January 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 61

Charity Case

it helps to sustain our way of
" The remarkable economic
Golf is not only providing
life-it provides open space,
benefit that [courses] provide
revenue for the community, but
also contributes to society's causes.
provides jobs and revenue, "
is underappreciated by both
According to a 2005 study by the
Mona says. " The problem is
the golfing and non-golfing
Professional Golf Association,
that we need to do a better
public, " he says. " They prothe golfing industry raised $3.5
job
of communicating that in
vide tax revenues to their citbillion for charity causes that year.
the
future. "
ies, employment to citizens,
Of that, only $130 million was
raised by professional tours-
Mona says that his orgaand increases to property valthe
rest
of
it
was
raised
nization is working to educate
ues for homes or land owners
on local courses.
lawmakers on Capitol Hill-not
nearby. "
because they golf a lot-but because
In a recent 2009 survey conducted
they are excluding golf courses from key
by South Carolina State Tourism Econofunding legislation. According to Mona, golf
mist Julie Flowers, the average gross revhas been specifically excluded from three
enue of a golf course in South Carolina was
aid packages: the Katrina bill, the disaster reapproximately $1.844 million. In addition, the
lief bill, and stimulus funding.
study showed that golf courses produced $276
Educating city councils and lawmakers that
million in federal, state, and local taxes and procontrol the budgets of municipal courses is no
vided more than 33,000 jobs.
different. Evans suggests that park and recreation managers and municipal course superinChallenges ahead
tendents make the case that a golf course is like
Though golf courses may be doing a good job of
any other recreational facility. " You have to make
contributing to their communities, the bad news
them look at golf like the pool, " he says. " What
is that people aren't getting the message.
does the pool do? It brings kids together, it teach " I tell people that golf courses are like the
es them about how to be good sports, and it prohuman body-you see the skin but underneath
vides a way for families to get healthy. Take that list
there are arteries and organs that make it function and are doing the important work, " Ritterbusch and lay it on top of golf-it does the same thing and
provides a sport that juniors, seniors, men, women,
says.
" Golf is a legitimate and important industry and and anyone who wants to is welcome to play. " 

The NRPA Golf Coalition

n an effort to promote

golf and its many benefits to
the public and park and recreation communities, NRPA facilitated development of the Golf
Coalition in December 2009.
The coalition consists of golf industry leaders who work in collaboration to ensure that best
practices, research, educational
programming, health and conservation benefits, advocacy, and
cross-communications objectives
are shared across all stakeholders. The goal of the coalition is to
work collaboratively to strengthen
the value of golf and its effective
economic, health, and conservation impact upon communities.

With assistance from the coalition, NRPA created the new
Golf Knowledge Center (www.
nrpa.org/golf) which includes a
comprehensive list of case studies, research, and information for
agencies wishing to advance their
golf programs and facilities. Resources include data about health,
economic impact, conservation,
human impact, golf course maintenance, and operations. In addition, there are links for careers
in the golf industry. This new resource will be reviewed and updated on a regular basis to ensure
that NRPA members have access
to the latest tools and information available from our partners.

Who's who in the NRPA Golf Coalition:
■■ American Society of Golf Course Architects

(ASGCA; www.asgca.org)

■■ Audubon International (AI; www.auduboninternational.org)
■■ Golf Course Builders Association of America

(GCBAA; www.gcbaa.org)

■■ Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

(GCSAA; www.gcsaa.org)

■■ National Alliance for Accessible Golf

(NAAG; www.accessgolf.org)

■■ National Golf Course Owners Association

(NGCOA; www.ngcoa.org)

■■ National Golf Foundation (NGF; www.ngf.org)
■■ National Recreation and Park Association

(NRPA; www.nrpa.org)

■■ The PGA of America (PGA; www.playgolfamerica.com)
■■ World Golf Foundation (WGF; www.worldgolffoundation.org)

If you are interested in learning more about NRPA's Golf
Coalition, please contact Nancy Logan at nlogan@nrpa.org.

www.NRPA .ORG

JANUARY 2011

Parks & Recreation 59

January 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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