Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2010 - 13

(MGAprofi le)
Golf Ambassador
Former MGA president John
Valliere is retiring from
Braemar so he can give back
even more to the game.
By Jon Roe
F
ore!
That's a warning to all the energized bunnies, perpetual
motion machines and other rolling stones out there:
A new member has been added to the list of shakers and movers.
Well, maybe not a new member. John Valliere has been making
his presence known in Minnesota golf circles since becoming
the business manager at Edina's Braemar Golf Course more than
40 years ago.
But now the former president of the MGA wants to have more
time to serve the game. Valliere, who turned 70 last February, isn't
venturing off on some kind of bucket-list campaign, however.
" I don't have so much as a hangnail, " says Valliere, who retired
as Braemar's general manager at the end of August. " I do want
to have more time to spend with my wife. We do want to have
more time to do some traveling. But I still want to stay involved
with the MGA, and the U.S. Golf Association and the Minnesota
Tourism Board. There are a lot of things in golf I want to remain
involved with. "
Valliere's passion for golf has never stemmed just from the challenges
of trying to play the game himself. He has also taken as
much joy out of watching other people having a good time while
they are at the golf course.
" There was something more important for me than just
my personal game, " Valliere says. " I never really had the fi re in
my belly to be a professional golfer. But when I see all the women
who are playing in leagues at Braemar and all the golfers we
have in the men's club and all the players in the senior men's club,
that's what really makes me feel good. To get people into the
( The John Valliere File
Golf index: " It's an 11.1, but I can't play to it any more. There was a time, when I was much younger,
when I could play a little bit. But now a more realistic index for me would be around 14. "
Holes in one: " I've had three. The fi rst was as a kid back home in Maine, I don't remember just how
old I was. The second was in the 1970s on the third hole at Braemar. And the third was in an
alternate-shot event at Braemar. I purposely missed a short putt on the sixth hole because the next
hole had a water hazard in front of the green, and I knew my partner would never be able to hit a tee
shot over the water. But I didn't expect to make an ace myself. "
www.mngolf.org
Fall 2010 MINNESOTAGOLFER
11
John Valliere with MGA Executive Director Tom Ryan.
game and to keep people in the game is really something special
for me. "
So Valliere has tried to fi nd ways to grow the game. Besides being
president of the MGA, he was a founding offi cer of the Midwest
Public Golf Course Managers Association, which started more
than 20 years ago. He was infl uential in getting the state's public
course golfers a stake in MGA championships and other activities.
And he was instrumental in the development of the Explore
Minnesota Golf Association, which helped Minnesota's great golf
vacation and tourism opportunities become more widely known
among golfers from outside the state and region.
" I do have some fears about our game, " Valliere says. " I think
our juniors programs are pretty healthy, but I don't know if we're
expanding the game in other areas. The National Golf Foundation
recently predicted that we're going to lose
150 courses in the United States this year.
And over the next fi ve years, we could
lose as many as 1,000 courses.
" Some of the best friendships people
ever have made are through golf, " Valliere
adds. " I've seen so many enjoy playing.
I wish everybody could have had
the fun I've had coming to work and
seeing people having a good time.
My hope always was that every golfer
would go away with a laugh and
a smile on their face. I think that's
what golf is really meant to be. "
PHOTOS BY W.P. RYAN

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Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2010

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