John Moorman, one of the TGA’s veteran Course Raters, accidentally broke a shaft to one of his irons during a golf game back in 1975. He wanted to fix it himself, so he asked his local PGA professional for a quick tutorial. Moorman learned the process, and he was hooked.
As his club repair skills improved, Moorman decided to turn his hobby into a business. He founded Even Par Golf Club Company in 1978, a custom golf club and repair shop. His business focused on repairing and refinishing persimmon woods as well as replacing grips, shafts and heads for various clubs.
“Over the years, I picked up lots of work and became one of the best club repair shops in Austin,” said Moorman, who also worked for the Texas Department of Transportation. “I did a lot of work on old MacGregor Tommy Armours and had a lot of fun.”
In 1994, Moorman retired from a 30-year career with TxDOT. He continued his club repair business, but in 2001 he was seeking new ways to spend his time. One afternoon, his wife saw the TGA was hosting a Course Rating seminar in Midland. After a brief discussion, they decided to attend.
“I said, ‘That sounds fun, let’s go,’” Moorman said. “It didn’t interest my wife in the least, but it did interest me. About a year later, I attended another Course Rating seminar in Dallas. When I got back home, I joined the TGA Course Rating Team in Austin headed by Rex Bohls.”
In 2003, Moorman and Bohls were tasked with their first Course Rating assignment for the TGA at Blackhawk Golf Club in Pflugerville. They met at the course around 9:30 a.m. and diligently followed the guidelines of the USGA Course Rating System. They finally finished around 4:30 p.m. It was a long day.
“Lord only knows what the rating looked like,” Moorman said. “It was strictly by the book, but we got our first rating done. It obviously was accepted, because we got the approved rating back.”
Moorman, now 80 years old, is starting his 18th year as a Course Rater and TGA Volunteer. During that time, he’s rated 232 courses. He leads the TGA’s Course Rating team in Austin and is one of the most experienced Raters in the state.
“John is an important part of the TGA Course Rating Program, as we rely on the hard work of our Course Rating Volunteers to ensure ratings are carried out across Texas,” TGA Course Rating Manager Zach Madison said. “The experience and leadership John brings to the TGA is invaluable, and we are able to provide the best service possible to our Member Clubs because of dedicated volunteers like him.”
It takes approximately four hours to rate a course. There are a lot of numbers, categories and it is very objective. Moorman says it fulfills his passion for information and numbers-gathering with every course rating he conducts.
“It gives me a feeling of accomplishment,” Moorman said. “I’ve got a great team, and we’re all great friends. Most people who enjoy course rating are numbers people who love the game of golf.”
The TGA extends its sincere appreciation to John for his efforts in leading one of our Course Rating teams. The work and dedication from all our volunteers allows the TGA to grow and continue to support the game we all love.
To learn more about the TGA Volunteer Program, click here.
