This year’s centennial anniversary of the founding of the CGA marked a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for association leaders.
And in many ways the activities and initiatives that were directly the result of the “Century of Golf” exceeded expectations. The Century of Golf Gala and related activities raised roughly $400,000, according to CGA executive director Ed Mate — significantly more than originally envisioned. The proceeds from the Gala and related undertakings benefit the Colorado Golf Foundation and its mission of youth development through golf, including junior player development, caddie programs, community partnerships, and college scholarships.
Besides the Gala and other fundraising efforts, and an extensive look back on the last 100 years of Colorado golf, the Century of Golf included a rebranding for the CGA, and “positioning the Colorado Golf Foundation as a mechanism for collaboration to raise money for golf,” Mate said recently.
“We made the most of the centennial,” Mate noted. The Gala was “the biggest golf gathering of our time (with about 1,250 in attendance at The Broadmoor). We raised a ton of money. We launched an exciting relationship with the PGA. It’s a home run. I look back on this as a special year. It’ll be a tough act to follow.”
Indeed, the question now is, where to go from here? And what will the second century of the CGA — the the future of Colorado golf in general — look like?
Of course, it’s much easier to foresee the short term, but that may provide some hints about what’s to come decades from now.
“Going forward, there’s a lot of ways it will manifest itself,” Mate said when asked what he hopes will come out of the Century of Golf. “None is more important than our collaboration with the (Colorado) PGA on junior golf (READ MORE). That’s evidence of us working together. We’re walking the walk. By (joining forces) we can accomplish the greatest good in golf.” (Pictured at top are CGA president Phil Lane and CPGA president Leslie Core-Drevecky signing a memorandum of agreement in October.)
Indeed, many activities and initiatives revolving around the Century of Golf were collaborative efforts of the CGA, Colorado PGA, CWGA and the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association.
Looking ahead, another partner, the USGA, is examining its business model and how it works with state and regional golf associations like the CGA and CWGA, Mate said.
“It’s a great opportunity to create a stronger partnership with the USGA — one robust and with more meat on it,” said Mate, who recently joined the USGA Rules of Golf Committee. “I think our future over the next 100 years will look much different. We’ll have ways to reach more golfers — whether it be through technology, apps or other things to be determined. We’ll work very closely with the USGA and Colorado PGA to reach more golfers — including more casual and less serious golfers. And then there’s things like the World Handicap System (READ MORE). Some game-changing stuff is being worked on.”
And some of those things currently in the pipeline, or in their formative stages, could significantly blossom over the coming decades. That includes programs such as Colorado PGA Golf in Schools; the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship, PGA Junior League, etc., etc.
“I foresee our role being more significant,” Mate said. “The CGA won’t exist unless the game of golf is healthy, and I think the game of golf will be. It’s a fundamentally great game. I think we’ll look back on this chapter, when we were so oversupplied with golf courses because of the real-estate bubble. We went through soul-searching, and I think we kind of were grasping at straws — with things like using a bigger hole, less holes … — but the game isn’t broken.
“If we’re smart — with things like Golf in Schools, Drive Chip & Putt and PGA Junior League — we’ll make sure the game is put in the hands of the next generation in a thoughtful way. Sanity has returned. We got back to the basics of blocking and tackling (in growing golf). The game will take care of the rest. I think we’ll see the game thriving.”
