This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

The place where I play most of my golf, Illahe Hills Golf and Country Club in Salem, Oregon, just got an award – and it is worth emphasizing the award and the reasons for it.

The Oregon Golf Association (OGA), Oregon’s largest golf promotion organization, recently designated Illahe as “Facility of the Year.”

It’s a high honor, if only because there are more than 200 golf clubs in Oregon and Southwest Washington that could have received the award.

Illahe received the honor for these reasons:  [And, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am a member of the OGA Board of Directors Executive Committee, though I did play a role in the selection.]

• Illahe’s continuing support of junior golf in at least two ways – (a) running its own junior golf program at the course, and (b) serving as host course for several OGA junior tournaments.

• Illahe’s willingness to host the OGA Annual Meeting in October, a hosting decision that was made on the fly when another course had to back out of the responsibility.

• Illahe’s intent to communicate well and often with Club members, including in a well-read newsletter, as well as making sure Board and committee members are available to talk personally with members.

• Illahe’s decisions to hire the best and the brightest for top jobs at the Club, including the golf course superintendent, Steve Beyer, and the golf course head pro, Steve Bowen.  Both bring a wealth of experience to their jobs – and the reality is that experience matters.

• Illahe’s range of programs for members, starting, of course, with golf on one of the best courses in the region.  But also – pickleball, tennis, swimming, bocce ball, and an excellent clubhouse with a variety of dining options.

• And, Illahe’s overall commitment to programs for the good of golf in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

I am proud of the honor and know that it speaks well of the Club where I have been a member for about 35 years.