Leading up to our first New York qualifier we were told it would be impossible to get millennial golfers to give up their Sunday afternoon for a golf tournament, especially one that was run by two relatively new organizations, GolfMatch and Nextgengolf.  That notion, as well as the thought that golf is declining in popularity amongst millennials, didn’t bode well for us.

However, we learned something very encouraging on Sunday afternoon at Tallgrass Golf Club on Long Island. We learned that the future of golf is way brighter than people think.  52 millennial golfers showed up on what was supposed to be a rainy afternoon. Every golfer arrived at least 45 minutes before the 2:30pm shotgun, with one golfer leaving his vacation weekend in Rhode Island to take a 930am ferry, then drove from Connecticut.

The dark clouds faded into clear skies, the golfers played great, and we secured the first 8 spots  for the New York team in the City Championship against Boston. Colin Warren led the field with a 69, and our lone female participant, Brittany Ferrante, shot a 72. These weren’t just some young professionals coming out for a round of golf, these were golfers looking for a venue to both compete and have fun.

Virtually ever golfers stuck around after the round for drinks and food on the terrace, while we calculated the scores and announced the winners. The GM at the course made a point of coming up to us afterwards to say “we have never had so many gentleman in one outing before.” Not just golfers, gentleman.

Nextgengolf and their sister company NCCGA have hosted hundreds of tournaments for millennial golfers, so it was an honor for GolfMatch to be given the opportunity to Co-Sponsor this great event, which we hope to expand into many more cities in the future.

All in all, it was an amazing day, and an inspiring show of support from the young golfers in New York. It just goes to show that enthusiasm for golf is still very much alive, with companies like GolfMatch and Nextgengolf leading the charge for innovation.

Upcoming qualifiers:

Boston qualifier- August 2nd at South Shore CC Sign-up and details

NY qualifier -August 17th at Middle Bay GC Sign-up and details