Parmasters Video on Corporate Memberships and New RCGA Role for Carroll

I’m once again running out the door to a series of meetings. But wanted to share another Parmasters video, and some news regarding golf leadership in this country.

This latest video focuses on the many benefits of a Corporate Membership at Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo. Corporate Memberships allow up to five employees to enjoy the full benefits of membership... Well, it’s all covered in the video. You can find the video here.

And lastly, the former Executive Director of the Canadian PGA, Steve Carroll, has recently landed a new role with the Royal Canadian Golf Association. Golf News Now reported this last week, in their periodic newsletter. You can find the article on the GNN website here, and I’ve also included it below.


Carroll Lands Key Role With RCGA
November 26, 2009 by Ian Hutchinson

The timing of the announcement that Steve Carroll has been named director of membership and business development for the Royal Canadian Golf Association may lead to speculation that he had been recruited by the RCGA before announcing his resignation as executive director of the Canadian PGA.

The announcement of Carroll’s new position comes just a few weeks after his 22-year tenure with the Canadian PGA concluded at the end of October, but he says he didn’t even consider the RCGA job until his last few days at the CPGA.

“I resigned in August because I felt that I had done everything I could for the Canadian PGA,” said Carroll. “I looked very carefully with a career coach at opportunities inside and outside of golf and around the world. All of that activity was taking place in September and October.”

The turning point towards his new position, according to Carroll, came on October 19 at a National Allied Golf Association meeting that was being held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto.

RCGA representatives, including chief operating officer Peter Beresford and Ron Gardner, managing director of membership strategy, were speaking to NAGA about the association’s business development strategy, which features the Golf Canada branding effort to consumers that will have a big push in 2010.

“I had known about it,” said Carroll, who had served as NAGA chairman and had consulted with the RCGA on the effort. “They had brought in outside experts from corporate Canada. It’s a very bold vision for the RCGA.”

It was during that presentation that Carroll heard that the RCGA was looking for somebody to spearhead that effort, including the promotion of the Golf Canada initiative, which will feature merchandise with the maple leaf/golfer logo, to the golf industry.

“I thought to myself, I could be that guy. The next day, I called (RCGA executive director) Scott Simmons and I said, `Scott, I’d like to throw my hat in the ring for this person you’re looking for,’” said Carroll. “I’ve always had a great working relationship with Scott. It all came together very quickly.

“When we starting talking about the details of it, it just made nothing but sense to me to utilize all those contacts I have made in my 22 years, with not only golf pros, but throughout the industry, and not just in B.C. or Ontario, but throughout Canada.

“It just seemed like a really good fit,” he said.

Carroll, who spent 13 years as executive director of the British Columbia zone before taking the Canadian PGA executive director position five years ago, brings outstanding qualities to the position, according to Simmons.

”Steve demonstrated tremendous leadership during his tenure with the CPGA and, more recently, as NAGA chair and spokesperson for the recently announced Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study,” said Simmons.

“He holds a valuable knowledge of the RCGA, Canadian PGA and other golf associations in Canada and has gained an incredible level of respect through his proven record of career success in senior executive positions,” he added.

“We are confident that Steve is the right person to engage the Canadian golf industry and help create and articulate a bold new vision for the future direction of our sport in Canada,” said Simmons.
Carroll will assist with the development and execution of Golf Canada branded membership programs, as well as recruit, train and manage Golf Canada volunteers and increase the profile and awareness of Golf Canada/Team Canada in Ontario and Eastern Canada.

“What was also appealing to me was the idea that I wouldn’t have to, at this point in my career, be concerned with running an entire organization and just simply focus in on a cause and a project that’s a very exciting one and close to my heart,” said Carroll.

“I’ve always thought the RCGA could step into a role like Hockey Canada and like Basketball Canada and be the National Sports Organization in every way possible,” he added.

“Hockey Canada has done a great job in cementing that brand name in the consumer’s mind. There’s a good parallel here, that Hockey Canada is still technically the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, but nobody knows that anymore,” said Carroll.