NATIONAL ALLIED GOLF ASSOCIATIONS

For the Love of Golf

National Golf Day 2024

The National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA) is an industry coalition consisting of the five national golf associations in Canada - Golf Canada; National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) Canada; the Club Management Association of Canada (CMAC); Professional Golfers Association of Canada (PGA of Canada); and the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA).

Each association represents a unique sector of the golf industry - its purpose is to advocate as a single voice about issues that affect golfers and golf businesses, and subsequently their employee groups, and related stakeholders. Since 2011, NAGA has executed an annual lobby day, referred to as National Golf Day, as an event to highlight the positive virtues of Canadian golf and build relationships with key legislative decision-makers both federally and provincially. 



I am delighted to advise that after a four-year pause due to COVID-19, NAGA will again be conducting the annual National Golf Day initiative on May 22-23, 2024, with a press conference on Parliament Hill, followed by targeted advocacy meetings with MPs and Senators in Ottawa.

Golf flourished during the pandemic as the nature of the sport easily allowed for social distancing while delivering a social recreation experience for both avid and new players . Several clubs now have waitlists due to the increased interest in golf as more people took up the sport when travel or other recreational activities were adversely impacted. Post-COVID, golf enthusiasts have continued their renewed (or new) interest in the sport because of its many benefits, whether health, mental, or social.



Current data suggests that hundreds of thousands of participants have entered the sport in recent years, totaling nearly six million golfers in Canada, just under 20% of the entire Canadian population. New golfers are increasingly likely to be female with active women golfers growing by 6% in 2023 vs 2022. New golfers are also ever more likely to be BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) as evidenced by a 33% lift in BIPOC active golfers in 2023 vs 2022.

Complementary to the advocacy work of NAGA, the coalition conducts an economic impact study every five years to measure the financial, employment, charitable, tourism and environmental impact that the sport and the business of golf contributes to communities across Canada. The survey was executed in February 2024 and the results will be released just prior to National Golf Day 2024. The study will highlight economic insights for each of the 10 provinces and three territories from coast-to-coast.

Given that this study will be the first since COVID and the interest spike that followed, NAGA anticipates the results to be dramatically different than prior years.

In the lead-up to National Golf Day 2024, we are sending this bulletin to NAGA association members as well as stakeholders to inform and bring awareness to the work conducted on the industry’s behalf to raise awareness of the sport of golf.

For NAGA association members, please encourage your networks to get involved in the sport, whether that be playing a round of golf, experience family time at your local course, introducing a new player to the game, taking a lesson, or enjoying a meal at your local course clubhouse.

For NAGA stakeholders, you might consider running a special National Golf Day promotion to support the day and join in the wonderful momentum that golf is currently experiencing.

Sincerely,

National Allied Golf Associations

National Golf Course Owners Association Canada

Daniel Pilon, President

Jeff Calderwood, CEO + Chair, NAGA

The Club Management Association of Canada

Jana-Lyn Fairbairn, CCM, President

Suzanne Godbehere, CEO

Golf Canada

David McCarthy, President

Laurence Applebaum, CEO

Canadian Golf Superintendents Association

John McLinden, AGS, President

Kathryn Wood, CEO

Professional Golfers Association of Canada

Scott Kolb, PGA, President

Kevin Thistle, CEO