Stafford, VA – For Virginia Tech’s Spring Family weekend and the University of Maryland’s Maryland Day, the Middle Atlantic PGA (MAPGA) created a “near golf” experience on campus and introduced the game of golf to over 600 people. Students, faculty members, parents and other family members tested their skills by taking a shot at BirdieBall’s inflatable dinosaur called “GolfZilla” and hitting miniature tennis balls with SNAG Golf equipment. For nearly fifty percent of the participants, this event was their first try at swinging a golf club and hitting a ball.
This was the first time that the MAPGA ever held an on-campus “Play Golf America” event and reaching over 600 people in the first year was a success. Additionally, over 200 free lessons were provided by MAPGA Professionals who volunteered their time. These efforts are just small steps in reaching a larger golf industry goal to create 40 million golfers by the year 2020 (current population is 26 million).
“We are beginning to touch on a demographic that is going to be successful in the future and is also looking for recreational opportunities following graduation,” states Mike Aldrich, PGA Professional and Regional Player Development Manager for the PGA of America, “We want golf to be a part of their future.” Aldrich adds “a number of university golf courses reside within the Middle Atlantic geographic area and from this introductory experience our hope is that the PGA staff at these facilities will look to the general campus population as their target market for creating more golfers.”
To view a video re-cap of the on-campus events, please click on the links below:
Virginia Tech: http://youtu.be/WqMG3bbdvvU
University of Maryland: http://youtu.be/7oFCC4iI0L4
About the Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA of America
The Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA (MAPGA), located in Stafford, Virginia, is one of 41 Sections of The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA), headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. As a part of The PGA since 1925, the MAPGA consists of over 1,100 members and apprentices in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Together, the MAPGA golf professionals, volunteers and staff support the mission of The PGA to promote enjoyment and involvement in the game of golf and to contribute to the game’s growth by providing services to PGA Professionals and the golf industry.
Contact:
Stephanie Jennings, PGA
sjennings@pgahq.com
(540) 720-7420 ext. 116
