NATIONAL GOLF DAY

Success in D.C.

Another successful National Golf Day event in Washington, D.C., has come and gone. The day began with a special kickoff event on Capitol Hill hosted by the We Are Golf coalition, led by Steve Mona from the World Golf Foundation. The opening ceremony included three special guests from the PGA and LPGA tours: Davis Love III, 2016 Ryder Cup captain, Steve Stricker, 2017 Presidents Cup captain, and LPGA Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez. More than 120 golf industry leaders were in attendance, representing the NGCOA, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, PGA TOUR, PGA of America, U.S. Golf Manufacturers Council and the World Golf Foundation. Read more

CURRENT NEWS

The Department of Labor Final Overtime Rule
Last month the White House released the final overtime rule, which the Administration says will extend overtime eligibility to more than four million workers. The rule, which will take effect Dec. 1, significantly increases the minimum salary level for salaried employees to qualify as exempt from overtime pay requirements. The rule now sets the minimum salary level for salaried employees at $47,476, up from the previous $23,660. Employers may use a combination of base salary and bonuses to determine total salary, however the base must equal no less than 90 percent of their total earnings. This rule will not affect employees currently identified as non-exempt from overtime. The Department did not make any changes to the "duties test," which defines those positions eligible for overtime exemption. Read more

Immigration Bills Face Uphill Battle
Many golf courses rely on seasonal workers each year to ensure effective and efficient golf course operations. This labor force is often filled with immigrant workers via the H-2B Visa program; but the process of finding and hiring these workers is cumbersome and filled with paperwork headaches, etc. Read more

Seasonal Employee to be Defined
Employers across the golf industry are confused about their obligations to seasonal employees

 under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The law is currently based on two different definitions of "seasonal" staff that must be used to determine whether a business falls under the law and which employees must be offered health insurance. The ACA does not distinguish between a seasonal full-time employee and a regular full-time employee, while the Internal 

Revenue Code exempts seasonal employees from the definition of full-time employee for the purpose of the employer mandate to provide employees with minimal essential health

 care coverage. Read more

ALL ABOUT WATER

Courts Control WOTUS Outcome
The Waters of the U.S. rule, commonly known as WOTUS, was meant to clarify both the EPA's and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' authority over waterway areas where federal government has authority to either require a permit or stop any activity that would disturb the waterway. The issue most challenged with the rule is the language which expands the definition of waters that impact waterways. Read more

TEE TIME COALITION UPDATE

Golf USA Tee Time Coalition Website is Live

By Jared Williams, Golf USA Tee Time Coalition

The Golf USA Tee Time Coalition website has launched and is now live. The website is a resource for those in the golf industry looking for educational resources and updates regarding guidelines, standards, and best practices for online tee time distribution...more

THE DOL's PERSUADER RULE

While it is anticipated that the Department of Labor Persuader Rule will become effective before the end of the summer, we have learned if you have agreements in place before July 1, you will be exempt from this pending rule change.

To learn more about this window of opportunity and the steps you need to take to take advantage, NGCOA members are invited to join a free webinar presented by Foley and Lardner next week. You need to act quickly to join this important webinar...more