Business View Magazine - July 2023

131 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 7 Whitten feels monitoring the state-of- the-game continues the GAM legacy. Founded in 1919 the organization seeks to represent, promote, preserve and serve the best interests of the game, and currently provides membership to almost 80,000 golfers and more than 450 golf courses. The GAM’s most visible service is conducting championships – more than 130 days from spring through the fall – 30 amateur championships for male and female golfers of various playing ability levels from age 7 to 80-plus, 15 United States Golf Association (USGA) national championship qualifying events and multiple other play opportunities with team events and 21 GAM Golf Days at participating courses and clubs. The most media and public engagement is generated by its major championships, especially the Michigan Amateur Championship and the Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship. This year’s Michigan Amateur is sure to draw over 1,000 entrants in part because it will be played at historic Oakland Hills Country Club (North course), and the Women’s Amateur will be played at Spring Lake Country Club, which has celebrated women in golf for 102 years with its renown Spring Lake Invitational Tournament. Beyond determining the state’s top players, perhaps the primary responsibility for the GAM as the governing body is enabling members to post scores and establish a Handicap Index®. It is accomplished with access to the GHIN® Mobile App to post scores and use other statistical and GPS course map services, and with the USGA® provide access to the World Handicap System™ service. The GAM also has many volunteers who are authorized by the USGA® to measure and rate golf courses in accordance with the Course Rating System™ standards, and they annually measure and rate more than 60 Michigan courses. Courses are measured and rerated every 10 years. THE GOLF ASSOCIAT ION OF MICHIGAN