Did you know that golf is a $75.9 billion industry, larger than the motion picture and recording industries combined? The economic impact of the golf industry in America was conveyed by National Club Association board members and staff as they joined others from the industry to promote the economic, environmental and social contributions of golf on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, April 28, for National Golf Day 2010. Since 2008, NCA has joined leaders from the PGA of America, the Club Managers Association of America, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the National Golf Course Owners Association of America, among others, to participate in Golf Day events targeted to members of Congress to help foster a better understanding of the golf industry and its contributions.
WE ARE GOLF, the industry-wide initiative to showcase the important economic, human and environmental benefits of the industry, was a new addition to this year’s National Golf Day. NCA supports this initiative to share the message about the contributions that golf brings to communities across the nation. Some of the key points include:
- Nationally, the golf industry provides 2 million jobs in the U.S. and total wage income of $61 billion. Golfers purchased $2.47 billion in golf supplies, generated $18 billion in travel expenditures and contributed $860 million for the publishing industry for golf-related magazines.
- Golf contributes $3.5 billion per year for charitable causes through thousands of local fundraising events nationwide. Professional golf tournaments in the U.S. are managed by charitable organizations that collectively generated more than $135 million for charity in 2008. The PGA TOUR has raised more than $2.5 million for military groups.
- Golf course facilities are engaged in voluntary efforts to advance environmental sustainability, including on average since 1996, making five different environmental improvements such as irrigation system upgrades, installing native plantings, creating wildlife habitat areas, enhancing wetlands, improving buffer strips, erosion control measures, and improving fuel and chemical storage.
- Less than 15 percent of golf courses utilize municipal water supplies as a source for irrigation water. Many golf course use non-drinking water supplies such as wells, ponds, and stormwater. Approximately 12 percent of golf courses in the U.S. use recycled water for irrigation.
“Our ongoing dialog with Congress about the many benefits of the golf industry helps to overcome perceptions that golf is an elitist sport,” says Brian R. Kroh, NCA Chairman. “In fact, many are small businesses, employing thousands of workers and having a significant impact on the economy, the environment, the tax revenues and charitable contributions each year.”
Kroh, who is general manager of the John’s Island Club in Vero Beach, Fla., points out that in the state of Florida there are 1,128 golf courses that have a direct economic output of $7.5 billion with a total economic output of $13.8 billion, providing 167,377 jobs with a total wage income of $4.6 billion. John’s Island Club employs 500 workers.
National Golf Day activities began with the First Tee Congressional Breakfast featuring Corey Pavin, PGA professional golfer and captain of the 2010 Ryder Cup Team USA.
In addition to meetings arranged by WE ARE GOLF with House GOP members and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, NCA Chairman Brian R. Kroh, NCA Director Bob Schramm, NCA President & CEO Susanne R. Wegrzyn and NCA Vice President of Government Relations Brad D. Steele met with the staffs of the House Small Business Committee, the Energy & Commerce Committee, and the Ways & Means Committee.