Navy is the New Green

At the Colorado Golf Association, it’s out with the old and in with the blue.

Jon Rizzi

Golf is ablaze with blazers. Witness the similar tartan styles worn by winners of the Heritage and the Colonial; the pink ones donned in Bermuda by the winners of the recently discontinued Grand Slam of Golf; and the snazzy gold number that makes the Australian Masters champion look like an undersized Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.

And, of course, on Sunday, April 10, the 2016 Masters champion will slide on the Green Jacket—far and away the most iconic piece of clothing in all of golf, if not in all of sports.

Colorado golf also has many jackets. But now there’s one fewer green blazer in the mix. After 37 years of forest green, the Colorado Golf Association officially changed its uniform blazer to navy blue. “It was time for change,” notes CGA Executive Director, Ed Mate. “The green jackets served the CGA for nearly 40 years but with our new look and new logo the uniform needed an update.”

The sartorial switch continues the rebranding that began last year during the CGA’s centennial, when the organization shed its “pine needle” logo for an identity that communicated Colorado’s geographical uniqueness and the organization’s stewardship of the game’s traditions and its future. A commitment to that future also manifested itself recently with the formation of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, a landmark partnership between the CGA and the Colorado Section of the PGA.

So, although the CGA begins its second century wearing a different color coat, its mission remains to represent, promote and serve the best interests of golf in the state of Colorado. The organization represents the 43,000 Colorado golfers who have an official USGA GHIN handicap index. In addition to enjoying the numerous benefits of CGA membership (such as priority tee times and discounted green fees at the CGA-owned CommonGround Golf Course), these golfers support the organization’s programs such as the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program and other unique programs provided to a growing variety of youth-serving nonprofit partners. The CGA delivers many of these programs at CommonGround, which it has owned since 2009.

“A jacket color really doesn’t matter,” Mate says. “What matters is the person in the jacket and their dedication and passion for the game of golf. For 100 years the CGA has been led by volunteers and professional staff dedicated to serving the game of golf in Colorado. Whatever jacket we are wearing, our impact extends well beyond the course and into the community.”

This article appeared in the April 2016 issue of Colorado AvidGolfer.

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Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.