{"id":55,"date":"2011-07-04T18:29:07","date_gmt":"2011-07-04T18:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/daviddesmith.com\/?p=55"},"modified":"2011-07-10T00:53:34","modified_gmt":"2011-07-10T00:53:34","slug":"wearegolf-standingupforthegame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/daviddesmith\/golf\/55\/wearegolf-standingupforthegame","title":{"rendered":"WE ARE GOLF — Standing Up for the Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>

Greg Kunkel, Caddie Master at Sunset Ridge GC in Northfield, Illinois, is one of the golf people whose stories are told on the WE ARE GOLF Web site<\/p><\/div>\n

Where would we be without us?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Imagine that your alarm goes off tomorrow morning and poof \u2013 there\u2019s no golf.\u00a0 No threadbare municipal courses where guys in Chuck Taylors sneak coolers onto their carts.\u00a0 No exclusive clubs with baby-faced valet parkers curtsying at your car door.\u00a0 No warehouse-sized golf retail stores where the huddled masses can shop for munitions or eye their next super-sized secret weapon.\u00a0 Not even a game of putt-putt.\u00a0 How would you react?\u00a0 Would you care?\u00a0 Would you cry?\u00a0 Would you grab your favorite golfing buddy, get down on your knees and belt out a heartfelt \u2018Praise the Lord!\u2019 in two-part harmony?\u00a0 Would it make any difference to anyone but us golf nuts?<\/p>\n

Take it a step farther.\u00a0 Imagine what the world would be like if there had never<\/span> been any golf?\u00a0 Would you miss seeing the same show five times in 24 hours on The Golf Channel?\u00a0 Would you trust an Ohioan named Nicklaus to advise you on the latest in term life products?\u00a0 Could you get through a hot summer day without a can of Arnold Palmer Iced Tea?\u00a0 And what on earth would you do with all your free time?\u00a0 Write sonnets?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s blasphemy to even suggest such things, of course.\u00a0 The history of golf isn\u2019t about to be erased in our lifetimes or anybody else\u2019s.\u00a0 The proud traditions of the royal and ancient game have endured for hundreds of years in one form or another and they\u2019re not about to disappear in a puff of silica.\u00a0 But the game\u2019s not what it used to be, either.\u00a0 Participation by any measure is flat at best in most places.\u00a0 Private clubs are going public with alarming frequency.\u00a0 Semi-private courses are being turned into housing developments, albeit ones that aren\u2019t selling many houses.<\/p>\n

Golf has issues.\u00a0 And the fact of the matter is, that\u2019s a bad thing not just for golfers but for the thousands and thousands of people who may or may not play the game but either make a living from it or benefit from the huge charity dollars the game throws off.\u00a0 The recession has played a role, for sure, but golf\u2019s problems started well before Wall Street served up the sub-prime mortgage crisis.\u00a0 And its issues are exacerbated by the way the game is perceived, particularly amongst lawmakers who, while they may be closet John Daly fans, don\u2019t have the courage to raise their hands in support of a game still considered too white and too elitist to earn them votes.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s being done<\/strong><\/p>\n

The good news is that the golf industry hasn\u2019t stood idly by while the popularity of the game has slipped.\u00a0 The Golf 20\/20 group was assembled many majors ago to study the issue, and convocate and rally the troops.\u00a0 Then the PGA of America launched their Play Golf America initiative to encourage neophytes and aficionados alike to get their tushes to the tee.\u00a0 And now there\u2019s WE ARE GOLF, a coalition of golf organizations and regular Joes who are taking the fight not to the streets, but to the nation\u2019s capital buildings, where they hope that a little education will go a long way toward giving golf the shot in the arm it needs.<\/p>\n

The WE ARE GOLF initiative was introduced at this year\u2019s PGA Merchandise Show and is being led by the Club Managers Association of America, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, the National Golf Course Owners Association and the PGA of America.\u00a0 By telling the true story of golf\u2019s impact and by showcasing golf\u2019s diverse businesses and their employees, the tax revenues created through golf, the tourism business it generates, the charity dollars it helps raise, and the health and environmental benefits the game provides, WE ARE GOLF is aiming to bolster the thousands of small businesses that make up the industry and depend on the game for their solvency.\u00a0 By the organization\u2019s estimates, more than two million Americans have jobs tied to the golf industry.\u00a0 Chances are you know more than a few of them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Songemo "Songs" Sonamzi<\/p><\/div>\n

