Announcements

Golf Business Conference, the largest annual meeting of golf course owners and operators and hosted by the National Golf Course Owners Association, is now registering attendees for the 2022 event, which returns to its in-person format in Orlando, Florida from January 24 through 26 (alongside the 2022 PGA Show). Golf course owners, operators, general managers, directors of golf and many others who are responsible for the success of golf course businesses can learn more about and register for Golf Business Conference 2022 (GBC22) at GolfBusinessConference.com.

The Rosen Centre Hotel will serve as the official host hotel, where most GBC22 education and networking will take place. A GBC22 conference registration pass includes eight expert-led, business-critical education sessions, various networking receptions and meals, the new Sponsor Fair & Happy Hour, and the annual NGCOA Awards luncheon. Two pre-conference sessions, the annual Yamaha Golf Outing, and guest passes to social and networking events are optional additions.

GBC22 attendees can also participate in a wide range of programs and activities at the 2022 PGA Show at the adjacent Orange County Convention Center (OCCC). Various PGA Show Education Conference sessions also will be available to GBC22 attendees as well.

All GBC22 education sessions will be eligible for continuing education credits from the PGA of America, as well as the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), the Club Management Association of America (CMAA), and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).

More information about speakers, sessions, social and networking events, sponsors, and hotel accommodation options can be found at GolfBusinessConference.com.

NGCOA is pleased to announce that its “NGCOA Insurance Services” benefit is now being serviced by Boyd, Shackelford, Barnett & Dixon, LLC (the BSBD Group). NGCOA member golf courses will continue to obtain comprehensive and cost-effective property casualty services, medical (pharmacy, dental and vision), and life Insurance and disability income protection. Learn more about NGCOA Insurance Services at NGCOAinsuranceservices.com.

The BSBD Group has the ability to create unique programs for both the smallest of golf courses to those golf management companies with large portfolios. The BSBD Group is a perfect fit for the NGCOA as the company already has clients in the golf space and they understand the operations of running and managing golf course facilities.

NGCOA member golf courses and their employees will continue to have access to best rates on:

Property & Casualty Insurance. Obtaining proper coverage for golf courses has increasingly become more difficult. NGCOA members have exclusive access to industry specific offerings and expertise for all their commercial insurance needs.

Medical & Pharmacy (includes Dental, Vision, Life and Disability insurance). An employee benefits program can be very personal. Our experts know the golf business and have curated a golf industry specific program that is the perfect fit for you and your employees.

Learn more about NGCOA Insurance Services at NGCOAinsuranceservices.com.

The NGCOA is pleased to announce Pellucid Corp. as its latest corporate partner. Through this partnership, Pellucid’s Golf Market Research Center (GMRC) will be available to NGCOA members at a reduced price through the NGCOA Smart Buy Marketplace. Pellucid will also share its research findings with the golf course industry through NGCOA’s online Research Center.

The GMRC provides golf course owners and operators with facility comparative reporting and benchmarking information; this 20-minute, recorded webinar explains the program and demonstrates the tools and reports. 

The GMRC is in its pilot phase until May 31, 2021, allowing both NGCOA members and non-member golf courses to participate at no cost. Once a facility is registered, it can share information and view real-time industry reports immediately. Golf courses that would like to participate should contact Jim Koppenhaver at jim@pellucidcorp.com by May 31, 2021 with the facility name and contact information of the designated administrator.

When the program officially launches on June 1, 2021, complimentary pilot registrations will be deactivated, and golf course facilities will have until July 31, 2021 to join as a GRMC Charter Member.

Click here to read more about Pellucid and this new benefit in the NGCOA Smart Buy Marketplace.

NGCOA today released three new digital publications: 2021 Agronomic Trends in Golf, 2021 Marketing Trends in Golf and 2021 Operation Trends in Golf. Details on each report can be found on the NGCOA Research Center and NGCOA members can download digital versions from the website at no cost.

NGCOA’s multi-course owner/operator and golf management company community possesses a unique vantage point on industry practices and policies, given that they represent 1,400+ courses collectively. We canvassed this leadership to open a forum on the lessons and trends of 2020, inviting heads of these companies to comment on how they navigated and innovated through an unprecedented year. The response was extensive and impressive, with a compelling set of themes emerging across all areas. Once these many inputs were reviewed, we arranged one-on-one interviews to delve into the details of the trends our respondents had identified.

The results and findings from those discussions and interviews are capsulized in these reports. What you’ll find is a dynamic story of pandemic-driven creativity, layered on top of the management ideas that were already in motion, based on pre-pandemic strategies that did not lose their currency because of COVID-19 and will be part of the landscape as normalcy slowly returns to our economy and society.

Because these unique, educational resources were developed to provide golf course owners and operators with a 12-month retrospective view on challenges and successes, NGCOA will continue to produce and provide them to association members on an annual basis. 

If you are not currently an NGCOA member, and would like to join to receive these intriguing and insightful reports — along with other valuable benefits — please contact Jay Andersen, NGCOA’s Director of Membership, at jandersen@ngcoa.org.

The NGCOA is pleased to announce that Jay Karen has been appointed to the U.S. Travel Association Board of Directors. This is the first time the golf industry has been represented on the organization's board; this seat ensures that NGCOA’s industry priorities are included within U.S. Travel’s larger public and national travel policy messages.

