This award recognizes a golf course that epitomizes exceptional course quality and management excellence, while making important contributions to their communities and the game. Award recipients will be honored at NGCOA's annual Golf Business Conference 2024, being held January 22-24, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. For a list of past National Course of the Year Award winners, click here.
If your course is located within an NGCOA Affiliate state/region which awards a state/regional Course of the Year, the “Affiliate Course of the Year” will automatically appear on the Course of the Year ballot as the sole nominee from that market. Contact your Affiliate Executive Director for more details and deadlines.
Who can apply/be nominated?
Any current NGCOA member who has been an active NGCOA member for at least one year. If your course is located within an Affiliate State, you must go through your affiliate's course of the year process and win to be considered for the National Course of the Year. If your course is not in an affiliate state, you may submit your nomination directly to the NGCOA by following the instructions below.
How do I apply/submit an application? (Non-Affiliate markets only)
To nominate your course (or another member course) for this award the course must be first nominated for Regional Course of the Year for their respective region (West, Midwest, Southeast and Northeast - click here for map).
Please take the following steps to nominate a course for consideration:
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Complete the Nomination Ballot
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Have the course, or course representative, submit a presentation file (in PDF format) that best supports the criteria required of a Regional Course of the Year nominee.
Criteria for Regional Course of the Year nomination:
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Exceptional Quality of the Course
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Exceptional Quality of Ownership and Management
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Outstanding Contribution to its Community
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Significant Contribution to the Game
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Supplemental materials must be submitted as one file in .pdf format. (If you’re including photos they must be embedded within the .pdf file; please do not submit separate attachments).
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Applications and/or nominations must be submitted electronically to Rachel Carter, NGCOA’s Senior Director of Membership, at rcarter@ngcoa.org no later than midnight Saturday, September 30, 2023.
What is the selection process?
Four regional winners (one winner from the West, Midwest, Southeast and Northeast) will be selected by the NGCOA Awards Selections Committee as finalists for the National Jemsek Course of the Year award and will be recognized as their respective regions Regional Course of the Year Award. Finalists will then be voted on by the NGCOA Board of Directors and one winner will be selected as the National Course of the Year honoree.
All regional finalists will be notified and asked to provide 15+ high-resolution photos and video (if available) that highlight the course as well as represent the information provided in the initial nomination. Photos and videos submitted will be used by the NGCOA to highlight the course during the awards presentation at the Annual Golf Business Conference.
All four regional winners and the Jemsek National Course of the Year will be recognized at the annual Golf Business Conference.
Questions?
Rachel Carter
Senior Director of Membership
rcarter@ngcoa.org