Each year, GCSAA joins the American Golf Industry Coalition (AGIC) for the annual National Golf Day (NGD) event in Washington, D.C., to speak on key issues affecting the golf course management industry, to advocate for the game and highlight the important work being done by GCSAA members. This collaboration provides an opportunity for golf industry representatives to advocate for issues that are vital to business growth and job creation. This annual event helps business leaders gain access to, and build relationships with, key decision-makers and administration officials.
More than 300 golf industry advocates attended the 18th annual National Golf Day, held May 4-6, 2026. Sixteen EXCEL Leadership Program participants had the opportunity to attend this year and participate in all aspects of the event. Jordan Diede, six-year GCSAA member and assistant golf course superintendent for the City of Fort Collins, Colo., attended National Golf Day for the first time this year as part of GCSAA’s EXCEL Leadership Program, which is presented in partnership with Nufarm.
“The overall tone of my time in Washington, D.C., felt incredibly unifying. Golf industry professionals from across the country, representing diverse backgrounds and facilities, came together to advocate for issues that impact all of us,” Diede said. “It reinforced that what we do as golf course professionals matters and that we have a responsibility to speak up in support of our industry when the opportunity arises.”
During Lobby Day on May 6, National Golf Day participants focused on the issues of modernizing the tax code in the PAR Act and passage of the PHIT Act, as well as H-2B visa program improvements and a new request for funding for the National Agriculture Statistics Survey during more than 250 meetings with the offices of lawmakers from 40 states.
For the National Golf Day Community Service Project, NDG attendees lent a hand at an area golf course and the National Mall. The National Mall service project included painting in the names of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence on the Signer’s Island memorial, mulching and more.
At Old Soldiers’ Golf Course, a 9-hole golf course and driving range at the Armed Forces Retirement Home, 50 NGD attendees helped Milton Stark, the 84-year-old course manager, with eight projects that involved everything from dead tree removal to mowing. This collaborative effort with the veterans, who help Stark with course management, made a big difference for the residents and those who utilize the golf course.
In addition to its annual involvement with the AGIC’s National Golf Day to support the golf industry’s $101.7 billion economic impact, GCSAA is a member of 12 coalitions that align with the association’s priority issues. By joining forces with coalitions/associations such as the H-2B Workforce Coalition, the Water Advocacy Coalition, the National Alliance for Accessible Golf and the National Turfgrass Federation, GCSAA has been successful in amplifying the voice of the golf course management industry and advocating on its behalf.
GCSAA has secured additional H-2B visas annually for golf facilities as a member of the H-2B Workforce Coalition. As part of the National Turfgrass Federation, GCSAA helps to secure $3 million annually for turfgrass research. The association has played a major role in the national debate over how broadly the federal government can regulate wetlands, streams, ditches and other waterways under the Clean Water Act as a member of the Water Advocacy Coalition and recently submitted extensive comments to EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the latest WOTUS (Waters of the United States) rule.
The association has also dedicated advocacy efforts to the National Alliance for Accessible Golf to advance accessibility standards for golf facilities and helped assist with the distribution of more than $1 million in grants to help expand access to golf for people with disabilities.
These are just a few examples of GCSAA’s advocacy coalition involvement and successes, all of which demonstrate the association’s commitment to its mission of serving its members, advancing their profession and improving communities through enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf.
Learn more about GCSAA's priority issues here.
Read more of GCM's coverage of this year's National Golf Day.