Long before the first golfers tee off and long after the last golfer has left the course, Joe Watts will be working his tail off at this week's annual State Amateur golf tournament. In between, he will be running around, doing everything from getting the players off the tee to interpreting rules violations to making sure the media gets fed at lunchtime.
Watts is overseeing his 17th Men's State Am as the century-old tournament is played at the Soldier Hollow Golf Course in Midway. He has served as the executive director of the Utah Golf Association since taking over for Mark Passey in January 1990.
It's hard to believe the youthful-looking Watts is closing in on 70. He still maintains a single-digit handicap and plays basketball two or three times a week at the Sports Mall. Local media types still chuckle about the time they saw him gleefully diving into the Oakridge Country Club pool, during a lull in the State Am action a few years ago. He was 61 at the time.
"I enjoy my job, which is why I've stayed with it so long," Watts says.
Watts prides himself for being the first to arrive and unlock the doors every morning at the UGA offices in Sandy, usually around 5:30 or 6 a.m. He also gets satisfaction from the good feelings among UGA staff members and the way they interact with the public.
"The camaraderie in the office is great, just like a family," says longtime UGA secretary Toni Guest. "Joe is the most thoughtful person. He's so considerate of other people's feelings."
Watts is also well-liked by the media. The fact that he spent 20 years in the newspaper business gives him an understanding of what writers and broadcasters need to do their job well.
Until taking the reins of the UGA in 1990, Watts' employment had been divided into 10-year segments. He spent a decade as a sports writer for the Logan Daily Journal, even while attending Utah State and later while teaching junior high school after working a 5 to 8 a.m. shift.
Then it was off to Provo, where he was the sports editor of the Provo Daily Herald for 10 years. This was during the heyday of BYU basketball and the infancy of the burgeoning football program.
He left sports writing to try his hand in private business with his father and two brothers, forming Watts Lumber in the mid-1970s. Unfortunately his father died just months after the business was formed, and despite some fruitful years, the business went belly-up during a volatile economy in the early 1980s.
Watts became involved with the UGA as a board member in 1985 and started Utah Golf Magazine, which evolved into the current Fairways Magazine. Five years later he took the top job at the UGA.
As the UGA membership has grown to 30,000, Watts has a long list of accomplishments.
During the middle of his tenure, Watts oversaw the celebration of the 100th State Am at Riverside Country Club in 1998. A coffee-table book was produced chronicling the 100 State Am tournaments and a banquet was held honoring all of the former champions.
The State Am has always held a special place in Watts' heart, ever since he covered it as a sports writer many years ago.
"One of the things I'm most proud about it the continuing prestige and importance of the State Am," Watts said.
Watts was also instrumental in starting the annual Utah-Arizona matches held every fall, pitting 12 of the top amateurs from each state against each other in a Ryder Cup-style format. He said the relationships formed as a result of the annual event will last for years.
Under Watts, the UGA has also been in the forefront of using electronic technology in its handicap system.
"We were the first association to have our own in-house software and computer program," said Watts, who praised the work of Jerry Marks for getting it started and Mike Harmon for his expertise in updating to the "ezlinks" program this year. "We have one of the best web pages in the country."
Passey, who now works out of Denver as a USGA regional manager, says Watts does a masterful job of running the UGA with the challenge of dealing with so many different constituencies, including more than 100 golf professionals, a 12-member volunteer board, the media as well as the 30,000 UGA members.
"Joe looks like he's always having fun, but I don't think he gets the credit for the skill he has as an administrator," said Passey. "He's done a great job."
As positive as he is about most things, Watts does have concerns about the future of golf in the state For years, he has been a big advocate for more golf courses being built in Utah, going against those who say we have a glut of courses right now.
"It's been the zenith for golf the last few years," Watts said. "We have more municipally owned golf courses than any other state. But I'm afraid we're not going to be able to keep it up. Golf is great because it is so accessible to the masses. I worry about the future of golf because of the prices."
Watts turns 68 later this year and says he hopes to be running Utah's amateur golf association at least until he's 70, when he says it might be time for some "new blood" to take over. To observe Watts and his endless energy up close, it appears he could do the job for another 10 years, easy.
"It's going to be tough to quit," he says.
And it's going to be tough for golf in Utah when he does.
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