Executive Director Has New Tests In A Changing World

The changing role of the golf professional has been analyzed and dissected in recent years by both the pros and the media, so your friendly, neighbourhood blogger need not go into details that most within the golf industry already know.

Skipping ahead to the bottom line of this evolution, it’s a whole new world out there that both Canadian PGA members and their new executive director – whoever that may be – have to face.

The new Canadian PGA leader will likely be identified in the first couple of weeks of 2010 and, according to the current GNN Poll on our home page, two-thirds of respondents as of this writing believe that the new person does not necessarily have to come from within the association.

That’s the same opinion held by association president Lindon Garron who has commented several times on that very point in various discussions he’s had with GNN on that subject since Steve Carroll resigned his post in August. Carroll has since joined the Royal Canadian Golf Association.

Carroll did have a long history with both the national office and the PGA of British Columbia, but one of his strengths was his ability to not only work with the various zones, but also the multitude of other associations that represent various aspects of the Canadian golf industry.

Few who know him will argue that Carroll is a diplomat and he played nicely with the RCGA, owners, superintendents, managers, the Canadian Tour and the rest of the groups that comprise the National Allied Golf Association.

Many of those associations within NAGA have warred over the years as each fought for their own interests, but there seems to be a mutual respect forming, particularly with the release this summer of NAGA’s economic impact study, and the new person will have to continue that as Canadian PGA executive director.

A marketing background wouldn’t hurt either as the association looks for a sponsor that will put its name to a new Canadian PGA Championship in whatever form it takes more than four years after it was last played.

Having said that, there will be the usual challenges from within a member-based association such as the Canadian PGA, the first being the passing of the PACE program and its implementation assuming it does go through. The new executive director must hit the ground running and carry on with other challenges.

The executive director who takes over now will face a wider variety of challenges than even Carroll did when he took over more than five years ago so a broader scope, whether it be from within the Canadian PGA or from outside the association, will be beneficial.

What do you think? We will leave the GNN Poll up on the home page for the weekend so you can cast your vote and, as always, feel free to expand your thoughts inside the GNN Forum, which has had a few new additions in the past week. Be sure to check it out.

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