Local Knowledge

GET READY FOR UPCOMING SEASON WITH GOLF GENIUS TM

Season preparation is a critical part of tournament operations at a golf club. Whether you are preparing for your first season using Golf Genius Tournament Management (GG TM) or transitioning from a prior season to a new season, there are important steps and practices that will help you run your season more smoothly, as well as help you transition to future seasons.

The customer support team at GG TM has created a “Steps to Prepare for Your Season” tutorial to get you off on the right track. Among the topics covered in the tutorial include adding and deactivating staff members as customer managers, reviewing default settings for events and leagues, creating and adding new events and leagues, updating master roster, adding or updating course details (e.g., Slope Rating, Course Rating, handicap holes, yardages) and verifying WHS® compliance, and much more.

To view GG TM’s “Steps to Prepare for Your Season” guide along with step-by-step instructions, click here.

BECOME A YOC PARTNER COURSE AND HELP GROW THE GAME

Thanks to dedicated supporters and participating member clubs, the TGA Foundation (TGAF) has been able to continue to make great strides in broadening the reach of Youth on Course (YOC) throughout Texas.

This is the fourth year of the TGAF’s partnership with YOC, a national non-profit grow-the game initiative that allows kids and teens ages 6-18 to play golf for $5 or less, plus opportunities for paid internships, caddie programs, and college scholarships. The collaboration initially began in January 2020 as a pilot project in the San Antonio area with 11 courses, including all eight that comprise the Alamo City Golf Trail.

Through the first quarter of 2023, nine facilities have officially joined the YOC community, with another nine in process, which will bring the total number of participating YOC facilities in Texas to 65. That’s a 38% increase in just three months since the end of 2022, and a whopping 140% jump in the number of locations from the same period last year. For comparison, there were 27 facilities heading into April 2022, and 47 total by the end of the year. Not so coincidentally, membership numbers are on the rise too. There are currently 2,210 young people in Texas with YOC memberships, which is on pace for a projected record-high of over 3,500 members once school lets out.

While the progress made in expanding the footprint of YOC thus far is promising, the two organizations are working diligently to encourage more facilities to open their doors to the life-changing program.

Partner courses that provide a nurturing atmosphere where YOC members feel welcome to play golf, have fun, learn, and grow, are helping to ensure the long-term future of the game. They are also realizing an immediate benefit as well.

Because partner courses are in full control and decide when YOC members can play the course at the special rate, they are able to fill their tee sheets with enthusiastic young golfers during normally slow times. In addition to receiving a monthly check for the subsidized rounds, partner courses report that at least 60% of the time, a parent or guardian joined the junior golfer and paid full price for their round. That means additional revenue from green fees, cart fees, pro shop merchandise sales, and food and beverage purchases.

It’s a proven win-win relationship between YOC members and partner courses that has worked incredibly well since the program’s inception in 2006. There are currently over 140,000 YOC members that have access to nearly 2,000 courses across the U.S. and Canada where they can play a round of golf for $5 or less. Over the years, YOC members have played more than two million subsidized rounds of golf while the organization has helped generate more than $8 million in tee-time revenue reimbursed back to individual golf courses.

For more information about the benefits of becoming a YOC partner course, click here. If you have any questions about joining the YOC community or need assistance getting started, please email Kelly Kilgo, Managing Director of TGA Foundation/Outreach, or call 1-214-468-8942.

NATIONAL GOLF DAY 2023 SET FOR MAY 8-10

National Golf Day serves as the pinnacle advocacy event of the year for the American Golf Industry Coalition, an alliance comprised of the game’s leading associations and industry partners. The 15th annual edition will take place May 8-10 and will return to Washington D.C. after being conducted virtually the previous two years.

Over the course of the three days, a host of representatives from across the industry will reinforce golf’s economic, societal, environmental, and health benefits with Members of Congress and their staff.

To kick off this year’s event, the Community Service Project (CSP) will be held on Tuesday, May 9. In partnership with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and National Park Service, the CSP will allow attendees the opportunity to participate in various beautification projects across the National Mall.

National Golf Day 2023 will also see the return of a Keynote Briefing Session and Congressional Reception on May 9. And finally, all attendees will have the option to participate in more than 250 legislative meetings on Wednesday, May 10.

In addition to its advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill, the industry will release an Economic Impact Report during the event to provide an understanding of the meaningful ways in which the sport of golf is contributing to the nation’s economy and communities across the United States.

Previous economic impact reports have indicated that golf as an industry directly drives $84.1 billion in economic activity and more than $4 billion in annual charitable donations across the U.S. annually through 15,000-plus diverse businesses, nearly 2 million American jobs and $58.7 billion in compensation, as well as tax revenue creation and tourism value.

To learn more about the American Golf Industry Coalition and National Golf Day 2023, click here.

TOP TECH TRENDS FOR 2023 IN THE CLUB INDUSTRY: SECURITY AND EFFICIENCY [CMAA]

Technology touches every part of our lives, and within the clubs that members belong to, the same holds true. Some of the best technology helps improve the members’ experiences without their even realizing it.

In a story for Club Management Association of America’s digital magazine, author Jennifer McNally conducted a roundtable discussion with a club IT director and a club software provider to find out about the tech trends they see in the club industry and anticipate for 2023 and beyond.

Among the key subjects talked about during the interview include Security: Being Aware and Prepared, Planning for Any Emergency, Using Technology More Efficiently, Hands-Off Approach, and What’s on the Horizon. There is also a special section titled “Club Boards Can Take a Role in Cyber Security Too.”

To read more about Top Tech Trends For 2023 In The Club Industry, click here.