Myrtle Beach, S.C. – Despite any differences there might be between them, golf course superintendents and golf professionals, along with their respective professional associations, are working together to promote golf and strengthen the health of the industry. Steve Mona, c.e.o. of the Golf Course Superintendents Association, and Roger Warren, president of the PGA of America, say it’s easier for the two to work together now because of the difficult economic times many courses have experienced during the past three or four years.
Mona and Warren were part of an educational session at the recent Carolinas GCSA Conference & Show.
Discussing positives aspects of the game, Warren says the decline of rounds has leveled off and the industry is starting to experience a slight increase. He says various industry associations banded together to create programs that encourage more people to play golf. Play Golf America is an example of such a program.
Mona says these types of programs are working because they’re raising golf’s awareness on a national level, but ultimately he says an increase of rounds comes down to what happens at the local level.
Mona cited two examples of how facilities are trying to get more people to play golf. One example is an early morning league in which people could tee off at 6 a.m. and play a round before going to work. The other example is letting kids on a course to play just a few holes to give them a taste of what the game is like.
One big positive the industry has experienced recently, according to Mona, is that it came together – in the form of Golf 20/20 – before it had to to address future growth of the game. Golf 20/20’s first meeting was in 2000, before the downturn that started in 2001.
Another positive the game is experiencing, according to Mona, is the popularity of Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie, who have the ability to influence many young people to play golf.
Mona also says there are about 106 million golf fans.
The slump the industry experienced after 9/11 forced facilities to operate leaner, according to Warren. Now they’re prepared and will operate better when business increases significantly.
Despite the positives the industry is experiencing, there are challenges it faces, too. Warren says time is the biggest challenge golf faces and the industry needs to find alternative ways to get people on the golf course.
“We need to give people different opportunities to play golf,” he says. “We need to keep people excited about the game and get them back out on the course. We can only solve the issue of play course by course.”
Mona says the biggest problem with golf is retention.
“Golf doesn’t have problems attracting people, it’s retaining them that’s the issue,” he says. “About 3 million people say they take up the game each year, but we lose about 3 million every year as well.”
Mona cited time, cost and the difficulty of the game as the three main reasons why people don’t continue to play golf.
In addition to the growth of the game, Mona and Warren discussed the competition that exists between superintendents and golf professionals when vying for the general manager position. Both associations are providing education to enhance the knowledge and professionalism of each of their members. When it comes to hiring one or the other for the g.m. position, Mona says owners should choose the person that best articulates and helps meet the goals of the facility.
Warren says there are superintendent and golf pros who want to stay in their respective positions and don’t want to make the move to g.m. and there’s nothing wrong with that. But there are superintendent and pros who want to go the g.m. route, and it’s up to each association to provide opportunities for its members to prepare them for that role.
Warren says there are 85 PGA of America members who have been certified since the program was launched one year ago. He also mentioned the PGA has a master professional program.
