Golf’s Future is the first in a special four-part “Industry in Transition” series that C&RB will present in 2009. Future installments in the series will include:
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In Part One of our “Industry in Transition” series, we suggest key areas that all the club and resort properties can focus on, to help reverse the trends and get more people of age and types out to play more golf (and enjoy what they do).
Maybe it will be as simple as our next President taking golf for an exhilarating new ride along with the rest of his agenda for change. Certainly, when Barack Obama hit the links several times during his pre-Inauguration vacation in Hawaii last month, a populist buzz was generated that far exceeded, in terms of its socio-economic reach, any reactions to when Eisenhower, Clinton or yes, even Tiger, came onto the golf scene.
Mainstream sources of commentary and the edgiest of blogs all came alive with posts about Obama’s golfing escapades.
And no one really focused on, or cared, how he played—which, by his oadmission, was erratic at best.
Instead, the enthusiastic reactions centered on how he used both private (Mid-Pacific CC) and public venues (Olomana Golf Links, which he had come to know while growing up in Hawaii); his “regular guy” cargo shorts and baseball cap; his “switch-hitting” style (driving left-handed but occasionally going to the right side for putts and short shots); the ham-and-cheese half-sandwiches and cans of green tea with ginseng that he procured from course snack bars; the excited crowds that quickly assembled to watch him, and the pleasant banter he exchanged with them while also politely educating them on golf etiquette (putting his finger to his lips while others in his group putted out); and most of all, the unmistakable sense of pure relaxation and fun that he exuded while playing, regardless of whether his shots went 20 or 200 yards.
Maybe this could all just be considered part of the country’s extended honeymoon with Obama. And it certainly remains to be seen if he’ll still have the time or inclination to play much golf after he takes office, or if he’ll still do so in such a connect-with-the-people fashion.
But for a golf industry searching for ways to reverse stagnant growth trends and expand its base, the takeaway of the reactions to Obama’s outings was clear: This was welcomed new evidence of how golf still has potential for much broader appeal.
Similar conclusions were drawn earlier in 2008, when many observers pointed out that for all the drama of Tiger Woods’ one-legged U.S. Open playoff win at Torrey Pines, much of the instant and expanded interest in that event came from how it drew in people who related more to an “everyman” like Rocco Mediate than to most other Tour players.
Growing Deeper Roots
All of this is significant because, while there are almost as many opinions about what’s needed to get golf growing again as there are places to play it, the most prevailing sentiment is that the grassroots of the game still don’t extend deeply or broadly enough. As reflected in the results of a recent Club & Resort Business online poll, perceptions of golf as stuffy, not fun and something that takes too long, costs too much or is too difficult to play remain the major barriers to expanding its reach.
(It should be noted that this particular question—“What’s the best way to get more people playing golf?”—generated the largest response for any poll ever posted on C&RB’s site, including votes from many consumers who also took time to add pointed and passionate comments, a sampling of which are presented throughout this article.)
Some within the industry, in fact, think that golf has flat-out blown its previous opportunities to turn the broader popular appeal of a Palmer or Trevino or Tiger Woods into an expanded base of players—and that it’s time to take a new, bottom-up approach.
“I predicted in 1996 that golf would be exploding by 2006 with the influence of Tiger Woods, but it’s not happening,” says George Kelley, owner of Stevinson Ranch, an 18-hole resort course named 2007 California Golf Course of the Year by the National Golf Course Owners Association. (Kelley, who is also CEO and Principal of Greenway Golf, a golf management company, will speak on this topic at the upcoming NGCOA conference in New Orleans, Feburary 3-7.)
“I’m concerned that we’re not taking the right direction when it comes to growing the game,” Kelley adds. “I think many of the broad-based, national programs are just being given lip service that may or may not be effective. We need to take a stronger grassroots approach.”
Many others agree with Kelley and stress that what’s now needed is a plan that doesn’t just wait for, or expect, spikes in spectator-based popularity to spawn more play. As Gary Van Sickle, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, recently wrote: “When Tiger Woods became arguably the planet’s number-one celebrity, the game drew more exposure. That succeeded in creating more casual fans—more Tiger fans, not golf fans. But it didn’t translate into more golfers.”
To succeed this time around, those on the front lines—club and resort owners and managers—are getting more proactive in finding effective ways to dismantle existing barriers to more play. At the same time, courses of all types are showing recognition of the need to aggressively respond to marketing opportunities—“Obama Cargo Shorts Day”?—as they arise, to form better and more lasting connections between what gets the non-golf-playing public (or membership) excited about the game, and how they can become part of it themselves.
The evidence of how well this can work is piling up, through initiatives that are proving to be strikingly similar—and effective—in all settings. The underlying reasons for reluctance to play are proving to hold across the board for the public, private and resort markets, differing only in a relative sense. “Too expensive” or “not fun” may have different thresholds or definitions in a private environment vs. a public one, but the same principles for how to get around the objections have universal application.
Here are some examples of the kinds of new approaches that properties are now taking to fuel the momentum of this new movement:
Taking it to the people. Fourteen pros from the Tennessee PGA Section recently held a Play Golf America event at Nashville’s Sommet Center through a co-sponsorship with that city’s National Hockey League team, the Predators. Some 500 fans came out to get free lessons while using four hitting bays positioned inside and outside the arena. It was the first time a Play Golf America event had been held in an NHL arena, extending a reach into new venues over the past year that also saw similar events held in conjunction with sponsors from the National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, and NASCAR.
“Bringing golf to the end consumer who otherwise would never be touched by the game is truly what it is all about,” Tennessee PGA Section Tournament Director Todd Havron said after the Nashville event. “Working with the Predators has been an entirely new way for us to view growing golf. Capturing a built-in, sports-minded audience was the key to the night’s success.
