AAGD Executive Editor Jim Beatty stands outside of the U.S. Capitol while attending National Golf Day in Washington, DC.
May 9, 2019
By James Beatty
I had the privilege of participating in National Golf Day held in Washington, DC on May 1st. The purpose of National Golf Day was to celebrate the game’s $84.1 billion economy, nearly $4 billion annual charitable impact, and many environmental and fitness benefits. Industry leaders met with numerous members of Congress, the Executive Branch and federal agencies to discuss golf’s 15,000 businesses, two million jobs, tax revenue and tourism value.
In fact, there were 219 of us involved in 244 meetings held on May 1, which is over half of the Congress. This was the 12th year of this key industry event that was a well-planned and well-executed activity involving several organizations.
Key planning and logistic coordination was provided by Forbes Tate Partners, Soapbox Consulting, National Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, WE ARE GOLF and the World Golf Foundation.
Here was the schedule:
NATIONAL GOLF DAY
Schedule of Events
April 29 – May 1, 2019
Monday, April 29
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Community Service Project Briefing (Sheraton Pentagon City – South Ballroom)
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
GCSAA Delegation Evening Event (Sheraton Pentagon City)
Tuesday, April 30
7:30 am
Buses depart from the Sheraton Pentagon City to the Community Service Project at the National Mall (meet in the hotel lobby)
8:00 am – Noon
Community Service Project – National Mall
Noon
Buses depart Community Service Project at National Mall to the Sheraton Pentagon City
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
WAG Board briefing meeting (Sheraton Pentagon City – Arlington Room)
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Keynote Speaker – Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning Columnist, The Washington Post and Political Analyst, MSNBC At the Sheraton Pentagon City
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Briefing meeting for all participants
5:15 pm
Buses depart from the Sheraton Pentagon City to the Capitol
Visitor Center
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Congressional Reception
8:00 pm -9:00 pm
Buses depart Capitol Visitor Center to the Sheraton Pentagon City
Wednesday, May 1
7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Hospitality Room open for all Participants (Rayburn – Room 2103)
7:15 am
Buses depart from the Sheraton Pentagon City to Capitol Hill
8:00 am
Group photo on the Capitol Steps
8:30 am – 9:15 am
National Golf Day Welcome Coffee – (Rayburn Gold Room)
9:30 am
Rayburn Foyer Room Kick-off
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Exhibits Open
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Legislative Visits to Key Congressional Members and Staff
L-R: Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning Columnist, The Washington Post and Political Analyst, MSNBC chats with James Beatty, Executive Editor, African American Golfer’s Digest.
African Americans participating in National Golf Day were:
Jim Beatty, Omaha, NE
Executive Editor, African American Golfers Digest
President, Jim Beatty Golf Ventures
Chairman, Recreational Play Subcommittee – WE ARE GOLF
Michael Cooper, Tampa, FL
Chairman Diversity Initiatives Task Force – WE ARE GOLF
Director of Tournament Operations, Advocates Tour
Craig Kirby, Washington, DC
Founder and CEO, Golf. My Future. My Game.
Participant in the upcoming ABC golf show – “Holey Moley”
Tari Cash, Washington, DC
Owner, City Swing
Patrick Lespinasse, Queens, NY
Senior Advisor, Brown & Weinraub, PLLC
Charlene Williams, Tampa, FL
Ambassador
Women of Color Golf
Lezli Baskerville, Washington, DC
President & CEO of NAFEO
National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
Lewis Myers, Washington, DC
Director of Operations, Hon. Stacey Plaskett (USVI)
Founder& Commissioner, Congressional Golf Association
The key areas addressed during NGD were:
- Labor and Tax Issues
Golf sustains two million American Jobs with $55.6B in annual wage income. One out of every 75 jobs in the US is impacted by the golf industry.
- Environmental Issues
Turf comprises 60+ million acres and is the 4th largest crop in the US
and the
- Personal Health Investment Act (The PHIT ACT)
This act promotes physical health by allowing the use of pre-tax medical funds to pay for qualified fitness and sports expenses of up to $1,000 per year for individuals or $2,000 for heads of households.