And that\u2019s why this is not just an industry story.\u00a0 It\u2019s a people story \u2013 and if you go to WE ARE GOLF\u2019s Web site (www.wearegolf.org<\/a>), you can see the faces and hear the stories of some of the people that depend on golf not just for a livelihood but for their lives.\u00a0 And we\u2019re not talking tour pros, either.\u00a0 (We hear enough about them.)\u00a0 Instead, they\u2019re people like Sean Ryan, an electrician whose company provides power services to golf events.\u00a0 And Rock Lucas, whose father turned the family farm into a golf course, which in turn spawned the creation of twelve LLCs, six commercial developments and four real estate communities employing countless people.\u00a0 And then there\u2019s Songezo Sonamzi, a South African man who\u2019s the eldest of eight children and lost his father to cancer when he was 18.\u00a0 \u201cSongs\u201d as he is called is in a PGA Professional Golf Management program now and hopes to become the kind of golf pro who shares his love of the game with juniors, women and seniors from all kinds of socio-economic backgrounds.\u00a0 The list goes on: Chef Nico Sanchez, an El Salvadoran who appreciates more than anything the charity dollars his work in the kitchen helps raise.\u00a0 And Kristen Franco, a recent college grad with a fondness for the hospitality industry who\u2019s in a Florida private club\u2019s Manager in Training program.<\/p>\n

The point is, the people who either work in golf or in some related industry are all around us.\u00a0 But we seldom think about them \u2013 or the myriad ways that golf improves the lives of people like them.\u00a0 From the teenage caddies who do weekend loops to earn Xbox money to the general managers at our nation\u2019s resorts who oversee multi-million-dollar businesses, golf matters.\u00a0 And not just as a way to amuse ourselves on weekend mornings.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>

Joe Steranka speaking for golf's importance on CNN<\/p><\/div>\n

Golf \u2013 a $76 billion business<\/strong><\/p>\n

WE ARE GOLF reports that the game injected $76 billion into the U.S. economy in 2005, $61 billion of which were wages paid to people whose livelihoods intersect with golf.\u00a0 That\u2019s more than the motion picture industry, more than the performing arts, more than spectator sports.\u00a0 We\u2019re talking serious money.\u00a0 Stop and think now what the nation would look like if you DID wake up tomorrow and there was no golf.\u00a0 Instantly, there would be two million people out of work.\u00a0 Maybe your neighbors.\u00a0 Maybe even you.<\/p>\n

On April 13th<\/sup>, WE ARE GOLF descended on Capitol Hill in Washington to stage 2011\u2019s National Golf Day and make its case for the game.\u00a0 Golf\u2019s assembled power brokers and the \u201cfaces of golf\u201d that came with them were in D.C. to urge lawmakers to think twice before enacting legislation that harms not just an Industry with a capital I, but the couple million people who work in it and around it.\u00a0 It\u2019s all fine and good to think that tax deductions for boards of directors junkets to Kiawah or Pebble should be eliminated.\u00a0 But the point WE ARE GOLF was there to make is that by passing such laws, the government\u2019s really hurting the little guy.\u00a0 And not just one little guy, but millions of them.<\/p>\n

During the day-long event, the group met with key Members of Congress to share stories and provide eye-opening data that illustrates the true impact of the game on the U.S. economy.\u00a0 The exhibit they put together in the rotunda of the Rayburn House Office Building\u2019s foyer was impressive \u2013 and included a hitting net, putting green, and other things cleverly designed to make learning look like fun for the Congressmen and women who attended.\u00a0 The stories the lawmakers heard \u2013 heartfelt tales from ordinary people \u2013 were hard-hitting ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cWE ARE GOLF is leveling the playing field for the thousands of small businesses that make up our industry,\u201d said Steve Mona, CEO of the World Golf Foundation.\u00a0 \u201cNational Golf Day and our meetings with key Members of Congress today are a big part of that process, allowing lawmakers to hear some fascinating and diverse stories about golf\u2019s impact on individuals, families and businesses around the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>

