Executive Committee Spotlight – Sean O’Dea Brings New Ideas, Energy

For Sean O’Dea it’s simple: He’s looking to help grow the game of golf. To that end, he’s become the newest member of the SNGA’s Executive Board. He’s been in the Vegas area for the last five years and been playing in SNGA events since Day 1. He loves what he sees with the SNGA and is just looking to lend a helping hand.–By Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider staff

“I’ve got some pretty good experience helping out in Northern California which is one of the biggest associations,” he said. “I captained team play events for a lot of years and enjoyed playing in those tournaments. Hopefully I can bring a little bit of that to the SNGA.”

O’Dea, who is around a 10 handicap and won an SNGA event for the first time in August of 2022, said he’s been impressed with the way tournaments are run. He plays out of Red Rock Country Club and also participates in Kirby Golf Association (an SNGA member club) tournaments.

“The tournaments have been getting better and better and there’s been more participation,” he said. “The SNGA has done just a great job to help grow the game but there’s still a lot more out there. Getting the word out is important.”

And he’s hoping he can add his two cents worth to help that growth.

“It’s tough once you get to a certain point,” he said. “I do have some ideas to help maybe getting a little more participation from more players and getting a few extra clubs and inter-clubs involved with each other. Maybe team-play events with bracket formats. Getting something like that involved would be a good accomplishment.”

And then there’s the youth factor.

“We really have to focus on the kids,” he said. “It’s nice to see clubs offering great rates for junior golfers but once they get to a certain point…like 18…those rates go away and we probably lose a decent amount of players because of the cost. Is there a way to pro-rate prices for those just leaving the junior ranks? Maybe it’s something we can look at.”

He’s also looking for more accomplishments of his own on the course.

“I started playing about 35 or 40 years ago,” he said. “I’ve played about 100 rounds a year for the last 30 years. Last year I took three months off to heal up tendinitis injuries in both arms so hopefully I’ll be able to get back out there and play and practice a little more this year.”

In the end, he said becoming part of the SNGA board is something he’s looking forward to.

“I’m just a big fan of the game,” he said. “And helping them grow the game even a little is something I’m anxious to do. It’s a great group and I’m happy to be part of it.”

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