and have since moved into golf management roles include Southern California Golf Association Director of Rules and Competitions Mike Sweeney and manager of the South Texas Region for the Texas Golf Associa- tion, Ryan Magee. Val attended San Jose
State and received a degree in Recreation Administra- tion. His fi rst job was with the City of San Mateo as a director at Beresford Rec- reation Center before going on to a job with the City of Santa Clara as the fi rst director of the city’s Central Park Center. The avid San Francisco Giants baseball fan was the tournament director of the
Nabisco Championship in 1988 (now the Tour Cham- pionship), and has been a rules offi cial for eight U.S. Amateurs and offi ciated in the 100th U.S. Open held at Pebble Beach in 2000. The Salinas resident is a
valued resource for dozens of college coaches, hundreds of club professionals and other industry personnel. He is a leader by example and possesses a meticulous dedication to his work; his experience and affable personality have made him an icon in California golf circles. “Roger has been a true
professional and ambas- sador for the game of golf,” says NCGA CEO Lyn
Nelson. “The NCGA and the Northern California golf community have greatly benefi ted from his vision and hard work. Roger’s life will be rich because he is priceless.” In retirement, Val will pursue hobbies of travel and photography with his wife of more than 40 years, Mary. The couple resides in Salinas (though a move to the Lincoln/Roseville area is contemplated) and has two children, Carter and Allison and three grandchildren, Hunter (4), Isabella (3) and Logan (21 months). In tribute, the NCGA will rename the Four-Ball Championship trophy the Roger Val Trophy.
“Roger Val is what
I would call the perfect combination of a tough administrator with attention to detail and a passionate and caring person who is always fair and equitable,” says four-time NCGA Player of the Year Randy Haag. “Roger has been the guy behind the scenes who makes the NCGA the #1 regional golf association in the world. In more than 30 years of active participation in NCGA events, I can say that our events are run as well as any USGA or other national or local associa- tion. There is one very little known reason for this, and it’s simply Roger Val.”
VAL’S TENURE BY THE NUMBERS
Number of NCGA championships in 1982: 9
Number of tournament days in 2010: 401
Number of staff people: 11
Number of people who have reported to Roger in his career: 37
Location of Roger’s fi rst offi ce: behind Spyglass Hill’s 9th green
PGA Tour Player of the Year 1982: Tom Watson; Leading money winner: Craig Stadler, $446,462
President of the U.S. when Roger started: Ronald Reagan
NCGA President in 1982: John Rhodenbaugh
Photos (clockwise from top left): Val with John Catlin; Mary Val; Rick Leoncio, Jimmy Becker, Ryan Gregg and John Tomasini
FALL 2010 / NCGA.ORG / 53
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