Page 40 - GBC Spring 2022 ENG

Just
the
Facts What did
NGCOA Canada do for you?
• Over 500 Bulletins (and counting) have been issued to-date [interpreted specifically for golf and customized by province] since March 2020
• 50 downloadable operational resources have been developed to- date and distributed to golf courses (ex. signage templates)
• 36 new supplier partnerships benefitting members and offering specific resources to meet public health measures
• Developed Best Practices/Safety Protocols for golf courses to follow to be recognized as a safe activity; we continue to monitor guidelines and adjust as changes occur
• Member outreach consisting of 1300 personal phone calls to all member golf courses to check-in and see how we could help
• Government advocacy program with 212 letters and phone calls made to Government officials at the national and various provincial levels
• Conducted Webinars (12) for members on Funding, Employment Standards, and an operator’s perspective on running a golf operation during COVID-19
40 Golf Business Canada
NGCOA Canada was ideally positioned to fill this void based on our organizational structure with a national office in Ottawa and regional offices (integrated Chapters) coast-to-coast.
The NGCOA Canada established a centralized Crisis Management Team to monitor and track Federal/Provincial directives and guidelines as well as the development of an ongoing plan to quickly disseminate information to our stakeholders. This allowed for a turnaround time from announcement to dissemination of a Bulletin which was almost immediate.
Early on in the pandemic (April 2020), the NGCOA Canada made the decision to do a personal call to all 1300+ members to see how they were doing and how we could help. The ongoing communication between staff in regional offices and the head office in Ottawa with our entire membership was extensive. From those thousands of conversations, it was quickly determined that there was a need to be filled ... and thus the introduction of 36 supplier programs offering savings to golf courses on specific COVID related expenses.
The NGCOA Canada also quickly created an extensive online COVID-19 Resource Centre on the ngcoa.ca website, which is now the go-to resource for all golf industry stakeholders.
GOLF RECOGNIZED BY GOVERNMENT AS A SAFE ACTIVITY
NGCOA Canada is very proud that our relentless advocacy work (in conjunction with our We Are Golf partners) has resulted in golf being widely recognized as a safe activity, while respecting Public Health Guidelines, by all levels of Government.
The growth in Rounds Played at golf courses has been phenomenal during the pandemic. The NGCOA Canada executes a Rounds Played Report each month and October 2021 data shows an increase of 30% over the same period in 2019 (pre-pandemic) which is considered tremendous growth in an industry that was best described as slightly declining or flat.
Membership in NGCOA Canada has never been stronger! Our membership retention rate is currently at an astounding 98%. As a result of opening up our communication channels to non-member golf courses, the association added an additional 154 new members to the NGCOA Canada family between March 15, 2020 and December 13, 2021; many who indicated they joined as a result of our COVID-19 initiatives.
If you are not currently a member of the NGCOA Canada, what are you waiting for? Make the call today to join! Contact our NGCOA Canada Head Office today at 866-626-4262 or visit us online at www.ngcoa.ca to get involved.
Golf Business Canada