Tom Lawrence has never been one to avoid a challenge. Indeed, he’s been known throughout his career as a go-to guy when times are tough.
So now, as the economy has been foundering for several years and the National Golf Foundation reports that the number of golfers has dropped recently, Lawrence would seem to be a good choice to head up the volunteer leadership of the CGA as the association navigates some difficult waters ahead.
Lawrence, the CEO and president of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame for almost nine years, became president of the CGA this week, and if form holds, he’ll likely serve two consecutive one-year terms. The 57-year-old Lakewood Country Club member succeeds Jim Magette as president.
“Being involved in sports is a passion for me — especially golf,” Lawrence said Thursday. Leading the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame “is a labor of love. It’s a place where I can leave a mark and give something back to the community. The CGA is very much like that. Golf has been great to me. The friendships I’ve made and the people I’ve met have meant a great deal.”
Lawrence, a lifelong Coloradan aside from a two-year stint (2001-02) as director of golf operations and assistant general manager at Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco, is a good fit for the CGA presidency in several respects. First, he already runs a non-profit organization (the Sports Hall of Fame) and knows the ins and outs of the business and the fundraising challenges involved. He’s also been in the sports game for his entire adult life, first as a member of the Scott Wedman and Dave Logan-led University of Colorado basketball team in the 1970s, then through jobs with the Denver Nuggets, Denver Broncos, the Bonham Group, Presidio and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, among others.
“He brings a lot of skills that are valuable for us,” CGA executive director Ed Mate said of Lawrence. “He’s run a non-profit and he understands fundraising. And from my perspective, Tom oversaw the most important project the association has ever undertaken, CommonGround Golf Course (which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA). It’s the defining asset of the association. That’s his baby. He’s always been focused on that.”
Indeed, since 2006 Lawrence has chaired the boards that oversaw the total transformation of Mira Vista Golf Course to the new CommonGround Golf Course — and that now oversee CommonGround’s ongoing operations and some related real-estate. Lawrence said former USGA president Will Nicholson Jr., is expected to take over chairmanship of those boards later this month, and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Gene Miranda will replace Lawrence on the boards.
Not surprisingly, one of Lawrence’s top priorities as president of the CGA relates to CommonGround — that being the course’s long-term financial viability.
“The CGA is entering into new territory because golf is flat as far as growth and the association has lost some membership,” Lawrence said. “We have to look at new sources of revenue — grants from foundations, donations and sponsorships. That’s in line with how the USGA has done it over the years — with good corporate partners. We have lots of assets sponsors are interested in. Also very important is the long-term growth of the game and what we’re doing with junior golf (and related development programs) at CommonGround. So I think my background will come in handy over the next few years.”
Lawrence is no stranger to helping guide organizations through difficult times. Most recently, he noted that when he took over at the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, it faced about $250,000 in debt. Nowadays, he said it’s well into the black and has donated about $600,000 to worthy youth sports organizations over the years.
Lawrence has been a member of the CGA Board of Governors since 2005, and he initially chaired the Colorado Junior Golf committee before moving over to the CommonGround boards. And his work at the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and the CGA have certainly overlapped at times, as the organizations have partnered on several occasions. Just last year the Sports Hall of Fame Museum at Sports Authority Field at Mile High unveiled an exhibit featuring the CGA and CWGA and how golf can benefit youngsters.
“My board (at the Hall of Fame) encourages me to get involved in other organizations, and there is synergy between” the Hall of Fame and the CGA, Lawrence said. “There’s the exhibit at the museum and the CGA has become one of our major partners.”
Lawrence didn’t take up the game of golf seriously until his college years. Growing up in Aurora, he was more into basketball. He was an all-Centennial League player for Aurora Central High School and earned a hoops scholarship to CU.
In the golf realm, Lawrence became hooked on the game while his brother was a golf professional at Heather Ridge, and Tom helped out at the club during the summer.
“I fell in love with the game,” he said. “And I love beating balls (on the practice range).”
Ironically, as he becomes president of the CGA, Lawrence isn’t playing golf these days. A herniated disc at the base of his neck led to surgery on Oct. 21, and though his rehabilitation is going well, he probably won’t be able to hit balls again until March or April.
