Page 8 - GBC Summer ENG 2021

Message From The CEO, NGCOA Canada • Jeff Calderwood
The First Tee
Keep Your Finger on The Pulse
The cover story in this issue is all about the Pulse of the Canadian golf industry. It combines a 2020 Year-in- Review with the Business Outlook for our 2021 season.
Those insights are important to golf course operators, providing valuable reference points for your own strategic planning and benchmark comparisons to your own results.
So, I think you will find the feature story to be an insightful and timely read. As usual, this edition of Golf Business Canada is also packed with other great content to support your business success.
I have been writing this page of Golf Business Canada in every issue for the past 24 years. This is the first time that I have had to scrap what I had already written and start over due to a sudden change in circumstances facing golf.
Shortly after committing to my first draft, Premier Ford announced that Ontario golf would be shut down until at least May 20 due to COVID-19. This was
unexpected bad news. Given that Ontario includes over 40% of the golf courses in Canada, there was also the risk that it could become precedent setting for other provinces.
So, once again, the NGCOA Canada immediately mobilized our resources to advocate on behalf of golf. Along with our allied partners, we have had good success establishing the safety protocols and influencing each provincial government throughout the past year. Golf truly is a valuable contributor to society in a pandemic. But, that message needs constant reinforcement with government officials and related stakeholders.
For example, here is how I positioned that message in a CTV interview on April 20th, about the recent Ontario shutdown:
“We are concerned that the closure of golf courses is depriving Ontario citizens of some much-needed healthy recreation. Golf demonstrated itself to be an ideal solution for the essential mental and physical exercise that health officials are recommending. There have been no outbreaks. In effect, golf is a pleasant 15 km walk through 150 acres
of nature with 3 friends or family, easily distanced from each other. In Ontario, 1.8 million golfers and 85,000 employees of the golf industry are looking forward to the return of Canada’s most played sport. We are confident that Premier Ford’s team will make that prudent decision at the very earliest possible moment to keep a safe outdoor activity, such as golf, available for the overall good of Ontarians.”
The Pulse of the Canadian golf industry is both healthy and at risk during these uncertain times. We all need to do our part to ensure that governments, golfers and golf course operators position golf as part of the solution, not the problem.
Jeff Calderwood, CEO NGCOA Canada jcalderwood@ngcoa.ca
8 Golf Business Canada