November 1, 2021 | By Craig Kirby
Last week while flying to Detroit, Michigan, I had the chance to catch up on my reading. One of the pieces that caught my attention was a press release of October 20 from the USGA and the First Tee. The release headline read: USGA Extends Longtime Support of First Tee to Strengthen Diversity in the Game.
I thought this is great for the game, especially as I know one of the priorities of the industry is to diversify and grow the game. I thought about our mission at Golf. My Future. My Game.
As a Community-Based Grass Roots Golf Organization (CBGRO) we create strategic alliance initiatives for education and career development in the sport and business of golf. And our vision is to work with communities of color and underrepresented communities to engage, open doors, expose opportunities, and create a platform for a greater comfort level with the game and industry of golf, a mission that fits in with the overall goal of the industry.
While talking with several supporters of community-based and grassroots golf organizations around the country one strong voice sat me down and told me a thing or two that rang loud:
“Yes, the USGA has more than enough money to invest in First Tee and much, much more… if they are so inclined. At some point, I hope they realize the contributions to golf made by our grassroots and community-based golf foundations and organizations and invest in them; I will go to my grave believing that investing in our community agents is the best and fastest way to increase D & I (Diversity & Inclusion).”
“That shared, the golf industry will ALWAYS invest in First Tee. It is their idea and creation, so they will feed unlimited resources to make it work. They have thrown hundreds of millions of dollars to First Tee HQ/Chapters over the past 24-years. Yet they know (and admit) that the D & I outcomes are far below expectations and acceptability. Still, they will sling more dollars to save face and public scrutiny, in hopes that things will change.”
“The $200K reported by that press release is a mere drop in the bucket of annual contributions to First Tee HQ/Chapters. They soak up millions of dollars every year. For example, how about the 25-million-dollar gift from Charles Schwab? Meanwhile, what do our community-based golf organizations receive?”
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I re-read the release and discovered that these grants are part of a dedicated effort to directly empower inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility efforts at the local golf levels. More significantly, the program was created this year to address the barriers that underserved and underrepresented youths face in their potential introduction to and participation in golf and First Tee’s character-building programs. My immediate reaction, what is the difference between these goals and the goals of the WE ARE GOLF’s Phase One Grassroots Grants Program?
Let me share that in May of 2021, the golf industry collaborated to introduce a new Grassroots Grant Program designed to increase participation among those who are underrepresented in the sport. The purpose of the Grassroots Grants Program (GGP) is to support 501 (c) (3) charitable organizations of programs dedicated to increasing golf participation among those who are underrepresented in the sport: Black, Latinx, Asian Pacific Islander, and Indigenous communities as well as women, LBGTQ= and individuals with disabilities.
Golf. My Future. My Game. was one of the 43 organizations across the U.S. that were awarded a grant of the total $150,000 pot. Excited to be a grantee, I began to think about a statement Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA shared: “We have a commitment as an organization to be an impactful partner to those in the industry who share our vision for what we want golf’s future to look like.” I agree with Mike Whan’s thoughts, as Golf. My Future. My Game. with financial support and resources can create diverse and customized programming and work side by side with the Washington D.C. Greater Washington First Tee.
There are many CBGRO’s who are looking at that future Whan speaks of, and they are daily working in the ‘trenches’ allowing us to see golf as a sport that can bridge the gap between global citizens at the top and those left behind at the bottom; at least that is what Golf. My Future. My Game. and many other Grassroots programs are about.
I know I have been long-winded in my writing here but after my readings and my actual work on the ground, it seems the following are items for discussion.
A Problem Vs. An Issue
There is a difference between a problem and an issue. The issue is the lack of diversity and the drive to grow the game in varied communities. The problem is how we go about solving it. As opposed to one group doing it their way and another theirs, how about we create a Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) office under the leadership of the golf industry with adequate funding and staff as a solution to working out the problems and the issue.
Talk about innovation. Let’s create a DEI Office which would be innovative. Innovative in leading the way to capture the constant state of change. My experiences lead me to understand that a constant state of change cannot simply be determined by one person or group, in one context, in a universal way. Each organization needs to view innovation in its own context. At its core, innovation is a disposition informed by consensus and clarity around who you are and who you serve. Creating this office would do that!
Finally creating this industry DEI office as a good friend and colleague shared “would challenge the leaders of the industry to ‘establish a fund equal or like what the USGA has done to support not only the industry but the many Community-Based Golf Organizations who are doing their work in the vibrant neighborhoods around this country.
It seems our overarching goal to diversify the game and business of golf hinges on the appreciation that many have value to offer and want to help.
Craig Kirby is the Founder & CEO of the Washington, DC-based organization Golf. My Future. My Game. His organization works tirelessly across America to introduce golf and golf careers to youth of all backgrounds. Craig is one of the nation’s premier political operatives with over two decades of hands-on political experience and he has created successful issue advocacy and electoral strategies for candidates at all levels of government. His efforts are changing the face of golf one swing at a time. To learn more visit https://www.golfmyfuturemygame.org/
