GROWING THE GAME
WITH MORE THAN 50 PER CENT OF AUSTRALIAN GOLF CLUBS ADMITTING SOME FORM OF FINANCIAL DISTRESS, FINDING MORE GOLFERS, AND FAST, IS CRITICAL. HERE, WE LOOK AT SOME OF THE ACTION PLANS BEING IMPLEMENTED TO GET MORE PEOPLE – YOUNG AND OLD – PLAYING GOLF.
Rod Morri examines the action plans being implemented across Australia to grow the game and get more people – young and old – playing golf.
Type ‘Grow the game – golf’ into your favourite internet search engine and you might be surprised by the results. On Google there are 48,200,000 matches while Yahoo says there are 22,200,000 answers. Bing falls somewhere in the middle, saying there are 36,000,000 results that are relevant to the phrase.
No matter which is right, what is clear is that attempting to increase the numbers of people who play golf is at the forefront of a lot of people’s minds.
Internationally, golf is a multi-billion dollar industry which extends far beyond the sale of clubs, balls and apparel. In fact, while the golf equipment market is signi cant, the bigger economic impact of the game is in employment, with the game providing jobs in areas as diverse as hospitality, green keeping, real estate, construction and yes, even media.
For those of us with a vested interest it’s easy to understand why there is an urgency to ensure golf, as a business, is sustainable. Less obvious is why those who don’t rely on the game to make a living, the people who play either socially or at club level as a recreational pursuit, might be concerned.
It’s easy to see that if golf facilities start closing, golfers, particularly those who don’t hitch their wagon to a single club, will have a smaller choice of playing elds (not to mention the potential increase in expense as the balance between supply and demand shifts).
But even if you don’t have an economic stake in the game of golf, by its nature it is a pursuit that sees most who play it having some desire to share their passion. The indifferent golfer is a rare beast, the fervent devotee far more common. If one accepts that growing the game is a necessity, then the vexed issue of precisely how one might go about doing that is brought sharply into focus. It’s clear there will be no silver bullet to increase the interest of those not yet bitten by the bug, but even the broader issue of growing participation is more complex than a simple “Grow the Game” catch-all. Accepting the game’s stakeholders have nite resources available, the question becomes one of where best to spend time, and money, in promoting participation. Should the focus be on junior golf, ensuring the long term future of the game? What about encouraging more women to play? Surely that would bring more immediate results. Or is the reality that the broader appeal of the game itself, the inherent challenges and social intercourse that hooked most of us reading this magazine, has had its time?
Perhaps in a market dominated by digital devices, a time-consuming outdoor pursuit like golf no longer has a place.
... there will be no silver bullet to increase the interest of those not yet bitten by the bug, but even the broader issue of growing participation is more complex ...
The likelihood is that the truth is a little bit of each of the aforementioned and a whole lot more to boot; and that increasing golf participation is going to be a long and difficult road. But at its core golf has one huge asset in its corner: as we golfers know, there is nothing in the world quite like this game and once you’re hooked, you’re usually hooked for life. If we can just expose more people to it surely more will see, and be seduced by, it’s beauty.
First, let’s outline some of the hurdles to be faced and some of the common reasons cited for golf’s present predicament.
The first thing working against bringing new people to golf is quite simple: perception. Attitudes about golf among the nongolf community are often negative, the game being described as everything from ‘boring’ to being ‘for old people’. While those of us who play know differently, those outside the game still associate golf with the snobbishness of generations past, some of which, sadly, still exists. The attitude towards denim jeans, collared shirts and mobile phones does little to help the game’s image and has turned more than one prospective golfer away from golf over the years.
Also putting newcomers off is the intimidating environment that is the golf club and course, particularly when golfers are less than welcoming to someone new to the game and not up to speed with its intricacies and etiquette.
Then there are the oft-quoted barriers blamed for the large numbers who try and give up or leave despite still enjoying the game, the main ones being cost, time and difficulty. Two of the three are less than convincing, but the third is troublesome though not necessarily well understood by even golfers themselves.
In terms of cost, the game has never been cheaper. Mass-produced modern equipment is significantly less expensive than the more bespoke tools of bygone eras and the range of green fees and club membership offerings these days means golfers can pay almost as much, or as little, as they feel comfortable with.
The difficulty argument is probably the least convincing of the three as the majority of golfers find the challenge of the game to be its inherent appeal. As Tiger Woods said in his 1997 book ‘How I Play Golf’: “There is no comfort zone in golf. Nor is it a game of perfection. If it were, we would all shoot 18 and look for a more challenging sport.”
