National golf day on Capital Hall brought out dozens of golf enthusiasts from around the country to help lawmakers improve their game.
“There are a lot of deals done on the golf course business-wise, said Nick Price a PGA Golf Champion. “If I play a round of golf with a person, I can tell you a lot about who, and what, that person is,” said representative James E. Clyburn (D), South Carolina.
The eighth annual event allowed democrats and republicans alike to take a swing at something other than each other.
According to WE ARE GOLF, the lobbying arm of the golf industry, the group went to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress, the executive branch, and other federal agencies to discuss golf’s $70 billion economy, documenting 15,350 related businesses and 2 million associated jobs as well as the tourism, fitness and tax revenue creation aspects of the game.
“It gives us the opportunity to educate key groups in Washington about golf,” asserts Steve Mona, CEO of the World Golf Foundation, administrator for WE ARE GOLF.
Mona notes the group met with EPA officials last year to discuss regulations and the golfers want to discuss stats they tout including charitable giving of $3.9 billion annually and the egalitarian accessibility of the game (80% of courses are open to the public and the median green fee is just $26.
