Perspective from the 19^th Hole 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.

One of Oregon’s top golf volunteers, David Jacobsen, won a major award from the United States Golf Association (USGA).

It is the award named for Joseph Dey, the late former director of the USGA.

Here is how Global Golf Post (GGP) wrote about the award (and, beyond the first couple paragraphs, I credit GGP for much of the information below, though, for what it’s worth, I also know David based on our work, sometimes together, for the Oregon Golf Association):

“David Jacobsen was not in a good mood.  It was 6 a.m. on January 2, the morning after his Oregon Ducks had lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl game.  He sat at his dining room table watching highlights when he got an e-mail from Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA, asking Jacobsen to call him.

“The purpose of the call:  Jacobsen had been selected as the recipient of the 2025 USGA Joe Dey Award, an award that recognizes service to the game of golf as a volunteer.”

It would be difficult to find anyone who loves golf more than the 71-year-old Jacobsen, the older brother of seven-time PGA Tour winner and longtime TV analyst Peter Jacobsen.  A Portland, Oregon, resident, Jacobsen has played competitively as a junior, amateur and senior amateur.  He has volunteered at tournaments since the 1980s.  

He seeks to make golf more enjoyable and affordable for young golfers.

Although he briefly pursued a professional career, Jacobsen has made a mark on the game at the grassroots level. News of his award elicited a proud reaction from his better-known brother.

“I was really excited for David,” Peter said.  “He’s always been someone who loves the game of golf and who loves the people in the game of golf.  He’s always given his time, blood, sweat and tears for the game of golf.  I felt it was the most appropriate award for my brother.”

David Jacobsen’s love of golf and desire to spread it to others can be traced back to his father, Erling.

“Dad instilled in us the values, tradition and etiquette of the game,” Jacobsen said.

The son of Norwegian immigrants, a college football player at Oregon and World War II naval aviator, Erling loved golf.  He started as a caddie, learning to appreciate the game and leave the course better than he found it.  Naturally, he taught his four children the same way.

Despite his dad not loving competitive golf, David Jacobsen enjoyed it.  The tournament he saw that inspired him to pursue a professional career was the same event where he was first exposed to USGA volunteer work.

While spectating at the 1970 U.S. Amateur at Waverley Country Club in Portland, a 17-year-old David watched not just the players, but the volunteers.

“Whether it was volunteers at the club or the USGA committee people I observed, I saw things come together that were just really remarkable,” he said.

David Jacobsen continues to volunteer for USGA championships, but his involvement in the game goes even deeper.  After his father died in 1992, it became David’s goal to teach young golfers the game the same way his dad taught him and his siblings.

In 1996, along with the Oregon Golf Association, the Jacobsen family established the Erling Jacobsen Tour, a program for youth golfers with an emphasis on non-competitive golf.

“Golf can be very intimidating,” David said. “Competition adds intimidation and can chase some people away. The best part about golf is being with your friends.”

In 2012, the Erling Jacobsen Tour combined with the Youth on Course program to become the Jacobsen Youth Initiative.  According to David, 70 courses in Oregon accept the Youth on Course card, which allows kids to play golf for $5.  Jacobsen says accessibility is key to fostering a love of the game.

“I believe if you provide an opportunity for a young person to play golf at a reasonable amount, they will fall in love with it,” David said.  “They’re going to learn the life skills that I was so fortunate to have been exposed to through my dad.”

Great work, David Jacobsen.  An award well-deserved.