Golfdom, June 2014

Alea Miehls to capitol hill We Are Golf took to Washigton D C in May for National Golf Day This was the seventh year for the event where leaders in the industry discuss the economic environmental charitable and fitness benefits from the game of golf with government leaders Representing the golf industry were leaders from the USGA GCSAA CMAA NGCOA PGA Tour the PGA of America and World Golf Foundation Joel s Jour neys BY JOEL JACKSON good samaritan Golfs positive impact Every spring I make a Joels Journey through Florida covering six to seven traditional chapter events These are their primary fundraisers for the year That got me thinking about the We Are Golf report that talked about the economic impact of golf in the U S a topic that was taken to Washington D C with the recent annual Golf Day in the Capitol Here on the main streets of America state and local superintendent chapters have been making positive impacts on several fronts with financial support for turf research funding and local charities I was reminded time and time again at the various events about the cumulative impact these outings have had on university programs and facilities scholarships and helping charities serving people in need The info I gathered was impressive and I wanted to check with other states to capture the bigger picture I made contact with some of the chapters in New York the Carolinas Tennessee Michigan Wisconsin California and Oregon for their input There is not enough room to detail all the events and funds raised and counting dollars wasnt the point The point was besides the positive economic and environmental impact golf courses have locally superintendents are good neighbors helping others Suffice it to say that many leading turf programs from coast to coast have been aided by our donations to university facilities research projects and turf school scholarships as well as general education legacy scholarships to members kids going to college In communities superintendents are supporting environmental enhancement projects Ronald Mc Donald House Food Banks Childrens Home Societies Toys for Tots and the list goes on and on According to We Are Golfs national survey we are all part of the 39 billion dollars in charitable giving annually Keep up the good work Joel Jackson CGCS Ret is senior contributing editor for Golfdom 12 Golfdom June 2014 Golfdom com Photo by world golf foundation specialist shuffle FMC adds T O MarkeT speCialisT FMC recently named alea Miehls market specialist for its turf and ornamental T O segment she will provide sales and technical support in the western states including California Oregon Washington Hawaii Nevada Utah and arizona working closely with distribution and professionals in lawn care golf and nursery and ornamental markets Miehls replaces Corbett schnatmeyer who moved from the West Coast to cover the T O market in the Northeast after allan dufoe was named to the newly created position of T O key account manager and nursery and greenhouse market lead a recent graduate of the University of California riverside Miehls holds a bachelors degree in biological sciences and a masters degree in plant biology she conducted her thesis project on salinity and water management of perennial ryegrass 2014 National Golf Day takes the Capitol Throughout the day over 120 Congressional meetings took place According to the We Are Golf website industry leaders discussed the games tax benefits to local communities along with other benefits golf provides society Today we stood together in D C to represent the two million men and women whose livelihood depends on the golf industry said Steve Mona CEO of World Golf Foundation and administrator of We Are Golf Our unified voice helps Congressional members better understand the profound influence golf has on the American economy