By CARLTON VINSON

It can’t be coincidence.

Whenever something positive seems to be happening on the national golf scene, chances are if you look around, you will see Will Mann’s face somewhere in the area. For example, it was Mann, owner and golf director at Quarry Hills Golf Club in Graham, who was highly visible as President of the PGA of America two years when the American team recaptured the Ryder Cup for the United States.

Now, as Honorary President of the organization, it was Mann’s leadership qualities which helped bring a national pilot program for developing golfers to central North Carolina. Mann’s course is western-most of a group of nine facilities, located primarily in the Triangle that will offer special rates and programs to help grow the game of golf. Link Up 2 Golf, the name of the program, will help establish parameters for building similar programs all over the country in the next 20 years.

"We knew the Triangle area had a lot of positive qualities to begin with," said Ruffin Beckwith, senior vice-president of the World Golf Foundation, who was at Hillandale Golf Club in Durham June 4 for the announcement of the Triangle’s selection.

There is plenty of demand for golf, and enough capacity to handle that demand. It’s a medium-sized market with an excellent location geographically, where golf can be played year round. And obviously, having the past-president of the PGA of America located in the market didn’t hurt. Will Mann’s dedication to golf and his strong leadership over the years was a bonus in terms of being able to spearhead this incredibly important program.

An initiative stemming from last fall’s industry-wide GOLF 20/20 conference, Link Up 2 Golf is not only designed to attract new golfers, but also to connect new, former and infrequent golfers to the game in a way that will ensure higher rates of retention.

"One of the findings from Golf 20/20 was that we have been bringing people into the game at a consistently high level in recent years," said Beckwith. "Unfortunately another finding was that we weren’t retaining those players at acceptable levels.

"From player development programs already in existence we have learned what will attract people to the game and what will keep them in the game," said Beckwith, who is overseeing the Golf 20/20 effort. "What we hope to learn in the Triangle area is how to implement and manage an effective, cost-efficient program in a multi-owner environment, and how to communicate with and track participants. Only then can we determine how to expand the concept nationally

Designed for adults age 18 and over, Link Up 2 Golf participants receive six hours of lessons and five rounds of golf for only $199, with the assurance that they will be comfortable on the golf course by the end of the program. Host sites will offer forward tees, special windows of play for those in the program, new player tournaments and other features geared toward making the transition from the range to the course smooth, comfortable and, most importantly, fun."

Participating Triangle area facilities are: Devils Ridge Golf Club in Holly Springs; Duke University Golf Course in Durham, The Golf Academy in Garner, The Golf Center in Durham, Hillandale Golf Club in Durham, Lochmere Golf Club in Cary, North Ridge Country Club in Raleigh, Quarry Hills Country Club in Graham and Wake Forest Golf Club in Wake Forest.

"The facilities, which include private, semi-private and public courses, as well as learning centers, represent an ideal cross-section for the pilot program and will provide the information we need to determine how to move forward nationally," said Mann. "At Duke we’ll learn about the viability of the program in a university environment. North Ridge will demonstrate if the program can be effective internally at a private club. From the Golf Academy and The Golf Center, we’ll determine how alternative facilities factor into the equation. The other facilities, representing a variety of pricing structures, will offer the program to the public and, in some cases, their members.

Anyone interested in taking advantage of the Link Up 2 Golf program can register for the program in person at participating facilities or by calling a host site, by calling the toll-free Link Up 2 Golf number at 866-733-LINK (5465), or online at www.linkup2golf.com.