Aside from being cheap, modern equipment has made the game easier than ever, yet big-headed drivers and game-improvement irons haven’t led to an explosion in playing numbers.
Of the three commonly cited barriers to the game, though, the time issue is undoubtedly the most problematic. Many will point to slow play as the problem but in truth that’s more an annoyance than a barrier to playing.
The real issue is that golf is a leisurely pursuit, even when played fast, and requires at least half a day to do properly. Short of playing fewer holes, there is no obvious solution to this problem and a quick survey of any number of golfers with school-aged children will quickly reveal that golf is simply not an option on weekends when kids need to be driven to sport and other activities.
The myriad of issues, and potential solutions, to golf’s participation woes aren’t countless but they’re close.
Here, we touch on just a few of the ideas being thrown in the ring to address some of the problems but there are plenty more. Some seem extreme, some worthy of more attention but all share one common trait: they have at their core a desire to see more people enjoy more golf more often.
And nothing but good can come of that.
... as we golfers know, there is nothing in the world quite like this game and once you’re hooked, you’re usually hooked for life.
PITCH AND PUTT
Former US Open winner Geoff Ogilvy once said some of his fondest memories of golf were from playing Turnberry’s pitch-and-putt course in Scotland with his young son.
Phil Shaw-Dennis, president of the Australian Pitch and Putt Association and operator of the Waverley Pitch and Putt in Melbourne, is a long-time advocate of the format and says it has several advantages as a tool for growing the game.
“It obviously takes a lot less time (the average for 18 holes is an hour-and-a-half),” he says, “but it’s also less formal. Most places you can play at night under lights, which opens up times when a lot of people couldn’t otherwise indulge their passion for golf.
“We know time is one of the biggest barriers for traditional golf; not only how long it takes to play but the times when people are actually able to play. Saturdays are a pretty busy time for most families with kids’ sport and activities but Wednesday evening might be more suitable for Dad to get his golf fix.
“Unlike some of the alternative formats around, pitch and putt is completely recognisable as golf and for a lot of golfers that makes it very appealing.”
For more information see the Pitch and Putt Association’s website at www.australianpitchandputt.com
U.S KIDS GOLF
The accepted wisdom is that children are great mimickers and US Kids Golf gives those as young as six the chance to emulate what they see of their professional heroes on TV.
US Kids Golf is a brand of specially designed, lightweight equipment that has also branched out into running tournaments for children.
Australian distributor Kevin Wallis says his company began bringing the clubs into Australia in 2012 but only began the tournament program locally last year after some trial events.
A six-tournament ‘Tour’ has been run in Sydney this year with more than 80 children taking part overall and an average of 40 at each event.
“We’re trying to give these kids lifelong memories of golf and fun as a family,” Wallis says. “We want it to be competitive but we want it to also be fun in that environment. We encourage the parents to caddie and all caddies have a bib like you see on television, so the atmosphere is a lot of fun.”
There are 14 age groups starting from six and under up to 14 with both girls and boys catered for.
To find out more about US Kids Golf visit www.uskidsgolf.com.au
Most places you can play at night under lights, which opens up times when a lot of people couldn’t otherwise indulge their passion for golf.
SNAG GOLF
It’s hard to over-emphasise how important junior golf is to the future of the game. While not an immediate answer to the financial woes of many clubs, introducing children to golf now might be its only saviour in generations to come.
While it sounds simple, attracting youngsters is not a straightforward proposition. Schools are the obvious place to start but getting programs into schools is not only competitive (every sport wants to be in that space) but involves a lot of compliance.
“A lot won’t even consider golf because of the danger of metal golf clubs and urethane-covered golf balls,” says PGA member and co-owner of SNAG distribution in Australia, Brook Salmon.
“But even if the school is open to running a one-touch golf program, the game as we know it is not overly appealing to kids, especially at primary-school age, which is our focus. They need colour and movement and laughter and noise and fun. They have no interest in grip and posture and etiquette and all the things we associate with golf.
“So there’s two hurdles, so to speak; the schools and their protocols and the kids themselves.”
The key to SNAG’s appeal is twofold: for the kids the bright colours and lack of formal rules is key, while for schools the soft equipment is safe and can easily be accommodated indoors or out.
