WASHINGTON (Map, News) - At a press conference Wednesday afternoon hailing the first annual National Golf Day, Joe Steranka, CEO of the PGA of America, put the impact of the business of golf into perspective.

“We’re an industry now that is at $76 billion a year,” said Steranka. “Golf [is] bigger than the motion picture industry, bigger than the newspaper publishing industry, bigger than all the spectator sports, and professional sports combined.”

Steranka stopped short of uttering Hyman Roth’s immortal line from Godfather II: “Michael, we’re bigger than U.S. Steel.”

In this decade, despite rosy predictions of the “Tiger Woods effect,” golf has actually experienced a downturn. Apparel sales, a key indicator of a sport’s popularity, peaked in 2000. In each of the last two years, according to the National Golf Foundation, more courses were closed down than opened. Still, there is no denying golf’s economic presence.

But the sport is not all about economics. The secondary message delivered by industry heads at the National Press Club was that golf is taking care of the environment, is a major player in charity causes, and is actively courting minorities and the economically disadvantaged.

“We are here as a very strong industry coalition to present data that demonstrates golf’s extremely positive contributions to the economic health of our nation,” said David Fay, Executive Director of the USGA. “Our message is built around the fact that golf is a vital contributor to our nation’s health on a number of significant levels.”

Also gathered were PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, LPGA Tour Deputy Commissioner Libba Galloway, World Golf Foundation CEO Steve Mona, and The First Tee CEO Joe Louis Barrow, Jr.

A Congressional resolution, sponsored by Representatives Ron Klein (D-Fla.) and John Mica (R-Fla.), established April 16 as National Golf Day. Why April 16?

“We were looking at when Congress was in session,” said Steranka. “Looking at this date, coming right off the Masters, Augusta National certainly did its part promoting just how fun and accessible the game is.”

Finchem said there was an additional reason for the date.

“We chose the 16th because the pope was coming,” he cracked.