Episode 037

037 I Securing Golf’s Future: Workforce, Advocacy, and Innovation with Jay Karen

with the team at Bloom Golf Partners

In this episode of Leadership on the Links, we welcome Jay Karen, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), to dive into the pressing trends and challenges shaping the golf industry today. With over 28 years of experience in association management and a mission to champion golf course owners and operators, Jay shares his unique perspectives on workforce development, emerging trends, and the industry’s advocacy efforts.

Join us as we uncover strategies to navigate workforce challenges, explore revenue opportunities from alternative forms of play, and discuss the importance of advocacy in securing the future of golf.

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

• Workforce Challenges and Opportunities: The golf industry must adapt to changing
  labor market dynamics by improving workplace culture and modernizing employment
  practices.
• Alternative/additive forms of play like simulators and night golf offer exciting revenue
  opportunities but come with operational challenges.
• Post-pandemic, sustained demand for golf has led to more aggressive pricing
  strategies and a shift toward “offense” in business planning.
• Despite positive performance metrics, advocacy remains critical to address legislative
  and regulatory challenges facing the industry.
• A coordinated, industry-wide effort on workforce development and recruitment,
  beyond individual associations’ efforts is required to move the needle.

Soundbites:

• “We have 15,000 small businesses around this country that are robust small businesses.
  They’re in every community in America, and we get overlooked in some way.”
• “We rested on the laurels of love of the game, and we’re seeing, generationally now, two generations later, honestly, that the value system of people that want to work today is not the same as what it was 30, 40, 50 years ago.”

Quotes:

• “We’ve completely changed, the high demand has caused a complete mental shift
  towards what can I do with my business, and let me see what’s possible with it instead of
  playing defense, we’re on offense.”
• “We have an entire television channel dedicated to our game. We have hundreds of millions, and if you look at the NGF research of how many people engage with the game in some way, as a fan, I might watch a clip of the Masters or Claygolf or I go to top, whatever.”
• “If we want better people that are trained, better prepared people into the golf industry, we got to compete.”
• “We get to have an enormous impact on an entire industry from one little office, and that’s pretty special.”
• “We’re on offense. And four and a half years, almost five years into this now, we’re still playing offense. And as business owners operators, holy cow, that is what you want to do.”

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Connect with Jay Karen on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaykaren/ 

National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA): Website