Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2021 - 6

I NS I DE
THE MG A
What is MGA
Membership?
The Game is Firing
on All Cylinders
* BY TOM RYAN *
R
efl ecting on the 2021
golf season, it was
encouraging to see
the momentum from 2020
carried over to this season:
rounds played are well up
over last year, MGA memberships
continue to grow,
participation in MGA championships
and senior tour
events is healthy, and the
game and industry appear to
be fi ring on all cylinders.
Yet with all the successes of
the last two years, there was
one area of the golf business
that suffered. Due to restrictions
on food and beverage
service, and space limitations
related to social distancing
on indoor and outdoor
activities, facilities that relied
on weddings, corporate outings,
and fundraising events
saw a sharp decline in revenue.
While this business has
come back in 2021 as restrictions
loosened, it's far from
fully recovered.
The other type of activities
that suffered in 2020 were
major club events where the
social component is often
as important as the golf,
and annual open or invitational
golf tournaments at
facilities that rely on these
as a key revenue component
of their budget. Many of
these were cancelled in 2020
" I want to take this opportunity
to thank the MGA member
clubs that have hosted events
this past year. It is only
through the generosity of our
member clubs that our overall
tournament program
can operate. "
and dearly missed, as they
are so important to the facility
and community.
One of those events is
the Resorters, hosted by the
Alexandria Golf Club. I had
the opportunity to participate
in the 100th playing of
the Resorters this year, and
the club rolled out the red
carpet for the more than
475 players who had the
good fortune to get into the
tournament. Along with the
Birchmont at Bemidji Town
& Country Club, and the
Pine to Palm at the Detroit
Golf Club, these events are
a celebration of golf and
the lake-country lifestyle of
Northern Minnesota.
Each event is a weeklong
tournament utilizing a match
play format, and includes
multiple age divisions for
men, women and juniors.
They are so well attended that
the MGA has long avoided
scheduling any championships
during the three-week
6
run of these events. As the
number of MGA events has
increased over the last few
years,
it's become increasingly
diffi cult to hold absolutely
fi rm to that policy and
believe me, I do hear about it
when it happens!
This being my last column
of the year, I want to take
this opportunity to thank
the MGA member clubs
that have hosted events this
past year. Between our men's
and women's championships
and qualifi ers, USGA
qualifi ers, senior tour and
member days, we need more
than 120 venues each year. It
is only through the generosity
of our member clubs that
our overall tournament program
can operate.
Thank you as well to the
volunteers who generously
give their time and talent to
further the mission of the
MGA. The men and women
who participate on the board
of directors, committees and
as tournament volunteers are
the lifeblood of the organization,
and critical to the success
of the associations' programs
and services.
We hope you have a great
off season, and we're already
looking forward to a great
2022!
See you on the course!
It's your invitation
to play some of the
fi nest golf courses
around, through
participation in MGA
Associate Members' Days or
the MGA Senior Tour. * It's
your USGA Handicap Index,
now updated daily, after
a posted score. * It's your
subscription to Minnesota
Golfer magazine, delivered to
your home. * It's your support
of programs and services
that make the game better.
TRENDS INDICATE INTEREST
IN GOLF IS STILL STRONG
POST-COVID-19
GOLF ROUNDS IN JULY 2021*
16.1%
Nationally
4.1%
Minnesota
9.0%
West North
Central Region
(Iowa, Kan., Minn., Mo.,
Neb., N.D. and S.D.)
FACILITY GOLF HEALTH
As the industry moves toward
better economic balance, there
is a signifi cant rise in facilities
self-reporting good fi nancial
shape in 2020 (vs. 2009):
Reporting
Very Poor/Poor
Okay
Good/Great
Public:
8%(24%)
36%(48%)
56%(28%)
Private:
7% (21%)
29%(40%)
64%(39%)
Source: National Golf Foundation
MINNESOTAGOLFER Fall 2021
mngolf.org
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2021

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