It’s no coincidence that Colorado Golf Alliance Day at the Capitol is scheduled for this week.
If ever golf is high on the radar screen of both people who play the game and those who are just casual sports fans, it’s this time of year. The Masters, which concluded on Sunday, draws the highest TV ratings of the year for golf tournaments. And golfers tend to crank up their games in the early spring.
Which brings us back to Colorado Golf Alliance Day at the Capitol in Denver. This year’s event, scheduled for Wednesday morning (April 12), marks the second year for the gathering, which is designed to let those in the Colorado golf industry make state lawmakers aware of — or reinforce — the many benefits of the game.
“It worked out well when we had it last year in April,” said Jennifer Cassell, who for the last two years has served as a lobbyist for the five organizations that make up the Allied Golf Associations of Colorado (the CGA, CWGA, Colorado PGA, the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association and the Mile High Chapter of the Club Managers Association of America). “There’s a lot of excitement and enthusiasm (immediately) after the Masters, so there was a lot of interest.”
Events like the one planned for Wednesday at the Colorado state capitol are becoming more and more prevalent. National Golf Day will be held on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., for the 10th time on April 26, led by the “We Are Golf” coalition of top golf organizations. And some state groups organize gatherings similar to the one in Colorado. Other interest groups do the same thing.
“The main objective is visibility,” CGA executive director Ed Mate said in a recent email, “and sharing the word that golf (among other things):
1. is an important part of the state’s economy;
2. protects open space and wildlife habitats;
3. uses water in a prudent way;
4. provides a forum for social interaction for a lifetime;
5. keeps people active for life and;
6. can serve as a tool for youth development and rehabilitation.”
Cassell said that last year’s event at the state capitol drew almost 20 legislators, who talked with the representatives of the golf organizations and gathered information. Of particular interest were water use and environmental stewardship. Some lawmakers tried their hands on a small putting green that was set up, or examined tools of the trade used by course superintendents.
“Some stay five or 10 minutes, some longer,” Cassell said. “We’ve also invited and encouraged the governor and lieutenant governor and staffs to come. Obviously, every year we want to get more (lawmakers) there, and I think there will be.”
The golf representatives will have breakfast and network for 90 minutes, then will be introduced on the floor of the state house shortly after 9 a.m.
“Each legislator has a different opinion (about golf),” Cassell said. “I think (lawmakers) have a good understanding of the impact golf has in our state.”
An independent study, commissioned by the Allied Golf Associations of Colorado, found that the Colorado golf industry contributed more than $560 million in direct revenue to the state’s economy in 2002. Including indirect economic activity, the total impact in Colorado was $1.2 billion.
Nationally, according to We Are Golf, golf contributes $68.8 billion to the American economy.
But beyond that, when golf industry leaders build relationships with lawmakers and give them their perspective on various issues, it can pay dividends down the road. That can be especially crucial when proposals related to water use, pesticide application, or other matters especially integral to golf come up in a legislative session.
“One of the goals is to get better engaged and build better relationships with legislators,” Cassell noted.
