Former PNGA head wins honor from NW media group

At the 12th annual awards banquet of the Northwest Golf Media Association, John Bodenhamer, longtime head of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association, will be honored with the organization’s Distinguished Service Award. Three other individuals – Kent Myers, Jerry Fehr and Loren Lippert – have been selected to receive the new “Local Legend” recognition.

Bodenhamer, former CEO and executive director of the PNGA and the Washington State Golf Association, recently left the Northwest to accept a position on the senior staff of the United States Golf Association.

Bodenhamer, 50, had been head of the PNGA since 1990 and the WSGA since 1992. His accomplishments include founding the PNGA’s groundbreaking “Pacific Northwest Golfer” magazine, serving as its publisher for 17 years; he also oversaw the publication in 1999 of the monumental regional golf history book, “Championships & Friendships: the first 100 years of the PNGA.” During his tenure he helped guide the growth of the WSGA into the ninth largest golf association under the USGA GHIN (handicap-index services) umbrella.