Link Up 2 Golf is a national initiative by the PGA of America to grow the game. Fox Hollow has joined the effort.
By BOB HARIG
Published September 4, 2003
In an effort to grow the game of golf, officials have long sought to bring in new players, often focusing on youngsters, hoping they'll pick up the sport and enjoy it for a lifetime.
But somewhere during this process, those officials may have overlooked a fairly healthy segment of the public: those who, for whatever reason, once played the game but quit.
Hence, the formation of Link Up 2 Golf, a national initiative led by the PGA of America which in recent months has expanded into 34 markets across the United States, including Tampa Bay.
"Golf's numbers have been stagnant over the years," said Tom Shea, a PGA of America teaching professional who is running the area's inaugural Link Up 2 Golf program at Fox Hollow Golf Club. "We're not really growing, and the powers that be don't want to see what happened with tennis, where participation declined. Before it becomes a negative (in golf), they have determined that we need to find ways to grow the game.
"Their focus is obviously new golfers, but also golfers who may have dabbled in it and maybe want to come back."
According to the National Golf Foundation, former golfers cite several reasons for dropping out: time, family obligations, expense, finding people to play with and skill level.
That is where Link Up 2 Golf comes in. The program seeks to make learning golf more fun and less intimidating while also striving to get beginners or occasional players to play more often.
Participants sign up for eight once-a-week sessions that range from $149 to $189. At Fox Hollow, there are Tuesday and Thursday sessions that begin at 5:30 p.m. One is for beginners, the other for those who have played in the past. All are co-ed, with six to eight players in each group.
Fox Hollow, in south Pasco County, is the first area course to implement the program. Others soon to take part are Mangrove Bay in St. Petersburg, Westchase in Tampa and Northdale in Tampa. The hope is to expand the program to several other courses.
"It is designed to grow the game, to take people who are infrequent players, give them an opportunity for a series of lessons and playing opportunities," said M.G. Orender, president of the PGA of America. "Or to reach out to people who are now interested in playing the game in a very fun, friendly, nonthreatening environment, and we are expanding that program across the country."
More than 1,200 PGA members responded to the call to start and promote this program since its inception a few months ago. "I think that we'll see some very good progress toward growth and participation in this country in rounds of golf," Orender predicted.
One of golf's great challenges has been how to get young, not always affluent, players attracted to the game despite its cost.
Youth programs across the country introduce the sport and produce interested players, who then find equipment costs or access to courses prohibitive.
While the industry still wrestles with that issue, it has recognized there is a segment of people for which those concerns are less prevalent: people who have played the game, have equipment and have disposable income.
"There is an emphasis on the people who have money to come into the game," Shea said. "Say the 40- to 60-year-old age bracket. They feel that this is easy because of recreational needs but also because this age group may have dabbled in the game at some point in their lives."
Other ideas include going after the corporate golfer and helping that segment conduct business, as well as getting families to learn and play the game together.
"Make it a family outing, as if they were going to go to Busch Gardens," Shea said. "This is an area where I feel we can make the greatest growth because of the issues of time to play the game and also spending time with the family. I know my own passion for this area comes right from my own home. I am in the business, but don't get enough time with my wife and kids. But we have spent time on the golf course and it has been good quality time together."
- For more information or to sign up, visit www.linkup2golf.com or playgolfamerica.com.
