The President’s Message - BC Golf 2017 Review From AGM
This past month British Columbia Golf held its Annual General Meeting in Richmond and reported on a number of elements affecting the overall state of the governing body for golf in the province of BC.
As a summary of that gathering we present here the views of British Columbia Golf President, Patrick Kelly. As a means of explaining the organization's performance of late, Mr. Kelly uses as a platform the 'Industry Scorecard' which was created a couple of years ago
The Allied Golf Association (AGA) in conjunction with British Columbia Golf produced a 'scorecard' which grades the various components of the golf industry with respect to performance in those areas by comparing it against par on a typical golf scorecard.
You can see how the golf industry saw its own performance at that time below. And as with any competitor who wishes to excel, the goal is to bring that score in line with improved results and aim to submit the best score possible.
by Patrick Kelly, President, British Columbia Golf
British Columbia Golf as an organization has been first off the tee and is scoring well in a number of areas critical to the health of the game. I would like to highlight some of the performance results from the BC golf industry scorecard.
2017 Scorecard Summary
The Birdies:
Economic Impact - Golf in British Columbia contributes $2 billion to the provincial economy. It creates 44,000 jobs and contributes $465 million in taxes.
Environmental Stewardship - The golf industry takes its environmental stewardship responsibilities very seriously, supports tough new environmental standards and continuously strives to be an industry leader in greener best management practices.
A Sport for Life – Walking 18 holes takes 10,000 steps and contributes to the health of British Columbians. Golfers of all ages benefit physically, socially and mentally from the game and live 5 years longer than non-golfers.
Diversity and Inclusion – The British Columbia Golf Board of Directors and staff consists of people of diverse ethnic origins including First Nations, Chinese, Korean, South Asian, European, Icelandic, Caribbean, African, and Southeast Asian. Men and women are about equally represented in the board and staff. This diversity and inclusion reflects British Columbia society and our actions send a welcoming message that we want to include people of all backgrounds in the wonderful game of golf.
The Pars:
Local Community Involvement - The 300+ golf courses in the province are all locally owned and operated and provide charitable and taxation benefits to their people and communities.
Green Space – Golf courses provide valuable green space and wildlife refuge. Turf and trees capture carbon, create oxygen, cool the air, filter storm water runoff, and trap air pollution.
#1 Sport for Participation – Golf is the number one sport activity in Canada with no barriers to entry.
The Bogeys:
BC as a Golf Destination – Canadian tourists spend $585 million annually on golf related travel to British Columbia. The United States is our second largest market, and, while generating the largest percentage growth therefrom in recent years, it remains a largely untapped market.
Water – Ensuring a consistent water source and reasonable water rates is a priority for British Columbia golf courses, as is water management and conservation.
Creating Heroes – Female and male amateurs and professionals excel at the highest levels in golf, but improvements can be made.
British Columbia Golf has had the opportunity to profile its successes to Golf Canada, the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient (Golf Club of St. Andrews) and our efforts are very well received. We are very proud of our accomplishments over the past year but recognize that we have more good challenges ahead, and we’re up for the task.
I want to thank all of my board colleagues, the excellent staff, and all of you in our BC Golf system that help make this such a wonderful game. As your President for the next year ahead, I will do my best to contribute to the good governance of your organization and to providing leadership for our great game.
To see important documents related to the AGM for 2017 please click on the links provided below: