[Rob Marshall]

I know things have changed with the NCAA but I’m not sure where the USGA stands. Does this kid have a deal with Taylor/Adidas? He’s head to toe.

[Tim Leahy]

I know things have changed with the NCAA but I’m not sure where the USGA stands. Does this kid have a deal with Taylor/Adidas? He’s head to toe.

I wondered the same thing. He was the only player not flashing his univ. colors and logo. Anybody know if NIL applies to golf's amateur rules?

[Tommy Williamsen]

I noticed it as well. I seem to remember many years ago a player was asked to change hats because it said Titleist. Seems like more than 20 years ago or so.

[Kalen Braley]

I noticed it as well. I seem to remember many years ago a player was asked to change hats because it said Titleist. Seems like more than 20 years ago or so.

Well the guy who won wore a Titleist hat all week long too, so I suspect the rules are not well known.

P.S. BYU already pushing the limits and the ink isn't even dry yet...

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/every-byu-walk-on-football-player-receives-nil-deal-from-sponsor-covering-cost-of-scholarships/

[Pete_Pittock]

If he played all logoed up all week and the USGA did not say anything then it is probably okay. I thought I saw a USGA announcement a week or so ago and will try to find that.
UPDATE:
Since February
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/usga-ra-amateurs-rules-change-2021

[Kalen Braley]

If he played all logoed up all week and the USGA did not say anything then it is probably okay. I thought I saw a USGA announcement a week or so ago and will try to find that.
UPDATE:
Since February
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/usga-ra-amateurs-rules-change-2021

Interesting Pete,

Says this in the article, which seems odd with the $750 amount limit, given they can now presumably collect 10s of thousands or more for endorsements.

Under the new proposed rules, an amateur can only violate their status in three ways: accepting a prize in excess of the prize limit ($750), accepting payment for instruction, and accepting employment as a club professional.

[Mike_Trenham]

If you are interested in the games integrity you are concerned about the wrong individuals behavior.

Personally I am more interested to know how many free rounds of golf or meals each USGA Executive Committee Member accepts each year.

[Pete_Pittock]

If you are interested in the games integrity you are concerned about the wrong individuals behavior.

Personally I am more interested to know how many free rounds of golf or meals each USGA Executive Committee Member accepts each year.

From what I can glean online USGA Committee Members average 10 hours per week with zero compensation from the USGA,. I assume you would have to look at their individual tax returns.

[Mike_Trenham]

If you are interested in the games integrity you are concerned about the wrong individuals behavior.

Personally I am more interested to know how many free rounds of golf or meals each USGA Executive Committee Member accepts each year.

From what I can glean online USGA Committee Members average 10 hours per week with zero compensation from the USGA,. I assume you would have to look at their individual tax returns.

Peter their compensation comes from the circles they are able to run in (and courses they are invited out to play) if they don’t upset the status quo, if you start talking balls and implement changes they push you out.  When the Walker Cup was in Philadelphia at Merion there were a few USGA golf outings each day around the region it was quite the boondoggle.

[Michael Moore]

Mike -
 
When I was on the executive committee of the Maine State Golf Association I got about a dozen meals and four rounds of golf per year. Is that cool with you?
 
I thought that amateur golfers could wear whatever they wanted, and in any event UNC is worth billions more than TaylorMade.
 
More interestingly, did anyone understand that story about Greaser getting upset when competitor John Pak introduced himself on the range?

[Ronald Montesano]

A) If Greaser is an NCAA competitor, he is allowed to get free equipment and apparel from the team's sponsor. Must be TMA at UNC.

B) The USGA would open itself to a steaming pan of caca if it attempted to contravene what the source of the majority of its male competitors (NCAA teams) are able to accept/play/utilize while in school. It would be impossible to legislate and police.

C) With all due respect, it is the Maine Golf Association. Everyone from Maine is humble and content, and doesn't need freebies. I know that, while on the Buffalo District Golf Association executive board, I became friends with many folks with access to courses that I don't have. If I were a CanYou type of guy, I could have pressed for a fair number of invitations. I would suspect that access and influence increases proportionally.

D) Nothing on the interwebs on a Pak-Greaser driving range tilt.

[Mike_Trenham]

I have no issue with local golf associations it’s the USGA Executive Commiittee that is not protecting the game of golf.  They have not just embraced the status quo they have slept as the game has been transformed into an unrecognizable state because those governing it have minimal stakes in its true sustainability. Nor does anyone publicly say where they stand on issues.


