Alabama State University (ASU) is one of 10 HBCU schools involved in the initial rollout and activation of Make Golf Your Thing, held on Tuesday, August 15th, at John Garrick Hardy Student Center on the ASU campus.
“Golf is a $100 billion industry that lacks diversity, and we want to raise awareness of the business aspect to bring diversity to the industry,” says USGA Senior Regional Advisor and Co-Chair Dr. Michael Cooper. “There are a lot of people out there who think, ‘I don’t play golf, so I can’t work at a job in the golf industry.’ That is not true because there are a lot of people who don’t play golf but have a career in the golf industry. Our relationship with the HBCU Presidents and leadership teams helps us promote the golf industry and keep growing the HBCU footprint in the industry.”
In addition to companies in the Make Golf Your Thing collaboration students were also invited to attend and take part in the simulator setup and meet the vendors from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
The consortium is a strategic alliance initiated by the Executive Director for the White House Initiative on HBCUs, 10 HBCU Presidents, and four of golf’s most prominent Commissioners. The initiative is funded in large part by Make Golf Your Thing, an industry-wide collaboration comprised of 89 golf organizations. The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is also a major supporter.
The theme for the day was “Swing into Success.” Companies in the Make Golf Your Thing collaboration also attended the career day.
Ten HBCUs are identified to participate in the launch of the new initiative, with plans to build a scalable and sustainable model that significantly increases DEI in the sport.
The 10 participating schools are
- Alabama State University
- Benedict College
- Bennett College
- Bethune-Cookman College
- Delaware State University
- Florida A&M University
- Paul Quinn College
- Texas Southern University
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore
- Virginia State University.
The HBCU Golf Consortium focuses on four strategic pillars:
- Jobs, paid internships, and economic opportunities
- Research partnerships
- Integrated classroom education with experiential learning curricula
- Turfgrass and agronomy projects.
Five of the 10 institutions help develop and implement the Business of Golf curriculum on their respective campuses, while the other five focus on research, turfgrass, and agronomy partnerships. Strategies include on-campus guest speakers from a variety of golf leaders and sharing golf industry-related economic opportunities with HBCU students.
For decades, golf industry leaders have struggled to grow DEI and attract young, bright, educated workforce candidates. They are confident that the newly created HBCU Golf Consortium will help accomplish every DEI goal, while forging long-lasting, meaningful relationships between golf and HBCU leaders.
Along the way, the heightened awareness and enthusiasm for economic opportunities through the business of golf from HBCU students help grow career opportunities, corporate sponsors, participation in the sport, and (ultimately) player development.
They approach the August 15, 2023, activation at Alabama State University with great enthusiasm! It is the launch point for many future activations, all designed and aligned to grow DEI in golf.
For more information, visitors were encouraged to visit makegolfyourthing.org.
