ATLANTIC CITY, NJ. — (October 17, 2006) – Everyone would like to look into a crystal ball and tell the future. The next best thing might be to attend the Future of Golf Panel Discussion when the International Network of Golf Regional Seminar comes to Atlantic City on October 25 and 26. Presented by the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority and hosted by the Tropicana Resort and Casino, a panel of golf experts will try to predict what the regional golf climate will be 10 years from now.
Ed Shearon, the award-winning golf course architect, will explain what must be done in the world of golf course construction in order to create courses that can survive financially in today’s marketplace.
Mike Kern, golf writer for the Philadelphia Daily News and a contributing writer for GolfStyles magazine, will discuss the changes that have taken place over the last 10 years with regard to golf publications and theorize what the world of golf journalism will be like in the next decade.
Rodger Gottlieb, publicity director for the ShopRite LPGA Classic, will look at the future of tournament golf and project if the Philadelphia area can rebound from the rapid loss of professional tournaments that has taken place in recent years.
Ken Adelberger, producer of the Inside Golf television show, will talk about how much television golf has changed and where it might possibly go on the future.
Teddie O’Keefe, president of Smith-O’Keefe Public Relations and executive director of the Greater Atlantic City Golf Association, will examine the tremendous changes that are taking place with regard to golf destinations and how that market will adjust in the future.
The panel will be moderated by Jamie McWilliams, president of McWilliams Multi Media and a longtime ING member.
"We had a similar panel discussion on the national level during our spring conference in Pinehurst and it was one of the highlights of the conference," said Mike Jamison, the executive director of the ING. "Bringing it to the regional level was a natural move and I expect this panel to create a lot of discussion among the attendees."
The International Network of Golf, is a 16-year-old organization dedicated to education and communication in the golf industry. It is coming back to Atlantic City, after holding an extremely successful inaugural Mid-Atlantic Regional Golf Seminar in Atlantic City last year.
The highlight of each year for the ING is its annual Spring Conference. This year it was held in Pinehurst, North Carolina. As a matter of supporting the efforts of the national conference and addressing local issues, the Regional Golf Seminar in Atlantic City was instituted to bring the same focus on education and communication within the golf industry to the Mid-Atlantic region.
The seminar will bring together some of the top minds in all facets of the golf industry for two days of seminars, panel discussions, exhibitions and networking. Also, an alliance has been struck with the New Jersey Golf Course Owners Association that will result in more than double the amount of people attending the golf conference.
The two days of education and communication will all begin with an 18-hole golf tournament on both courses at Blue Heron Pines, just west of Atlantic City. Part of the purpose of the fall seminar is to test the Atlantic City area as a host site for a national ING Conference.
"Our annual spring conferences have grown to the point where they are regarded as one of the key events on the annual golf business calendar," commented Jamison. "We have an extremely strong membership in the Mid-Atlantic region and I am overjoyed at the fact that last year’s conference was so successful and it has expanded in its base for this year. There are a lot of critical issues in the golf industry and they need to be addressed at the regional level as well as the national level."
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Golf Seminar is open to anyone who wants to learn more about the golf industry, network with some of its leaders or bring their latest ideas to the media.
Reasonably priced packages for the conference have been arranged through Gary Shea at Golf Vacations (877-320-1991). Also, information is available on the website at www.golfvacations.com/ing.
Contact:
TL Golf Services
610-279-9220
tleodora@aol.com