Matt Starr, the winner of the 2011 Southern Ohio PGA Section President’s Plaque, is the PGA Head Professional at Meadow Links & Golf Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Matt Star on the importance of offering non-traditional programming:
At our facility we make an effort to engage communities that oftentimes are overlooked within the golf industry. Here are just a few examples. We partnered with a local orthopedic doctor who develops prosthetic limbs for active individuals involved in a variety of sports. We offer a free two-hour golf clinic with at least 25 annual participants followed by a grill out lunch. Another creative idea we came up with was to partner with a local foreign exchange program. Through this we were able to introduce golf to approximately 100 Chinese exchange students, ranging from middle school to high school. Most of these students had never played golf before, so we were able to be a positive influence on their first experience playing golf. Finally, we reached out to organizations that work with homeless youths. We have five clinics set up for 2018, and we expect 100 youths ranging from 7-17 years of age. Naturally, due to the financial circumstances we offer these clinics for free.
Matt Starr on the business impact of offering non-traditional programming:
Not only are we having a positive impact on our community, they are also helping our business grow. Our amputee clinics brought in approximately $375 in revenue plus new golfers frequenting our facility the remainder of the year. The foreign exchange program generated over $1,000 in facility revenue. Ultimately these types of initiatives will benefit our facility in the long-run as we will be able to grow our reach and influence within the local community.
