No surrender: Methodist University's Jerry Hogge is fighting the faltering golf economy by continuing to educate the sport's leaders.

• Author: Campbell, Spencer

At the 64th PGA Merchandise Show in January, more than 1,000 golf companies showed off the latest gear--everything from Titleist's newest balls to a skee ball-inspired practice green. The trade show in Orlando, Fla., brought out celebrities popular with golfers--including the fellas from The Golf Channel's Morning Drive, who broadcasted live--as well as celebs recognizable to all sports enthusiasts, such as baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. According to PGA estimates, more than 40,000 golr-industry insiders flooded the convention center in search of the best new clubs, innovative technology and helpful services.

Among them was Jerry Hogge, 70, director of the PGA Golf Management program at Methodist University in Fayetteville. Hogge heads to the show every year to hobnob with PGA professionals and golf bigwigs who might have an internship or permanent job for one of his students. That devotion to networking is one of the reasons why every single graduate from Methodist's program since 1989 has landed a job. Part of the business school, the program prepares students for a career in the golf industry, whether as a pro at a golf course or working for one of the sport's big manufacturers. "It's one of the top programs out there,'isays Jeff Abbot, executive director of the Carolinas section of the PGA. "I've worked with a number of Methodist graduates, and they're always the best in the business."

In 2017, Hogge again pressed the flesh. But he seemed much more excited about a different aspect of the show, when about 120 Monarch alumni ascended to the fourth floor of the convention center for a festive mixer. They had a lot to celebrate: For the first time, a Methodist grad, Michael Jacobs, was recognized as a PGA Top 100 golf instructor. Ten more were named to the Top 40 Under 40 list. "We recognized them all," Hogge says. "We gave them all Christmas ornaments with the PGA logo on them. It was really attractive."

What isn't pretty is the current state of the golf industry. Notably absent from the merchandise show this year were any new irons, drivers, putters or balls from Nike Inc. After incurring an 8.2% drop in its golf sales for the year ending May 2016, the Beaverton, Ore., athletic-goods behemoth announced it would stop manufacturing clubs and golf balls. What's worse: Nike's main competitor, Germany-based Adidas AG, doesn't plan to take advantage of the vacuum. It's looking to sell its Taylor-Made and Adams brands.

Club-makers aren't the only ones struggling. From 2011 to 2016, the combined revenue of golf courses, both private and public, increased a paltry 1% to $23 billion, according to a report by IBIS-World, a market-research firm. "Over-ambitious development resulted in some course closures and waning revenue over the five years to 2016," the report notes, "but the industry's long-term challenges concern how it will broaden the sport's appeal to new players." The hardships of the golf industry were apparent in Orlando. "I personally felt there were not as many vendors," Hogge says. "I didn't think the crowd was as large."

Entering his fourth decade at the helm at...