INDUSTRYUPDATE
National Golf Month- Are you doing your bit?
With the inaugural National Golf Month (NGM) set to launch this May, SGB Golf received an update from former chairman of the BGIA and project director, Doug Poole.
game of golf’s very survival. With a steep decline in private member golf clubs, many courses face extinction if the rates of membership reductions aren’t curbed. Take Chestfield Golf Club, home to the oldest
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clubhouse in the world. With around 70 members not expected to renew their membership for 2014, the pressure is on to turn around the general decline in private golf memberships which is a considerable source of income which a typical club relies on. Having known about the gradual
participation decline for some years, the BGIA realised that something needed to be done to quell the games dwindling figures. Aſter a positive BGIA Conference leading up to the BGIA AGM 2012, golf industry stalwart Doug Poole felt the time was right to create an event to focus on raising golf participation which transcended the industry as a whole. “The initiative really began as an idea as to
how we could help more golfers back into the game,” commented Poole. “Numbers are dwindling at a significant rate and I felt that the BGIA was in a position to try and unite the industry behind a common theme. “The aim is to get 100,000 golfers,
predominantly lapsed golfers, back playing. National Golf Month is available to all potential golfers but we felt targeting the 2.8million lapsed golfers in the UK would be the quickest way to get people back playing the game quickly.” National Golf Month has gathered
considerable support from a variety of organisations but none more important than the Bauer Media Group. With Bauer Media
or those within the golf trade, it doesn’t take a lot of analysis to realise that the next five to ten years are crucial to the
pledging support which includes a 30 second radio campaign to 26 radio stations, NGM should hit around 18 million listeners. “Bauer have been invaluable in offering support,” said Poole. “They expect to hit an audience of around 23.7 million people in the next few weeks via a variety of marketing and advertising campaigns. “The key however is not current golfers
themselves; NGM needs to reach out beyond the traditional golfing boundaries and broaden its target audience. Hopefully the Bauer campaign can help us reach our goal of encouraging 100,000 golfers to come back to the game and with that, bring golf to an audience who would never have considered it an option before. “Within the golf trade, excellent initiatives are
already undertaken by the likes of England, Scotland and Wales golf and particularly the Golf Foundation who will try to engage with 500,000 children to try and get them playing and hopefully staying with golf. These are the Luke Donald’s and Lee Westwood’s of the future.” As well as this, a number of high-profile brand ambassadors have pledged support to the cause including Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and ladies golf sensation Charley Hull. “Golf is a fun game you can enjoy with all
your friends and family,” commented Charley Hull. “Make sure you use the great offers available during National Golf Month and get out playing this coming May.” Using Charley Hull as an ambassador is a particular coup for Poole: “Although we are predominantly targeting lapsed golfers, the women’s side of the game is where there is real potential for growth. Typically a golf club’s female membership is about 8-9%. By targeting
NATIONAL GOLF AMBASSADOR Charley Hull
female golfers and of course families, this figure has the potential to be increased to 15-20%. “I hope NGM opens up the sport to an
audience that realises golf is no longer just a male only pastime.” The logistics of the campaign encourages
consumers to visit
www.nationalgolfmonth.com where you type in your postcode to see the range of offers that are available to a designated mile radius. A variety of deals and offers are available including Taster Sessions, Improvers Coaching Courses and Open days. Booking is relatively simple; choose a
programme that fits your requirements and book a place. Your reservation gets confirmed and you can print out your voucher. If a payment is required, you settle on your arrival. Golf courses really appear to have got behind NGM with Cornwall in particular having 33 out of their 35 golf courses represented.
For more information about National Golf Month visit-
www.nationalgolfmonth.com
40 SGBGOLF
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