Catching Up with Jason Gore
Jason Gore joined the USGA staff as senior director, Player Relations in 2019, putting his experience from more than 500 starts on the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour to work. After making his Met Open debut in 2020, Gore is looking forward to competing again this year. We caught up with Gore at Hudson National Golf Club this month during MGA Championship Preview Day.
MGA: What was the move to the northeast like?
Jason Gore: It’s been awesome. My wife and I are both from Southern California, we were high school sweethearts. So, this is our first venture with snow and we still think it’s cute, you know? It’s like “Go outside and rejoice.” Still been in California a lot this year with two tournaments in that state, men’s Open at Torrey. Saw a few friends in the LA area and that was nice, but I couldn’t wait to leave—it was so busy. We live in small town—Gladstone, New Jersey—where it’s maybe 2,500 people and you know everyone. We are really enjoying the quiet life, even though we get some light stuff on the ground. We love it.
MGA: What has your new position with the USGA been like?
JG: It’s been interesting, I love it. It has been really interesting to stand on the other side of the ropes. Now I know what goes into putting on a great championship. Before when I was playing, it was just like, you see a tent and go “oh, that’s a cool tent,” but now you realize that people think about that for three or four years. It’s been really interesting. I wear a few hats in the organization, but it has been great to learn a whole new craft.
MGA: Do you have a favorite or most memorable moment on the job so far?
JG: My favorite moment I think was 18th green at Pebble. Shinnecock wasn’t necessarily a highlight and so we were under a lot of stress and when that tournament happened, I had only been there for a few months. And I remember standing with John Bodenhamer on the 18th green and we hugged and just looked at each other and said, “We did it.”
MGA: What are your professional goals over the next few years?
JG: I want to understand how things work through a different lens. I am a golf guy and I have worked my entire life for that one craft. I see things one dimensionally because of that, so I want to grow in that area. It just makes sense to me to do things one way but there are so many people in the USGA who come from other areas who see it a different way. I am trying to be a better listener.
MGA: What are the courses in this area you want to play?
JG: I’ve never played National Golf Links. There’s a bunch; Bayonne is another one, Garden City. I still want to play Liberty [National], and I’m looking forward to playing the new Baltusrol. That’s the thing coming from Southern California is there’s so many great courses here. I got invited to Morgan Hoffman’s fundraiser that he has—it was at Arcola and it was fantastic. Mountain Ridge last year for the Met Open was phenomenal and I had never heard of it. Every course you play around here is better than the next—certainly a golf rich area.
MGA: What are the biggest differences between golf on the East Coast vs West Coast?
JG: I would say topography, soils. You can get your breath taken away at courses like Pebble that are right on the ocean, but the topography around here and the landscape is so great. The bent grass makes it great too. Coming from California you don’t realize how good and how different things are. Granted I traveled a lot when I was playing but it’s completely different.
MGA: How was your Met Open experience last year?
JG: It was great, just to see how you guys ran it was awesome. It was relaxed but you still felt pressure. It was the way I like to play golf. You could wear shorts, my wife was caddieing for me, it was awesome. It didn’t feel small for me which is a compliment to you guys because I'm spoiled in the experiences I’ve had. But it was awesome, you know my goals this year consisted of: Met Open. So, I can’t wait to come back [to Hudson National]. There’s no fooling it around here, you have to play some good golf.
MGA: Were there comparable feelings in the Met Open compared to a PGA Tour event?
JG: Oh sure, I mean it’s a competition, right? I’ll be 47 next week and I know I can’t compete with those kids on tour, they are really, really good. But I still love to compete. I’m not saying the field at the Met Open is any different, but I just feel more comfortable. But yea I felt pressure for sure. It was awesome, I loved every minute of it.
MGA: What’s your first impression of Hudson National?
JG: It’s going to play hard. I played with Brian Mahoney today. If that rough gets to 3-4.5 inches, it’s going to be a monster. There are some shots out there that are very demanding. The par fives are there, the par threes are awesome—they’re brutal, they’re long. These greens get psycho fast, so you have to put your ball in the right position.
MGA: What hole in the middle stretch should people pay attention to?
JG: I would say 12, 13, 14. Fourteen is pretty good, it’s such a great risk-reward par five, but 12 you can’t sleep on 12. You have to hit a great drive and second shot just to get through it. Eleven, with that huge slope in the green, you have to be on the right ridge. Gosh, even 10 and nine. There’s no sleeper hole, you have to be on point with every shot.
MGA: What are your thoughts on the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Senior Open in the area this year?
JG: I think it’s going to be great, those are two great championships and great venues. Curtis Cup will be at Merion next year. You know any time you can get in your car and go and be at a championship is great. Hopefully we get a lot of support for them and two great championships, so can’t wait for them.