The Real Score with Emily Must: Teeing Up the Next Generation of Sport Leaders

As the weather turns and the spring flowers bloom, you may be thinking of picking up a new outdoor activity and I hope golf is at the top of that list. While long considered a sport for the elites in country clubs, recent research by the National Golf Foundation has reported some encouraging new trends. The number of golf trials has hit record or near-record levels in recent years, with 3 million or more on-course beginners starting every year since 2020.

The number of annual newcomers had hovered around 2.5 million from 2016-2019 prior to the pandemic-fueled rise in recent years. The category of young adults (18-34-year-olds) is the sport’s largest customer age segment, even if they don’t play the most. Engagement among this cohort has continued to rise as younger participants play golf in a variety of ways. In addition, interest in playing among non-golfing young adults is high, with more than 7.5 million saying they are “very interested” in taking up the traditional game.

Even more inspiring, 3.7 million juniors played golf on a course in 2024, and this segment is more diverse than the overall golf population and has seen a 48% increase since 2019, the largest gains of any age group. More than one-third (35%) of today’s juniors are girls compared to 15% in 2000. More than one-quarter (29%) of junior golfers are people of color while just 6% of participants identified as such in 2000. The number of women golfers (adult and junior) has surpassed 6 million the past five years and since 2019, the net gain in golfers is 2.3 million, a 41% increase. Over one quarter (28%) of on-course golfers are women, the highest proportion on record.

Municipal golf courses provide affordable options and are the backbone of continued expansion of the sport. So, this month I would like to focus on how the McCormack Department of Sport Management at UMass and the Westover Municipal Golf Course in Granby have contributed to this positive trend though a special relationship that has made the game more accessible, while providing unique experiential learning opportunities and fond memories for our students.

In the Fall of 2022, I was introduced to Westover Head Pro and 2025 Rollie Jacobs Western Mass Tee Party honoree, Bill Kubinski, by a former sport management faculty member, Tony Lachowetz. Bill’s enthusiasm to support student learning and gain perspectives about the course and its members led to a robust sponsorship research project where students developed cases and projected revenue for digital signage boards on golf courses. The students enjoyed the work and their time at the course so much that the project continued as an independent study the following spring where students served as consultants to provide comprehensive plans for static sponsorship opportunities, new event partners, and drafted a robust social media plan. Throughout their work several students realized they had never had the opportunity to play golf and approached Bill with the idea to co-host a lesson with the Women in Sport Management club, which would be open to anyone who wanted to learn. The first event in the Spring of 2023 may have seemed like a simple day at the range but it planted the seeds for so much more.

Twice per academic year since (October and May), Westover has graciously hosted our Women in Sport Management club for a lesson on the range. The event brings out a large group of diverse students and is often mentioned by our graduating seniors as their favorite memories. So much so that the class of 2025 started a new tradition this year: The McCormack Golf Fest, a 9-hole scramble which featured faculty-student teams ranging in ability from previous professional experience to those hitting the links for the first time, an incredible feat and true testimony to the inclusive community created through these events.

With Bill’s support, students coordinated the event, created the teams, secured sponsors and allocated a budget all while having a great time and making the sport of golf more approachable to the next generation. Students and faculty were able to get out of their comfort zone and maybe even pick up a new, healthy hobby. In addition to the practical lessons learned, students also had a front row seat to important life lessons: taking initiative creates opportunity, facilitating a culture of belonging creates a legacy and that a bad day on the golf course is still a great day. Events like this and supporters like Bill Kubinski remind us of the importance of community building and life-long learning in the sport industry and in life. So, if the golf course is calling head on out to Westover Municipal to be greeted by friendly pros like Bill and Kade and the very sweet course dog, Cooper — beginners welcome!

Emily Must is a Senior Lecturer and Director of Internships at UMass’ McCormack Department of Sport Management. She is also the faculty advisor to the McCormack Student Leaders Club, Pioneer Valley Tip Off Classic, and Service Through Sport.