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Industry News

Golf 20/20 releases annual report
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. – Golf 20/20, the World Golf Foundation’s initiative focused on the growth of the game, published its annual Industry Report. It’s available at www.golf2020.com.
The report looks at the state of the game at the end of 2003 by gathering information about facility development, rounds played, interest and participation. The information comes from a variety of sources. The report’s objective is to look at the information to determine areas of opportunity and concern.
Highlights from the report include:
• Interest in golf remains strong.
• The decrease of rounds played from 2002 to 2003 was 1.5 percent, half the decrease from 2001 to 2002.
• There were 37.9 million participants during 2003, and 27.4 million golfers, both all-time highs.
• The pace of golf course development has slowed in reaction to the marketplace. Fewer golf courses are being planned and opened than at any time during the past 16 years.
• All three golfer segments – occasional (one to seven rounds annually), core (eight to 24 rounds) and avid (25 or more) – increased during 2003, but core and avid totals remain short of all-time highs.
• Research and trends indicate women represent the most significant opportunity for future growth, and that golf must focus on reaching ethnic minorities.
The report confirms the industry’s need to focus on frequency. There are more participants and golfers than at any time during the past, yet throughout the past three years, there has been a decline of rounds played.

ARS, Turf group sign research pact
Washington – The Agricultural Research Service and the National Turfgrass Federation agreed to launch a long-term research program to improve the nation’s turfgrass. ARS is the chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
New research will be conducted as part of a national turfgrass initiative, a cooperative effort between the turfgrass industry, universities and ARS.
“This is the first attempt to provide the type of long-term research that has been key to the success of all other major crops,” says ARS acting administrator Edward B. Knipling.
Turfgrass is a major agricultural crop that covers 50 million acres nationally and supports a $40-billion-a-year business.
Turfgrass is the only crop industry that increases with urban development, Knipling says.
The NTF also works with university researchers to evaluate turfgrass in 40 states, according to Kevin Morris, with the NTF in Beltsville, Md. The new initiative will support research in six priority areas identified by the industry as their top research needs: improvement of water management, germplasm collection and enhancement, pest management, improving turfgrass’ role in the environment, soil enhancement and integrated turf management systems.
Morris says the NTF is going through Congress to try to get money put in the federal budget for turfgrass research.
“The biggest problem is universities don’t have the funding to do long-term research,” he says. “The federal government is supposed to do it. It does it for every other crop. It’s hard for the private sector to do the research because they need to realize a profit.
“We’re not food or fiber, but we’re important. We’re getting hit with environmental concerns that we need to address and make real progress with.”
Short-term effects of research would be management oriented, such as water strategies, Morris says. Long-term effects would be product development that could take 15 to 20 years.

Golf heading generates 52 million look-ups
Berkeley Heights, N.J. – The “public golf courses” heading generates more than 52 million look-ups per year, ranking 47th out of more than 4,000 “Yellow Pages” headings, according to the Yellow Pages Integrated Media Association.
Public golf courses account for 73 percent of about 16,000 golf courses in the United States, and Americans spend more than $24 billion on golf supplies and playing fees annually, according to the National Golf Foundation.
In addition to listings and ads, many “Yellow Pages” publishers offer special golf guides within their directories, which include local golf course listings, hours, maps and details about particular golf courses. This makes it easy for golfers to find their favorite links.
 “Golf course owners and managers have an opportunity to attract these ready-to-golf consumers through the ‘Yellow Pages,’” says Larry Small, director of research for YPIMA.

Volunteers fix driving range
Fayetteville, N.C. – Volunteer efforts in the golf industry allowed students in Methodist College’s Professional Golf Management program to enjoy a renovated driving range.
The project coordinator was Steve Dorer, who until last year was the certified golf course superintendent responsible for the college’s 18-hole golf course. Dorer is now with Revels Tractor Co. In concert with golf program director Jerry Hogge, Dorer and Brian Whitcomb, secretary of the PGA of America, the partnership created an example of what can be achieved when the golf industry work together.
Whitcomb, who also is a designer, provided shapers for the project at no charge.
The new range features bookend hitting areas, target greens and aesthetically pleasing undulations. The winding fairway is made of 419 Bermudagrass. An upgraded irrigation system will help ensure optimal performance.
The project also included installation of a practice fairway bunker, a greenside bunker and a chipping area. Three new practice putting greens were built providing 21,000 square feet of putting surface. All are grassed with tifdwarf Bermudagrass.