WASHINGTON — Plenty of interest groups come to Washington to lobby for their cause, educating Congress on the benefits of their particular product. Not many bring interactive demos where you can take a full golf swing in your suit and participate聽in a putting contest through a miniature Washington Monument.
Wednesday wasn鈥檛 your average day on Capitol Hill, as We Are Golf arrived for National Golf Day, just three days after the conclusion of The Masters.
Of course, the timing was no accident.
鈥淲e do this, purposely, the Wednesday after The Masters each year,鈥� said Steve Mona, CEO of the World Golf Foundation, which develops and supports golf initiatives like The First Tee. 鈥淎nd the reason that we do is that interest in golf is about as high as it鈥檚 going to be all year right after the Masters. Everybody has got it on the brain, even if they鈥檙e not an avid golfer.鈥�
This year鈥檚 wire-to-wire Masters run by 21-year-old phenom Jordan Spieth, coupled with the competitive return of Tiger Woods, made the 2015 event a particularly well-timed one. In terms of both share rating and average viewership, television ratings were up 26 percent over last year. The final round was even better, with the share rating up 45 percent and the average viewership spiking 51 percent from 2014.
That interest beyond the ropes at Augusta is more crucial for Mona, who is a key player in a nearly $70 billion industry that employs 2 million Americans.
鈥淭he professional game is important; it draws a lot of attention, it creates interest,鈥� Mona said. 鈥淏ut the real kind of backbone of golf is what what鈥檚 being talked about [Wednesday].鈥�
That鈥檚 why PGA Tour veterans Jay Haas and Nick Price were on hand as well. They are also the captains of the U.S. and International聽teams, respectively, which will compete at the Presidents Cup in South Korea later this year.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of goodwill in golf at the moment,鈥� said Price, who understands the need for recognizable faces leading the charge. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 great that Jordan Spieth got in there and won The Masters, and now he鈥檚 there to challenge Rory (McIlroy).鈥�
As for Haas, he sees advocating for the game as part of the responsibility that comes along with the success he鈥檚 enjoyed over his career.
鈥淚f there鈥檚 a checking account in what I鈥檝e been given through golf and what I鈥檝e given back, I鈥檓 still getting way more than I鈥檓 giving back,鈥� he said.
The professionals weren鈥檛 the only ones who spoke fondly of what the game has taught them over the years. Representative Jim Clyburn (D 鈥� SC) is one of the game鈥檚 biggest advocates on the Hill.
鈥淚 just believe that golf as an individual sport builds character better than any other sport I know.鈥�
Clyburn, who was first elected to Congress in 1992, said he was the only member of the Congressional Black Caucus who聽played golf when he arrived in Washington. But he says the game allowed him the chance to develop rapport and respect away from the Hill, fostering relationships across the aisle.
鈥淪ometimes I鈥檇 be the only Democrat there, and often the only African-American,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 really learned bipartisanship up here on the golf course.鈥�
Members of both parties were encouraged to participate in a putting contest, where staffers and Congressmen tallied points for their party. If only everything in politics was as simple.
