Growing the Game

I have to tell you how impressed I was with the PGA Village Learning Center in Port St. Luice, Florida. 35 acres of practice paradise, 2 distinct full swing stations with over 100 decks, 2 short game areas dedicated to chipping, 6 sands bunkers with a variety of sand types and 2 large putting greens. All of the little details are looked after; top quality Titleist NXT balls, club cleaning stations, rolling ball rakes to clean off the short game areas, benches to give your back a break and even a shuttle driver to help you find a spot on the range when it’s busy (however I did notice the driver giving most of his attentions to the ladies over the gentlemen, but who can blame him).

The most important factors they got completely right; location and price. Easily accessible off the I-95 and just outside the gates of the PGA Village, along with all the balls you can hit, chip or putt for only $20. Add up all of the above and you have an undisputed winner. I spent the better part of two days enjoying all of the hospitality and several hundred balls.

I had to ask myself “Why don’t we see this back home in Canada?” There are some facilities that come close, The Legends-on-the-Niagara is one, but they are rare to the point that they don’t exist. The RCGA has 4 Learning Centre’s, 2 in Canada (Alberta and BC) and oddly enough, 2 in the USA (Arizona and Florida) in partnership with Intrawest.

The PGA Village is owned and operated by the PGA of America along with 3 golf courses at the same facility, the PGA also has a couple of significant revenue streams with the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup, but the Learning Center would not exist without the will required to grow the game and the desire to be golf’s grass roots ambassador. These attributes, we have not seen expressed here in Canada.

Mark Sharpe

sharpe.golf[at]gmail.com