Share your views and win Golf Inc. Conference passes

There are thousands of golfers who are disable and the numbers are increasing everyday because of our solders returning from Iraq and Afghanithan who have lost their ability to walk but never lost their will to participate in a sport like golf. Your magazine and conference should focus on their needs and inspire how to help our heros to be a golfer with appropriate training and equipments.

Looking forward to attending the event to learn about strategies to succeed in this difficult golf and real estate market.

I will be a Senior in Eastern Kentucky University's PGA Golf Management program in August and will be graduating in December of 2010. As a future professional in the golf industry, I would love to learn about the pressing issues in the golf world today. I have already been exposed to a great deal, as I have worked two internships at private clubs and am currently working my third at The PGA of America Headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

I would love to attend the conference, attend some classes of interest and do some networking.

I am very much looking forward to attending the golf conference; however in light of the economic pressures, I must win two tickets to do so. I would like to meet more people within the industry, network with many of the successful people who have been in the industry for a while and I'm always interested in becoming more educated about the industry. One topic I would like to hear discussed is: Where does a buyer find financing today if they would like to acquire a golf course?

"Critical" is a fair enough description of this market! I have been following the golf market for a long time so I have a lot to say and have said for a number of years. My bottom line is - When the environment changes, you have to think differently. That's why I entered this business in the first place back in 2001.

This is a great idea for a contest!

The last Golf Inc. conference I attended was very informative and I expect this one will be as well.

It seems as though private memberships are declining across the nation. I would like to get a sense of how well daily fee or other semi-private courses are doing.

The past two Golf Inc. shows have been very informative in regards to the environmental impacts of golf course construction as well as new and innovative ways to work with local, regional and federal regulators to ensure a successful project. I am sad that due to the economic stresses and being located so far from this show that I will not be attending.

We need to get the younger generation into playing golf. The game can be very expensive for them. How many golfers have 2 and 3 sets of clubs in their homes when they could donate them to a pro shop and the manager of the club could start a program to bring in students from various high schools and have these students out on the driving range and course when the course is not busy. If we make the game more inviting we can attract a new generation.

I attended the conference last year in Scottsdale and very much enjoyed the speakers in the development and operations seminars. Fun to see people you have not seen in a while.

There has been a lot of discussion on this blog about how to “fix” the current problem of golfer attrition and how to recruit new players, but much of it is missing the mark. Although the issues of time, difficulty and cost have been mentioned as reasons golfers quit or don’t start playing, these issues are the end-effects of much deeper problems that must be addressed before the industry will see a reversal of attrition rates. The golf industry is trying to put bandaids on bleeding arteries. I would like to participate a critical discussion that gets at the root causes for player attrition: 1) New technologies that outpace human scale (and endurance) in terms of distance, ie., the effect of “hot” clubs and golf balls, irrigation effects, and the long-distance “signature” course, 2) discrimination, and 3) USGA and R&A complacency. I would like to participate in a critical discussion about complacent USGA oversight in regard to equipment and new technology and how this has affected golf course design and renovation, and consequently the cost, difficulty, and time it takes to play a round of golf. Longer courses cost more to maintain, are more difficult to play, and take more time to play. I would like to participate in a discussion about how to cater to the beginner golfer, handicap players and accessibility, seniors and the aging population of golfers (I was a physical therapist for 19 years). Let's talk about the women's golf market and reasons why women are disinfranchised. I also would like to participate in a critical discussion about course design as related to golf for the higher handicapper. In particular, let’s discuss the loss of the ground game (as it is often played in Scotland) and the transition to the aerial game – this is related to course design and irrigation effects. Loss of the ground game greatly affects approach shots hit by the higher handicapper because often the approach is hit from more than 150 yards with a wood or longer iron (try to stick a 3 wood), from a place on the course other than the designed “landing area” for a drive. The ground game issue can be addressed in many cases by “sustainable” golf course design. Finally, whose responsibility is it to “market” golf, the USGA? Do we have a solid and realistic strategic plan prepared by marketing professionals? And what should the message be? In this age of American obesity and overblown technology, can we create a message around fitness and health, inclusiveness, and the re-discovery of nature? I am interested in attending one of Golf Inc's conferences and these are just a few of the issues I would like to see discussed because in my opinion they truly are at the root of why the pro shop can't keep the tee-time sheet filled. My contact info is on my website.

As always, I am excited and looking forward to the Golf Inc. conference. Each year, this event is well concieved, planned, and attended. Despite the current economic market that we all are facing in the golf industry, some lessons can be learned. I have always found that when adversity befalls you that trying to find a way around the problem exists despite the current obstacles. One way is to find another way, is to ask others what they are doing or what can be done. This is the main reason for attendance to the conference. Great Industry leaders that are extremely knowledgeable.

I enjoy reading Golf Inc's e-magazine online and am interested in attending the Golf Inc conference to meet others in the industry.