“When you have something that is a jewel, you want to continue polishing it, so it stays shiny and people remain attracted to it,” said Arizona Senator T.J. Shope about Arizona’s golf industry during the latest episode of “Golf is Good for Everyone.”
Golf needs heroes like Shope in the State Legislature who champion the industry’s annual $6 billion economic impact, including 66,000 local jobs. As a leader of the Arizona Golf Group, Shope is an advocate for Arizona golfers, golf courses, and the many nonprofits that leverage the game to help others.
Shope is an Arizona native from Coolidge who grew up with golf as well as “involved with politics.” His father ran a local grocery store for nearly 70 years, was chairman of what now is known as the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance, and the mayor of Coolidge for 16 years.
As the President pro tempore of the Arizona Senate and Chair of Natural Resources Committee, Shope is focused on the business of state, including “water issues, which of course, are always on the top of mind, not just for the state of Arizona but for the golf industry in general,” he said.
Members of the golf industry regularly present to the Natural Resources Committee, discussing efforts already underway for decades in the area of conservation such as using effluent water.
“People fly over the state, and they think, ‘oh, my god, look at all that green,’ and have no idea of how conservation-minded the industry is to use as little water as they can,” Shope explained. “After a 20-plus-year drought, people begin to look for a ‘boogie man.’”
Shope wants to make sure we speak positively about the game, the industry, the number of people who are employed and what the game does for tourism.
Examples of progress include “Ag-to-Urban” legislation. Shope said by building “homes where the water is,” it converts higher-water-volume irrigated lands into lower-water-volume land to save water.
An informal version of Ag-to-Urban policy has already been saving water for decades. “This is how we’ve gotten to the point where we’re using the same amount of ground water today that we used in the 1950s – 1.5 million people back then and 7.5 million people today,” Shope explained.
Facing term limits, Shope encourages colleagues to join him in ensuring golf has a robust fanbase of legislators and a robust fanbase of people who travel to Arizona. Livelihoods depend on it.
Shope even said golf’s impact to Arizona may be “just as big, if not bigger” than professional sports teams such as the Suns or Diamondbacks. In addition to Arizonans who may play on a regular basis, people worldwide travel to Arizona to golf, “and when they come, they’re not just playing golf; they’re getting a room and going out to eat.”
Shope concluded by urging everyone to check out the WM Phoenix Open and Charles Schwab Cup Championship. He also warned Arizonans not to become complacent. Arizona has a “great thing going,” and “there’s always somebody else who will compete for it.”
Just ask local heartbroken hockey fans.
