Charleston, S.C. (Tuesday, April 8, 2025) — National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) CEO Jay Karen is set to represent the golf industry at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation titled “If I Could Turn Back Time: Should We Lock the Clock?” on Thursday, April 10 at 10:00 a.m. EST. The hearing will examine various issues about whether the country should continue “springing forward” and “falling back” each year when adjusting for daylight saving time.
Invited to speak by the committee’s chairman U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Karen will discuss how changes to the annual time adjustment could affect the golf industry, weigh the pros and cons of making either Daylight Saving Time or Standard Time permanent and the implications of keeping the current system in place.
The NGCOA is the leading authority on the business of golf course ownership and management. It represents and promotes the interests of golf courses as the principal businesses and economic assets of the game of golf. With members from nearly 4,000 golf facilities nationwide, NGCOA has a unique vantage point on the impact of daylight saving time, as it has surveyed members on the topic and held numerous discussions.
“Golf is an example of an industry where most people are unaware of the massive impact it might have if a change was made in either direction,” says Karen. “There are many brilliant and experienced people in golf who feel differently on this subject, so my goal is to provide information to the Senate Committee that captures the nuances of these differing opinions and impacts, so they can better holistically understand the issue.”
“The antiquated tradition of changing our clocks has a very real impact on Americans’ businesses, health, and happiness, particularly for parents of young children,” said Cruz in a release by the Committee. “People on both sides of the aisle have supported previous legislative efforts to ‘lock the clock,’ and understanding the implications of the time change is a priority for me as Chairman. I’m looking forward to a thoughtful discussion on the benefits and challenges to sticking with one national method for keeping time.”
Karen will be joined by experts from other industries who will also testify about what a change might mean from their perspectives. These witnesses include:
- Mr. Scott Yates, Founder, Lock the Clock Movement
- Dr. Karin Johnson, Practicing Physician and Professor of Neurology at UMass Chan School of Medicine Baystate, on behalf of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
- Dr. David Harkey, President, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is composed of 28 Senators and led by Committee Chairman Cruz, and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash). Under their leadership, the committee is composed of seven subcommittees, which together oversee for the vast range of issues under its jurisdiction. These issues range from communications, highways, aviation, rail, shipping, transportation security, merchant marine, the Coast Guard, oceans, fisheries, weather, disasters, science, space, interstate commerce, tourism, consumer issues, economic development, technology, competitiveness, product safety, and insurance.
The hearing will take place at the Russell Senate Office Building and will livestream on the committee’s website and YouTube channel. For more information on the upcoming committee hearing, please visit here.
About the National Golf Course Owners Association
The NGCOA is the leading authority on the business of golf course ownership and management. The association represents and promotes the interests of golf courses as the principal businesses and economic assets of the game of golf. The not-for-profit organization is the only trade association dedicated exclusively to golf course owners and operators. Through advocacy, education and information resources, purchasing programs and networking opportunities, the NGCOA helps golf course owners and operators run more successful businesses. For more information or to join, visit ngcoa.org or call 800-933-4262.
Media Contact: Renée Flowers, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, NGCOA, rflowers@ngcoa.org