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For Director
Roger M. Ruff, CGCS

Roger M. Ruff, CGCS, has been the superintendent at Mountain Dell Golf Course for the Salt Lake City (Utah) Corp. since 1988. Previously, he was superintendent at Nibley Park Golf Course in Salt Lake City. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Westminster College in Salt Lake City. A 26-year member of GCSAA, Ruff currently serves on GCSAA’s Education Committee. He has previously been a member of the Certification, Election, Scholarship and Career Development committees. Ruff is a member and past president of the Intermountain GCSA. He is also a member of the Utah Golf Association, an associate member of the USGA and previously served on the public golf committee of the USGA.

Statement
I would like to thank the Intermountain GCSA for nominating me for the position of director of GCSAA. As a member of GCSAA for the past 26 years, I know how important it is to be active. I was fortunate to be elected to the board of directors of the Intermountain chapter while relatively new to the business. My involvement on that board, and later as vice president and president, was extremely rewarding. Being elected to serve as our chapter delegate gave me my first experience on the national level.

It was that experience that spurred me on to volunteer for a committee assignment. I was selected to serve on the Career Development Committee.

Working with members of that committee showed me the value of involvement. The time that I have served on the Scholarship, Certification and Education committees has given me the drive to seek the position of director of GCSAA.

I am at a point in my career that I have the time to make the commitment to serve. I have been employed by the Salt Lake City golf division for the past 34 years. They have given me their complete support in my decision to seek the position of director of GCSAA. My wife, Margee, and son, Michael, have been extremely supportive of my career. For my family vacation, we have attended the GCSAA conference and show for many years.

As you all know, GCSAA has tackled many issues in the recent past, including the chapter affiliation agreement, PDI, new Class A standards and now, dues structure. I feel that each of these items has been an improvement for our association. I support the new dues structure being tied to the Consumer Price Index. I feel that we need to make certain that we strive to keep our members. In the past, we have had a significant percentage of members that have dropped their affiliation following a dues increase. The new structure would let members know what to expect in the area of dues increase. It will be easier to plan for the increases and not have as large an impact on our business. This should result in fewer members leaving the association.

It is an honor to be nominated to serve as a director. I would like the opportunity to serve this association and give back to an organization that has given me so much.

RECENT issues

December 2006	November 2006