January 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 60

Economic drivers

Parks and Rec
Reaches out to Schools,
Coaches through Golf

incoln (Nebraska) Parks and Recreation Golf Administrator Dale
Hardy has worked diligently in recent years to find ways to offer golf
to community youth. The City of Lincoln is fortunate to have a 9-hole
junior course available for its youth programs, including a lesson program,
Sticks for Kids, Pee Wee League, Junior League, and Teen League (held at
a more advanced course). The Jim Ager Memorial Junior Golf Course has
hosted the Sticks for Kids program for 11 years to successfully reach youth
in the city's recreation centers and youth organizations. But Hardy knew
that something needed to be done to reach the kids in the classroom as well.
Lincoln Public Schools participate in First Tee's National Golf in Schools
Program, which uses SNAG® equipment in an indoor setting to teach the
fundamentals of grip, stance, and swing. " This is a great way to introduce
the game to kids, " says Hardy, " but how do we get students from the gymnasium to the course? "
For this, Hardy suggests a four-step approach. First, in early spring before your course gets too busy, host a teaching clinic for your school district's physical education and health teachers; help the teachers become
better teachers of golf. Then, later in the spring, invite those teachers to
bring their classes back to the course for a kids clinic and expose them to
real tees, greens, clubs, rules, and etiquette situations. These mini-field
trips can really ignite the golf spark. Third, every student in the program can
receive a certificate for a free round of golf. In Lincoln, about 12 percent of
the 7,000 students made use of the opportunity.
The fourth part of Hardy's outreach tools is somewhat unique as it involves students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's PGA Professional
Golf Management (PGM) program. The city's schools are divided into quadrants and the students in each quadrant are invited to a one-day clinic led
by PGM students at one of the city's courses. This is a great opportunity
for children to get on a course and learn some golf basics, as well as for the
PGM students to have hands-on experience organizing and carrying out
such an event. Certainly, we don't all have PGM students in our community,
but surely your fellow PGA professionals, adult league members, older juniors, or retirees want to get involved in continuing the golf tradition. Give
them a chance and you will be surprised at their efforts...especially if it involves juniors!
-Golf Course Builder's Association of America

58 Parks & Recreation

JANUARY 2011

www.NRPA .ORG

Golf courses aren't only providing new recreational avenues for the community, but also providing
economic gains as well. According to a 2005 study
conducted by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, golf is a $75 billion industry. That
is more than the motion picture industry or printing
industry. That means golf courses are providing a lot
of cashflow and jobs for the communities they serve.
" It's more than a game, " says Evans. " It makes up
a lot of small businesses in America. If you look at the
economic impact of the sport, that money stays local.
It also provides jobs for superintendents, architects,
maintenance workers, food and beverage personnel, and teenagers that need summer employment. "
Ritterbusch says that he thinks the economic benefits of a golf course may be the least understood.

The Next 10 Years
Here are some ways that experts say the
game may change in the next 10 years.
The game will explode internationally.
As the elite business group begins to include
those overseas, the game will grow in
popularity as a " place to conduct business. "
Golf will take less time to play. With many families
dealing with time constraints, golf managers will
need to find a way to make the game shorter.
Drier and firmer courses will arise. As
water scarcity grows, courses will adapt.
The players will be ethnically diverse.
The sport will grow with the demographics
of the nation, which means that Hispanic
and Asian players will join the sport.
Golf courses will need to be more business
savvy. As budgets shrink and competition grows,
course managers will have to improve in marketing,
customer service, and business systems.

January 2011 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2011 - Parks & Recreation