Today, May 13, is National Golf Day. I think every day should be golf day, but no one asked me.
So what exactly is this occasion? It's not exactly the golf course party, lets-go-out-and-play-like-maniacs day that some might think (you could celebrate, though, with the stylish hole-in-one hat pictured, available at The Hat Company). National Golf Day is when representatives from golf's major organizations converge on Capitol Hill to educate congress, the media and opinion leaders on the economic, human, and environmental benefits of golf. Who's going to be there? The United States Golf Association, PGA Tour, World Golf Foundation, PGA of America and many others, speaking as one uniform voice. The First Tee, a junior golf organization with many affiliates in Southern California that are supported by the SCGA Foundation, will also be honored.
In California alone, 160,000 jobs are provided directly through golf
and in hospitality (hotel, restaurant and retail) and landscape
employment. Golf also provides key financial support via public course
fees for vital city and county parks programs for kids and seniors.
Perhaps the most startling figure? Through golf, nearly $6.9 billion in
revenue was gained by the California economy in 2006, contributing
substantially to the state through tourism, property taxes, income
taxes and taxes on golf merchandise.
As has been obvious here in California over the last several months, there's a lot going on in the sport right now. The attempt to tax golf came, went, and is on it's way back again. Water resources in the Southland are scarce and subject to regulations despite the environmental benefits that nearly all golf courses provide. People are finding it harder and harder in general to make time (and spend money) to play in the difficult economy. The general image of the "lavishness" of golf (take the negative attention that Northern Trust Bank, for instance, received for sponsoring the Los Angeles championship) is difficult for non-players to comprehend. They're also going to talk about the industry as a whole and the millions of jobs that it provides.
"The biggest message we're trying to give is golf's impact on jobs,"
Joe Steranka, CEO of the PGA of America, told USA Today. The PGA of America, contrary to the PGA Tour, oversees all of the golf courses' club professionals. "There are
16,000 golf courses in America, and 90 percent of them are small businesses
that employ 40 to 50 people."
Those are some things that the folks on the Hill are going to hear about, along with these national stats courtesy of the PGA of America:
- There are 28.7 million golfers in the US
- 2 million people are employed in the golf industry earning a total of $61 billion in wages
- $3.5 billion is raised for charity every year by way of almost 150,000 charitable tournaments
- almost 50 percent of all courses have increased their unmaintained areas by ten acres or more in the last ten years
- $4.4 million in scholarships awarded to over 2,400 students by The First Tee
What can the individual golfer do in the meantime? Tell your legislator and the Governor why golf is important to you and to California’s economy. By visiting the California Alliance for Golf, of which the SCGA, NCGA, PGA of Southern California and other state golf groups support, you can receive the contact info and information regarding California's golf industry issues. When individual golfers share their stories, its a great opportunity to deliver a message of golf’s “positive impacts to lives and livelihood,” says the National Golf Course Owners Association. There is also a separate online National Golf Day petition that golfers can sign to show their support.
Keep an eye on the news today to see what all transpires at the Capitol and in the meantime, go out and hit the links to both work on your game and support the golf industry.