AGA NEWS


Mahanke earns Updegraff Award


Hulscher captures Doc Graves Award


n BY JOHN DAVIS


at fictitious Bushwood Country Club is assigned to carry the largest and heaviest bag, belonging to the brash, obnoxious character Al Czervik. Mahanke, who was in his fifth


J


day of caddying at the time at The Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs, politely said “no thanks” when he was confronted with the same task. “It was the Rodney Dangerfield bag,


and they called my name to carry it,” Mahanke recalled. “The thing was way too big for me, and I told the starter I couldn’t carry it. He told me that if I didn’t, I would never carry there again, so that was the quick end of my caddying career.” Thankfully, Mahanke didn’t com-


pletely walk away from the game, and his many contributions as a volunteer earned him this year’s Dr. Ed Updegraff Award, which is given annually to a person who, “by his or her actions and accomplish- ments exemplify the spirit of the game.” When it comes to Arizona Golf


Association competition and activities, Mahanke has done it all, plus a little extra. He has served as a tournament organizer, rules official and course rater. He has served on the AGA executive committee and as its treasurer. He also sat on the Finance Committee,


chaired the Member Services Commit- tee, helped implement the popular Senior Series and has been instrumental in train- ing other volunteers. Since 1999, he also has been valuable in recruiting volunteers from D.C. Ranch, which is a prominent tournament host and his home course.


26 | AZ GOLF Insider | SPRING 2017 Jerry Mahanke (right) accepts the Dr. Ed Updegraff Award from AGA president Mike McWilliams. He has represented the AGA twice


at the annual USGA Course Rating Calibration Seminar, and both times his team had the highest score in the country. “I was never close to being a scratch


golfer, but I have enjoyed being around the game most of my life,” said Mahanke, who was named AGA Volunteer of the Year in 2012. “I’ve been volunteering with the AGA for almost 20 years, and it has been a great experience but I cer- tainly didn’t think it would lead to this. “It has been very fulfilling to


work with such a wonderful group of people. This is a great surprise and a tremendous honor and certainly wasn’t something I ever expected to happen.” Mahanke, 78, is a Colorado na-


tive, whose first job was working at a Denver TV station as one of the five original Bozo the Clown characters. In that role, he had to ad lib in front of 60 kids for 90 minutes, five days a week. When Carnation Milk, which created


the Bozo shows, was sold, Mahanke had to find a new line of work. Ultimately that led to a career as a developer of total-life care retirement communities, including three in the Phoenix metro area.


It was after moving to


Scottsdale in 1993 that he sold his business, retired early and began volunteering with the AGA. “I have worked with just about


everyone at the AGA, and they have all been delightful,” he said. “They have so many quality people, and it has been such a pleasure to work with them, so to get this honor is pretty special.” Although he isn’t a close friend of


the 95-year-old Updegraff, Mahanke is well aware of the Tucson doctor’s achievements and stature in the game. “I have been going to AGA meetings


for 20 years, and for 20 years I have been hearing that Dr. Ed shoots his age every time he plays,” Mahanke joked. “I guess the one thing we have in common is that I can shoot his age now, too.”


Volunteer of the Year Tim Hulscher grew up in Aberdeen, Wash., as a friend of the late grunge rocker Kurt Cobain, but these days he finds nirvana on Arizona golf courses. Hulscher, 50, can’t seem to get


enough when it comes to rules officiating and, as a result of his


www.azgolf.org


erry Mahanke’s first experience with golf was reminiscent of the scene from “Caddyshack,” in which the smallest caddie


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