Grassroots Ambassadors Zach Wike and Jason Mahl from the Miami Valley GCSA and I recently spent the day at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. The agenda for the day featured meetings with five Ohio state senators and representatives from the Miami Valley region. The goal of these meetings was to advocate on behalf the turfgrass/golf management profession, and forge lasting relationships with local representatives who influence laws and regulations that effect our profession.
Throughout the day, we met with Representatives Bob Hackett, Rick Perales and Fred Strahorn, along with staff members from Senators Bill Beagle and Peggy Lehner's office.
During each meeting, we presented the representative or senator a brochure focusing on three key areas of Ohio golf: economic impact, water quality and environmental habitats. We also introduced them to GCSAA's Grassroots Ambassador program, the First Green Foundation and explained our positions on key federal issues such as WOTUS and H-2B. In addition to these subjects, we also provided examples of the professionalism and environmental stewardship golf course superintendents exhibit each day.
Some of the key talking points we focused on were:
- Golf's $4.8 billion economic impact in Ohio
- 68,000 jobs created by the golf industry in Ohio, with $1.5 billion in wage income
- Charitable giving of $155 million annually
- Golfs impact on related industries such as tourism and hospitality
- Golf's water use has dropped by 22 percent nationally over the past decade
- Golf uses less than 1.5 percent of all irrigated water in the U.S.
- Wildlife sanctuaries and pollinator habitats golf courses provide
- Recreation, fitness and training opportunities offered by golf courses
In each meeting, the representative or staff members were very inviting and receptive to our message. These relationships will build a foundation for future meetings and give us a seat at the table when regulations are drafted that effect our profession. Since the meetings, Representative Bob Hackett has scheduled a fundraiser outing at Beavercreek Golf Club where Zach Wike serves as the assistant superintendent. A big thank you goes out to Zach and Jason for taking time out of their schedules to set-up and attend these important advocacy efforts.
