The G4 Summit will be held for just the second time on Feb. 10, but it’s already picking up steam in a serious way.
The day-long series of functions involves some of the biggest players in the Colorado Golf Industry — including the CGA, CWGA, Colorado PGA, the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, and the Mile High Chapter of the Club Managers Association of America. The event addresses challenges golf faces and how to be more effective growing the game, shares best practices and emphasizes collaboration among industry leaders.
This year’s Summit will certainly have a big-time feel to it, and it is all open to the public. (See below for registration information.)
It doesn’t hurt that the event will be held at the Broadmoor, which last year was named the top resort in North America in Golf magazine’s biennial rankings.
But beyond that, the event has attracted several notable speakers, headlined by PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua (pictured), who will give the keynote address. Bevacqua, who came to the PGA in 2012 after a 10 1/2-year stint with the USGA, in 2010 was named one of the 40 most influential people in golf under 40 years old. He’ll speak on the PGA of America’s Strategic Plan.
“Having Pete Bevacqua here is a big deal; he’s the CEO of one of the major golf organizations,” noted Ed Mate, executive director of the CGA. “The goal is to get people (to attend the G4 Summit) and have great content there. That starts with Pete.”
But it certainly doesn’t end there. Also among speakers from national organizations are Hunki Yun, director of strategic projects at the USGA (on the science behind pace of play), and Sandy Cross, senior director of diversity and inclusion at the PGA of America (on how understanding generational attributes and diversity and inclusion can attract more golfers).
Bevacqua, Yun, Cross and J.D. Dockstader, chief business development officer of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, will participate in an industry panel discussion moderated by golf strategist Jim Keegan.
Also at the Summit, the CGA plans to unveil its new logo as part of the association’s centennial celebration. The formal public debut of the logo will take place at the Denver Golf Expo Feb. 20-22.
And though it’s not technically a part of the G4 Summit — just held in conjunction with the event — two-time PGA Championship winner and putting guru Dave Stockton will be the headliner for the Colorado PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit that will take place Feb. 11 at the Broadmoor. Entry to that event is limited to PGA and LPGA professionals.
Last year marked the debut of the G4 Summit, which is billed as “a coming together of the golf industry in Colorado”. (For the purposes of the Summit, the CGA and CWGA together are considered one of the four founding participants in the event.) More than 125 golf industry leaders attended the 2014 Summit, and organizers hope for a marked increase this year.
The G4 Summit features a state of the industry update, thematic speeches, roundtable meetings, a panel discussion and the annual public golf operators meeting, with all the sessions designed to bolster the game of golf in Colorado.
“Last year was great, exactly what we wanted — a coming together of the golf industry,” Mate said. “We want to make sure we’re good stewards of the game.”
To register for the G4 Summit or to get more information, CLICK HERE.
