be accessible. We want to get the message out.”
Golf is a sport the entire family can enjoy, he says. And that’s good for the health of the game and the family.
“We want people to play golf,” he adds, “and make time to play golf.”
— E-mail: phanna@register-herald.com

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