World Golf Foundation CEO STEVE MONA touched down in Charlotte on Wednesday for the PGA Championship and promptly got out to Quail Hollow Club for Thursday’s first round. While Mona is in town to enjoy the city's first major, he also is looking forward to advancing the Golf 20/20 division, an industry coalition of leading organizations in the golf industry that come together to collaborate on initiatives designed to grow interest in the game. Mona talked with THE DAILY about combining his love of golf with his foundation's agenda, as well as how he spends a weekend outside of the office.
RAPID FIRE: On Wednesday we held 20/20's three-year strategic planning session with our board members to map out '18-20. Then we had an event hosted by the PGA of America at Quail Hollow at their Green Mile Club. Next year for the first time the golf industry is going to present an annual State of the Game report. It’ll be done by the National Golf Foundation, but we’ve been heavily involved as well. Essentially it will bring together all the key metrics from all the components of the golf industry. It’ll pull them all together in one comprehensive report. These meetings touch on that as well as plenty of other subjects. I also had a series of meetings with various folks from the golf industries that we’re working with on other particular projects.
FAMILY TIME: A nice perk this week is actually that my son and his family live right here in Charlotte, so my wife and I will be staying with them this weekend. Friday, I’m a spectator with my son and his wife, my three grandkids and we’re all going to enjoy the course. Saturday, I’ll spend with just my son and his family and then Sunday, we’ll make the drive back to Florida. But we’ll leave early enough to catch the PGA finish at the house.
ALL TOGETHER NOW: I’m lucky enough to get to all four majors each year, as well as the Players Championship and the Ryder Cup/Presidents Cup, and the reason I go is because those are the events in which all the leaders of the golf industry tend to congregate. There’s so many meetings where I have an opportunity to meet with leaders from all the different sectors. You have the pro tours, the major associations, the equipment manufacturers, media companies, the major turf management companies -- they’re all there. It’s a good chance to move initiatives along that otherwise would take longer to come to fruition.
IN THE MEANTIME: For my weekends at home, my wife and I are empty-nesters and we’re also in a year-long golf climate as well in Ponte Vedra Beach. I play golf every Saturday morning with my regular group. I’m also devout in my Catholic faith and attend mass each Saturday evening. Sunday mornings I like to take about a 25-mile bike ride alongside the ocean. Then the afternoons are usually spent in my yard gardening. Then of course golf is always on Sunday afternoon as well. Whether it’s PGA Tour, LPGA, Web.com, I’ll always have it on. I also am an avid reader on my Kindle and I love to read biographies of successful American business leaders -- STEVE JOBS, ELON MUSK, MICHAEL OVITZ to name a few. I also threw BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN in there because I’m a huge fan. My favorite golf book would be “GOLF IN THE KINGDOM” by MICHAEL MURPHY. TV-wise my wife and I really miss “FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS” and “MAD MEN."
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