Announcements

NGCOA recently awarded Don Rossi Scholarships to four students pursuing degrees in golf-related fields. Chosen from a large highly-qualified pool of applicants, this year’s four scholarship recipients are Michelle Reyes, a rising junior at Florida Gulf Coast University, Nicholas Stewart, a rising senior at N.C. State University, Maxwell Bancker and Ian Stirt, both rising seniors at Florida Gulf Coast University.

The Don Rossi Scholarship Fund was created in 1993 by the National Golf Course Owners Association, based in Charleston, S.C. The scholarship is for college juniors and seniors who are majoring in Sports Administration, Golf Enterprise Management or Sports Management, and who intend to pursue a career in a golf-related field. This year’s scholarships total $7,500, and winners were chosen from applicants from 25 colleges and universities throughout the country. Since the program began awarding scholarship funds in 1999, more than $109,000 has been given to deserving candidates.

“We are proud to support the education of young men and women who are excited about careers in our industry,” said Jay Karen, Chief Executive Officer of the NGCOA. “We’re pleased to make this scholarship available to such deserving students.”

In addition to helping establish the NGCOA, Don Rossi served as president of the National Golf Foundation and was executive director of the Golf Course Builders Association of America. Rossi passed away in 1990. For more information on the Don Rossi Scholarship, visit coastalcommunityfoundation.org/scholarships/don-rossi-scholarship or contact Caroline Rakar, Director of Grantmaking and Scholarships at Coastal Community Foundation at caroline@coastalcommunityfoundation.org or 843-793-6120.

Increasing revenue has always been incredibly critical to the health of businesses, even before the challenges that the coronavirus recently created throughout the U.S. The National Golf Course Owners Association’s newest event, Golf Business RevCon 2020, was originally designed to give owners and operators tools and techniques to build new revenue streams, identify and retrieve lost revenue, and yield better revenue out of traditional sources. Today, more than ever, boosting revenue streams could be the difference between success and failure.

Golf Business RevCon 2020 is golf’s only event that’s all about revenue. It will offer expert education, insights and tools from leading speakers in research and data, hospitality, technology, marketing, food and beverage, entertainment and gaming, and retail. Attendees will also hear directly from other successful golf course owners and operators how they applied these and similar practices and increased revenues at their businesses. 

Golf course owners and operators can attend RevCon20 either 1) at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV, or 2) remotely from a computer or mobile device. Those attending in Las Vegas will enjoy first-class food and top-shelf beverages at CDC-compliant properties with full safety precautions in effect, as well as golf and gaming. Remote attendees will participate in the same education sessions concurrently, and enjoy virtual activities. Attendance is complimentary for most registration types.

The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) announced that Jay Karen, CAE, the Chief Executive Officer of NGCOA, has been nominated to serve as a Director at Large on both the ASAE Board of Directors and the ASAE Research Foundation Board of Directors for a three-year term. The new board will be officially installed during the 2020 ASAE Virtual Annual Meeting & Exposition, August 10-12, 2020, and his term will begin September 1, 2020.

According to its website, ASAE is “a membership organization of more than 46,000 association executives and industry partners representing 7,400 organizations. ASAE members lead, manage, and work in or partner with organizations in more than a dozen association management disciplines, from executive management to finance to technology. In 2020, ASAE is celebrating 100 years of making the world better, safer, and smarter. The centennial anniversary represents ASAE’s role as a leader and supporter of progress and innovation in the association industry.”

Jay and seven other association executives were chosen by the Leadership Committee of ASAE and the ASAE Research Foundation as a slate "who best exemplify ASAE’s membership profile and are representative of the organization’s diversity—including geography, size, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, skill sets and areas of experience."

“Associations play a significant role in American culture, public policy, and workforce, and we touch just about every aspect of the economy,” said Karen. “ASAE is the organization that supports the success of the people who manage and lead associations at all levels. I am honored to serve an organization that has been an important part of my personal and professional life for over twenty years.”

