Golf Business Community

Comments

• Max Hergt (IPPGG GmbH - International Pitch & Putt Golf Group)

  February 20, 2011 19:56:15
  Well, as Steve Mona said, make it a public game, played on affordable facilities. We developed an international course building concept, matching exactly those demands. www.iplaygolf.eu is the global answer to those challenges. It is designed for the development of new courses or the integration into existing courses Please contact me for further information.
• Gill Wilson (Firstgolf)

  February 17, 2011 12:42:22
  Just in case you were wondering and thanks to Google.... THE aphorism "Give me the child until he is seven and I'll give you the man", attributed to the 17th-century Jesuit missionary St Francis Xavier, has formed the basis for everything from studies in developmental psychology to the creation of fictional characters in literature and film
• Gill Wilson (Firstgolf)

  February 17, 2011 12:34:29
  Well done Frank - somebody who has put their 'money where their mouth is' rather than pontificating about would should be done. Who was it who said 'give me a child at seven and I'll give you the man'? We could say give us a child at any age and we will give you a golfer for the rest of their lives! I love the upbeat music on your blog site - it reminds us that golf is fun - keep up the good work and keep us informed. Debra - take a look at Frank's site, its refreshing. Frankly its waste of time trying to change the dinosaurial attitude of some clubs - the future is with the younger generation who are desperately needed to replace the old codgers when they become extinct! Be a blogger, not an old codger.......so lets all keep blogging.
• Frank Harrington (Orchid Community Golf)

  February 13, 2011 18:00:16
  Frank Harrington www.orchidcommunitygolf.blogspot.com many thanks for raising this debate, one which is a long time in coming. we truly feel that golf is for everyone everywhere. The Orchid Community Golf project uses SNAG golf equipment to take golf to inner cities. we are about reducing the barriers to entry, changing perceptions and using golf as a tool for community cohesion. the 9 hole course takes 40mins to play, the equipment begins to bridge the gap as it's easy to use and replicates the technique of real golf. our events are poplar with kids and adults alike as the are in their locations it easier to build participation and drag the kids from the Wii and playstations. i know this synopsis is brief but check out the site or drop us an email, if you wish to discuss further.
• Debra Jardine (The PDQ Partnership)

  January 29, 2011 12:49:13
  Debra Jardine www.pdqpartnership.com Be afraid……be very afraid! An interesting debate- thank you Gill for starting this. Golf clubs don’t attract members for a number of reasons. Many are badly run by committees who do not know how to run a profitable business and are more interested in preserving their clubs image than attracting new members. Many clubs are simply not welcoming. Some operate archaic dress codes. Children are made to feel positively unwelcome. Some clubs still do not allow women to be members. Joining fees charged by some clubs make the game prohibitively expensive. Clubs are not thinking creatively about alternative membership options. Clubs do not collect data from visitors which if they did would allow them to contact them again to see if they want to re visit. You only have to look at some clubs websites, to see how bad they are. No data collection, no calls to action, not even a competition for a dozen balls which might aid the collect ion of data. Data that is collected is not segmented properly, so even if you have an e mail address you can’t work out what the recipient is interested in. Is it lessons? Children’s lessons? Societies? Lessons with friends? Playing lessons on the course, video lessons or a function room hire. The data segmentation that I had to go through to post this comment on the blog is exactly what clubs should be doing In many cases websites look like they have been designed by an enthusiastic octogenarian member who has too much time on his /her hands assisted by an enthusiastic assistant with a cheap digital camera. Do clubs really want juniors and total beginners? They will all say yes? But how many clubs have thriving junior sections? How many really make their new golfers welcome? I know a woman who has joined a club, she can’t play to 36, and the club won’t give her a handicap of 36 so she can’t play in any competitions or social games which require a handicap. She spends a fortune on lessons, but is getting disheartened..not because she is not great…she can live with that but it’s because she is effectively prevented from becoming a full member. I bet she will not renew her subs this year and a club loses a valuable member. The one unique thing about every golf club is their course and where they are in the world………there is literally not another one like it. It is a crying shame when you see appalling photography showing what the clubs best asset is. Quite often websites do not explain the types of lessons pros give. The rates charged. Are there group lessons? Family lessons? Beginner only days? Sorry to say this but some pros might be technically great golfers but they might also be poor communicators. Staff in clubs usually have little or no hospitality or sales training. Staff are a clubs front line sales force. Are they incentivised to collect data and introduce friends and family? Do clubs ever carry out exit surveys and ascertain why a member has left? Has anyone ever been bothered to ask them? Lessons can and will be learned. Do clubs really understand who their local competition are and look at what they are doing and try and take advantage of opportunities which arise? Usually the management at golf clubs have little or no understanding about marketing and how to get themselves out of the situation they are in. They are also afraid or unwilling to get help. Many consider a banner outside the club or an ad in the local paper as a marketing plan. Advertisements are usually totally boring, with no call to action. The club do not routinely ask where enquiries come from so they can’t track which ad has worked and what hasn’t and therefore cannot monitor their return on investment.. Now I fully expect that many of you reading this will say “Debra does not know what she is on about, we do most of what she has suggested”. And I if I am honest I suspect you do. But the readers of this blog on this website are in a tiny minority; you are proactive have a thirst for knowledge and are looking for ways to make your club better. However the people who need to read and react to what I have written probably will never look at this blog and that is a crying shame! Gill you are a great ambassador and advocate for change I wish you well…keep shouting. In conclusion , I really do fear for the future of the game as many clubs have people in charge who I genuinely feel have no idea what to do……and therefore do nothing and that’s the frightening thing.
• Gill Wilson (Firstgolf)