There needs to be an overhaul of how the executive committee is elected. Individuals should campaign for the roles with stated agendas for the direction of the game.   USGA Member Clubs would have one vote per hole in operation with the leadership of the club entrusted with the voting for their constituents.

[mike_beene]

Wouldn’t free rounds be income and reportable? I am far from a tax expert, but if I accept a free ride that is income. In my lobbying days we had to report to the point that it was not worth it to pay for my nieces lunch when she had a summer job on a congressional committee.Fine with me if they get free rounds , but why is it not income?

[Kevin_Reilly]

mike beene - no business has to report anything valued below $600 provided to anyone for 1099 purposes. 


So, a recipient of an assumed $100 value golf round could report it as income...but...that is not going to happen.  If they did need to report it, they could also reasonably offset that amount by expenses incurred in playing the round...mileage allowance or travel expenses getting to course, equipment (balls, driving range warmup fee etc).  So, as you can see, there is no "there there" in assailing this from a tax angle.

[Rob Marshall]

mike beene - no business has to report anything valued below $600 provided to anyone for 1099 purposes. 


So, a recipient of an assumed $100 value golf round could report it as income...but...that is not going to happen.  If they did need to report it, they could also reasonably offset that amount by expenses incurred in playing the round...mileage allowance or travel expenses getting to course, equipment (balls, driving range warmup fee etc).  So, as you can see, there is no "there there" in assailing this from a tax angle.

I find it hard to believe that they are taking a private jet to Streamsong to play 36 and head home on the dime of a not for profit. If they are doing that compensation would be the least of their problems. Any trip they take has to be part of some type of entity business. Looking at future sites or something......If you win a prize at the casino or win at gambling the cost of getting here is not deductible against the prize or the winnings unless you are a professional gambler. If you get a 1099 for a free round of golf your incidental expenses are not going to be deductible. Even the out of pocket expenses of the USGA committee members are only deductible as charitable contribution.

[JohnVDB]

All staff and Executive Committee members are required to fill out a form stating any potential conflicts of interest they might have every year.  If there are any that are considered possible problems you either give them up or you leave.


They are not permitted to accept any free equipment from manufacturers or their possible representatives.


I had to disclose that I had playing privileges at a small private club in NJ each year.  It had been pre-approved for another USGA staff member before me and it was permitted because they weren’t under consideration for any USGA championship and I was not involved in any selection of the club for any other possible benefit to the club.


The staff at championships does sometimes arrange free golf for the Committee volunteers during the time when are off duty.  Is this any more of a taxable consideration than the free golf Raters for Golf Digest or Golfweek get?


By the way, the USGA hasn’t had a jet for well over 10 years so some of you can quit harping about that.

[Ian Mackenzie]

The Western Am was at our club this year and I watched Austin play as he was staying at a friends house. He was NOT decked out in TM/A then.


What we also saw, pointed out to us by the WGA rules officials, were the scores of sports agents who flocked to the sweet 16 guys.


Thorbjornsen was head to toe taylor made/adidas at the Western.
So was Karl Villips and the Cooty twins.


Some kids had the logos of the equipment deals from their schools.
One of the kids staying with us just got new Titlest gear as the school he will be going to has that deal.

[John Foley]

Early in the week there were a lot of Nike guys head to toe also.

[Rob Marshall]

The question that remains unanswered is……can a college golfer collect $1m endorsement deal like the college basketball players and still play in USGA Am events?

[Erik J. Barzeski]

UPDATE:
Since February
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/usga-ra-amateurs-rules-change-2021

That's a proposal. It wasn't put into effect yet (AFAIK).

[JohnVDB]

UPDATE:
Since February
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/usga-ra-amateurs-rules-change-2021

That's a proposal. It wasn't put into effect yet (AFAIK).

It is intended to take effect January 2022 last I heard.

[John Kavanaugh]

More than most, Am golfers can afford to play the long game. Despite Hal Sutton's famous quote,"Today" is only a few years away.

[Matt_Cohn]

6-2/9 Policy on Issue of Free Equipment to Amateur Golfers
[/color]Q. Is it permissible for an amateur golfer to accept free merchandise?
A. Yes. An amateur golfer of golf skill or reputation may accept golf balls, clubs, merchandise, clothing or shoes free of charge from anyone dealing in such equipment provided no advertising is involved - see Note 1 to Rule 6-2.[/font]

[Rob Marshall]

So hat, shirt, and shoes with logo's are not advertising?

[Tim Gavrich]

When was the $750 amateur prize limit established? It would seem a little odd if the next round of revisions to the Amateur Status rules don't increase it to at least partially catch up with inflation (not just overall but in the cost of amateur tournament entries) in recent years.

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