Michigan Golf Journal May 2020

The Future of Golf “There are a lot of programs available through the Michigan PGA, or First Tee or Midnight Golf that are teaching kids the basics of the game, but the next step is access to courses,” Whitten said. “They need to be able to play, with friends and family. So that’s what the GAM Foundation and Youth on Course are trying to do – get kids on courses for $5.” Past GAM President Sara Wold expressed that the future of golf is best served focused on diversity at all levels – geographically, culturally and socio- economically – and that the most progressive path is through youth. “I think the best way to reach diverse groups is through the youth,” Wold said. “Junior programs and tournaments, Youth on Course, where we see a lot of diversity already. And I think if the parents see that the kids are welcome, maybe they want to go out and play golf with their kids. That’s a strategy for getting the messages out to a more diverse population. In the USGA Junior qualifier (which GAM officiated in Michigan) I think we had 8 different countries represented.” Entertainment and Golf: A non-traditional area of expansion for the game in general could be off-course experiences such as TopGolf, Big Shots and venues that feature simulator golf. Such options focus as much or more on food and beverage services in a social atmosphere for large groups of friends or co-workers to gather at a ‘static station’ on the property, as opposed to 3-to-4 people moving around together on a green- grass golf course. When the latter are on a course together, one potential expansion to add some entertainment could be using more technology like Golf Boards that players ride on instead of seated carts. ( This could also hold true for social distancing .) Kathy Aznavorian, co-owner of Fox Hills Golf and Banquet Center in Plymouth, said she doesn’t know if a trend she’s witnessed will proliferate in Michigan or not, “but larger, multi-course owners have partnered with Big Shots (on the U.S. west coast) where they take the entertainment venue and couple it with a golf course in areas with higher populations. In some cases, they are building right next to each other, so they have the more serious golf piece, and they have the entertainment piece.” Whitten concluded: “It all ties into the big picture of GAM wanting to be the representative for the individual golfer and at the same time be a source of information and of service to all of our member clubs and public courses. There is a lot of room to grow in all areas.” MGJ