Economy, Environment, Health & Charity - Golf's Expansive Impact

Golf's Impact on the United States       We Are Golf

Springtime golf in New England is often... inconsistent.

A bright, balmy spell in late March or early April gets the season off to a stellar start and we enjoy a couple of warm rounds on our reawakening courses, reveling in our collective conviction that winter is finally over.

Some of us...me, for example... are quick to transition our closets; moving any reminder of cool weather to the farthest reaches of the armoire and exchanging racks of somber colored sweaters, slacks and windshirts for a colorful display of shorts, skorts and sleeveless shirts.  This timely transformation makes us inordinately happy.

That's when the backdoor cold front inevitably arrives. A cool, damp Atlantic air mass moves in replacing the warmer continental air we'd so quickly embraced and leaving us back where we were in early March, playing and practicing in dank, dreary conditions.  And to add insult to injury some of us now have to dig all the way to the back of the closet (or attic or storage unit) to get dressed.   

So goes the Spring of 2013... in New England and many other areas of the US... and as a result many of us can count the rounds we've played thus far this year on one hand. If we're lucky. And while a late Spring can be frustrating for golfers it's beyond frustrating for area golf courses which are seeing their rounds way down, particularly when compared to the exceptionally mild winter of 2012.

This probably all seems quite trivial to those who don't play the game but, it really shouldn't.  An infographic look at Golf's Impact on the United States clearly shows how the benefits of the game goes way beyond the fairways and greens.  Golf is a major industry, one that brings value to individuals and communities in ways many don't consider.  For golfers... for me, anyway... this makes those wet chilly April rounds seem a bit warmer.