Checking In
Serving the Underserved
A Q&A with Troon’s DE&I Director
Kendall Murphy is Troon’s director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), a job that has him working with a variety of facilities across the country, helping set up and execute programs that bring underserved communities into the game of golf and ensure that their experiences are positive. He is also active in reaching out to minority communities with the message that golf can be a viable career path. We wanted to “check in” with him to see how his efforts are progressing.
TROON MAGAZINE: Broadly speaking, what are the goals of Troon’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion program?
MURPHY: We are committed to building, fostering, and encouraging a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion that embraces the uniqueness of our communities across race, gender, age, religion, identity, cultures, ideas, and experiences so that we may provide places of work and play in which all persons feel welcomed and valued.
What are some of the accomplishments toward those goals in 2023?
In terms of community engagement, we were able to partner with organizations and service the communities that our club serve. For example:
· Chicago Park District—We held a Youth Golf Day hosted by Cheyenne Woods. This event brought more than 90 kids from diverse backgrounds together at historic Jackson Park Golf Course located on the Southside of Chicago.
· Forest Preserve Park District (Cook County, Illinois)—Youth and Family Day. This served over 100 kids and family members from diverse backgrounds at George Dunne Golf Course. Both of these events introduced the game of golf to a group of kids and parents that knew nothing about golf prior.
· Langston Golf Course—Caddie Immersion Program. This program was a collaboration between CaddieMaster, Golf. My Future. My Game., and National Links Trust. The program brought 30 high school aged youth to Langston for a three week caddie training program, where the youth were trained by top caddie trainer provided by CaddieMaster. When the youth started on week one they had no idea what caddying was and by the end of week three they not only knew how to caddie, but they understood the business of being a caddie.
Your outreach occurs on multiple fronts: junior golf, caddie immersion programs, scholarships, and recruiting, among others. What is the thinking behind this multi-pronged approach?
There is so much that needs to be done as it relates to the DE&I space in the golf industry that we have no option but to have a planned, multi-pronged approach.
We often think of DEI programs addressing the needs of the Black community, but you also focus on other underserved populations?
It is important to focus on all communities and give support as equally as possibly. Diversifying the golf industry requires us to determine the needs of all communities to ensure that we are addressing their needs to get them engaged in golf.
Troon focuses on supporting communities “beyond the golf course” as well as on it … why is that important?
We support the communities that our facilities serve within because these communities support our facilities. It is important that we (Troon) are great stewards and give back to our host communities. Doing this only deepens our partnerships and allows us to meet and exceeds a community’s needs.
Many companies these days have DEI programs. How does Troon’s program under your management differ?
Troon has proven to be a leader in the DE&I space and took a serious stance on in late 2021 to create our DE&I Council, which led to the creation of my position. Troon put capital and people power behind DE&I and its importance, and I’m proud to be a part of this great company.