In addition, my schedule also included a meeting with Kate Schanuel, the Georgetown University
Head Women’s Golf coach who was the 2018 Big East Coach of the Year and team captain and graduating senior Pendleton Bogache. The team was coming off a second-place finish in the 2019 Big East League Championships. I was joined in that meeting by Dr. Michael Cooper, Tari Cash (the nation’s only African American owner of an indoor simulation facility, CitySwing), and Craig Kirby, founder and CEO of Golf. MyFuture. MyGame., a non-profit organization whose mission is to create strategic alliance initiatives for education and career development in the sport of golf. Targeting women, millennials, communities of color and kids we work to foster greater diversity in both the business and sport of golf through awareness, mentorship, access, and achievement.
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We discussed the active role which the Georgetown Women’s golf team has taken in mentoring many of the young women involved with Golf My Future My Game . Coach Schanuel also noted the special bonds that have been created between players and participants.
The highlight of my visit to DC was the historic meeting held with the members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). I, along with the folks previously mentioned, met with the following members of Congress: Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, Marcia Fudge of Ohio and Marc Veasey of Texas. We were joined with key leaders from the USGA, Club Management Association of America, US Golf Manufacturers Council, National Golf Course Owners Association, Golf Course Superintendent Association of America. The meeting was led by Steve Mona, Executive Director of WE ARE GOLF.
National Golf Day Industry Leaders (photo: WeAreGolf.org)
Here is the key data pertaining to African Americans that was shared at this meeting.
Recreational Play:
- 24 million participants, with another 15 million “very interested” in playing. Source: National Golf Foundation.
- 24% women, 18% minorities (3% African American). Source: National Golf Foundation.
- 2.6 million newcomers since 2017 (all-time high), with 31% of them women, 26% minorities, and 62% under age 35. Source: National Golf Foundation.
Competitive Play:
- From a sample size of slightly more than 30,000 competitive golfers, 24% were women, and 16% minorities (1.5% African American). Source: Diversity Task Force.
Economic Impact & Workforce:
- $84 billion economic impact, and two million jobs. Source: Teconomy Partners.
- From a sample size of slightly more than 30,000 golf industry workers 15% were women, 14% minorities (3% African American). Source: Diversity Task Force.
- Currently, African Americans own four golf courses in America. Source: African American Golfers Digest.
Economic Impact & Supplier Diversity:
- The World Golf Foundation issued a Supplier Diversity Policy Statement in 2018 and encourage industry leaders to adopt the policy, or similar, as a guide within respective organizations. (Source: Diversity Task Force).
- The Diversity Task Force facilitated a Supplier Diversity workshop for golf industry leaders in 2018providing best management practices to develop a Supplier Diversity Program. Attendees included the USGA, Golf Channel, PGA, IAGA, AJGA, Golf Now, Professional Caddie Association, Topgolf, and World Golf Foundation. (Source: Diversity Task Force).
- From a sample size of nine major golf industry associations, 22% have a supplier diversity policy in place, partially track Tier I and Tier II diverse supplier spend and encourage Tier I suppliers to utilize Tier II suppliers in their supply chain; one reported Tier I diverse supplier spend represented 1.4% of total spend. Source: Diversity Task Force.
Professional Membership Organizations:
From a sample size of 50,000 professional members, less than 3% were women and 3% minorities (approximately 1% African American). (Source: Diversity Task Force)
The meeting led to the WE ARE GOLF Diversity Task Force agreeing to provide regular updates to the CBC.
I want to summarize the overall activity using the words of Charlene Williams of Women of Color Golf who is new to the game “Golf is more than a game. Golf is a lifetime experience filled with unparalleled possibilities”
It is my mission and others like me to ensure that all of these possibilities are realized, that is why we volunteer to help change the game for the betterment of all.
James Beatty, Executive Editor, African American Golfer’s Digest is also Founder of NCS International, an Omaha, Nebraska-based company that providers of an array of economic development services. He also serves on the WE ARE GOLF Diversity Task Force and recently launched Jim Beatty Golf Ventures, a golf promotion and management company.
