Ede Rice, Volunteer Extraordinaire .

Ede Rice

Golf doesn’t happen without volunteers. Whether you are playing in the US Open or just out with friends for a friendly round, somewhere a volunteer has made the round possible. Few have given more to the game than Ede Rice.. With her work in the game, in 2022 she was given the prestigious Joe Dey Award, the highest award given to a volunteer by the USGA. Yet, with a resume unmatched in the game, she’s looking ahead to new challenges.

Growing up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Ede started playing at age 30. A coach at her club, Gerald Mac Cu’Uladh, helped her as she improved, eventually playing to a 4 handicap. Her passion for the game turned into something bigger when a friend invited her to help at a Minnesota Women’s Golf Association event. “It was super fun to be at the tournament,” Ede said.

“The experience taught me an important lesson about volunteering. If you are in the arena, ask someone to come with you. If you are being asked, accept.” That simple lesson led her to become a regular volunteer. “Many in my friend group had flexibility with their schedule. I ran the MWGA Senior Amateur which was frequently out of town. It was so much fun.”

Soon after I became the President of the MWGA which automatically gave me a seat on the board of the Minnesota Golf Association,” she said. “That taught me if you show up and do a good job, you get recognized and asked into leadership. You just have to show up.”

“A friend of mine was the president of the MGA at the time and a director of the Western Golf Association. He was interested in getting more women involved in both the MGA and WGA..”

She was named a Director of the WGA which runs the Evans Scholars program. The WGA offices are in Chicago. “I would go to meetings in Chicago. You show up, people meet you and other opportunities happen,” she said. “There were very few women.”

“She has been at the forefront of everything we have done in women’s golf,” said John Kaczkowski, Executive Director of the Western Golf Association. “She was the first woman on the Board of Governors and the first woman trustee of the Evans Scholars Foundation. We can’t do what we do without people like Ede.”

In the late ’90s the Minnesota Chapter of the Evans Scholars Foundation was building a new chapter house. It was built in order to accommodate women living in the house, on the campus of the University of Minnesota. “John Mendesh was the state chairperson for the ESF. He asked me to be involved.”

“When you are around the house you start to care for the kids. The mission of the Evans Scholars Program is so good,” said Ede. “The scholars are top students, coming from homes with significant financial challenges.” Ede, John Mendesh and another Minnesota Director, Jim Trenda took over supervision of the house. Twenty years later, including seven years as the state chairperson, Edie retired as overseer of the Evans Scholars House. “The kids learn that we have their backs and trust us. We are turning out exceptional young women and men.”

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Minnesota Golf Association, the USGA held the men’s and women’s four ball championships in Minnesota. The women’s tournament was held at Ede’s club, Woodhill CC. She was asked to run the event by the club. Because it was a newer event, there was no roadmap on how to run the tournament. “I made a notebook of everything I did and gave it to the USGA. They noticed and I was added to the USGA Women’s Committee, which runs all USGA women’s events.”

In 2008 the Women’s US Open was held in Minneapolis at Interlachen. At the time a rules official walked with each group. “I wanted to be qualified to walk for the 2008 Open in my town so I attended a rules school,” Ede said. “I worked the 2008 Open and several more. It was so much fun to be at the forefront of women’s golf.”

For two decades Ede worked on the merger of the Minnesota Women's Golf Association and the Minnesota Golf Association. “It just made sense because the MGA represents all golfers in Minnesota. Women were already on the board of the MGA, so it was just a matter of wanting to do it and ironing out the details.” In 2016 the two associations merged. “I had been thinking about merging the two organizations since the late ‘80s. We finally got it done.”

“Ede was instrumental in getting the merger completed,” said Tom Ryan, former Executive Director of the Minnesota Golf Association.

In 2017 the Minnesota Golf Association elected its first woman president. “Barb Hanson was a great choice,” said Ede. In 2023 Ede was elected President. “I didn’t want the impression given that Barb was a one and done as a woman president. I was more compelled to be the second.”

“Ede gets things done,” said Jon Mays, Executive Director of the Minnesota Golf Association. “When she sets her mind to something, it gets done. Progress has been made in women’s golf, youth golf and now adaptive golf, and she is behind it.”

Ede recently completed her term as president of the Minnesota Golf Association in 2024, but her influence continues. She is now chairing the 125th Anniversary Committee of the MGA. And her passion for golf’s future hasn’t dimmed. “We need to do a better job of identifying future women leaders,” Ede said.

Her next focus? “ I am so excited about the new Minnesota Adaptive Open. I went to the USGA Adaptive Open and it was my favorite event.”

Ede Rice embodies the spirit of volunteerism in golf. She has made the game better, more enjoyable and more inclusive for countless players. It’s a reminder that behind every round there is someone like Ede Rice in A Life In Golf.