My guess is this month’s issue of The Newsletter from the GCSA of New England could be called the
“Advocacy Issue.” With the chapter
coming off of the first-ever Massachusetts Golf Day on Beacon Hill, and
follow-up visits with legislators in conjunction with Ag Day, the GCSANE has
engaged in some heavy hitting government relations work. With a quick recap of high school civics, I
will remind you that government has federal, state, and local levels. GCSANE has put a big fat check mark next to
the “state” level this past month. GCSAA
will assist all members in knocking the federal level off the check list on
April 15 at National Golf Day with the We Are Golf coalition.
What about the local level?
Remember the old adage that states “All politics are local”? This was no
more evident than at Mass. Golf Day, when I was engaged in a conversation with
Christopher Yancich, legislative aide for Rep. Jeffrey Roy of Franklin. As luck would have it, we had a superintendent
from Franklin in the house -- Michael Luccini, CGCS, from Franklin Country
Club. We were able to put the two of
them together and it was magic, or at least very productive. It turns out Rep. Roy is an avid golfer,
Yancich plays recreationally and wishes he was better. But more importantly
Yancich and Luccini had mutual acquaintances with people who worked at FCC and also
talked about the property. Luccini was
encouraged to reach out to Rep. Roy’s office for any issue that the golf
industry might need assistance with.
This one interaction could develop a real, local connection that can
assist in creating beneficial relationships for the golf industry should future
needs arise.
Consider the following information:
We Are Golf (National)
• 465
Million Rounds Played
• $68.8
Billion Annual Impact
• Supporting 2 Million Jobs
ü $55.6
Billion from U.S. Jobs
• 143,000
Charitable Events Annually
ü 12
Million Participants
ü $3.9
Billion Annual Impact
Massachusetts
State Golf Day (State)
$2.7 Billion – Total economic impact of golf in Mass.,
including direct, indirect and induced impacts.
• $1.7 Million – Total size of the Bay State golf economy.
·
Nearly 25,500 Massachusetts jobs.
ü $796.8
Million – Total wage income
• $74.3 Million – Total amount of charitable giving
attributed to golf in Massachusetts.
What your facility or company contributes matters to your
local legislator too. Can you fill in
the blanks?
Your Facility Here
(Local)
·
______ Rounds Played
·
______Total revenue generated
·
______Number of Jobs
ü
________Total wage income
·
______Number of charitable events
ü
________Total number of charitable participants
Mother Nature has dealt the Northeast region another long
and arduous winter. Rest assured, the
public will again know the grass might not be greener on the other side of the
fence, but it certainly is on the other side of Rae’s Creek. As the Masters brings our industry into
focus, be sure you are focused on the impact your golf facility, or even golf
related company, provides to the local economy.
Make sure your members and customers know as well. With national, state, and local efforts
educating legislators we all stand a better chance of changing misperceptions
of our industry into the reality that golf is good.