  January 26, 2011 12:55:39
  You have raised some great points Darren - and also given examples of what should and could be happening. I get frustrated at times that the industry can 'talk the talk' but doesn't 'walk the walk' We all know what we should be doing but more of us need to have the courage of our convictions!
• Darren Carter (Goldberg and Partners)

  January 22, 2011 22:57:32
  John and Jeremy make good points. Golf has been around since around 1500, so it has been established for 500 years in some form or another. Like all sports it evolves and there is a space for it. There will be in the future I think and believe different levels of participant. Most golfers are fun, amatuer players and most courses cater for these participants. The future of the game may go in different directions. I think there will be a requirement for less expensive courses perhaps in new countries, and I believe if marketing is done correctly new participants in the game could evolve. The chinese (like the japanese) could become key players, in both participation and golf courses. Indians. Between these 2 populations we have a population of 2.3 billion of which if only 1% starts to be involved, it is substantial. Take for example new markets, like Romania to date of a population of 23 million, there is only approximately 10 golf courses so there is a possibility of expansion here and other countries. Sure we can make a more attractive product in Western markets, but we can also address new markets, and new clients. Any business must make profits, so affordability for courses and their management is key. Plus taping in to new golf growth markets and innovations in the game are key. As it is predominately a leisure industry as John indicated to have services around the golf scene to attract all participants are important. From Creches for families, to being part of a resort style center could be other incentives, rather than simply a stand alone product. Also look at the customers and the overall environment. People will continue to want to enjoy golf, and what it offers, but in a variety of ways, climates and cultures. It must like any business continue to develop and be profitable for all.
• John Mc Henry (Mc Henry Golf Ltd)

  December 21, 2010 21:17:24
  While I agree with everything that has been said we have to respect the fact that we are now living in a world of instant knowledge and feedback. Golf can often suffer because it is not marketed in an appealing enough manner. For example, we have to ask ourselves are the rules and the game format simply are either too time consuming or simply too boring for those contemplating taking up the game in the first place? Golf clubs should definitely start by becomming far more family friendly where all ages are accommodated as part of the membership. The basic rule for the 25-45 age group nowadays is to attract everyone to the activity in the hope that the entire family as a whole can view golf as a "cool" sport. The second change that I feel is necessary for those playing the game is to make the challenge of each hole more exciting, where good play is rewarded (fairways hit, greens in regulation, birdies etc) by a number of points categories, say a max of 10 per hole. This would mean that competitions could be run per hole or over 3, 6 or nine holes. The drama provided on each hole (in terms of points accumulated or squandered) would make the game far more exciting and conceiveably less time consuming in that competitions could easily be run over fewer holes as may be required We will never cease to be amazed by the golfing talents of the best players in the world, but if the game of golf is going to continue to grow in the more established markets such as the US, the UK and Ireland, it has to find ways to make itself more appealing to the those who are comparing it to other sports. Given that golf is a technically demanding sport and perceived to be too time consuming by many both inside and outside the game, you can see the obstacles facing it. Given that it is also a major industry, then every collective effort should be made by the governing bodies( R&A, USGA etc), the club and ball manufacturers, the professional tours and their players to make sure that the golfing bubble doesn't burst. Collectively issues surrounding the viability of the game can be addressed, not necessarily in time however to save many of the rich country clubs throughout the world, who today find themselves struggling financially either through the retirement of an aging membership, the lack of revenues generated through food and beverage and retail outlets or simply those members quitting the game because it is either too expensive, too time consuming or simply does not cater sufficiently for their entire family. So there are without doubt many challenges ahead for the golf industry but in every challenge there is also opportunity. The opportunity now is to create a rich and attractive environment for a broader golfing community that ensures the viability of this great game for many generations to come John Mc Henry Golf Consultant, Ireland
• Jeremy Slessor (European Golf Design)

  December 21, 2010 08:35:33
  I think we need to stop treating golf as a 'one size fits all' sport. What is actually going to happen in emerging markets is very different from what is happening in established markets. Where golf is established, the key to growth is to give people the option of a quicker 'round' (9 or 18), make golf facilities much less intimidating for beginners and more attractive to a wider range of ages, particularly younger players. In short, it needs to become much less elitist. It's a very different story in emerging markets though. As much as we might like to satisfy our liberal/socially minded souls that golf can be a mass-market sport, it has little or no relevance to people's lives in these countries and will, almost by definition, be the sport (almost exclusively) of the traveled rich who have been exposed to it outside of their homeland. It is only when facilities have been developed, and locals start to play as a result of being exposed to it (as an example, look at Spain - the Spanish didn't actually start playing until many years after courses had been developed for tourists and ex-pats), that a wider participation is possible.