Page 12 - GBC fall 2015

12
Golf Business Canada
AUTHORS OF OUR OWN STORY
One of my favourite stories is about Winston Churchill. After leaving office, he was asked by a young reporter how he expected history to view him in light of his many failures, including the disaster in the Dardanelles.
Churchill replied that he expected history to view him very favourably. The reporter asked why? Churchill cheerfully replied, “Because that’s the way I intend to write it.”
He proceeded to write 93 books and, not surprisingly, was viewed very favourably in all. Indeed, there are constant opportunities for leaders at all levels of our industry to influence the way people think about golf and the many positive benefits it brings to peoples’ lives.
Do you know golfers live five years longer? I didn’t until recently, but it’s true and that ought to be something every club is shouting from the highest tee! The study was undertaken by the Karolinska Institutet and published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports and was based on data from 300,000 golfers and clearly demonstrates golf’s beneficial health effects. Golfers have a lower death rate regardless of sex or social group.
Do you know how many calories you burn in a round of golf walking? 1525! Which is about half a pound of fat... even in a cart you burn 825 calories during a round of golf.2 So even if you aren’t very good, you still get a great work out!
Did you know executives who golf earn 17% more than those who do not and that women who golf move up the corporate ladder faster?3 Well, these are all facts of golf, and ones that should be promoted.
Have you ever seen a course promoting these exciting facts in any of their marketing? On their website, in their emails, or in their membership kits? It is not only the very tangible benefits above that we should be selling either. Golf also has:
All these amazing stories need to be told not only to your potential customers but to your existing customers as well.
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
The future of the golf industry is bright for many reasons! The majority of baby-boomers are retiring soon with an active lifestyle and available time that will be an ideal fit for golf. In addition, most golf course are diversifying their offerings to customize for the expectations of women, juniors, immigrants, business people and those with time crunched schedules.
National programs, such as NGCOA Canada’s Take A Kid To The Course, continue to expand every year and is about to surpass 700 participating courses in Canada! Many courses are also reporting strong growth in their junior programs, women’s leagues, and new golfer initiatives.
There are also emerging trends that will further broaden golf’s appeal such as more 9-hole options, fitness golf, technology games, relaxed dress codes, and iTunes.
Most of us in the industry are excited that golf is returning to the Olympics in 2016, especially since
• Great sounds
• Great smells
• Great feelings
• Amazing wildlife • Stunning scenery • Cool gadgets
• Brilliant literature, artwork, and fashion
• A great reason to travel • A fabulous value
• And is great FUN!
2How many calories are burned instead of riding: Golf Digest, 2014: http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2014/04/do-the-walk-of-life.html. 3Illusory correlation in the remuneration of chief executive officers: It pays to play golf, and well: Gueorgui I. Kolev and Robin M. Hogarth,
http://www.econ.upf.edu/docs/papers/downloads/1132.pdf.