Talking Golf With The Golf Guy-Season 5 Episode 17 With Kelsey Chugg
in Blog, Podcasts by Jeff Waters

Talking Golf With The Golf Guy-Season 5 Episode 17 With Kelsey Chugg

When Kelsey Chugg, the Utah Golf Association’s Female Player of the Decade, won the United States Golf Association’s Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship in 2017, she joined an exclusive group of Utah Golf Royalty.

Kelsey Chugg 2017 USGA Mid-Amateur Champion

With that victory, she became only the 8th player in history with Utah ties to win a United States Golf Association event, and only the 4th USGA Champion to claim her birthplace here.

Born in Ogden, Utah, Kelsey took a circular and adventurous route on her journey to golf greatness.

With stops in Arizona, claiming the 2008 Arizona Junior Golf Association State Championship while in High School; Redlands Community College, in El Reno, Oklahoma, where she was an Academic and Athletic All-American; and finally, her golfing odyssey concluding at Weber State College in Ogden, Utah, where she repeated her junior collegiate success as an Academic and Athletic All-American golfer under the tutelage of PGA Professional and Head Coach, Jeff Smith.

Eschewing a professional career after attempting Q-school on the LPGA Professional Tour, Ms. Chugg took her degree in Technical Sales from Weber State, and entered the golf business.

Kelsey Chugg Four-Time Utah State Champion

Under the auspices of a P. J. Boatwright Internship with the Utah Golf Association, she excelled in both business and competition, winning four Utah Golf Association Women’s State Amateur Championships in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2017, culminating in her being selected as the UGA’s Female Golfer of the Decade.

She continues her strong play at the highest levels of competition and also excels in her employment in the business of golf at where she currently serves as the Assistant Director of Golf for Salt Lake City Corporation.

2017 USGA Champions

Certainly no stranger to big-time national golf events, Kelsey has competed in the very largest and prestigious the world of golf has to offer.

She has competed in all the biggest golfing tournaments, including the United States Women’s Open, the United States Women’s Amateur, the United States Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in Argentina and, the United States Women’s Mid-Amateur numerous times, where she was victorious in 2017, winning the outright National Championship.

Please join me as I sit down with our Female Player of the Decade and one of the greatest match-play competitors in Utah golf history, as she prepares to compete in the United States Women’s Amateur Championship in Rockville, Maryland, August 3-9, 2020.

Please Listen Here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Jeff Waters, MBA, is a PGA Master Professional and the President/CEO of Rocky Mountain Golf Enterprises, a Utah-licensed and registered corporation that uses golf as a marketing tool. With over fifty years of experience in the golf industry, Jeff has worn many hats in diverse roles, including as a player, teacher, Head Professional, administrator, and small business owner. Jeff's extensive background includes ten years as a competitive player, ten years as a Head Golf Professional, overseeing the entire golf course operation, three years as the Director of Player Development for Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, managing, directing, and supervising multiple golf course programs, and over thirty years as a golf coach and instructor at Rocky Mountain Golf Academy, teaching the game. His elite professional status as a fully trained and certified PGA Master Professional highlights his commitment to the sport. This prestigious designation is merited by a small and exclusive group of Golf Professionals worldwide. This wealth of experience in both the sport and business of golf has established Jeff as a highly skilled and knowledgeable expert and one of America's most qualified and accomplished Golf Professionals. In addition to his practical experience, Jeff has a robust academic background, including a BS in Political Science from the University of Utah, graduate studies in Economics and Commercial Recreation, at that school, and a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. He has also taught undergraduate courses at the University of Utah's College of Health and served as an adjunct professor at Granite Peaks Community School. As a well-known media personality, Jeff's versatility in the golf industry is evident through his work as a celebrated broadcast journalist and radio host. He has traveled extensively nationwide, announcing major sporting events at arenas, ballparks, stadiums, and golf courses for national media outlets and syndicated on the Rocky Mountain Golf Radio Network. A member of the Golf Writers Association of America, Jeff regularly contributes editorial pieces to national print publications and has authored multiple books, essays, and short stories. His work has appeared in numerous domestic and regional periodicals and magazines, such as Utah Golf News, Rocky Mountain Golfer, Golf Today, Utah Fairways, Jackson Hole Golf News, and Utah Golf Magazine. He has also contributed to blogs, podcasts, internet forums, and his website at www.jeffgolfguy.com. Jeff's unwavering dedication and service to the golf industry continue to inspire others, underscoring his deep commitment and affection for the sport, business, and recreation of golf.