There are less than 100 days until the Summer Olympics begin in Brazil and the golf industry could not be more excited about the game’s return after a 112-year hiatus.
Similar to last year, I sat down with golf industry leaders to ask them a few questions on the state of their industry. The timing of looking at the state of the golf industry seemed especially relevant considering that manufacturer adidas recently decided that it would be selling off parts of its golf business.
BEVACQUA: When you look at the big picture, the state of golf is overwhelmingly positive. In fact, demand is quite healthy and on a growth trajectory. Rounds played were up in 2015 for the first time since 2012 – an increase of approximately two percent . A total of 2.2 million people took up the game last year, approaching the record of 2.4 million, set at the peak of Tiger Woods’ popularity.
Spectator numbers and television viewership were also up. Participation in PGA Junior League Golf – a team format for boys and girls 13 and under – has increased 233 percent since 2013. Get Golf Ready, which is designed to introduce new players to the game, set records with more than 107,000 graduates and a three-year retention rate of 73 percent.
Golf does have its share of challenges, but based on the strength of our player development programs, which are led by PGA Professionals, I’m confident we’ll continue to attract and retain new players.
DAVIS: Spend one day at a U.S. Open, a U.S. Women’s Open or any of our 13 USGA championships, and you will clearly feel the same energy we do for the game’s future.
The game is strong because there are so many passionate people that are invested in it. Golfers continue to not only play, but help us welcome new players to the game every day. Leaders are rising to create programs that invite more diverse audiences. We are creating more championships in other countries that inspire new audiences to pick up the game. Golf course owners are working smarter to manage resources like water and labor more efficiently. We are innovating at a rapid pace, and using technology and data as never before to make smart decisions.
We learned important lessons in the past 10 years, the most vital of which is that fans of the game haven’t lost their passion for our sport.
FINCHEM: From a PGA TOUR perspective, we have a great mix of established stars and exciting up-and-coming players who connect with our fans. For the 2014-15 FedExCup season, television ratings for our tournaments were up 22% with more than 105 million people in the U.S. tuning to our broadcasts. Our various digital platforms had 457 million visits and an average of more than 8 million monthly unique users. On social media, the PGA TOUR and our players have more than 40 million followers.
The impact of the game is felt in the lives of millions of people. Golf, as a whole, generates more than $3.9 billion in charitable giving annually. We are proud that the PGA TOUR and its tournaments were able to give back more than $160 million in 2015, a single-year record that brought the all-time total to $2.3 billion since the first tournament donation was made in 1938.
Youth playing the game has increased by 20% from 2.5 million in 2010 to 3 million in 2015. An estimated 6.3 millennials play and they are playing often, an average of nearly 15 rounds per year. Many of these are drawn by the exceptional exciting young talent on the PGA TOUR and LPGA, which, of course, bodes well for the future.
Additionally, people are also experiencing golf outside of traditional golf courses with more than 18 million participants, 7 million of which are non-golfers, taking part at driving ranges, Topgolf facilities and simulators.
MONA: Golf is in a unique position as it appeals to a wide range of ages and audiences. The game is stable and healthy. Although participation in the game does not match its all-time high from 2005 (pre-recession), many industry segments are experiencing much success. Adult and junior growth-of-the-game programs are more unified and have seen significant growth in the past few years. For example, The First Tee has more than 180 chapters and 900 golf locations and is also available in 8,000 elementary schools and 700 youth centers.
Today, golf is enjoyed by 24 million Americans who play 465 million rounds annually at the nation’s 15,200 facilities. It continues to be the game of a lifetime.
WHAN: I know that many people in our industry focus only on rounds played or the specific number of golfers each year, but one thing is clear to me – more people are watching, caring, and engaged in the sport than ever before. In the U.S., and around the world, we've seen consistent increases in TV viewership, hours of coverage, and fans at tournaments. Around the globe, I've witnessed (first-hand) how the sport has received heightened interest from countries, media and fans driven by golf's return to the Olympics.
I think looking only at rounds played, or people playing, dramatically underestimates the impact and engagement of our sport. If you just looked at participation every year, you'd say football is in trouble, but the NFL's business (and fan engagement in college and pro football) is as strong as ever. I haven't played football in 35 years, and my wife has never played it, but we travel to games, watch it every weekend, and are engaged with our teams.
What do you think will be the impact of golf’s return to the Olympics this August?
BEVACQUA: The Olympics are a golden opportunity to introduce golf to people from around the world. While we may see an initial spike in interest from the games in Rio de Janeiro, the full impact might not be seen globally until the next generation enters the game, after being inspired to play golf from watching the top men and women players compete on the Olympic stage. Recognizing the significance of the potential Olympic effect on the game, we were happy to move the PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club to July, in order to accommodate. It will be fun to watch the greatest players in the world compete for pride of their country, similar to what we see with the Ryder Cup. It should be an absolutely exciting event, one that is more than a century in the making.
DAVIS: Studies show us that recreational and beginner programs flourish in developing countries when they are played on the Olympic stage. Olympic athletes inspire all of us, and players that take home gold for their country become legends. Nothing is more powerful to a young kid than cheering on an athlete from home.
I also believe we will be inspired by the number of countries represented, and the diversity that exists in golf today. Think about how the game has grown in the last 112 years, and where it’s played now. Creating events like the Latin America Amateur Championship, The Curtis and Walker Cups and World Team Championships has shown us the potential we have in introducing the game to places that haven’t yet embraced our sport. It will be exciting to see which countries are represented this year, and which ones will enter in the years to come.
