Page 46 - GBC English Fall 2020

The Parting Shot
What a year it has been!
It seems like ages ago that we were first hearing media reports of something called the coronavirus! We were unsure if there would be a 2020 golf season and many of us felt lost and helpless in our planning and decision making.
I have never appreciated my friends and colleagues in the golf community more than I do right now. Early on there were frequent conversations (at times, daily) with fellow NGCOA Canada owners and operators in my area and across the country, as we navigated the onslaught of news and uncertainty. We worried about how we could get the message out that golf could be made safe with the right protocols in place while being sensitive to the plight of other businesses in our communities that were not going to be able to open. We shared ideas and concerns and worked out plans of how we could have a safe golf season. These conversations then expanded into our provincial allied golf associations who, in Alberta, were able to lobby the government to offer our protocols and plans to open safely.
This process was being repeated in most of the provinces as the situation evolved. There were some obstacles that had to be overcome to get the message out that golf could be adapted into a very safe activity but by working together with a unified message, golf was eventually able to open across the country.
I would like to thank everyone that stepped up in their region to get the golf business going this season. These champions are scattered across the country and I will likely never get the chance to thank you personally. The volunteer members of the chapter boards, the members of the national board, and the allied partners that stepped up also deserve a thank you. I also was able to see the tireless work put in by the staff at the NGCOA Canada to do whatever they could to educate and advocate for the opening of golf. Our industry was backed into a corner and we joined together and fought our way out. I could not be prouder to say that I was the president of this association during this time of crisis and see how so many joined together to get through it.
At the time of writing, the season is in full swing, and from what I hear, golf is doing well. Longer tee time intervals, little or no events, dropped food and beverage sales, and struggling pro shops will take a bit of the shine off the season, but we are happy to be open and operating.
I am so proud to say that as an industry, we have made it to the middle of our seasons, in a better position than many of us could have expected, and now when the next big challenge hits, we know that we are a strong golf business community, and we have each other’s backs.
All the best for the remainder of your seasons, stay well.
Sincerely,
Lesley McMahon
Owner, Balmoral Golf Course, AB President, NGCOA Canada lesley@balmoralgolf.ca
46 Golf Business Canada
Message From The NGCOA Canada President – Lesley McMahon