Greetings MWGA Members!

Spring is coming fast! Just this week it came with the speed of a racecar, going from 0 to 60 (Fahrenheit, that is) in four days flat! When spring comes, can our Minnesota golf be far behind?

The MWGA has an exciting and varied schedule for you this year, and we hope that all of you will play and/or volunteer and "Take the Journey" as our MWGA Passport program advises. You'll see some repeat courses from last year and some new courses. We have several tournaments and events in and around the Twin Cities, but we also have opportunities to travel beyond the metropolitan area. 

I love the variety in the scenery and geography of Minnesota, and I look forward to experiencing that this year. In June we'll be at Tianna Country Club in Walker where we'll see the lakes and woods of the north. Later we'll experience the beautiful, historic river towns of Winona and Lake City where we'll play The Bridges and The Jewel. We'll be in the heart of our rich farmland in Owatonna and Rochester, and we'll be in the beautiful valley of the Minnesota River in Mankato. For our last Association Day, we'll join the MGA and play at Giant's Ridge in the fascinating Iron Range area. Last, but not least, on September 15 we'll go to lovely, historic New Ulm for our Fall Meeting. All this, never more than a few hours from the Twin Cities, and golf too! Set up a carpool with friends for travel, see some sights, experience this beautiful state, and enjoy some great tournaments.

There are many sights to see and amenities to enjoy throughout Minnesota. As a resident of Rochester, I'm happy to report that we have several nice, new restaurants for you to try when you're here for the Senior Women's State Amateur. Try Sontes for tapas, City Cafe for great fish and the bistro atmosphere. You can't go wrong at Chester's, Prescott's, or 300 First. If you have extra time during a weekday, the Mayo Clinic has a free clinic tour at 10 a.m. and an art tour at 1:30 p.m. daily. There's even a self-guided audio art tour that you can do any time on weekdays. I'm sure our members from the other towns where we're playing would have great suggestions for you as well. 

While you're "taking the journey," please take your MWGA Passport with you to have it stamped when you play or when you volunteer or when you play any MWGA course just for fun. Your stamps add up to awards for you. You receive an MWGA shirt for your first 10 stamps, an MWGA zippered sweatshirt for 25, and, new this year, for a total of 40 stamps you'll receive a free "admission" to any 2010 MWGA Association Day. If you need a passport, please contact Paula Lutz at the MWGA office (952-345-3961).

I look forward to seeing you this season! Happy golf!

Jane