“The portable hitting bays are the future to exposing golf to the public,” Havron added. “The challenge is ensuring the consumer has a place to continue their golf interest after the initial exposure. This is where PGA professionals must embrace the concept and welcome these new consumers to the game through [similar] events at their facilities.”
Shortening the course. The developers of Woodland’s Village, the largest master-planned community on California’s central coast, opened a new course this summer in Nipoma, Calif. called The Challenge at Monarch Dunes Golf Club. It was designed to complement the 18-hole Old Course at Monarch Dunes, which opened in 2006 and is managed by KemperSports. But reflecting a growing trend now being seen not only at other new courses, but also through retrofittings and the revamping of rate structures at existing properties, the “challenge” involved with The Challenge comes from a 12-hole, par-3 layout with holes (all of which offer three sets of tees) ranging in length from 65 to 205 yards.
“We are confident The Challenge will set a new standard for short golf courses,” said architect Damian Pascuzzo, who partnered with PGA Tour pro Steve Pate on the design. “It’s a fun alternative for players who want a great golf experience in less time.”
On the other side of the country, another developer, St. Joe Company, has completely immersed itself in the short-course market with The Origins Course at WaterSound in Watersound, Fla. Designed for families and beginners by Davis Love III, the “concept course” includes a six-hole layout with regulation par 3s, 4s and 5s; a nine-hole executive course with par 3s and 4s; and a 10-hole par-3 course.
“The very origin of the game of golf revolved around a community recreational activity that could be enjoyed by everyone, and at WaterSound we have the opportunity to recreate that atmosphere,” said Davis Love III in explaining the thinking behind The Origins Course, which further promotes its overriding “enjoyment” mission through programs like Beginner Teens Tournaments and Family Golf Outing Afternoons.
“The Origins Course has truly become a local treasure and has emerged as one of the most affordable and fun options for golf in northwest Florida,” says Will Hopkins, a PGA Class A professional who serves as Origins Course General Manager as well as GM of Camp Creek Golf Club, an affiliated property that is managed for St. Joe by Troon Golf.
“The forgiving and flexible course configurations appeal to both novice and experienced players,” Hopkins says. “It’s allowed us to attract golfers of all ages and skill levels who might otherwise not participate in the game due to time and monetary restraints. And we support that with a number of family- and junior-friendly programs, such as our golf camps and an unlimited golf offer that we have this winter [$40 walking and $60 with cart, January 1 through March 15]”
For properties that can’t carve out new short courses, much of the same effects can be gained by adding tees or promoting special rates to play shorter or “you define the terms of the round” sessions, especially during off-peak or twilight periods.
Giving each their own. SouthWood Golf Club in Tallahassee, Fla. has a unique perspective on how to attract more players from various demographic segments—and in particular, females. The upscale public course, which also has a membership component, has women in three key positions: General Manager, Director of Instruction and Membership Director.
Rounds have grown steadily (to 34,000 this year), since SouthWood opened in 2002, reports GM Beth Murphy, who arrived in 2005 after serving as GM of Carolina National Golf Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C. and spending six years before that in various roles with American Golf Corporation. Before Murphy came to the golf industry, she spent 12 years in retail banking and that, along with her gender, has given her some special insights into the consumer-oriented, more tailored marketing approaches that are needed to attract more people from underserved demographic sectors into the game.
“The big reason that golf is still dominated by men is because of how it’s been easier for them to make it part of their routines,” she feels. “So as we try to penetrate the market with a more family-friendly approach, we put an emphasis on doing things that fit better with kids’ and women’s lifestyles, too.
“I’m a perfect example of how women are different,” she adds. “I was an avid golfer for a while, but then things changed and other things like job and family started to consume my time. To get women like me back out in a way that best fits our schedules, we’ve created special programs like our Lady Links nine-hole league, which you can participate in through great rates in off-peak times, for either 9 or 18 holes. It’s very flexible and a good combination of competition and social interaction. We also make sure to have regular events, like our Valentine’s Day Scramble, that become a part of everyone’s calendar, so they’ll work their other commitments around it.”
SouthWood just added two new sets of ladies tees and now has seven tee options on each hole, including “wee tees” that bring its 7,172-yard, Fred Couples/Gene Bates-designed layout down to under 3,000 yards. Its regular events for kids include a Junior Pitch, Putt & Drive competition that “follows our fall Junior Camp perfectly,” Murphy reports.
With the club serving as the home course for Florida State University’s men’s and women’s teams, Murphy and staff also make sure to tap that connection as much as possible. “Kids can just relate so much better to the [college] players,” Murphy notes. “Recruiting them to help with our kids’ program has really helped our numbers grow.”
The SouthWood team doesn’t just let all of its programs operate in their own spheres, however. It also emphasizes finding ways to bring kids, women and men—even those with very set routines—out on the course together, through programs like a Neighborhood League that will kick off this year.
“It’s a nine-hole, ‘socially competitive’ league,” says Murphy. “It will run for six months, with play on the first Sunday of every month; we’ll skip the summer and finish up in the four weeks after the Florida State football season ends. There will be after-golf functions, and we’ll create coverage for kids if parents need it.”
Creative and flexible programming like this that targets all possible playing segments, Murphy feels, is essential to continuing the steady growth that SouthWood has seen in its first six years (a period that coincides with the flattening of rounds and for the industry as a whole).
“[Growing the game] requires more effort than just posting low rates,” Murphy says. “There are always plenty of off-peak times you can make better use of through creative programming. In difficult times, it’s more important than ever to maintain the quality of what you have, and then find ways to extend that to others who’d also like to play the game.”
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