In the 1990s, a professional marketer was hired by the Virginia Tourism Corporation( VTC) to promote golf. He lasted six months before becoming a victim of budget cuts.

Then the state entered into an agreement with a golf-and-travel company. It went out of business.

There was an attempt to create a Sam Snead Trail. Unfortunately, Snead passed away before the project really got started.

In 2010, the creation of a Virginia Golf Trail was announced, with Cannon Ridge in Stafford( the town pledged $ 100,000) as headquarters for a trail that was to be divided into six regions.

Gary Schaal, former president of the PGA of America, and Deane Beman, former commissioner of the PGA Tour, were at the center of the project. What could go wrong?

Nearly everything. No one from the VSGA, the Middle Atlantic PGA( headquartered in Stafford) or the National Golf Course Owners Association was aware of the concept, let alone endorsed it. Golfers would book trips through Schaal, providing contact information and giving him an easy database to market his golf interests in Myrtle Beach. Wary, few courses joined in. In January 2013, Cannon Ridge folded.

The state since has seemed to shy away from proactive golf promotion.

Golf travel people would say a lot of attention has gone to wine. The Virginia Wine Board began fiscal year 2015 with $ 2.1 million from the state— primarily courtesy of 100 percent of the tax money from every bottle sold in Virginia— twothirds

of which it is authorized to spend on marketing and promotion.

According to the board’ s marketing office, about 1.8 million people visit Virginia wineries annually, so it seems a worthy investment.

At the same time, Virginia golf proponents argue that golf constitutes a significant industry within the state, with an economic impact of $ 2.5 billion while employing 30,000 people. In the last report commissioned for the Virginia Golf Council( 2012), hospitality / tourism accounted for $ 422.8 million in direct income.

They point out that, despite no marketing from the state, GOLF. com reported that Williamsburg was voted the third-favorite destination in the country by golf travelers.

They also estimate that $ 500 million in stay-and-play revenue passes through the Commonwealth into the Carolinas each year. What if Virginia worked to corral even 10 percent of that revenue?

In 2011 South Carolina spent $ 13.2 million marketing golf. The return in hotels, restaurants, retail and other entertainment: $ 850 million. Myrtle Beach alone receives $ 1.8 million for marketing.

Ocean City, Maryland, an aggressive marketer, and Williamsburg have the same number of golf courses. Yet Ocean City processes 140,000 golf packages a year— five times as many as Williamsburg.

In North Carolina, golf marketing is a combination of some direct ads, primarily digital, combined with co-op partnerships, so it’ s difficult to pull a specific dollar amount.

They wonder why tourism officials have been reluctant to grow golf— although some concede that they haven’ t done enough to push the state. Tourism estimates that out

of 40 million visitors each year, less than one percent come for golf. The inference is that they’ ve had bigger priorities. All of that may be changing. A VTC spokeperson says it markets“ heavily” in Canada, and considers it fertile ground for tourists. The same can be said for the entire Northeast. If they stop in Virginia instead of North or South Carolina, Virginia gets their business, travelers save on driving time and get two extra rounds of golf, one on the front end of the trip and one on the back end. It’ s a win-win.

VTC is printing 175,000 copies of a Virginia Golf Guide, to be distributed at trade shows. They’ ll send out another 200,000 copies electronically.

It has improved its golf page at Virginia. org, making it easier to find packages.

The state has matching fund grants, where three separate entities— say a golf course, hotel and restaurant— pledge a certain amount of money for marketing and ask the state to match it. One golf promoter has received two grants in the last three years. He says there is renewed interest in promoting golf.

It won’ t be easy. The VTC can only appropriate money it receives from the state legislature, money earmarked for specific items. However, the Virginia Golf Council, featuring leaders across every spectrum of the industry, gives those promoting Virginia golf tourism more lobbying power than ever.

Pen in hand, they are ready to co-author a new chapter in golf promotion, emphasis on“ co-author.”

Formerly of the Virginian-Pilot, columnist Jim Ducibella is a regular contributor to Virginia Golfer.

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