The efforts of golf course and driving range owners and operators attending the Golf Business & Industry Convention (GOLF BIC) to encourage more people to enjoy the game has been handed a welcome boost after the British Golf Industry Association’s (BGIA) involvement in next year’s event was announced.
GOLF BIC – organised by the UK Golf Course Owners Association (UKGCOA) and the Organisation of Golf & Range Operators (OGRO) in association with the BGIA – will be staged at the Marriott Forest of Arden from March 29-30, 2012.
Delegates will be encouraged to take a close look at the BGIA’s Grow Golf Initiative and, as part of an industry-wide effort, apply for funding to develop new ideas to encourage thousands of people to take up the game.
The initiative was launched in 2007 by the UK’s four leading golf suppliers – Acushnet, Callaway, Ping and TaylorMade – to generate fresh interest in the sport among all age groups, geographic regions and social backgrounds in the UK. And it has so far pledged thousands of pounds to golf programmes, such as The Golf Foundation’s Golf Roots scheme.
Jerry Kilby CCM, UKGCOA Executive Director, said: “Many owners and operators put in a vast amount of good work to drive participation in golf, and it is hoped this excellent initiative by the BGIA will stimulate a collective, or even industry-wide, approach to helping significantly bolster the numbers of people being introduced to the sport.”
Doug Poole, BGIA Chairman, added: “We are delighted to be involved in this convention particularly as the Grow Golf Initiative is actively seeking fresh and exciting suggestions from applicants designed to attract large numbers of new people to embrace this wonderful game.
“A nationwide collective approach is needed to really make a difference in the UK. I believe key bodies such as the UKGCOA, PGA and English Golf Partnerships, in association with the Grow Golf Initiative, will play a crucial role in co-ordinating an approach designed to achieve these goals.”
The two-day GOLF BIC event will feature a number of thought-provoking seminars and discussions, designed to help golf course and range owners and operators grow their businesses. There will also be table-top exhibitions from a number of suppliers as well as networking opportunities, a charity dinner and a golf competition on
the Forest of Arden’s superb Championship Course.
The Marriott Forest of Arden hotel provides the ideal venue for GOLF BIC thanks to its central UK location, its ease of access via the motorway and national rail networks and close proximity to Birmingham Airport for those wishing to fly from Scotland and further afield.
For further information visit www.golfbic.com