Misinterpreted among some as an elitist pastime with little value to the broader community, golf is no stranger to criticism. In the Southwest, much of the scrutiny surrounds the use of water and an unsupported belief that it’s being wasted. Of course, the opposite is true, and when irrigation allocation cuts began to be discussed, it was time to prove it.
While only using 2 percent of the state’s water resources, each year Arizona’s golf industry produces a $6 billion economic impact – in many cases, felt by those who never even pick up a golf club. The game drives an estimated $100 million in charitable fundraising, and it teaches hundreds of thousands of kids valuable life lessons.
To tell this story, the Southwest PGA Section helped form the Arizona Alliance for Golf (AAG), joined by a broad coalition dedicated to the game. Launched in 2020, the AAG’s mission is to advocate for the industries supported by golf and the people who love and depend on the values and economic impact it provides.
AAG members include the travel and lifestyle industry; local affiliates of national golf industry associations from agronomy to hospitality; youth development nonprofits; and an assortment of individual golf courses, players, hospitality and industry leaders. The AAG’s purpose is to speak with one voice to protect the golf industry by educating the general public, policymakers and governmental agencies about issues shaping the future of golf in Arizona.
“The many benefits of golf work their way into the lives of a diverse group of people,” says Gregg Tryhus, AAG Founder and President. “Our goal is to bring them together. Give them a platform to share how it supports their livelihoods. It strengthens social bonds and overall health. It teaches kids great core values they can use for the rest of their lives.”
These messages found a champion in Arizona Senator T.J. Shope, an avid golfer and chair of the state’s Natural Resources Committee. In February 2025, lawmakers and council members from around the Phoenix area officially launched the Arizona Golf Caucus, a bipartisan group of elected officials chaired by Shope who are committed to protecting and preserving Arizona’s vibrant golf industry.
“Fostering collaborative relationships with all levels of government remains an ongoing priority for the AAG,” says Katie Prendergast, AAG Executive Director (pictured with Shope). “As we engage with policymakers across the political spectrum in our advocacy and education work, we deeply appreciate their partnership to grow awareness of the industry’s benefits throughout the state, and we look forward to continuing to work with them.”
The AAG energizes golf community stakeholders to talk with elected officials and the general public about the benefits the industry provides, reinforcing golf’s place in Arizona from the perspective of those who intimately understand the depth and breadth of the game.
In May 2025, the Southwest PGA Section and AAG gathered at the Arizona State Senate for a proclamation presentation, with PGA of America Golf Professionals on hand to declare that the “mission of the Southwest PGA Foundation is to utilize the game of golf as a ‘vehicle’ for our member professionals to positively impact the lives of youths, military Veterans, minorities, at-risk families and individuals within the communities we serve.”
More recently, in January 2026, the Southwest PGA Section joined others in the Arizona golf community for a timely water conservation conversation and legislative update with Senator Shope.
“We have 7.5 million people who reside in Arizona today,” Shope said. “And we use the same amount of water as we did 50-plus years ago when there were only a million and a half.”
Shope credited this astonishing fact to Arizona’s long history as an innovator – pioneering water conservation practices well before they were required.
“We have perfected things that our fellow basin states have only begun to adopt. We were doing some of these things for four or five decades,” Shope said.
Since the formation of the AAG, positive realities like these are spreading. And with the recent opening of the Arizona Golf House – the new hub for Arizona golf, located at Papago Golf Club in Phoenix – local golf nonprofits that call it home now have a common headquarters to serve the public, while providing expanded benefits for tenants like the Southwest PGA.
Golf is good for everyone, and the partnership between the Southwest PGA Section and the AAG is protecting the future of the game in Arizona and all who depend on it.—Jeff Lessig, PGA