This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

As someone who advocated over the years that various governors’ offices issue proclamations – for this month or that month – I know that, often, the words in such proclamations are not worth much.

But, there is a difference this time around.

May has been proclaimed as Golf Month in Oregon by Governor Kate Brown and there is a reason for her decision.

As indicated by the Oregon Golf Association (which I serve as a volunteer, as well as a member of the Executive Committee on the Board of Directors), here is a summary of the justification:

• A total golf economic impact of $1.6 billion annually in Oregon
• The golf industry in Oregon supports more than 16,500 jobs with $508.1 million of wage income
• Contributions of $19.1 million annually to Oregon charities
• Economic impact comparable in size to other important industries in the state, such as fishing and wine
• More than 242,000 Oregonians include golf as a part of their healthy lifestyle
• Golf Courses represent responsible uses of green space, providing wildlife habitat and corridors, a filter for runoff, and a cooling effect within developed area that benefit local communities.

These economic and environmental realities were verified by the Oregon Golf Association when it commissioned “An Oregon Golf Economic Impact Study by the National Golf Foundation.”

Good to have independent verification, including the numbers, for how important golf is to Oregon.