Carr McCalla named LGA Distinguished Service award recipient
Submitted by the LGA
Recently retired Louisiana Golf Association ( LGA ) Executive Director Carr McCalla has been named recipient of the Louisiana Golf Association ’ s Distinguished Service Award for 2018 . The award was initiated in 1984 by the LGA to honor individuals who have contributed to the betterment of the game in Louisiana .
McCalla , whose name has been synonymous with the LGA for the last two decades , retired as Executive Director at the end of 2017 after over 22 years of service , having arrived at the LGA in October of 1995 . He continues to serve the organization part-time as Senior Advisor , working on projects and providing his services as needed .
McCalla ’ s career in sports began as Graduate Assistant Basketball Coach at the University of Tennessee , receiving his Master ’ s degree there in 1976 . He served as Assistant Basketball Coach at the University of New Orleans ( 1976-77 ), Marshall University ( 1977-78 ), and Murray State University ( 1978-79 ), before becoming Head Basketball Coach ( 1979-85 ) and Director of Athletics ( 1985-94 ) at Motlow ( TN ) College in Tullahoma , Tennessee . After a short stint as Director of Sports Programs at the Amateur Athletic Union ( AAU ) in Indianapolis , he returned south in late 1995 to become the first full-time staff person at the LGA .
Working tirelessly on behalf of the LGA and the game , McCalla quickly gained a reputation as one of the country ’ s foremost experts on the rules of golf , being appointed to and serving on the prestigious USGA Rules of Golf committee . He served on Rules Committees at over 40 USGA Championships , including 16 U . S . Open Championships . He also served on the Rules Committee at the 2000 , 2001 , 2002 , and 2003 Master ’ s Tournaments . He was appointed to the Board of Directors of the International Association of Golf Administrators ( IAGA ) in 1999 , serving as President of that organization in 2005 . He also served on the
USGA ’ s Regional Associations and Bob Jones Award Committee .
For the first seven years of his tenure with the LGA , McCalla was the only full-time staff member , administering handicapping services , course rating services , and Championships with the help of an intern and a small cadre of volunteers . As a result of McCalla ’ s management skills , the LGA was able to expand its staff in 2001 with the hiring of a full-time Director of Member Services , and again in 2011 with the hiring of a fulltime Director of Championship Operations . McCalla ’ s philosophy of bringing enhanced services to all LGA Member Clubs and individual members was the thread that ran through his entire tenure with the organization . In addition to improving the manner in which all LGA Championships were conducted , he was intent on significantly improving benefits to all LGA members , not just the small percentage that compete in LGA events .
“ I am certainly honored to be this year ’ s recipient of the LGA ’ s DSA award . The last number of years working on behalf of the LGA has been a real labor of love ,” said McCalla . I have been unbelievably blessed to have been able to have so many wonderful experiences in our game as a direct consequence of my involvement with the LGA .”
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