Additionally, this appointment is a critical early step in the emerging NGCOA Golf & Travel Initiative, which NGCOA created to address the needs of golf resorts and other golf businesses that rely heavily on the domestic and international traveler.

“Thirty percent of the entire $84B golf economy is touched by travel and tourism,” said Karen. “It’s incumbent upon us to be good citizens with the rest of the travel industry, and to advocate for golf’s needs inside the travel industry.”

The U.S. Travel Association is the country's authority for pro-travel public policy and advocacy work for the travel industry. NGCOA will become involved with U.S. Travel’s advocacy efforts in Washington as it relates not only to golf, but also to increasing international travelers, travel’s $2.5 trillion economic impact, and the 15.8 million Americans employed by the industry. In February 2021, U.S. Travel submitted its updated relief and recovery priorities to Congress; NGCOA supports these priorities as well.

Yamaha Golf-Car Company is NGCOA's “Official Golf Car Partner” and NGCOA and Yamaha Golf-Car Company are pleased to announce an extension of their partnership. 

This valuable partnership will benefit NGCOA members and Yamaha’s customer base by offering incentives on Yamaha golf and utility vehicle purchases/leases through the NGCOA’s Smart Buy Marketing purchasing program, complimentary memberships to the association, and more.

“The last four years have made a real difference with both organizations,” said Jay Karen, NGCOA’s Chief Executive Officer. “Yamaha’s top-level support allows our team to do the important work of advocacy and education for our members and the industry. And we have been pleased to support Yamaha’s rise in the market as a premier brand in their sector. We look forward to many more years of win-win.”

“Yamaha Golf-Car Company’s support of the NGCOA is our way of supporting the golf industry and I am thrilled with the success and partnership,” adds Tom McDonald, Yamaha Golf-Car Company President. “The NGCOA provides education and advocacy for its members and the industry as a whole. To do this requires someone to step up as the primary sponsor. This relationship has its success on our side as well. In the first three years of our relationship, 176 NGCOA members allowed us to demo our products and decided to switch to Yamaha. Now that’s a win-win!”

To view the conversation between Jay Karen and Tom McDonald, please visit https://youtu.be/eJu53cFBJoM.

To learn about the Yamaha Golf Car member benefit, visit the NGCOA Smart Buy Marketplace.

For more information about Yamaha Golf-Car Company, please visit www.yamahagolfcar.com.

On Tuesday, January 26, Golf Business Conference 2021 (GBC21) will feature four (4) education sessions in which attendees of the 2021 PGA Show Virtual Experience & Marketplace can participate. Every year, GBC provides expert education related to golf course ownership and operations, and this year’s all-virtual platform enables this expertise to be shared with PGA Professionals. One session in particular, “So You Want to Own a Golf Course,” is specifically designed for anyone who plans to purchase a golf course in the future.

Full session descriptions can be found in the NGCOA Golf Business Conference Track on the PGA virtual platform. Learn about these and the other eight GBC21 education sessions at golfbusinessconference.com.

Register today! Golf Business Conference is the industry’s largest annual gathering of golf course owners and operators. This year, the event will be conducted virtually January 25-27, in conjunction with the 2021 PGA Show Virtual Experience & Marketplace.

The registration fee — $95 for NGCOA members and $125 for non-members — includes access to all 12 GBC21 education sessions over three half days, and access to the session recordings after the conference. View the entire session schedule at golfbusinessconference.com/agenda. Also included is the annual NGCOA awards recognition ceremony and annual meeting for NGCOA members; this segment will be held virtually through NGCOA’s online platform.

GBC21 attendees can also view free PGA Show education content and PGA Show keynote sessions, and will be given access to the PGA Show exhibitor showrooms, appointment setting and chat feature, exhibitor-to-attendee matchmaking, virtual special events, the PGA Marketplace and more. Golf course owners who want to attend the full PGA Show Virtual Experience & Marketplace can add it to their registration in Step 3; visit pgashow.com for information and additional pricing.

GBC21 attendees can earn continuing education credits from the PGA of America, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), the Club Management Association of America (CMAA), and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). GBC21 sponsorships and PGA Show exhibiting opportunities are also available. Learn more at golfbusinessconference.com.

The NGCOA is honored to announce the winners of the association’s annual awards. Each year, the NGCOA recognizes the most outstanding members of the past year, and the individuals and organizations that have helped preserve the tradition of the game while embracing the challenges and opportunities of the golf business.

Jemsek National Course of the Year Award
This award recognizes a golf course that epitomizes exceptional course quality and management excellence, makes important contributions to its communities and the game, and is a model of operations to its peers. The following members were selected as the Regional Course of the Year winners (from which the National Course of the Year is chosen):

• Spring Meadows Golf Course in Gray, ME (Region 1)
• Stoatin Brae Golf Course in Augusta, MI (Region 2)
• Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, NC  (Region 3)
• Gamble Sands in Brewster, WA (Region 4)

From these regional winners, the NGCOA Board of Directors selected Stoatin Brae Golf Course as the 2021 Jemsek National Course of the Year winner.

Don Rossi Award
This award is given for significant and long-lasting contribution to the NGCOA

• Del Ratcliffe, PGA, Ratcliffe Golf Services, Inc.

Paul Porter Award
This award recognizes an NGCOA member who left an enduring mark on a chapter or international affiliate through the highest level of commitment, service and leadership.

• Joel Moore, The Ridge at Back Brook, and Vice President of the New Jersey Golf Course Owners Association (NJGCOA)

Champion Award