Page 13 - GBC fall 2015

Golf #1 Participation Sport in Canada!
With over 60 million rounds of golf played each year, golf remains the #1 participation sport in Canada; as well
as tops among all golfing countries in the world. Canada has nearly double the participation rate in
the U.S. and four times the top-performing European countries.
Golf is also #1 in: • Economic Impact
($14.3 billion)
• Employment (300,000) • Charity Fundraising
($533 million)
• Tax Revenue ($3.6 billion) • Client Entertainment
($293 million)
• As well as #1 driving
tourism and real estate
value
Source: 2014 Economic Impact of Golf in Canada Study, National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA)
Golf Business Canada 13
Canada is the defending gold med- alist from way back in 1904! Golf’s profile will be raised even higher, especially if we have some success. Golf has a bright future, but those of us in the industry need to ensure we are promoting the right message to current and potential golfers.
GROWING THE GAME
When I was in the martial arts business, I had a retention problem as the average student (mostly kids) stayed only three months. I eventually solved this problem in the simplest of ways: sending out a one-page letter, after two and a half months, pre-empting their resignation.
I basically said, “Your son is doing great. He has improved his health, fitness, coordination, confidence and self-discipline. It’s normal as you go into month four and the curriculum is a little harder that your child might have doubts about how far he can go or even if he wants to continue. Now is the time to support him and re- commit to helping him reach the next belt level and get even more life changing benefits from his training.”
BINGO! An 80% increase in retention! Just stop and think about that for a minute. An 80% increase income from a single letter restating the benefits to my customers. We often take for granted that our members and players know all the reasons to be part of a club or a group but sometimes they do not. In fact, you should remind them on a monthly basis of some of the amazing benefits golf offers.
Now let’s focus on how this concept can dramatically help grow the game. While many organizations have come up with well-intended programs, most have missed the core problem! In general, the golf industry is horrible at marketing!
Tony Robbins, a famous motivational speaker says there are three critical elements to any breakthrough, “A new strategy, a new story and a new state!”
1. The golf industry needs a new strategy, so yours is to make far more effective use of your own media empire to attract, retain, and re-energize players.
Here are a few examples of the positive visual messages that Legendary Marketing has already created for their clientele to send out through social media.