USGA Symposium comes to SoCal to discuss the golfer experience

January 20, 2016

By: Jonathan Coe

Opening day of the USGA’s Pace and Innovation Symposium came to a conclusion on Tuesday afternoon at Brookside GC in Pasadena, Calif, after a long day where some of the industry’s top minds discussed the state of the game.

The aim of the third annual Symposium, despite the title of the event, was about more than simply getting players around the golf course in four hours. It was about finding and supporting new initiatives aimed at improving the golfer experience.

“Innovation is not always the first word that one thinks of when thinking of golf,” said Rand Jerris, senior managing director of public services for the USGA. “But if you think about it in a more objective way, golf has been in a constant state of evolution since the 15th century. Innovation is one of the game’s traditions. There is another tradition of the game, a certain generosity of spirit, where people say ‘I want to share.’ People are interested in contributing value to the golf community. They want to tell their stories, share their data and present their innovations for others to learn from and collectively lift the industry.”

The event brought together experts and leaders from throughout the industry to share tools, insights, ideas and solutions to help golf facilities enhance their operations.

The first day of the symposium, which drew around 120 attendees on Tuesday, focused on research, technology and case studies in areas such as course design, resource management and pace of play. The innovations that were presented are expected to help facilities become more efficient, while also provide an enjoyable, sustainable experience for their customers.

“While the USGA has a lot of expertise in the game, we are by no means the only experts in golf,” said Jerris. “We want to provide a place for the industry to meet and turn ideas into action. That is why it is important for us to take the symposium on the road to see what is going on across the country.”

The “Tools and Solutions” focus of the first day was broken into two sessions covering everything from the USGA’s sustainability model, resource management and flagstick tools to a presentation on community relations from the SCGA’s Director of Governmental Affairs Craig Kessler.

The experts that presented came from coast-to-coast and included top names in the USGA and Southern California Golf alike.

Hunki Yun (Director, Strategic Projects – USGA) opened the day welcoming everyone to Brookside GC in Pasadena before handing the mic off to Jerris, who covered the four core processes the USGA uses in its innovation initiatives. By defining them as Research, Product Development, Education and Measurement, the USGA is able to set goals of bringing sustainability down to workable levels.

Jim Moore (Director, Green Section Education, USGA) spoke on improving the efficiency of facilities, from the clubhouse to the maintenance shed. He stressed the importance of a golf course to understand its limitations.

“When you can’t maintain the whole property,” said Moore, “It’s best to focus on having good greens, a pro that makes you feel welcome, cold beer and toilet paper. That’s all you need.”

Matt Pringle (Technical Director, Equipment Standards – USGA) unveiled the plan for a “Flagstick Tool” to track pace of play throughout a day on the course. With the “flag in, flag out” technology, courses will be able to collect better, more accurate data and react to it.

After Jerris invited Brian Horgan (Professor at University of Minnesota) to the stage to speak on the University of Minnesota Research Partnership, there was a panel discussion with Jerris, Horgan, Moore and Pringle.

The panel was wide-ranging in its topics, but one stood out: beginning to design courses with “looping” options, or turning a 9-hole course into three 3-hole courses for those pressed for time. The idea of selling golf by time, not by hole is something that the industry is constantly massaging.

After a break for lunch, Kessler spoke on community relations and the recent Coachella Valley Golf Industry Summit, where a substantial amount of good news regarding the state of golf was revealed. When it comes to the game’s impact on local water, land and turf conservation, social systems, the economy in the valley and California at large, the news is overwhelmingly positive.

Day one ended with four different breakout sessions, where participants were able to vocalize their opinions and thoughts on the ever-changing landscape of the golf industry.



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thevaporz

Handicap Index: 13.5
Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Charge a flat $20 walking or $30 riding fee per player anytime and you’ll have players lined up at every golf course to play every day.

MBright

Handicap Index: 13.9
Wednesday, February 24, 2016

I think recent efforts in water savings has been noticeable - in a good way. Improving pace of play still needs to be looked at.  Its going to boil down to courses not overbooking - perhaps eliminating one foursome per hour.