WE ARE GOLF Launches Redesigned Website

The proximate news in this item is that the “We Are Golf” coalition has launched a website with “increased functionality, social media interactivity and streamlined navigation.” Now that’s all well and good, but what I find more important is that the organization continues to grow from its beginnings just five years ago.

“We Are Golf” is a golf industry coalition designed to promote the benefits of the game of golf to the Grand Poobahs of Washington: Congress and the various agencies of the Executive Branch. Having a significant presence in Washington is important for every industry in an age where the single swipe of a pen can wreck any industry of any size.

Golf, as readers of this blog are well aware, is an important industry in America. Nearly two million Americans make their living from golf. The sport impacts our economy to the tune of some $70 billion annually, and generates $4 billion in charitable giving through 143,000 events (I participate in half a dozen golf charity events each year). Golf can help with fitness (assuming you aren’t swilling beer and smoking cigars while driving an electric cart), and courses provide great wildlife habitats.

The We Are Golf coalition’s most visible action is the National Golf Day during which industry leaders descend on Washington, D.C. for a day of entertaining and educational activities aimed at members of Congress. Last year, the effort had 120 scheduled Congressional meetings, lessons with Michael Breed and Dana Rader, golf simulators, putting challenges and more. Beyond the beltway, they had a Twitter campaign and exposure in a great many publications and broadcast media.

National Golf Day 2014 is scheduled for May 21.

This is important work, and I’d love to become a member, but the $1,000 entry fee is just too rich for this golf blogger. I will, therefore, remain the classic “free rider,” benefiting in a general way from the financial commitment of others.

The full press release is below.

WE ARE GOLF Launches Redesigned Website

Industry Portal Shares Game’s Economic, Charitable, Environmental, Fitness Benefits
(ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla.) – WE ARE GOLF – a coalition of the game’s leading associations and industry partners—today launched a redesigned website with increased functionality, social media interactivity and streamlined navigation.

A leading portal for industry updates, WE ARE GOLF collaborated closely with the Club Managers Association of America, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), National Golf Course Owners Association, The PGA of America and World Golf Foundation on content creation, multimedia needs and design optimization.

New features include:

·  Improved navigation through a new left side vertical bar
·  Increased social media interaction with real-time updates spurring direct connectivity to multiple channels
·  Enhanced user-functionality and content, including “News” section with latest industry updates
·  Live social feeds for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

“As industry stakeholders, the new WE ARE GOLF website is an engaging tool to inform Congressional leaders, political staffers and the general public about the positive impact our sport has on society,” says Rhett Evans, WE ARE GOLF Chairman and CEO of the GCSAA. “Golf supports nearly two million jobs across the nation with a nearly $69 billion economic impact and this website helps tell the story of how the game is making a difference at the local, regional and national levels.”

To visit the new site, go to http://www.wearegolf.org.

About WE ARE GOLF

WE ARE GOLF, created in 2010, is an industry coalition that communicates the economic, charitable and environmental impact of golf, as well the health and wellness benefits of the game and the affordability and accessibility of golf, to Members of Congress, the Executive Branch and regulatory agencies.  The goal of We Are Golf is to ensure that laws and regulations that impact the golf industry are fair and appropriate to an industry that generates nearly $70 billion in economic impact annually, employs close to two million Americans and generates nearly $4 billion in charitable giving each year.

For more information, please visit http://www.wearegolf.org.