Several riveting discussions will be held as some of the most knowledgeable names in the industry convene at Southern Pines Golf Club in Southern Pines for the third annual Symposium On Affordable Golf Oct. 29-30.

The symposium will be one-and-a-half days, followed by a golf outing on the Donald Ross-designed Southern Pines Golf Club Tuesday afternoon.

The Symposium On Affordable Golf raises awareness and understanding of the challenges of the golf industry through open discussion, exchange of ideas and highlighting successes that promote the health and sustainability of golf. 

As in previous years, there is no fee for attendance. Also, as in past years, attending members of the PGA, the LPGA and the GCSAA will be eligible to receive continuing education credits.

The agenda this year includes Jim Hyler of Raleigh, immediate past president of the USGA, and the immediate past president of the GCSAA, Bob Randquist, in a discussion titled “Brown Is the New Green? Firm and Fast? Or is it Something Else?” 

This discussion will focus on a recent trend in course setup that is actually a return to an earlier time and can possibly reduce the costs of the game.

A round-table discussion titled “The Golf Generation Gap” will feature teaching professionals Dana Rader and Bob Zydonik, along with world-renowned writer James Dodson and a foursome of golfers from different generations and skill levels.

The round table will span approximately 50 years of age difference discussing and debating the challenges in making golf attractive to a younger generations that may be turned off by the traditions of the game.

There will be three case studies detailing successful and affordable golf operations, each from different regions of the world. Other topics include “The Curious Case of the Taj-Mahalics,” “Let’s Start Romancing the Game Again Instead of Selling the Business,” and “Where Sustainability and GolfSpeak Intersect.”

Finally, the results of the survey, “The Golf Experience — Your Way,” will be reviewed and discussed in the symposium. A link to the survey on the Symposium On Affordable Golf website is accessible at www.symposiumonaffordablegolf.com.

Registration for the event is now open.