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Trade In PGA of America Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Golf is a game for everyone. At the PGA of America, we work to ensure golf is welcoming and inclusive for all. Whether you would like to play a round, hire a golf coach, attend a Championship, work in the golf industry or participate in the supply chain, we welcome you with open arms to this great game.
In 2014, the PGA of America’s leadership positioned inclusion and diversity as foundational principles in our Long-Term Strategic Plan, recognizing that we will be defined by how our commitment to inclusion and diversity resonates throughout the Association, our programs, and practices. This commitment is vital to the health and relevance of our business and our ability to fulfill our mission to serve our Members and grow the game. In order to attract more of the increasingly diverse population to the game, the workforce and the golf industry’s supply chain, we must become more inclusive in every regard. We have made meaningful strides in embracing and leveraging inclusion, equity and diversity, with particular emphasis on education and skill development, governance, workforce diversification, vendor inclusion, and community impact, but there is more work to be done.
Our goal is to create an environment where people from all backgrounds, identities and abilities can contribute to the PGA of America and the golf industry at large in meaningful ways and their differences make us stronger.
Education & Skill Development
We are committed to deepening the real understanding of inclusion, equity and diversity, and the business case for them, throughout the Association at the Chapter, Section and National levels. We deliver extensive instructor-led education at PGA Professional forums, PGA employee and leadership gatherings, and golf industry events. We engage subject matter experts to assist in the development of training materials and digital resources to help ensure our education and skill development content is contemporary and credible. Examples of this include:
- The Make Golf Your Thing Education & Skill Development Work Group has deployed educational content to golf industry organizations and their employees nationwide to elevate their collective competency.
- The Inclusion Guidelines for Golf Facilities, which helps golf facilities assess how inclusive and welcoming their facility is.
Governance
We are committed to an environment, systems, and structures that create the opportunity for all PGA Professionals and PGA employees to develop, grow, and lead. Conducting inclusion assessments across our National and PGA Section business operations allow us to identify gaps and create pathways to closing them. Diversifying the demographic composition of the Association’s National and Section Committees, including the Rules Committees, across dimensions of difference is an area of focus. We also continue to assess our National and Section awards criteria, and our volunteer leadership protocols, using a ‘lens of inclusion’ to evolve them accordingly through the leadership of our Awards Committee and Governance Task Force.
PGA LEAD
PGA LEAD was launched in 2016 and is designed to identify, develop, and mentor PGA Members from diverse backgrounds as they pursue leadership positions at the Chapter, Section and National levels of the Association. PGA LEAD assists in establishing a portfolio of PGA Members from a variety of diverse backgrounds who are better prepared to ascend through PGA of America governance. PGA LEAD also aids in developing PGA Members who have a desire to serve and make an impact on nonprofit boards within the communities where they work and live.
PGA LEAD Success Stories
There are countless success stories of PGA LEAD alumni and current members of the cohorts, highlighted by three PGA Section Presidents, two PGA Section Secretaries, 22 serving as PGA Section Board Members and 19 serving on National PGA Committees.
- Erin Streick, PGA - Cohort II, President of the Iowa Section
- Tom Son, PGA - Cohort VI, Board Member of the Southern California Section
- Andre Pillow, PGA - Cohort III, At-Large Director of the Michigan Section
Workforce Diversification
We are committed to evolving the demographic composition of the golf industry’s workforce; including the PGA Membership, Boards of Directors, senior leadership and employees at the National, Section and Chapter levels of the Association. Recruiting, developing, engaging, and retaining diverse talent at every level of the Association will help drive innovation and fulfillment of our mission.
Key to pursuing our commitment is PGA WORKS, a strategic initiative designed to diversify the golf industry’s workforce through PGA WORKS Fellowships, PGA WORKSGolf Management University Scholarships, PGA WORKS Beyond the Green, and the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship.
We also educate consumers who have historically been underrepresented in golf’s workforce and the game overall. We recognize the power of our strategic inclusion partnerships with individuals and organizations who believe in our commitment and are willing to carry our message into their communities. We have to extend authentically welcoming invitations and create clear and visible pathways into the business. Examples include Fairways to Leadership, Thurgood Marshall College Fund Leadership Institute, Jopwell, Black Girls Golf, Sigma Pi Phi, Women in Golf Foundation, Latina Golfers Association, and One Hundred Black Men of New York..
PGA JobMatch
PGA JobMatch is an intentional effort to identify and invite talent from a variety of backgrounds, identities and abilities to apply for a variety of part-time and full-time roles necessary to execute the operations of our Major Championships. We engage with diverse talent and employment organizations in and around the host cities of our these major spectator events, including part-time and full-time temporary work taking place pre-, during and post-event with the PGA of America and its key vendors (Tier 1 suppliers).
Interested applicants must complete a registration form for consideration. Candidates who pass the pre-screener questionnaire will be contacted by the appropriate PGA Department’s or key vendor’s hiring manager to discuss potential employment for each event.
Vendor Inclusion
We are committed to including minority-, women-, LGBT-, disabled-, service-disabled and Veteran-owned businesses in our procurement bidding opportunities and business operations. Like workforce diversification, the inclusion of diverse-owned businesses helps drive creativity and innovation in pursuit of our mission.
Through strategic alliances with the National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA), the National Lesbian & Gay Chambers of Commerce (NGLCC), the Carolinas LGBT+ Chambers of Commerce, the United States Pan Asian American Chambers of Commerce (USPAACC) and Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), we successfully source prospective vendors for inclusion in our Tier 1 and Tier 2 bid opportunities.
We encourage diverse-owned vendors interested in partnering with the PGA of America and/or its key vendors to join our vendor database, as well as the golf industry’s vendor database.
Check back regularly for updates on PGA VendorMatch. Application periods range from March to April, as well as from November to December.
Check back regularly for PGA JobMatch updates. Application periods take place in March to April, as well as November to December.
Community Impact
We are committed to engaging underrepresented and under-resourced consumers in the game and ensuring there are no real or perceived barriers to entering the game. In our quest to foster a culture of inclusion within the game, we collaborate with those who champion DEI – organizations and golf facilities that have successfully demonstrated growth with diverse groups.
We also continue to support well-established, long-standing community-based programs that provide a clear pathway for under-represented individuals into the game including:
We also continue to support well-established, long-standing community-based programs that provide a clear pathway for under-represented individuals into the game including:
- Black Girls Golf
- Latina Golfers Association
- LPGA/USGA Girls Golf
- Make Golf Your Thing (American Golf Industry Coalition)
- National Alliance for Accessible Golf
- One Hundred Black Men of New York
- The First Tee
- United States Disabled Golfers Association
- Women in Golf Foundation
As the PGA of America now calls Frisco, TX "home", we are committed to engaging with the North Texas community and to provide clear pathways to our programming as well as career and business opportunities. We have engaged with a variety of diverse partner organizations including:
- Collin College
- Communities Foundation of Texas
- Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Frisco Chamber of Commerce
- Frisco Independent School District
- Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- North Texas Commission
- North Texas Disability Chamber
- North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce
- University of North Texas
- Women's Business Council Southwest
PGA Cares
The PGA of America continues to provide staff engagement and volunteer opportunities through the PGA Cares Employee Volunteer Program created in July 2021. Through the program, employees are provided 16 hours of Volunteer Time Off (VTO) to serve and make an impact in the communities in which they live, work and play. Meaningful and diverse volunteer opportunities are provided to our employees on, at minimum, a quarterly basis. Employees are also equipped and encouraged to use the volunteer platform, VOMO, to search for additional ways and nonprofits to serve on an individual basis.
