The statistics can be daunting.
According to the National Golf Foundation, the number of golfers in the U.S. dropped from 30 million in 2005 to 26.1 million in 2010. Over just the last year of that time period, the total dipped by 1 million.
Even the number of core and occasional golfers decreased by more than 3.5 percent from 2009 to 2010. In addition, rounds played were down 2.3 percent.
Much of the drop can be attributed to an economy that, at best, has been slow to rebound from a deep recession. But at least at the margin, those in the golf industry know there are ways to make a difference, even if that sometimes means just making the best of a bad situation.
That’s where the upcoming inaugural Colorado Golf Summit comes in. On the afternoon of Nov. 7 at Pinehurst Country Club in south Denver, many leaders of the golf industry in the state will meet to brainstorm, share practices known to be have been effective, and consider new programs.
“Everyone in this industry should understand the need to take action to deal with the decline in the number of golfers and the number of rounds played,” said Colorado PGA executive director Eddie Ainsworth, who first floated the idea of the Golf Summit and has taken a lead role in making it a reality. “If we don’t do something, the numbers may continue to drop, and less rounds mean less revenue and less revenue means less jobs.”
The first of what organizers hope will be an annual Golf Summit will piggyback on an already-scheduled Colorado PGA business planning meeting at Pinehurst. Among those who will play prominent roles in the Summit are the state’s Allied Golf Associations — in addition to the CPGA, the CGA, CWGA, Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents, and club managers and owners.
In all, organizers expect more than 100 golf leaders to attend, and they’re hoping for a good mix from the aforementioned organizations.
“I hope we have a really good best-practices exchange about growing the game,” said Ed Mate, executive director of the CGA. “I think the most valuable thing will be the opportunity to compare notes, and hopefully everyone will come away from the day with one or two good takeaways” that they’ll consider implementing.
CWGA executive director Robin Jervey won’t be able to personally go to the Summit as she’ll be attending the International Association of Golf Administrators meeting where she’ll pass the torch after being president of that organization for the last year. But CWGA president Joanne Braucht and a couple of CWGA staff members are planning to be on hand.
“I’m disappointed I can’t participate the first year, but it’s a great idea,” Jervey said. “I would hope that if programs are successful, that will be shared, so we can emulate what’s working and not reinvent something from scratch.”
On the Golf Summit agenda after a networking lunch are a presentation on Golf 2.0 — a major initiative of the PGA of America designed to grow the game on a variety of fronts, including sharing best practices and player development strategies — and on Tee It Forward, which encourages golfers to move up to tees better suited to their ability, which makes for quicker play and lower scores.
Also to be discussed are individual success stories at various courses, whether it be a club that uses a three-hole loop near the clubhouse to give players the option of a quick stretch of golf, or another club that has increased membership through the “Get Golf Ready” initiative.
Get Golf Ready is a nationwide program in which PGA and LPGA professionals teach people everything they’ll need to know to play golf with confidence — in five lessons, usually for $99 total. The idea is to bring new and former golfers into the game as seamlessly as possible in a no-pressure environment, and many Colorado facilities are involved.
Finally, there will be a golf marketing concept discussed and an “open forum” session.
The CGA — and course designer Jim Engh, via a video — will talk about the advantages of Tee It Forward, while the CWGA representatives will discuss the success they’ve had in recent years with rotating group golf instruction at CWGA Experience events.
Ainsworth hopes the Allied Associations build on the success they’ve had with the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools Program, presented by the Colorado Open Golf Foundation.
“The last four years, all the golf associations have worked together more than ever before,” he said. “The Golf in Schools is a great success, and it will turn into future rounds. We’ll do the same here. If everyone plays a part, people can move the needle at their facility. But it’s not just the golf professional; it’s also the owners, the general managers, the superintendents. It’s going to take a team effort to develop a plan at your club.
“There’s no silver bullet out there, but there are ideas and things that have worked, so let’s go move that needle.”
