Announcements

NGCOA is pleased to announce that Suzy Whaley, the first female president of the PGA of America and current network broadcast talent and commentator, will serve as host and emcee for Multi-Course & Resort Operators Retreat 2023 (MCOR23), being held July 18-19, 2023 in Monterey, California.

NGCOA member courses will benefit from preferred access to complete human resource and payroll platform through this expanded relationship with Paylocity, a leading provider of cloud-based human resource and payroll software solutions. These business-critical solutions will help NGCOA members save money, reduce administrative challenges, and support their employees more effectively.

This program will provide NGCOA members preferred benefits on Paylocity’s HR and payroll platform including preferential pricing plus access to a dedicated team for implementation, execution and ongoing client success. Paylocity’s offerings are now available to NGCOA members through the NGCOA Smart Buy Marketplace purchasing program at .

NGCOA is pleased to announce that 2023 U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Zach Johnson will sit down with NGCOA CEO Jay Karen for a conversation and audience Q&A on Wednesday, January 25 during NGCOA’s Golf Business Conference 2023 in Orlando, FL.

The NGCOA’s Golf Business Conference is the industry’s largest annual gathering of golf course owners, operators, general managers and others who run golf course businesses, and once again is co-located with the PGA Show.

NGCOA is pleased 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.

“All the nominees put forth this year are exceptional examples of our industry’s finest,” said Tom Brooks, President of the NGCOA Board of Directors. “The winners exemplify their importance to their community, and our sport and industry. We proudly congratulate those who were selected for this year’s NGCOA awards.”

All winners will be recognized during Golf Business Conference 2023, being held January 23-25, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. Visit GolfBusinessConference.com for event details.

If you're responsible for the success of a golf course business, you must attend the National Golf Course Owners Association’s (NGCOA) Golf Business Conference 2023 (GBC23). This annual event will again be held in Orlando, Florida from January 23-25 (alongside the 2023 PGA Show, running January 24-27). Visit GolfBusinessConference.com for details.

The Golf Business Conference is the largest annual gathering of golf course owners and operators, and also serves as NGCOA’s annual member meeting. The 2023 conference pass includes 12+ business-critical education sessions, various networking receptions and meals (including a special meet & greet for new NGCOA members and GBC first-timers), a Sponsor Fair & Happy Hour, annual award winner recognition, and much more. Two pre-conference sessions, the annual Yamaha Golf Outing, and guest passes for social and networking events are optional additions.

The Rosen Centre Hotel will again serve as the official GBC host hotel, where most education and networking will take place. 

 

NGCOA is pleased to announce its latest executive partnership with aboutGOLF, a pioneer and current industry leader in the premium indoor golf and entertainment space. aboutGOLF is now an executive partner of the association and NGCOA Smart Buy Marketplace partner, and is offering members a complimentary two-year full commercial subscription, including access to all of the courses, ranges and games when they purchase a simulator. Members can learn more and take advantage of this exclusive benefit at sims.aboutgolf.com/ngcoa.

The NGCOA is pleased to announce its latest golf industry partnership with the United States Golf Association (USGA). Through this partnership, the USGA will offer research, education and solutions related to agronomy and on-course golf experience to NGCOA members.

The USGA will continue its sponsorship of NGCOA events, as well as inform NGCOA members on agronomic issues through educational content contributions to the Golf Business WEEKLY newsletter and Golf Business Podcasts. The USGA will also support NGCOA’s growing group of Top Agronomic Officers (TAOs).

NGCOA members can sign up for a free subscription to the USGA Green Section Record, and receive discounts on agronomic consulting, GPS Service and the association’s Deacon data platform through the NGCOA-USGA Smart Buy Program.

NGCOA is pleased to announce the addition of new staff, and internal moves and promotions.

Membership: Rachel Carter joins NGCOA as Senior Director of Membership. She has more than 20 years of professional country club and golf club experience and most recently served as a consultant and member specialist for RCS Hospitality, a long-time NGCOA partner. She has been publicly recognized as an industry expert, and frequently speaks and writes about issues in our industry. Rachel has also served as Assistant General Manager, Member Services at the prestigious Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach. She is well-positioned to support and grow our membership.

