AGA NEWS


HALL OF FAME


Champion of Golf honor goes to teacher-pro Gunby


n BY JOHN DAVIS


Among the many lessons John Gunby learned from his father during his youth was the importance of giving back. “He told me


that we were put on this earth to help one another,” Gunby said. “Everyone has their own way of doing that.” His way is what led to him being named


John Gunby


the AGA’s Champion of Golf for 2017. The award is an annual tribute to recognize those who champion golf and golfers through community and charitable activities without seeking public exposure for their efforts. Golf has defined Gunby’s life, dating to


his pre-teen days when he caddied at Arizona Country Club, and as a teenager working the driving range at Papago Golf Course for the “pay” of one bucket of range balls per day. In his role as a highly respected club pro,


which includes being named Southwest Section PGA Pro of the Year in 2013, he has spent countless hours giving back, most prominently to junior golf and Special Olympics. Among other endeavors, he also created a program to provide free golf, equipment and clothing to disabled veterans and is a regular visitor to residents of nursing homes and hospitalized children. Gunby, 62, is semi-retired but still


teaches and coaches at Antelope Hills in Prescott, with his “Make Golf Great Again” program that places emphasis on core values, traditions of the game, courtesy, pace of play and respecting golfers and golf facilities. “I’m trying to give back now by teaching


the game the way that it should be played, not so much in the mechanics but how to have fun and play with courtesy and respect,” Gunby said. “With so many things in the world today, we have lost the personal touch that golf brings, so in the long run, I see it as a way to better society. n


30 | AZ GOLF Insider | ANNUAL 2017


Cori Matheson has loads of fun with her girls from the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix program.


Dream job Matheson


completes circle, leads girls golf of Phoenix


n BY TOM MACKIN


21 years to actually get it. As a participant in the LPGA-


C


USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix program, Matheson was the kid who always stayed late at tournaments, wanted to write numbers on the scoreboard and do just about anything else that needed to be done. Her enthusiasm did not go unnoticed by then director Kathy Knadler. “When I was 12,


ori Matheson was 12 years old when she discovered her dream job. But it took her another


A Phoenix native and Horizon


High School graduate, Matheson had worked in the golf industry since graduating from Flagler College in Florida (where she played on a full scholarship), but her current role offers the freedom to be creative and provide girls from age 3 to 18 with a comfortable entry point to the game. “I’m running a non-profit that


I told Kathy she had the best job ever and that I wanted to do it someday,” she said. “She was a true mentor to me. Four years ago she called and asked if I was ready to take her job. I knew that the universe was telling me it was finally time and if I said no, I wouldn’t know when, or if, the opportunity would come along again. So I jumped on it.”


NOTE: A second annual Women’s Golf Expo will be held on Feb. 11 at The Westin Kierland Golf Club, with instruction clinics, club and ball fitting, and a vendor marketplace. All proceeds go to the LPGA–USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix program. For more information, go to www.azwge.com.


empowers these girls, but golf is just the tool I’m using to present them with new opportunities and the chance to build lifelong relationships,” she said. “Relationships are the reason why I am where I am. They’re also the reason why the program has grown in recent years (to more than 300 communities across the country). If they’re learning how to build those through golf at a young age, it will help them in the future. My job to keep it fun for them so they see the benefits of golf being part of their lives.” The LPGA–USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix, which receives support from both the Junior Golf Association of Arizona and the national LPGA Foundation, holds approximately 30 events annually all over the Valley, from


tournaments (featuring 1-, 3-, 6-, 9- and 18-hole formats) to instruction clinics and workshops. Annual memberships cost $40, with additional fees per events. In 2017, 230 girls participated, with an average age of 10 years old. One of Matheson’s biggest


www.azgolf.org


LPGA-USGA


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