A unified voice for golf will always have a greater impact when communicating the value of our game.

If any good has come from the last few weeks of dealing with COVID-19, it’s knowing the value of a good relationship between your states golf industry and your governor’s office. I think we have all realized how vital it is to establish a line of communication when we needed to communicate the necessity of allowing golf courses to continue maintenance through the “Stay at Home” executive orders. The same applied to our allied golf associations, as well. We all knew that golf could be a viable activity while social distancing measures were in place but after the executive orders came out, it wasn’t clear if golf, as an activity, was allowed. For the industry's sake, we — as an alliance — had to reach out and help clarify if golf was going to be allowed. This was not done for the sake of maintaining profitability but rather as a safe alternative for the public to be able to get out an exercise.

GCSAA’s field staff, the government affairs team, and Rhett Evans — who enlisted our national allied partners input — began to help a few states and their allied golf members, come together and pen a letter that soon became a template for the rest of the states. These letters were soon replicated around the country and within days we had letters in all state governor’s offices except for Alaska where the season is still a few weeks out. As of today, minimal maintenance is allowed in most all states, even where golf is not allowed. But, as I write this, things are surely to change.

Whether you are in Alaska or Florida, golf brings value to your state in the form of environmental, social, and economic benefits. Many states have already formed a state golf alliance and have even hosted state golf days to promote the value of golf. Under the direction of the Oregon Golf Association’s Executive Director, Barb Trammell, Oregon formed the Golf Alliance of Oregon back in 2008. They developed the Golf Alliance of Oregon Score Card in 2015 after their second economic impact study, which listed nine benefits golf brings to the state. They started hosting golf days on the years the legislation was in session and invited legislators to a hosted reception and worked with the governor’s office to make a Golf Month Proclamation in 2015 as well.

I can honestly say that these efforts came to fruition this last week as we were able to use our conduit to the governor’s office to ask for clarity on the governor’s executive order. As of today, golf is still being allowed so Oregonians can still get out and enjoy the outdoors while still maintaining social distancing rules. 

If you are in one of those states that have yet to form a golf alliance, let this become the catalyst to get one started. Here’s the bottom line: A unified voice for golf will always have a greater impact when communicating the value of our game.