BGIA chair to contribute for The Golf Business

The executive chair of the British Golf Industry Association (BGIA), Philip Morley, has agreed to write a semi-regular column for The Golf Business.

The BGIA is the lead trade body representing UK manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of golf products and services, and its centenary is in 2019.

Morley was appointed as its first independent executive chair this year, with a remit to lead the association’s strategic direction. He is the chairman of a board that includes senior representatives of some of the biggest brands in golf, including TaylorMade Golf, Ping, Acushnet Europe, Callaway Golf Europe, Nike Golf, Srixon and Motocaddy.

BGIA executive chair Philip Morley

Morley, a PGA member and former member of the European Tour, is also an experienced golf club manager and runs North Oxford Golf Club.

The BGIA has been particularly vocal on social media in recent months about promoting the game both to play and to watch.

Morley will use the column to detail to golf clubs what the BGIA is doing to increase participation in the game – and what the industry can do with the association to achieve the same aims and goals.

Speaking about the column, he said: “I look forward to communicating with golf clubs to give them information that they might be able to use to get more people playing golf – and hearing back from them about how we can work together to achieve more.”

Morley joins the likes of Blane Dodds, CEO of Scottish Golf, Richard Dixon, CEO of the Golf Union of Wales and Jim Croxton, CEO of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA), who also provide perspective to the magazine. A few days ago Steve Mona, CEO of the World Golf Foundation (WGF), also announced he will pen a quarterly column for the magazine kicking off later this year on hot trends and topics, such as global participation, golf in the Olympics, economic data and the general state of the game.