“All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.”

Sun Tzu

Ah yes, strategy. In Sun Tzu’s Art of War, it’s all about preparation.

Jeff Calderwood is a master of it. He prepares for business meetings like he’s going into battle. He’s been doing it for years as founder and executive director of the National Golf Course Owners’ Association (NGCOA), which oversees about 1300 courses in Canada.

He’s argued and cajoled and seen victory and defeat over issues such as course development, water usage, taxation, and over building.

Late last summer at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, he showed up at the official announcement of the Golf Economic Impact Study released by the National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA).

Calderwood was also a former president of NAGA, and people weren’t surprised when he showed up at the Glen Abbey presser with his briefcase stuffed with 28 issues that needed addressing by local, provincial or federal officials.

Calderwood has always been bullish on golf in Canada. What he needed to make him even more bullish was some scientific data.

The NAGA study gave it to him. No wonder Calderwood will head up the charge to be the advocate for the industry this summer.

At press time, it wasn’t clear if he would be the official spokesperson for both NAGA and the NGCOA in meetings with politicos, but you can almost bank on it. Calderwood seemed to agree when interviewed at the Toronto Golf & Travel Show held earlier this year.

Whether Calderwood would speak for NAGA would be made official at a March 31^st meeting, but whatever, he will carry NGCOA’s voice to the table for a number of “Lobby Days.” These are being organized by the golf industry to advocate their causes in front of politicians – at all three levels.

The details were still to be worked out as Calderwood was being interviewed in Toronto, but it’s clear that golf is going to be aggressive – thanks to the NAGA numbers.

Calderwood’s aggressive personality could help the game make some serious inroads in changing the way golf is perceived by the lawmakers across the land. “We want to get to the decision makers and show them that we’re a credible industry,” said Calderwood.

The NAGA study suggests exactly that. Golf is an $11.3 billion industry nation-wide, and creates nearly 350,000 jobs and nearly $8 billion in household income. As well, $1.9 billion in income taxes and $1.2 billion in property and other indirect taxes are pouring out of the game and into government coffers.

In a slumping economy, that’s pretty heady stuff, and Calderwood, no shrinking violet, will sing from the NAGA songbook. “We want to come to the table with a consistent and scripted message,” he said.

To the Ministry of Finance, Calderwood can talk about the economics of golf, and how 43 per cent of all golf industry employees are students. Over $439 million (a conservative estimate) is raised for charity each year, as well.

To the tourism people he can talk about 1 million golf trips being made inside Canada in one year and how that generated $1.9 billion in revenues.

To the environmental people, he can argue golf course owners manage over 200,000 hectares of green space and 41,000 hectares of unmanaged wildlife habitat.

What the industry wants is a better deal for golf. The NAGA study is a benchmarking tool and allows the industry “to talk from the same page.” Calderwood will ask government officials to treat golf “as an industry, not a pastime.”

The advocacy strategy hopes to establish relationships, perhaps find a champion to run with the sport’s causes, and in the short term, “create awareness.”

“An industry wide effort is needed,” said Calderwood. That means being pro-active in solving issues that will affect the industry in the future. The 28 issues that Calderwood had in his briefcase at Glen Abbey would have elicited a reactive response.

Calderwood did have some victories to brag about at the Toronto interview. The City of Calgary had turned down a pesticide bylaw that would have negatively impacted on the golf clubs in the area.

On the flipside, the issue of golf cart licenses being mandatory at B.C. courses is costing club owners thousands.

These laws and bylaws were harder to deflect because golf wasn’t fighting its battles as a united force. Calderwood hopes to give the industry some oomph.

At a meeting with him earlier this year, he said he was getting nowhere with those on the other side until he brought out the NAGA study. Suddenly, the point he was making took on added credence.

At the federal level, Calderwood wants to tackle the contentious entertainment tax issue. Why can some sports be written off as expenses, but not golf? Calderwood also says golf is being treated unfairly when it comes to property taxes.

Calderwood brings experience and a clear understanding of what’s needed from the politicos at the three levels of government to help the golf industry flourish in Canada over the next decade.

With a sophisticated document in his hand, and some telling numbers to back him up, his chances of scoring brownie points with decision makers have been heightened considerably.

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