WE ARE GOLF has statistics to back up its claims<\/p><\/div>\n

Golf needs a seat at the table<\/strong><\/p>\n

PGA of America CEO Joe Steranka outlined the group\u2019s agenda bluntly.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re not asking for special treatment,\u201d Steranka told the Congressfolk.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re asking for fair and equitable treatment.\u00a0 Our industry employs nearly two million Americans who want to help lawmakers do the difficult job they were elected to do.\u00a0 We want to be a resource, and we want a seat at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which table is Steranka talking about?\u00a0 The one where legislative ideas are bandied about, the one that would have been situated in some smoke-filled room if smoking were still allowed anywhere.\u00a0 What\u2019s on that table are ideas like the one that excluded golf courses from disaster relief funding, as they were after Hurricane Katrina (along with casinos and massage parlors).\u00a0 During the day, legislators heard from two people who didn\u2019t think much of that exclusion, Jay Goughner and Dan Clark, both owners of golf courses in Iowa that were devastated by flooding in 2008.\u00a0 Goughner and Clark told lawmakers about their efforts to rebuild and the impact the flooding had had on the lives of their employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t seek pity,\u201d Goughner said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re hearty people.\u00a0 We will overcome what Mother Nature has dealt us.\u00a0 What I do ask is that golf be given the same status as other small businesses.\u00a0 We deserve the same access to aid and recovery programs that other small businesses have received.\u201d\u00a0 Sadly, when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed in 2009, golf \u2013 and those who benefit from it \u2013 were once again placed on the \u201cdo not help\u201d list.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not all about jobs, though.\u00a0 It\u2019s also about the social impact of the game.\u00a0 Golf has a long history of giving back to society.\u00a0 More than any other sport, golf throws off cash to people and organizations that really need it \u2013\u00a0 groups that in turn do some pretty good things with that dough themselves.\u00a0 The national charitable impact of golf in 2005 was $3.5 billion, or about $17 for every man, woman and child in the country.\u00a0 Chances are you know someone who has been helped either directly or indirectly by a golf-assisted charity.\u00a0 But still, golf\u2019s image gets in its way.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, it\u2019s considered politically risky to raise your hand in Washington and say that you support the golf industry,\u201d Steranka said at the PGA Show kickoff event.\u00a0 \u201cThat shouldn\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Golf\u2019s full-court press<\/strong><\/p>\n

To help it makes its case, WE ARE GOLF has hired The Podesta Group, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm.\u00a0 \u201cGolf needs a seat at the table when legislation that affects it is considered,\u201d David Marin, a principal at Podesta told The Wall Street Journal<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cBut for the time being we\u2019re playing defense.\u00a0 Perceptions that are this deeply rooted won\u2019t change overnight, or in a month, or even a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the meantime, a lot of people will be looking on with interest.\u00a0 Like the guy who drives the truck that brings the Bud Light to your grill room.\u00a0 The young woman who brings that cold bottle of Bud Light to your table.\u00a0 The people who launder the tablecloths or make the coasters that your Bud Light is served to you on.\u00a0 The maintenance guys who cut the green you were putting on just before you ordered your Bud Light \u2013 and the workers at the plant where those greens mowers are made.\u00a0 Not to mention the engineer who designed the mower (and is working on the 2.0 version now).\u00a0 Or the battered women\u2019s shelter to which the engineer\u2019s firm annually donates proceeds from its charity golf outing.<\/p>\n

The bottom line is, you don\u2019t have to work in golf \u2013 or even like golf \u2013 to be affected by the ups and downs of the golf economy.\u00a0 Its impact is a lot more far-reaching than many people, including our lawmakers, know.\u00a0 WE ARE GOLF aims to change that, and if there\u2019s any justice in the world, they\u2019ll be successful. Because at the end of the day, as much as we all have moments when we hate the game we love, none of us wants to wake up to a world without golf.<\/p>\n

