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Mike Bailey Nominated to USGA Executive Committee

Utah golf has reached another milestone.

Mike Bailey, a member of The Country Club, has been nominated to serve on the USGA Executive Committee beginning in 2016. He is one of two new members nominated to serve on the committee.  The election of officers and the 15-member USGA Executive Committee will take place February 6, 2016, at the USGA’s Annual Meeting in San Diego.

With his nomination, he is slated to become the first Utahn to ever serve on the Committee, the association’s volunteer leadership board. Prior to his nomination he was also elected to the Board of Directors of the Utah Golf Association.

“It’s a great honor for Utah to have Michael on the USGA Board and it is good for both the USGA and the UGA to have him serve on the two boards at the same time,” said Bill Walker, UGA Executive Director.

“We congratulate Mike for this significant appointment and he will bring great credit to Utah golf at the national level.” Walker said.

Bailey is an attorney and shareholder in the litigation and government relations departments of Parsons Behle & Latimer, and has concentrated his practice on commercial and environmental litigation, and government relations.

He has served as a volunteer on the USGA’s Regional Affairs Committee since 2002 where he worked closely with former UGA Executive Director Mark Passey. He has also been a rules official or scoring volunteer at a dozen USGA amateur championships.

“My work with Mark provided the opportunity to meet many volunteers and staff members of the USGA, and I am looking forward to this new adventure” Bailey said.

He played collegiate golf at Santa Clara University, where he earned his B.S., before graduating from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. A former board member of The First Tee in Salt Lake City, he has also volunteered on the boards of Utah Youth on Course, the Utah Championship Advisory board and Friends of Utah Golf and is currently an advisor to the Golf Alliance of Utah.

He has been a member of The Country Club for 10 years, but has not been a regular in UGA tournament competition.

“I love the State Am, but I have never reached match play. The closest I got was at Alpine in 1990 when I shot 146 and lost in a playoff,” he said.

Bailey graduated from East High School in 1979 and played on the golf team. He attended Santa Clara University on an academic scholarship and also played on the golf team where “I was fortunate enough to play some fabulous golf courses, such as Spyglass and The Olympic Club.”

“I always wanted to be a lawyer. I loved debate in high school and enjoyed trying to persuade people to my position,” he said.

He married Jacquie Pfeifer of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and they have two daughters, Clare and Anne, of whom he is exceedingly proud. Both are students at the University of Utah.