Face of golf

Rafael Martinez, who was born in the Dominican Reupublic and grew up in New York City, admits he got into golf “by accident.” He was a financial professional and realized he was leaving a lot of business on the table by not using golf as a business tool, so he picked up a club and gave it a go.

“I’m the poster child of what can happen when you introduce a person like me to the game of golf,” he told attendees at Thursday afternoon’s Changing Face of Golf Forum here at conference and show. “I got into golf because I saw it as a business opportunity and got hooked.”

As Martinez's library of golf-related books and magazines began to grow, he came to an uneasy realization: “Something was missing -- brown faces,” he recalled.

So Martinez began publishing his own magazine, The Green, which targets the affluent golfer, or, as Martinez put it, “the good life, well-lived for people of every color.”

Now, after three years and numerous affluent product advertisers like Cadillac but not a single buy from a golf-related advertiser, Martinez told the audience his second uneasy realization: “We have a serious problem. Minorities are bringing $11 billion to golf -- with zero investment. "Here we are, trying to grow the game, and there’s a whole group of people out there who want to come in, but there’s no one there to open the door for them.”

Martinez’ publication sponsors clinics that introduce new players to the game -- all aspects of the game, not just how to swing a club, and encouraged the attendees to do the same.

“We have to do a better job of communicating with these people,” he said. “Golf has a problem; they just can’t admit they have a problem, and they’re leaving a lot of business on the table.”