Gaylord Golf Mecca turns 25 Cooperative marketing and the philosophy that a rising tide sails all ships, are the founding principles of the Gaylord Golf Mecca. Founded in 1987, the golf group
The golf industry has certainly seen its share of ups and downs over the years, particularly with downturn of the economy and the shrinking of people’s disposable
The Fazio Premier Course at Treetops Resort in Gaylord.
had the foresight to develop a strategy that would benefit all golf operations and draw on tourism funding and program development. This year marks a major milestone in the history of the economy of Gaylord and Northern Michigan. The key message was and still is that Gaylord has a large variety of quality courses, not just a large variety of courses. In 1987, there were seven golf courses that made up the program and had a modest budget of about $30,000. At the peak of the golf industry in the area, the Mecca had 24 member golf courses that comprised five counties and had a budget of more than $180,000. When the Mecca was formed more than 20 percent of the nation’s golfers lived within the five-state region surrounding and including Michigan. Add to the fact that those five states also have the highest participation rates, meaning the highest percent of the total population of people that play golf.
income for recreation like golf. But the one constant and one of the reasons the Mecca continues to be successful is the “can do” work together spirit that prevails among the owners, managers, golf professionals, bag drop personnel and almost anyone affiliated with the golf industry in Gaylord. The MGCOA congratulates Paul Beachnau, execut i v e d i re c t o r o f the Gaylord Area Convention and To u r i s m B u re a u and the Gaylord Area Chamber of Commerce and the Gaylord Golf Mecca on their 25th Anniversary.
Patriot Golf Day 2012 ®
Become an Official Patriot Golf Day Host Facility today! Sparked by the vision and dedication of PGA Professional and MGCOA member Dan Rooney, an F-16 fighter pilot, Patriot Golf Day® has raised more than $8.6 million in the past four years. During Patriot Golf Day, golfers nationwide are asked to donate a minimum of $1 to the Folds of Honor Foundation that provides post-secondary educational scholarships to children and spouses of military men and women killed or disabled while serving our great nation. To date, more than 2,100 scholarships have been awarded by the Folds of Honor Foundation. To learn more about the families who have benefited from Folds of Honor Foundation scholarships, visit patriotgolfday.com 5
It is easy to get started. Visit www.patriotgolfday.com where you will find a “kit” for the day and everything you need to get started. The goal for participating facilities is to collect a $1 donation from every golfer (in addition to the normal green fee) to support of the Folds of Honor Foundation. Facilities will have flexibility on donation collection options (including running tournaments/contests, using lessons, silent auctions, or hosting the event a different weekend.) In your kit there will be a Donation Card to be mailed along with your facility donations to Folds of Honor Foundation. Following the event, facilities will send one (1) check directly to Folds of Honor Foundation. Simple! WWW.MGCOA.ORG
JULY/AUGUST 2012