TEEING OFF: BRENDAN JAMES
THE details of a recent AusPlay Survey focused on golf participation and engagement made for some interesting reading. Some of the key findings were: • The annual population estimate for adults 15-plus participating in golf was 986,479, and was heavily skewed towards males which accounted for 81 percent of participation; • Golfers added more than $985 million to the Australian economy annually; • Fun/enjoyment (58 percent) was the main motivation for playing golf, followed by social reasons (46 percent), and physical health/fitness (33 percent). The report, funded and led by Spor t Australia, concluded that despite a downward trend in participation during the past three year s, net growth mark et opportunity is “fairly healthy as there are many adults, especially older males, considering taking up golf. One reason that interest may be limited to older age groups is golf ’s typically longer duration.” This conclusion got me thinking. Has the golf industry focus, to grow the g ame through heavy investment in junior golf to increase future participation rates, missed the point? Before you start banging away at your keyboard to send me a nasty let ter asking why I would criticise suppor ting junior golf, let me explain.
I’m not criticising what the lik es of Golf Australia and a range of bodies do for junior golf. Initiatives like MyGolf are to be applauded for introducing kids to the game. It’s no different to what cricket, for example, does to ensure more kids are playing their sport and the grass roots of the game are healthy. But here’s my point. Would the game grow if some focus shifted to getting mums, dads, grand dads and mums out playing golf?
All kids look up to their parents and grandparents. For many, these are the first heroes in a child’s life. Now, if my hero was regularly heading to the golf cour se for a hit, I would w ant to tag along.
I guarantee if each of the Top-100 ranked male and female player s in the world were asked how they were introduced to the game, it was through a parent or grandparent. And, like the 58 percent of respondents in the AusPlay survey, they continued to play because the g ame was fun.
I saw this ‘game growth’ in action during a recent visit to P eregian Golf Course, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Late in the afternoon, the practice tee w as busy with kids and parents hit ting balls side-by-side. Over by the chipping green, two young girls and their dad were hit ting chips to the same flag. All three were having a ball. And that’s the appeal golf has o ver most sporting pursuits. It’s not only fun, but there aren’t many sports where any of us could play alongside our son or daughter for the next three, four or fi ve decades and have as much fun then as we do now .
Just a thought.