The choice of Pete Bevacqua as keynote speaker for the second annual G4 Summit wasn’t just serendipitous, but in some ways it seemed ideal given the nature of the gathering.
After all, this was an event designed so that Colorado’s top golf organizations could join forces to combat issues that keep golf from realizing its full potential in the state.
And who better to talk about what can be achieved by teaming up than someone who has held major leadership positions at both the PGA of America and the USGA? Bevacqua has seen the game from both sides — as well as from having been a caddie, a caddiemaster and a golf shop attendant.
Especially given his background, he realizes that organizations staking out territory often is counterproductive, especially when they share the overarching goal of growing the game of golf.
Bevacqua (left) has noted the possibilities when groups such as the PGA of America, the USGA, the PGA and LPGA Tours, and Augusta National collectively attack an issue.
“We all come at it from slightly different angles, but the similarities so vastly outweigh the differences, so what we can do is profound,” he said Tuesday in a speech at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs. “And I think collaboration is at an all-time high.”
While Bevacqua, now the CEO of the PGA of America, was speaking about the national golf organizations, his words fit just as well on a local level in Colorado.
At the Broadmoor, representatives from the CGA, CWGA, Colorado PGA, the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents and the Mile High Chapter of the Club Managers Association came together in an effort to help make the game in Colorado take a step or two in the right direction.
And certainly something must have struck a chord for those in the golf industry as about 300 people — up from a little more than 125 last year — attended the second G4 Summit.
“The collaboration is better than it’s ever been,” noted Eddie Ainsworth, executive director of the Colorado PGA. “We’re in control of our future, and I’m excited about it.”
Asked his reaction to how the day played out, CGA executive director Ed Mate said, “I would just say ‘home run’. You plan a day like today — it’s a team effort; it was truly the G4. Really what it shows is when you work together you get better results. … It’s going to be a tough act to follow, frankly, for future years. It was an A-plus.”
The main speakers covered a wide variety of topics, all very important to golf’s future. Hunki Yun, who as director of strategic projects with the USGA helps oversee pace-of-play issues for the organization, detailed that problem and ways to combat it. “The more (data) you have about what’s happening, the better,” he said. “It’s crucial to have control over the system.”
Sandy Cross (left), senior director of diversity and inclusion at the PGA of America, discussed the importance of understanding generational attributes in trying to attract young, middle-aged and older players — as well as both women and men — to the game. “It has dramatic implications for what (golf) is trying to accomplish,” she said. “Marketing must evolve. We have to adapt.”
And some ingrained ideas are simply outmoded, Cross said, citing for example the idea of selecting tee boxes based on gender rather than ability. “That’s deeply flawed. It’s denigrating and not welcoming.”
And Bevacqua not only spoke about the PGA’s strategic plan, but in steps the organization has taken recently to grow the game and become more inclusive. He cited Suzy Whaley becoming the first national female officer of the PGA of America, working with the LPGA to create the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the national PGA being more open to ideas emanating from the PGA Sections, and PGA programs such as Get Golf Ready, PGA Junior League and the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship.
“It was a great day of education and exchanging information and best practices,” said CWGA executive director Ann Guiberson, who was attending her first G4 Summit after being hired early last spring. “It was very informative, with some top speakers. And I think the mix of speakers appealed to a wide audience.”
Given that nationwide, the National Golf Foundation reports that only about 21 percent of all golfers are women, the CWGA was especially interested in getting Cross’ perspective on growing the game among females. To that end, the CWGA leadership met with Cross to exchange information, ask questions and “get some more ideas as to what we can do to grow women’s golf in Colorado,” Guiberson said.
In addition to the presentations, there was a panel discussion in which Bevacqua, Yun, Cross and J.D. Dockstader, chief business development officer of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, addressed a wide variety of golf industry-related topics (photo at bottom).
While many major hurdles remain for golf, they don’t seem quite as insurmountable when the golf industry throws its collective weight behind trying to implement solutions.
“Combined, we can make golf all it can be,” noted CGA president Phil Lane, who served as an unofficial host at his home club at the Broadmoor.
All in all, what came to fruition Tuesday gave the organizers a sense of satisfaction in taking a noteworthy step forward.
“This is something Ed Mate and I have been passionately working on (along with the CWGA, superintendents and club managers) for several years now,” Ainsworth said. “We are singularly focused on moving the needle together.”
Notable: The CGA provided a sneak preview of its new logo to those in attendance at the G4 Summit. The full-scale public unveiling will be coming shortly. … The Colorado PGA reported the Golf in Schools Program, a joint effort of the Allied Golf Associations in Colorado, has now reached 30,000 kids through P.E. classes over the last five years. … To date, 29 Colorado golf facilities have signed up for PGA Junior League Golf, where the idea is to bring a Little League atmosphere to junior golf competition for boys and girls of all skill levels. … Local qualifiers for the 2015 Drive Chip & Putt Championship will take place in June and July, with a sub-regional planned for CommonGround Golf Course on Aug. 30. The competition is open to boys and girls age 7-15. For a list of the Colorado qualifying sites, CLICK HERE.
