Page 11 - GBC English Fall 2020

The recent George Floyd tragedy in Minnesota has accelerated the conversation on diversity and inclusion, and subsequent mass gatherings, speeches and protests have accelerated the actions across North America. This is not a new discussion, but the golf industry is taking notice and now is the time to look inward, on how you conduct your business.
The traditional formula of informing the community around you about your facility, making potential clients/members and their families feel welcome and comfortable, hiring courteous staff that members can relate to and designing programs that fit their needs is still tried and true. What has changed significantly, particu- larly in large urban centres but increasingly in smaller communi- ties, is the target market around many Canadian golf operations and each facility has a unique situ- ation based on the population around them.
AGING POPULATION
Whether golf’s image as an elite, white game is reality or perception, forward-thinking golf operators and associations are recognizing the opportunity to grow their busi- nesses and participation in the game through new arrivals to Canada, made necessary by an aging population in which there are more seniors than children.
According to the most recent Canadian census in 2016, there were 5.9 million people over the
Articles on this critical topic have been published throughout the golf industry in the past couple years, including an article Ian Hutchinson wrote for Golf Business Canada magazine in Winter 2018, which is the basis for this update.
age of 65 living in Canada compared to 5.8 million children under the age of 14 and that trend is only expected to increase as baby boomers age.
With so many core golfers in the 50-and-over crowd and people living longer, they will have more time to play golf, but that is more of a short- term benefit before they begin to slow down and disappear from the fair- ways, requiring the industry to seek new markets in a country with such a low birth rate.
NEWCOMERS TO CANADA
The federal government aimed to bring 340,000 newcomers to Canada in 2020 (pre COVID-19 pandemic changing world events and economies). Between 2011 and 2016, Canada welcomed 1.2 million new immigrants and Statistics Canada estimates immigrants could represent up to 30 percent of the Canadian population by 2036.
In the latest census, more than half, or 51.5 percent, of people living in Toronto identified as a visible minority, while in Metro Vancouver, immi- grants account for 43 percent of the workforce. While large urban centres have traditionally been where immigrants settle, the percentage living in Prairie provinces such as Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta is also rising.
The numbers could fill pages, each painting a multicultural mosaic in which golf needs to tap into if, as we so often insist, the game needs to grow in participation.
Between 2011 and 2016, Canada welcomed 1.2 million new immigrants
Statistics Canada estimates immigrants could be 30% of population by 2036.
The gateway to a golf course, particularly a private club, can be intimidating for a new arrival in Canada, who may not understand the opportunities available beyond the gate.
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