Mike Whan Seeks to Listen and Collaborate as USGA CEO

Mike Whan, CEO-to-be of the USGA, is a different breed of golf administrator, born of serving in various posts of increasing responsibility in several corporations during his career. He’s been with Procter & Gamble, Wilson Sporting Goods, Taylormade, Adidas, Mission Hockey, and the LPGA before this latest transition to the USGA.

The first thing that’s different about him is that he’s not taking the job for a little while. He’s going to phase out of the LPGA where he’s been commissioner for 10 years. And as he does that, he’s going to gradually move into the CEO role at the USGA, as outgoing CEO Mike Davis slowly vacates that position. If nothing else, it should assure that there are no jarring shifts in the landscape of either organization while the change takes place.

The second thing about him that’s different is that he doesn’t think he knows everything there is to know about the USGA even though he’s been a commissioner of the LPGA. Mike Whan has a goal to listen first.

"“I knew I was never going to be the content expert in any meeting for quite a while,” he explained about his experience taking on the commissioner’s role at the LPGA. “But that makes you a better person and a better leader. Forces me to listen, which doesn’t come natural.”"

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The third thing is that he really loves golf. That’s important since he’s heading up the oldest golf organization in the country. The USGA, which is a non-profit organization, runs 14 championships, contributes to research on turf, administers the widely used GHIN handicap system, and coordinates with the R&A as one of the two rules-making bodies for the game. That’s just tip of the iceberg stuff.

The fourth thing is that his experience at the LPGA makes him an advocate for women in the game, something that is important for the five golf organizations that are trying to expand the base of golfers in the country. The LPGA, USGA, the PGA Tour, the PGA of America, and Augusta National Golf Club have been collaborating on ways to grow the game for several years. They all know that women like to start playing golf, but in the past, many have not stayed with it.

Recently, the LPGA and the USGA made a modification to the Girls Golf program, electing to hold their Girls Golf sessions at First Tee locations. That improved their reach.

"“One of our biggest growths in Girls Golf was doing it at First Tee sites,” he said. “We stopped worrying about whose program it was, and we focused on the objective. And it’s really been a home run.”"

They went from attracting 5,000 girls at a time to 93,000 girls. One reason it’s been successful, Whan thinks, is that there aren’t any boys in the program.

"“You could go to a Girls Golf clinic, and we may not hit a golf ball for an hour,” he explained. “If we want to talk about phone covers, we’ll talk about phone covers. We’re just trying to make the golf course a fun, accepting and relaxing place so girls want to come back the next time.”"

He believes boys probably feel comfortable going to a golf course for the first time, but he knows that girls, at first, don’t. Girls Golf helps them get beyond that.

But perhaps most important for the USGA is that Whan has deep industry ties. He can talk with the PGA Tour, the PGA of America, the leaders in Europe and Asia, and all the golf manufacturers, and he can feel comfortable doing so. As someone who will be involved in the ongoing distance debate, just one topic in his future, those relationships, and collaborating skills will be important.

Perhaps, as Mike Whan said, his father explained it best when he told his son that he was a good leader in the huddle, but perhaps wasn’t the star ball-carrier.

"“I’m really comfortable pulling the huddle together of the right people and making sure we hear all the different voices and the right plays,” Whan explained."

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That’s a different kind of leader. A modern one. And that talent is likely what has made Mike Whan successful.

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