Get Golf Ready initiative exceeds 2009 target

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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Get Golf Ready, an industry-wide initiative to connect adults to the sport of golf, today announced that it has exceeded the 2009 target of 700 participating host facilities. More than 1,000 facilities have expressed an interest in hosting Get Golf Ready sessions, with 805 having already been certified as facilities meeting the criteria for inclusion in the program. It is expected that an additional 200-300 facilities will be certified to offer the program in 2009.

Get Golf Ready is a program of the World Golf Foundation's GOLF 20/20 initiative. It is targeted to adults who have never played golf or who have minimal previous connection to the game. Developed and supported by a broad industry coalition, Get Golf Ready is also the featured program of the PGA of America's "Play Golf America" initiative in 2009.

"We're extremely pleased with the overwhelmingly positive industry response to the launch of Get Golf Ready," said Steve Mona, CEO of World Golf Foundation. "Literally from the moment we began accepting applications to host the program in late January, interest from facilities and PGA and LPGA professionals has been very strong. To have surpassed our 2009 goal for participating facilities in only 45 days sends a very strong message of interest and support from a wide segment of the golf industry."

Each Get Golf Ready program will feature five introductory lessons in a small-group environment. Each of the five sessions features significant on-course learning opportunities. Participants will be provided with both skills training as well as background on the game's rules, etiquette and values.

"The program curriculum is designed to make learning golf both enjoyable and interesting while overcoming the intimidation sometimes felt by new golfers," said Cathy Harbin, the World Golf Foundation's program administrator of Get Golf Ready and Director of GOLF 20/20. "The on-course learning opportunities and the graduate outings that will be offered will quickly increase the new golfer's comfort and confidence."

With more than 700 programs in place in 2009, and each program reaching a target of 50 students during the year, Get Golf Ready is on target to surpass the first year national goal of exposing the game to 35,000 new golfers. The initiative's three-year goal is 3,000 facilities offering the program and reaching up to 150,000 new players annually.

The World Golf Foundation is providing a one-time $1,000 stipend to each participating facility to help offset the program's start-up and promotional costs. To date, more than $2.5 million has been committed by a broad cross-section of the industry toward the funding of the facility stipends.

The 2009 Get Golf Ready host sites are geographically dispersed throughout the country. However, these six metro markets have been targeted for 2009 for a greater concentration of participating facilities: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Portland, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. In each of these six regions, at least 10 facilities are certified to offer Get Golf Ready.

To facilitate the rapid introduction of the program across the country, the PGA of America is providing significant support in the areas of player development, promotion and technology. Additionally, the PGA, LPGA, National Golf Course Owners Association, the Club Managers Association and the International Association of Golf Administrators, among others, are aggressively promoting the initiative with their memberships.