“The research tells us that by the age of nine, kids have basically made up their minds about what sport they will play for the rest of their life and if golf isn’t part of that conversation it will be in real trouble,” says Salmon.
For more on SNAG visit www.snagaustralia.com.au
SEVENS GOLF
One of the downsides of competition golf is that all players need to be on the course on the same day, but not in Sevens Golf.
Sevens Golf is a league-based concept devised by two PGA professionals at Griffith Golf Club several years ago to drive participation and membership at the club. Bryan Trembath and Neil
Bye were concerned by falling participation and as PGA members felt the need to do something about it.
“It’s a really simple idea and all it requires is someone at the club to be pro-active and committed to running it,” Trembath says.
Players form teams of seven and each week the best four nine-hole Stableford scores for the team are counted. Rounds can be played at any time during the week as long as they are verified. The competition can run for as long or as short as the club wishes with as many or as few teams involved as they decide. At the end of the series a final is held to decide the winning team before it starts all over again.
“It brings people to the course and the club and the final is always a great revenue raiser,” says Trembath. “There were 320 people in the comp last year at Griffith, so there’s no question it can be a success.
“About half of those people are already club members but the other half aren’t and you can almost guarantee at least a few of them will be looking to go the next step by the end of the season.”
Trembath said the flexibility of the playing times was one of the keys to the concept with players able to get their rounds in when it suited them.
For more information on Sevens Golf go to www.sevensgolf.com.au
GOLF 1-4-9
If it’s time that stops you playing golf, Ross Abbott might have the answer. The former primary school teacher turned consultant has
There’s no question Big Hole Golf is a good pathway into the game and far less intimidating than traditional golf.
teamed with a friend to develop what is loosely called “Golf 1-4-9”.
“That’s one hour for nine holes,” says Abbott. “We know time is one of the biggest things working against the game and this concept tries to solve that.”
Players have a single club and the choice of two balls, a soft version for kids and to be used in schools, and a rmer one that reacts more like a traditional golf ball but travels only about 90 metres. Both are larger than a regulation golf ball but allow a game closely resembling golf to be played with a lot less difficulty and in a lot less time.
Played on either modified sections of a golf course (playing nine holes would require only four traditional golf holes to be taken out of play) or outdoors, Abbott likens the game to touch football or other self-organised recreation.
“It’s the sort of thing where you can just grab the kit and head to an open space and set up your own course and play it however you like,” he says.
“Is it golf? Absolutely not. Could it get people more interested in trying traditional golf? De nitely, and that’s the whole point.”
With some refinements still to be made, Abbott is hoping the product will be ready for a full launch in September.
“It’s been a fair while in the making but we’re almost there and we’re hoping a lot of golf clubs will see the value of allowing the game to be played on their facilities,” he said. “But equally we hope it nds a place in the market for people just looking to have fun. It’s the sort of thing a family could pack in the car to take on holidays and everyone, golfers and non-golfers alike, can enjoy it together.”
Golf 1-4-9 has been played in a small selection of schools thus far, with great success.
“The emphasis in schools is getting children participating in physical activity,” says primary school principal Brent Kunkler. “Golf 1-4-9 provides my students a simple, fun and inexpensive modified form of a game they can play for life.”
For more information, visit www.sport-1-4-9.com
BIG HOLE GOLF
Big Hole Golf might be the most highly publicised alternative form of the game of recent times, having received the backing of Jack Nicklaus as well as having a match played between Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia last year.
The concept is self-explanatory, using a 15-inch cup (almost four times the size of a standard golf hole) is aimed at making the game easier by making it simpler to get the ball in the hole.
Avalon Golf Club in Sydney is one club trialling the big-hole concept (although using holes that are eight inches in diamater) and spokesman Bede Hendren says the overall reaction has been good.
“We’ve been going since February and overall the feedback has been very positive,” he says. “A lot of dads who play golf will bring their kids along for a hit now when previously they might not have.
“We have two holes on each green so golfers can choose which one they want to play to.”
Hendren says while he isn’t yet hailing the alternative format a complete success, he is convinced it is more than a fad and has a genuine place in attracting more people to the game.
“There’s no question Big Hole Golf is a good pathway into the game and far less intimidating than traditional golf,” he said. “I don’t think it would be right for every facility but it has been very viable here at Avalon and I can certainly see its potential as a corporate offering.”
For more information, visit bigholegolf.com or visit your local club to see if they are hosting any Big Hole Golf events.