Local Knowledge

CONDUCTING NET COMPETITIONS UNDER THE WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM™

The World Handicap System (WHS) is comprised of the Rules of Handicapping and the Course Rating System. The Rules of Handicapping replaced the USGA Handicap System, which had been in place since 1911, and the USGA Course Rating System became the Course Rating System.

To assist golf course operators and club committees with conducting net competitions under the WHS, the USGA has produced an easy-to-follow, one-page guide that gives a brief overview of key areas.

Among the topics covered include: which Terms of the Competition should be communicated in advance; where does rounding take place in the Playing Handicap calculation; and how should the Committee handle multi-round competitions.

To download the WHS net competitions quick reference guide, click here.

SIGN UP FOR A TGA/YOUTH ON COURSE VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE

The TGA Foundation and Youth on Course (YOC) invite you to attend a Virtual Open House to learn about the advantages of joining the fast-growing YOC community.

Nearly 2,000 golf courses across the U.S., Canada, and Australia are part of the YOC network, offering rounds of golf to more than 160,000+ YOC members for $5 or less.

Becoming a part of the YOC community helps grow the game and your future customer base. That’s because nearly half of YOC members’ rounds are played with a paying adult, generating further business for your course including increasing your food, beverage, and merchandise sales.

The program is simple to implement and complements other junior golf programs, giving participants more opportunities to apply their skills to the course.

Below is an outline of how the program works:

• Availability: You decide when YOC members can play at the reduced rate. Members always play for $5 or less, and YOC subsidizes each round played.

• Promotion: We’ll provide marketing materials highlighting your course’s YOC membership rates.

• Logistics: Your staff easily checks in YOC members via our online system to track rounds and subsidies.

• Payment: You’ll receive monthly reimbursement checks from YOC for each round played.

Join us for a virtual open house to learn how to bring YOC to your facility. Click on one of the following dates for more information and online meeting registration.

TGA/YOC Virtual Open House #2: August 17, 2023 (1:00 PM – 1:30 PM CDT)

TGA/YOC Virtual Open House #3: August 23, 2023 (1:00 PM – 1:30 PM CDT)

“MAKE GOLF YOUR THING” INITIATIVE AWARDS $750,000 IN GRANTS

Eighty-one grassroots golf organizations will receive a total of $750,000 in funding to further their efforts to engage underrepresented populations of the sport. These groups are being awarded with a grant through Make Golf Your Thing, an integral part of the American Golf Industry Coalition’s commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in making the sport more welcome for all.

Initially introduced in 2021, the grant program to date has provided 155 grants to 110 unique grassroots organizations, totaling more than $1 million overall. The program was established to support organizations dedicated to increasing participation among golf’s underrepresented populations (i.e., Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous communities, as well as women, LGBTQI+ individuals, veterans, and individuals with disabilities).

“Access to golf in a business context is a pathway to opportunity,” said Anna Alvarez Boyd, co-founder of FairWays to Leadership (one of the 81 grant recipients). “Our group’s mission is to increase diversity in business and in golf by teaching college students from diverse backgrounds the skills they need to become effective leaders. The financial commitment of the grant program to organizations like ours will only further golf’s collective efforts to bring new and diverse audiences into our sport.”

Formally launched in May 2021, Make Golf Your Thing is the golf industry’s movement to make golf accessible to individuals from all backgrounds. Led by six cross-industry work groups, the initiative is specifically focused on: education & skill development, talent acquisition, procurement, human resources, youth & adult player development, and marketing/communications.

To read more about the 81 grassroots golf organizations nationwide that were awarded Make Golf Your Thing grants, click here. For additional information about Make Golf Your Thing, click here.

BRINGING DIVERSITY INTO THE CLUB [CMAA]

With a new generation entering the workforce alongside sea changes in personal and professional lives, it’s no wonder that diversity is a topic that is top of mind for many clubs. Change isn’t on the horizon, it’s here, and a club that embraces the multiple facets of diversity — diversity of thought, ethnic background, gender, or generation, to name a few — allows them to broaden their scope and create a sustainable and successful environment and organization.

What used to be a golden rule — treat everyone the same — is now the platinum rule, says Mary Ellen Slayter, CEO of content marketing agency Rep Cap: “Young people today aren’t showing up and saying, ‘let me be like you, treat me like you.’ They’re saying, ‘let me be myself, treat me like me.’” Much of it is being driven by Generation Z entering the workforce, she notes, and it’s replacing the way we used to think about diversity.

It’s one thing to talk about creating a diverse environment, and to even have a diverse staff. But it’s another thing entirely to actually foster an environment that welcomes open and honest diversity and understands how to leverage it for the betterment of the club.

In a story for Club Management Association of America’s digital magazine, author Molly Olson takes a closer look at the importance of workforce diversity, including 6 Strategies for More Diverse Recruitment.

To read more about Bringing Diversity Into The Club, click here.