1 – Where are you originally from? If not from Idaho, what brought you here?
I grew up in Oklahoma. I met my wife, Jen, when we were both working at the University of Colorado, and we moved to Boise when she was hired as the Women’s Basketball Coach at Boise State in 2002. We made the mistake of moving away in 2005, but after years of trying, we made it back to the Gem State in 2019.
2 – What is/was your career occupation?
I currently own a mortgage brokerage and have been fortunate enough over the years to have had successful careers in athletics administration, flight instruction, banking, the golf business (both as an assistant pro and equipment rep), real estate, and my favorite…a stay-at-home dad.
3 – What is it about the game of golf that you love so much?
Golf is a reflection of the human condition. You learn everything you need to know about someone, including yourself, when you play golf with them.
4 – What made you want to volunteer for the IGA? When did you start?
I have volunteered for other state associations on our previous stops around the country and enjoyed the experience, so once we moved back, it was important to me to get involved with the IGA. I believe I worked my first IGA tournament in 2020 by helping with scoring.
Larry Warden Jr. spends quality time with his family on the water.
5 – What do you hope to get out of volunteering for the IGA? What motivates you to keep coming back?
I hope that my presence at tournaments adds value to both the competitors and the Association. I am motivated to help the families of Idaho grow their LOVE of the game, and by conducting well-run competitions, that growth will surely follow.
6 – What has been your favorite memory from volunteering for the IGA?
I absolutely love seeing the joy on a competitor’s face when they pull off the shot they had envisioned and with the level of golfers we have in Idaho, that happens quite a bit… so, many favorite memories.
7 – What would you say to someone who is thinking about volunteering?
This is a wonderful organization that is run by consummate professionals. The more you can surround yourself with the type of people that conduct and play in our tournaments, the happier and better you will be.
8 – What is your fondest memory on the golf course?
Hard to nail down just one…Our family was fortunate enough to be able to play together a few times while the world was shut down, and I will never take for granted the experiences that this game afforded us during a tough period in everyone’s lives.
9 – When were you introduced to the sport? By who?
My dad would take me to Kickingbird Golf Course in my hometown of Edmond, OK, with him when I was five. He would always let me hit a drive on this really cool hole where you teed off over a small canyon, or gully as we called them in OK. I can still feel the happiness of driving it over that gully for the first time.
10 – What is your home club? How often do you play?
I am a member of the Quail Hollow Men’s Association and play there a bit, and I really enjoy playing tournaments at McCall Golf Club, Boise Ranch, and Terrace Lakes. I play as often as I can, but we all know that is never enough.
11 – What's something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?
I “ran” and finished the Portland Marathon in 2012.
12 – Who would be a part of your dream foursome to play a round of golf with?
My friends may laugh at this because they know I am a golf purist, but I will have to break club protocol and play a fivesome with my wife (Jen), my sons (Brice and Brock), and my dad.
13 - What has been your favorite golf course that you have played?
I have been fortunate to play amazing courses and when I factor in the things I love about our game, I would say a little nine-hole loop called Manzanita Links in Manzanita, OR. Our honeymoon was in that town and we have taken the boys there many times. That course epitomizes what is important in golf… fun times with friends and family in a beautiful outdoor setting.
14 – Describe your golf game in six words
Never dull, a work in progress
15 – What's one item that you can’t live without?
It is hard to live without sleep and I cannot sleep well without a fan, so let’s go with a fan.