FINCHEM: I am fully expecting golf’s return to the Olympics to have an impact on growing the game, which is a major reason that we worked to get the sport back in the Games. Golf’s inclusion will assist its continued growth around the world and will help bring the game to places it has never been. The impact will be particularly significant in countries that are in the developmental stages of golf. Now that golf is an Olympic sport, it is receiving greater funding from National Olympic Committees and governments. We have seen that in countries like China, India, and Brazil and Eastern Europe. Such growth will lead to further investment and sponsorship of golf programs and organizations.
Golf’s inherent values align perfectly with the ideals of the Olympic movement, including honesty, integrity and sportsmanship, so in that regard it is a perfect fit.
MONA: The U.S. golf industry is closely aligned to monitor the impact of golf in the Olympics. We are positioned to translate television viewers of the Olympics with first-time exposure or lapsed interest in the game and introduce them to golf through friendly growth-of-the-game programs that are welcoming to players of all abilities.
We believe the Olympics is going to inspire young people who are already playing the game to replicate what they see these athletes do on TV and compete at a higher level. One day, they may also be standing on an Olympic podium.
WHAN: When I think about the Olympics, I think about opportunity. The platform that the Olympic Games provide in terms of exposure for our sport and our players is enormous. Most Olympic sports will tell you they live off their every four year dose of awareness; whether it’s kayaking, table tennis, diving, etc. You get to see the sport for one week in the summer and then you have to wait four years to see it again.
If you like women’s golf and you stumble into it as a casual fan (which happens a lot for various sports during the Olympics), we’re unlike most Olympic sports. Chances are good we’re actually on TV the next week and the following week for 34 weeks over the next year. Through the Olympics, we have a chance to capture the casual fans and bring them back to our weekly coverage. I think it’s a huge opportunity for us to introduce ourselves to a broader audience and give them somewhere to go with that new enthusiasm.
The LPGA’s mission is to empower and inspire women through the game of golf. There is no better way to do that than through the most exciting sporting event in the world. We will have little girls from every corner of the globe seeing golf and our players for the very first time (and potentially allowing them to dream about pursuing our great game). Golf is truly a borderless sport and that’s why it lends itself to the Olympics so well.
The ninth annual National Golf Day is May 18 in Washington, D.C. What are golf’s benefits to society that some Congressional leaders might not be aware of?
BEVACQUA: In addition to the big names in the industry, golf is comprised of more than 15,200 small businesses nationwide. While the PGA of America celebrates our Centennial, it’s exciting for the industry to explain to our nation’s leadership that golf has grown to a nearly $70 billion annual economic engine. In addition, the game enables nearly $4 billion in charitable donations each year – more than all other sports. That’s a tangible impact that is often steered by the work of our 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals.
DAVIS: Golf facilities provide economic, social, environmental and recreational support to communities – and are both publicly accessible and affordable. The game is innovating in ways we could not foresee, by more effectively managing natural resources, and building programs that are welcoming to juniors, minorities, women and disabled persons.
Golf is on the cutting edge of technology and research, and has helped other community recreational sports, like football, soccer and others, in sustainable recreational turf best practices. We are developing solutions and tools that will help all courses remain viable within their communities, and we are working with municipal and county governments to provide data that shows their positive impact. It is a great time to be at the center of the game, as it evolves.
FINCHEM: For the PGA TOUR, our primary focus at National Golf Day is to share the story of The First Tee. We are hosting The First Tee Congressional Breakfast with 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love III and Vice Captain Steve Stricker. This provides us a great opportunity to share the positive impact the program is having on the lives of our youth.
New young people are not only being introduced to the game, but are learning the valuable life lessons that are inherent to the sport. Each participant is exposed to the nine core values that prepare them for success in high school, college and beyond. Additionally, they learn about the nine healthy habits that promote healthy, active lifestyles.
Last year, The First Tee reached more than 4.7 million young people, the most since its inception in 1997. The First Tee programs are delivered on golf courses, in elementary school P.E. classes and as part of after-school programs in partnership with other youth organizations. Of The First Tee programs delivered on golf courses, 48% of participants are ethnically diverse and 38% are female.
Additionally, all of the major golf organizations that are based in the U.S., are working together to promote each other’s grow-the-game initiatives like Drive, Chip and Putt; Get Golf Ready; LPGA-USGA Girls Golf; PGA Junior League Golf; and The First Tee.
MONA: With 2016 being an election year, it’s even more important for political leaders to understand the impact our industry has on local communities and millions of Americans. Since our first event in 2008, National Golf Day has educated our nation's lawmakers about the countless benefits of the game and we look forward to continuing this agenda on May 18.
Last year, our National Golf Day social media campaign exceeded 37 million impressions. While you may not be able to attend our D.C. event, you can let your voice be heard through your social channels. Why is golf more than a game to you? To join the conversation, visit the WE ARE GOLF social media hub. When posting, use #NGD16 and @wearegolf on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to show your support for the golf industry.
WHAN: There are over two million jobs impacted by the game and its diverse benefits to our economy and society. It’s the people working on the courses who are the backbone of our sport. We live in a fast-paced, high energy, high stress world. A casual round of golf or a family visit to a professional event can do the mind and soul a little bit of good. Moreover, those visits are likely driving increased dollars into local charities!