Some of who attended the Golf Inc. Conference held at the World Golf Village earlier this month may have been surprised by the level of optimism among the leaders of our great industry.
During the State of the Industry panel, which included an all-star panel made up of well-respected CEOs Joe Steranka of the PGA of America, Steve Mona of the World Golf Foundation, Mark Woodward of the Golf Course Superintendents Association and James Singerling of the Club Managers Association of America, the participants voiced a cautious but unmistakable message of positivity. (You can find a summary of their comments in a story on this Web site. Click Here to read complete story.)
Their message: “Sure, we’re down as an industry right now, but most segments of the American economy are a lot worse off than we are. There’s no reason to push the panic button.”
Now some might expect these leaders to try to put a positive spin on even the worst situations. But is that kind of optimism warranted? Do you agree that for all its struggles, the golf industry as a whole is weathering the recession fairly well? Many courses around the country are just now entering their prime time for play. How is your course or company dealing with the difficult economy and what kind of season are you expecting?