Can the Jobs Act Help?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve got a dream and you\u2019re willing to work hard, you can succeed.\u201d\u00a0 Thus spake President Obama as he signed the Small Business Jobs Act last September.\u00a0 The Act includes a series of provisions that small businesses can benefit from: better access to credit, targeted tax cuts, capital investment provisions, changes in depreciation schedules, carrybacks on business credits, etc.\u00a0 For businesses involved in golf, or even suppliers to businesses involved in golf, these provisions could make the difference between staying in business and turning the back nine into a strip mall.\u00a0 The Act doubles the maximum size of loans offered through the SBA (Small Business Administration).\u00a0 So a golf course built in the \u201870s that needs to make capital improvements to its course or clubhouse to stay competitive with the new upscale-daily-fee operation up the street should have a better chance of finding the dollars it needs.\u00a0 A new deduction for health insurance costs for the self-employed was also written into the Act; it will allow millions of self-employed people and their families to get a deduction for the cost of health insurance when they calculate their self-employment taxes.\u00a0 If you\u2019re a teaching pro who gets paid in wrinkled twenties, or a small paving company that specializes in cart paths, this deduction could be real good for your small business\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

Helping Startups Get Smarter<\/strong><\/p>\n

What if you\u2019re an entrepreneur with a bright idea for a golf-related product (solar-powered carts anyone?)\u00a0 The Startup America Partnership might be a good place to look for assistance.\u00a0 Headed up by Steve Case, the firebrand who led AOL to its dizzying heights of success, this independent, private-sector coalition of major corporations, advisors, funders, service providers and mentors is all about helping entrepreneurs at every stage of their business\u2019s development \u2013 \u201cfrom Idea to Startup to Rampup to Speedup.\u201d\u00a0 Its mission is to assist entrepreneurs and their small businesses in finding the expertise and resources they need to succeed.\u00a0 Partners include IBM, Cisco, HP, Facebook, StartupHire.com and others.\u00a0 What the Partnership is trying to do is create an ecosystem where entrepreneurship can thrive, and to generally increase the numbers of entrepreneurs who are actively out there innovating.\u00a0 With access to the expertise of these successful companies and introductions to other advisors and venture capital resources, your great idea for a golf product or service could be on its way to market right now and you don\u2019t even know it.\u00a0 Hey, maybe there\u2019s hope for all those little biodegradable tee companies after all.\u00a0 (www.startupamericapartnership.org<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where would we be without us? Imagine that your alarm goes off tomorrow morning and poof \u2013 there\u2019s no golf.\u00a0… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82,"featured_media":56,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,20105,14710,63097],"tags":[10756,39269,39777,39270,39260,39271,39261,39272,39262,39273,39252,39263,39274,39253,10726,39275,39254,39265,39255,39266,39256,39267,39257,39268],"class_list":["post-55","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-golf","category-standrews","category-pebblebeach","category-golfbusiness","tag-arnoldpalmer","tag-worldgolffoundation","tag-jacknicklaus","tag-thepodestagroup","tag-golf2020","tag-sba","tag-playgolfamerica","tag-smallbusinessadministration","tag-johndaly","tag-smallbusinessjobsact","tag-wearegolf","tag-capitolhill","tag-thebusinessofgolf","tag-pgaofamerica","tag-thegolfchannel","tag-golfseconomicimpact","tag-startupamericapartnership","tag-clubmanagersassociationofamerica","tag-presidentobama","tag-pgamerchandiseshow","tag-joesteranka","tag-kiawahisland","tag-stevecase","tag-stevemona"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/daviddesmith\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2011\/07\/Screen-shot-2011-03-10-at-11.15.53-AM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/daviddesmith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/daviddesmith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/daviddesmith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/daviddesmith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/82"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/daviddesmith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/daviddesmith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/daviddesmith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55\/revisions\/64"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/daviddesmith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/daviddesmith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/daviddesmith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/daviddesmith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}