Corporate Partnerships: After leading the Membership department for four years, Jay Andersen returns to his roots in the Corporate Partnerships department, promoted to Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships (co-leading with Mike Ketterman). Jay has been with NGCOA since 2014 and his aptitude for building industry relationships, as well as growing sponsorship and advertiser engagement, over the past eight years will continue in this new role.

Education: Taylor Wall has been promoted to Senior Director of Education. Taylor has been with NGCOA since 2020, starting his run as the Marketing department’s Content Manager. His new responsibilities include leading efforts related to NGCOA’s Golf Business assets (Golf Business magazine, Golf Business LIVE, Golf Business WEEKLY, etc.) as well as building the educational program and crafting the education program at NGCOA’s events. Assisting him is recently-hired Content Coordinator, Harry Murrell. Harry brings his talent for writing and audio/video creation and editing. Just previous to joining us, he served as a Golf Assistant at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Marketing: With Taylor’s transition out of managing content for the Marketing department, Will Mooney replaces him as Marketing Coordinator, responsible for email and social media marketing. Will is a recent graduate of High Point University, where he majored in Sports Management, and most recently worked as Athletic Communications Assistant for Wake Forest University.

“The changes to our team here at NGCOA HQ are very exciting,” said Jay Karen, NGCOA’s chief executive officer. “Rachel is coming onto the senior executive team at a critical time when we have big changes in store for the organization. The members and our affiliates are going to love working with her. Will and Harry have hit the ground running, and I can’t wait to see what they add to our output. Rounding out our executive team with Jay and Taylor covers all our bases with people who have been doing great work.”

With great sadness, the NGCOA staff and board of directors learned of Hilda Allen’s unexpected passing last week.

As president and managing director of her company, Hilda W. Allen Real Estate, she was a consistent presence at NGCOA for more than 25 years. Hilda shared her real estate passion and expertise with NGCOA members by sponsoring and exhibiting at our conferences, as well as presenting at educational sessions.

The combination of her Georgia-bred southern charm, business acumen, and knack for connecting people resulted in her stellar reputation and popularity within our industry. Hilda will be greatly missed.

“Hilda Allen was a giant in our industry,” said Jay Karen, NGCOA’s chief executive officer. “For the 24 years I knew her, I couldn’t wait to see her at our events. Behind that sly grin and twinkle in her eye was a treasure trove of knowledge and experience. She was tough and warm wrapped up in the same package. We will miss her dearly.”

We are pleased to hear that Hilda’s son, Marty Howell, will continue to run her business.

If you would like to make a contribution, her family suggests a contribution in her memory to the Cook County Educational Foundation, 1109 N. Parrish Avenue, Adel, GA 31620

NGCOA just released the 2022 Golf Business Pulse Report, which was developed and produced in partnership with Sports and Leisure Research Group, and sponsored by the United States Golf Association (USGA).

This insightful publication ​​examines emerging trends and critical issues for the year ahead, a macro perspective on the state of the golf course operations business, and a deeper analysis into three key operating areas: Operations, Agronomy and Customer Development & Engagement.

NGCOA members can download the report at no cost, and non-member golf course owners and operators can purchase the report for $99.

NGCOA is pleased to announce a corporate partnership with 100GROUP. As the ”Exclusive Merchant Processing Partner of NGCOA,” 100GROUP will provide NGCOA member golf courses with one complimentary year of PCI compliance services, followed by a 70 percent discount on continued PCI compliance services, 24/7 business concierge, and next-day funding. NGCOA members can learn more and take advantage of this NGCOA Smart Buy Marketplace benefit at 100group.com/ngcoa.

In addition to PCI compliance, 100GROUP offers its clients service and 24/7 support for integrated software payments, credit card processing, ACH/check processing, POS integration, retail/e-commerce, hosted payment pages, phone orders, mobile/contactless payments, and chargeback assistance.