MGCOA Promotes, Protects And Educates Course Owners
By Guest Editor Kate Moore

Golf course owners want to make a decent living, but most are in the industry because it's fun and stimulating. Those are the reasons people get excited about developing creative ways to build their business. This is where the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association comes in. All golf course operators know the supply of golf courses is increasing at an alarming rate. The MGCOA cannot do anything about the supply of courses, but we can all work together to reduce this problem by increasing the number of golfers and rounds played.

The Michigan Golf Course Owners Association is the only organization that serves as the voice of the Michigan golf course owner and operator. MGCOA serves exclusively to promote, protect and educate its members. Working together we can answer the important questions that will define the future of our business. Questions such as: What discourages people from taking up the game or playing more often? Or, can we as an industry change to overcome these barriers?

The year ahead is filled with opportunities and promise. As golf course owners we need to be prepared for whatever stands between us and a successful fiscal year. The MGCOA has three main objectives: promote, protect and educate. Our Educational Support Foundation (ESF) exists to facilitate these objectives through programming and networking opportunities for all golf course owners and operators. This year, the ESF programs (in March and September) include "From Snack Bar to Banquet Hall" a program on food safety and management for the golf course; "Junior Golf: Develop, Manage, and Market to Grow the Game," with featured speaker John Godwin of U.S. Kids Golf (in April); and "Renovate, Remodel and Rebuild," a program provided by Ray Hearn on golf course and club house projects (in July).

In keeping with our mission to promote, the MGCOA will for the fourth time, again host the "Michigan Golf Summit" in September. The purpose of the summit is to establish ongoing relationships and discuss areas of mutual concern about the golf industry. The attendees at the summit include representatives from all areas of our industry including but not limited to the Michigan PGA, USGA, Travel Michigan, Michigan Golf Publinx Association, Michigan Turfgrass Foundation, Golf Association of Michigan and the Michigan Women's Public Links. Each has a vital interest in the outcome of programs to stimulate the game.

Have you ever wondered how the state of Michigan spends our tax dollars to promote golf in the state? The money spent by Travel Michigan through the Michigan Jobs Commission is appropriated through the legislature. In order to participate in the share of the appropriations, golf needs to build a case for more funding. The MGCOA mission to protect the industry takes over here. The MGCOA has been working with the state, the Golf Task Force and Michigan State University to build the case for golf. To persuade our elected officials to spend a larger share on golf, with our partners we updated the 1997 economic impact study and the results were astounding. Golf generates hundreds of millions of tourism dollars.

To further the research and put a dollar value on the real estate component the research is continuing and was scheduled to be completed by late spring. Our industry will the have a clear picture of the entire economic impact golf has on state tourism. The Michigan Golf Course Owners Association is dedicated to making this a stronger industry. We are developing programs to help bring even more new players into the game and more funding to promote the game and are ready to see the parking lots full of cars and the clubhouse buzzing with activity. The MGCOA continues to strive to be a valuable resource for the golf course owner and to improve the business of the golf game in Michigan. Let's work together to improve the "state of the golf game" in Michigan and as owners well be able to reap the rewards tomorrow for our efforts today.

Kate Moore