Industry News
GOLF INDUSTRY CENTRAL LAUNCHES GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO GROW THE GAME
promoting and ensuring the ongoing health of our
sport,” said Mr Orloff. “Grow The Game Central is all
about taking a ‘grass roots’, ‘bottom up’ approach to
supporting the numerous grow the game initiatives
happening worldwide.”
Golf Industry Central recently launched a new initiative
called Grow The Game Central that aims to create
a world-wide community of like-minded people
banding together to encourage people of all ages and
backgrounds to play the game of golf or increase their
participation.
Golf Industry Central Director Mike Orloff says he created
the website www.GrowTheGameCentral.com to tackle
challenges such as declining participation and the ageing
demographic of players and to attract a new generation
of golfers.
“Many grow the game initiatives being trialled today have
great merit but don’t garner enough financial support to
get off the ground,” said Mr Orloff. “Our Grow The Game
Central web platform has been designed to connect
anyone who is serious about growing the game and
making a difference.
“We are at an evolutionary stage in the game’s
existence. Now is the time to foster the creativity and
entrepreneurship of a strong community network. The
strength, motivation and passion of many individuals
working together can be very powerful and will eventually
impart change.
”We can leave our dependency on growing
the game to the governing bodies or we
can get involved and personally make a
difference,” said Mr Orloff.
Grow The Game Central is targeted at anyone who loves
golf, makes a living off the game and wants to grow the
popularity of the game.
“It’s time individual golfers, clubs, facilities and
commercial entities all take a more active role in
“We are utilising modern approaches such as
“crowdsourcing” and “crowdfunding” to help overcome
some of the problems and move closer to achieving our
vision. “A world with too many golfers”
The project will leverage off Golf Industry Central’s large
international network of industry contacts in Australia,
New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the USA.
Mike Orloff is a US and Australian PGA Member with
more than 22 years of industry-wide experience working
for two of the biggest international golf management
companies in Australia and the USA. He launched Golf
Industry Central in July 2008 to provide recruitment,
operations, and marketing services to golf-related
business in the Australasian region. His role has also been
keeping his database up to date on industry news.
Now based on the Gold Coast, Australia, Mike
consults directly to clients as well as via workshops and
conferences in New Zealand, Australia and South East
Asia. His passion for growing the game comes from the
enormous positive impact golf has had on his life.
“When I was 16, I took up the game after my cousin
suggested it on a family holiday as a pastime when the
surf wasn’t happening. With encouragement from my
older brother Bill, I considered playing for a living but
decided to make a career of golf instead, moving up the
ranks within the biggest golf management company at the
time in the USA.”
To get involved in Grow The Game Central, anyone can
join the on-line forum to discuss what is happening locally
and internationally, contribute news or best practices, and
support initiatives happenin