Wherever in the World It Is, You Will Find It At
Black Horse Manor!
Pet Portraits by Lisa D.
40 Village Spring Dr.
Hardy, VA
(540) 721-0181
HOURS:
Tuesday - Saturday
10am-5pm
Foundation studied 2005 economic
impact data for each U.S. state. In
Virginia, the total golf economy-
-that is golf course operations,
course construction, retail golf
supplies, tournaments, golf-related
new home construction, and
tourism traceable to golf--generated
$1,591,000,000.00. Yes, over one
and a half billion dollars in direct
impact on the Commonwealth.
The economic impact of golf
in Franklin County is difficult
to tease out from public records.
Nevertheless, Susan J. Wray,
Treasurer, reports that the four
local golf courses pay a total of
$40,673.38 just in property taxes
or almost 1.2% of the total property
taxes paid by all businesses and
residents. Of course, the four
courses also pay meals tax, personal
property tax, sales tax, employ
personnel, attract tourists, and are a
major reason many people retire to
the area.
Golf makes more than economic
contributions to communities. For
many people, golf is more than a
game — it’s a business opportunity.
Nobody calls a prospective
business contact and says, “Hey,
can I please meet you at your office
for 5 hours?” Yet, many successful
business relationships emerge
from 5-hour golf games. That’s
why colleges such as Washington
University in St. Louis, the
University of Maryland, and
Carnegie Mellon have programs
that teach this networking tool.
Some writers, including Leslie
Andrews (Even Par: How Golf
Helps Women Gain the Upper Hand
in Business), believe that playing
golf is especially important for
women in business. “The business
benefits of golf — primarily the
ability to develop relationships and
to be where decisions are made —
are so powerful that by allowing
themselves to be excluded, women
are doing themselves a disservice.”
With so many reasons to play
golf, when should a person take up
the game? One anonymous PGA
Pro suggests, “If you really want to
get better at golf, go back and take
it up at a much earlier age.” That
is exactly what the Andrew Haley
Memorial / Smith Mountain Lake
Lions Club Junior Tournament
promotes.
The
Tournament
attracts
competitive golfers ages 11
through 18, both girls and boys, to
a two-day event. The youngsters
exercise responsibility as they
follow the rules of the game
without umpires or referees. They
have several hours each day to get
to know other golfers from Virginia
and surrounding states as they
play together. They practice self-
discipline as they cope with both
their good shots and those that they
wish they had never hit.
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