In an effort to support golf courses throughout the country during these times of crisis and uncertainty, the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) has opened Accelerate -- its members-only online discussion community -- to ALL golf course owners and operators. Access will be available through May 31, 2020 at no cost or obligation to the facility. Interested owners and operators can sign up for this free access at bit.ly/Join_Accelerate.

“If we can open the lines of communication between more golf course owners and operators, perhaps we can play a part in greater business survival and recovery,” said Jay Karen, NGCOA CEO. “Having one location where course operators can connect, share and learn as proven to be one of the most valuable benefits for our members."

Many courses have closed temporarily or have changed normal operating procedures, while others are still completely open for play. Some owners and operators are left only with the ability to protect and maintain their investment and are trying to prioritize their spring maintenance with a very limited crew. It’s business and staff challenges like these where encouragement and advice from experienced peers provide solace; this online portal has always been useful to members but has become even more of a vital resource for this communication since this pandemic began.

“I love having this Accelerate community in this crazy time!” said Amy Coghill, owner of Silver Lake Golf Club in Orland Park, IL. “I get great info and a sense of 'we're all in this together'."

NGCOA is pleased to announce its latest corporate partner, Perfect Golf Event (PGE), a Signature Group-affiliated company and the leader in providing technical and logistical support for golf event organizers.

Through this relationship, PGE will offer NGCOA members golf tournament software, charity golf tournament planning, golf tournament management, golf outing prizes and events and fundraising tools. The partnership also includes preferred rates and special customer care services; NGCOA members can access this new benefit through the NGCOA Smart Buy Marketplace at ngcoa.org/smartbuy.

“We’re delighted to add Perfect Golf Event as an NGCOA corporate partner,” said Jay Karen, Chief Executive Officer of NGCOA. “Golf events are proven to generate revenue year-round; this partnership with PGE ensures that courses have good tools and service to plan and execute them successfully.”

Perfect Golf Event includes customized individual event websites branded for each golf course, the ability to attract and retain profitable events and outings with repeat business and numerous referrals, increased per-outing revenue and direct Perfect Golf Event staff customer support with outing organizers to create event marketing and a player registration platform.

“Perfect Golf Event looks forward to working with the NGCOA to help create incremental revenue for course owners and make it easier to do so with the creation of new events at their courses,” said Paul Courter, Chief Operating Officer of Perfect Golf Event. “Partnering with the NGCOA will facilitate these relationships and help present multiple opportunities for golf course businesses.”

NGCOA is pleased to announce it has renewed its annual corporate partnership agreement with Rain Bird Corporation, a leading global manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services.

Through this continued relationship, Rain Bird will continue as the exclusive irrigation provider in the NGCOA Smart Buy Marketplace purchasing program’s Agronomy category. The partnership also includes sponsorship of NGCOA’s annual Golf Business Conference, Multi-Course & Resort Operators Retreat, and new Golf Business RevCon event. Rain Bird will also become one of the founding sponsors of the Top Resort Officer center on NGCOA’s soon-to-be-launched new website.

“NGCOA’s members have been very pleased with the rebates, products and customer service they’ve received from Rain Bird through the NGCOA Smart Buy Marketplace” said Jay Karen, NGCOA’s Chief Executive Officer. “Rain Bird has also supplied our members with irrigation education, which not only benefits their businesses but the industry as a whole. We’re delighted to be able to continue this valuable relationship.”

NGCOA members will continue to receive exclusive rebates on Rain Bird Golf irrigation products. Rain Bird’s Total System Solutions provide complete integration of components, making them easier to manage and more efficient to operate than mix-and-match solutions, resulting in water and labor expense savings.

“Rain Bird is proud to be NGCOA’s corporate partner,” said Stuart Hackwell, Director of Rain Bird’s Golf Division. “Rain Bird is very excited to continue to work with NGCOA golf course owner and operator members. We strongly believe that the innovative Rain Bird product line will meet the needs of member golf course owners and operators while saving water and energy. We support the NGCOA Smart Buy Program and believe the associated benefit will add significant value for NGCOA members.”