The Indiana Golf Office, located in Franklin since 1993, is in the process of attempting to move north.
A specific location has yet to be found, though Lawrence Township in Indianapolis and Hamilton County — home to Carmel, Westfield, Noblesville and Fishers — are possibilities.
Mike David, in his 28th year as IGO executive director, expects the announcement of a new location by the end of this year.
The building and 51 acres were put up for sale last August for $2.5 million.
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“The key reason for the move is we made the decision a year ago not to continue our summer camps. Once that decision was made, we decided our current facility no longer makes sense,” David said. “It doesn’t make sense to maintain a facility where we’re using a third of the building.
“First and foremost, the factor to move was simply to eliminate the overhead that we have at our current facility.”
The Gongaware Junior Golf Academy, a four-day overnight camp founded in 2001, ceased operation last summer due to declining attendance. The camp was at a point where it was losing approximately $80,000 per year.
David said the IGO now plans to concentrate its efforts on the First Tee Program, which uses school-related programs to introduce golf and its core values to young persons.
Another incentive to move is to be closer to donors and players.
In 2017, donations totaled over $500,000, which included individual donors and events designed to raise money. David estimates roughly 60 percent of the donor base is from Marion and Hamilton Counties; less than 5 percent is from Johnson County.
Just under 500 golf professionals are part of the Indiana PGA, along with approximately 31,000 individual Indiana Golf Association members. The Indiana Golf Office is a nonprofit that oversees programs such as the IGA, Indiana Women’s Golf Association, Indiana Junior Golf program and Indiana Golf Foundation.
David sees the move as a way to achieve greater visibility, whether through media coverage or population. Johnson County has roughly 16 percent the population of Marion County and 51 percent the number of residents as Hamilton County.
“We feel like there will be a better connection for us if we move more to a central location. Maybe people will be able to see us more frequently than potentially they do in Franklin,” he said.
Prior to moving to Franklin, the Indiana Golf Office was inside a one-story brick building in downtown Carmel. The move next to The Legends Golf Course signaled a growth and visibility the IGO hadn’t before experienced.
“The thing that’s interestingly unique about the metro Indianapolis area today versus 25 years ago when we opened is that the counties that adjoin Marion County are today so much more tied into the Indianapolis culture,” said Ted Bishop, general manager at The Legends. “Quite honestly, I don’t know if it really does make a difference.
“The biggest thing from a business standpoint that’s affected them over the years has been the decrease in handicapping revenue. They’re not in a position where they can afford to lose money at any particular facet of their operation, and that’s what precipitates the move. It’s a classic downsize.”
The Indiana Golf Office currently staffs 12 full-time employees and 16 summer interns, though David said it’s possible those numbers could increase in the future.
Regardless of where the Indiana Golf Office next calls home, David said the quarter-century it’s been in Johnson County will always be special.
“We’ve had a great relationship with The Legends over the years,” he said. “It gave us more exposure and put us at a golf course, which was great because over the years we’ve ran a lot of tournaments at The Legends.
“It was great because no one knew where we were. Certainly no regrets whatsoever about making that move.”
