Monthly Participant

E-Newsletter

Give us five days and we'll give you a sport for a lifetime.

February 8, 2010

Introduce a Friend to Golf through Get Golf Ready!
Do you have a friend, family member or colleague who's interested in learning to play golf? Encourage them to visit our website at www.getgolfready.com and type in their zip code to find a program and click on the link next to the facility of their choice. Or click on the picture above to view and print out the above flyer and pass it along. Classes are currently running in select parts of the country and many new and returning facilities have begun posting their schedules for the spring.

Get Golf Ready is on Facebook!

If you haven't already, you can now become a fan of Get Golf Ready on Facebook! Find out what instructors are saying, post photos and comments, and read feedback from students on their Get Golf Ready experiences. This is an ideal way to bring the Get Golf Ready community together and best of all, share your experiences and get ideas on how to improve your game or find events and playing partners in your area. You can also start discussions about Get Golf Ready or golf topics that you would like to discuss and share with others. Click on the logo above or the link to the right and find our page today!

Monthly Tips

This month's featured tip comes to you from LPGA Professional Janet Rychnovsky at Quarry Ridge Golf Center in Ottawa Lake, Michigan:

"My advice to students is: don’t listen to the PA (perception and assumption) system. I relate the PA system like when you were in school and they called your name over the PA system to report to the office. The whole way to the office you kept thinking of all the things you might have done wrong. As you walked into the office, your mom was standing there with your lunch. You perceive you can’t do something; i.e., get over the water, hit out of a sand trap, make a difficult putt, etc… Your assumption is that you won’t be able to!

"As a student, state your goals to your instructor, and be yourself, even if you have never been on a golf course or range. Golf is a game of variety – no shot is the same, no day is the same, so why should we all be the same? Add color to your golf; the game of golf is never black and white. I learn more from my students than they will ever learn from me. Enjoy a wonderful game you can play for the rest of your life."

A Heartfelt Thank You

A Get Golf Ready student expresses her gratitude to her teaching professional, Mike Durst at Southwood Golf Club in Tallahassee, Fla.
Mike,

I just wanted to send a quick email along to express my appreciation to you and Ryan. The program itself was excellent and such a bargain! However, it was you that set the tone for the program and truly made it an enjoyable experience. You mentioned that golf and golf facilities can be intimidating. That is the main reason that I have not been more proactive in learning the sport. After this program, I feel comfortable enough to “get out and play”! It really gave me the foundation I needed in order to get out on a course and practice without feeling, for lack of a better word, silly. I will recommend the program to anyone and have already done so. I forecast a full class in March, including myself as a repeat student.

On a personal note, I would also like to thank you for the appreciation you expressed for my fiancé, Matt. As I mentioned, he will be coming home for his two weeks of leave from Iraq in February. I stumbled across this program on-line as I was searching for private lessons. I am really looking forward to playing my first complete game with him when he comes home. I hope the game itself will be a fun way for us to spend time together for years to come.

Please pass on my thanks to Ryan. I hope that I will see you both in February, if not before.

Best regards,
Sandra

Newsworthy Notes

The following Get Golf Ready press release was distributed to the national media on Tuesday, Feb. 2:

Get Golf Ready Program Enters Second Year After Exceeding Facility Participation Goals in its Inaugural Year

More than 1,150 facilities are currently certified to host the program in 2010

St. Augustine, Florida (February 2, 2010)– Aimed at bringing adults into the game in a fast, fun and affordable way, Get Golf Ready in 5 Days introduced the game to thousands of golfers in its inaugural year. Launched as Play Golf America’s featured program in 2009, more than 1,150 facilities are currently certified to host the program, surpassing the target goal of 700 host facilities.

Get Golf Ready, a GOLF 20/20 industry-wide branded program, targets the many adults in the country who have never played golf or who have minimal experience in the game. Through September (2009), facilities averaged 25 students per class with 86 percent being new golfers, 61 percent women and 25 percent minority. Following their participation in the program, 76 percent of the students returned to the golf course playing an average of eight rounds.

“Perhaps the best news of all is that 89 percent of surveyed participants said they are likely to continue playing golf,” said Cathy Harbin, Director of GOLF 20/20. “This is a significant statistic since the program is designed to increase player retention and grow the game.”

Get Golf Ready (PlayGolfAmerica.com/GGR) was announced in November 2008 as part of the World Golf Foundation’s GOLF 20/20 initiative. Currently entering its second year, the program is benefiting from unprecedented support and collaboration from the entire golf industry, including the World Golf Foundation, The PGA of America and other leading national and state golf associations, organizations, manufacturers, media and companies.

Many facilities exceeded their first year goal of 50 students, including East Potomac-Hains Point Golf Course in Washington D.C., where 825 students have participated in the Get Golf Ready program, the highest total among all participating courses. At the PGA Merchandise Show on January 29th, East Potomac was recognized for their outstanding contribution to growing the game by winning the Player Development Award presented at the Annual International Network of Golf Awards Ceremony. Other best practices include initiatives at Eagle Ridge Golf Club in Lakewood, NJ, which held a program in which family members could play nine holes or take instruction, then meet for dinner. It was an instant success totaling 492 participants over 18 Fridays. These programs accounted for 60 new students, 598 more rounds and hundreds of new patrons experiencing the restaurant, resulting in total revenue of $33,375. And, the Get Golf Ready program at Hiwan Golf Club, a private facility in Evergreen, Colo., attracted 166 students resulting in $14,801 in lesson revenue and adding 12 new members to the club.

To read this release in its entirety, visit: http://golf2020.com/news.aspx

Get Golf Ready on Golf Channel

Tune into the Golf Channel to view an exciting advertisement about the Get Golf Ready program!