Talk about a blast from the past. At the 1980 U.S. Open at Baltusrol Golf Club, Jay Don Blake made his PGA Tour debut. In 1991, Blake won the Farmers Insurance Open for his lone PGA Tour title. This week, at age 65 and playing on a sponsor exemption, the St. George, Utah, native will make his 500th career PGA Tour start at the Black Desert Championship in Midway, Utah. Blake will be making his first Tour start since the 2018 ISCO Championship.

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IN THIS ISSUE

> TFC Inbox: Are the Cups in need of change? If so, then what? | Read

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What piece of golf training equipment has made the biggest impact on improving your game?

Send replies on this question or other topics and questions you would like to have asked to shall@buffalogroupe.com. For a response to be published, you must include your first and last name, along with the city and state of residence.

> Responses to last week's question.

LPGA Professionals: Louise Ball, a Class A member of the LPGA, has been elected as president of the LPGA Professionals division in a vote by the members. Ball, an instructor at Golfari Golf Schools at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina, will work alongside fellow teacher Christie Quinn, who has been voted in as the LPGA Professionals vice president. Ball and Quinn will begin their three-year terms on Jan. 1, 2025.

United States Golf Association: Farmington Country Club, in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been selected as the host site for the 2027 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. This will be the first USGA championship hosted by Farmington since the 1993 U.S. Senior Amateur. Farmington is steeped in a history stretching over 200 years. Portions of the clubhouse, dating back to 1803, were designed by Thomas Jefferson. The club’s Main Course, designed by Fred Findlay in 1927, features 18 holes and a par 70. The club also features a 10-hole East Course, designed by Coore & Crenshaw in 2016.

RELATED: Golf industry headlines
RELATED: The First Call / PR Newswire feed

> Rory McIlroy doubtful of pro golf merger in ‘foreseeable future’
[Kevin Cunningham | Golf.com | Read]

> The improbable story of the PGA Tour and LPGA landing in the lava fields of Utah
[Tod Leonard | Golf Digest | Read]

> Private equity backer picks bankers to tee up sale of country club group
[Mark Kleinman | Sky News | Read]

GOLF INNERVIEW WITH ANN LIGUORI
Renee Powell is still blazing trails
PGA of America Hall of Fame member joins host Ann Liguori to share stories of her life and how a meeting with two historic Black women's golf clubs came about
[Listen | More 'Golf Innerview with Ann Liguori episodes]

DRIVER$: INSIDE THE GOLF INDUSTRY
Reflections from the head of golf’s largest facility management company
Troon CEO Tim Schantz continues to personify the enlightened industry leader and shares some thoughts with co-hosts Jon Last and David Klein
[Listen | More 'Driver$: Inside the Golf Industry' episodes]

DRIVER$: INSIDE THE GOLF INDUSTRY
Industry legend Barney Adams looks forward
Adams Golf founder, former executive remains an innovative thinker about equipment and the state of the game, which he discusses with co-hosts Jon Last and David Klein
[Listen | More 'Driver$: Inside the Golf Industry' episodes]

> PGA Intern — Summer 2025
Yellowstone Club
Big Sky, Montana | Info

> Business Intelligence and CRM Analyst
PGA Tour
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida | Info

> Head Golf Professional
Brier Creek Country Club 
Raleigh, North Carolina | Info

> The First Call Job Board

NOVEMBER
3-6: International Association of Golf Administrators, Monterey, California | Info

JANUARY
21-24: PGA Show, Orlando, Florida | Info

FEBRUARY
3-6: GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, San Diego, California | Info
5-9: Club Management Association of America World Conference and Club Business Expo, Tampa, Florida | Info

> View complete calendar

To submit events for the calendar, please include the event name, date, location and informational link to info@firstcallgolf.com.