This document summarizes a conference on recreating the golf business. It discusses factors that are unique about sport and golf, including their social roles. It also examines trends that are affecting golf consumption, such as changing leisure activities and media. The document outlines implications for golf management, including the need to identify new market opportunities through innovation, understand why people play golf, and manage golf culture by viewing one's business through social and cultural lenses in addition to economic factors. The goal is to align a golf club's practices with its target groups.

1. 7th EGCOA Conference
Recreating the golf
business

2. Overview
 What is unique about sport and the
golf business?
 Factors affecting golf consumption
 Implications for golf management

3. What is ‘unique’ about sport?
 Sport has inherent social, educational and
cultural functions that should be respected
and nurtured...in order that the code of
ethics and solidarity essential to its social
role be preserved (Nice Declaration on
Sport, 2000)
 Balancing sports social role and
governance and protecting economic
activity (European Commission, 2007)

4. What is ‘unique’ about golf?
 Who owns golf? How is golf produced?
 Golf as economic, social and cultural forms of capital
(Bourdieu, 1986)
 Golf culture: a collection of values and beliefs that are
common to members of a group and which affect
behaviour
– Society, organisation’s, group’s and individuals
– Rituals, practices, rules, stories, environment and
language
 Golf’s place in society and culture?

5. Golf’s economic,
High social and
cultural value?
Perceived
value
Low Price High

6. The golf offering
• Hospitality • Well being
• Community
• Friendship
Social Nature
Sport Culture
• Exercise • beliefs
• Physical health • values

7. Recreating the golf business
FACTORS AFFECTING GOLF
CONSUMPTION

8. Trends: sport entertainment
 Convergence of factors:
– Changing leisure
– Media and communications
– Legal media rights
– Corporate sponsorship
 What will European
consumption of sport look
like in 10 yrs? (Havas Sport
and Entertainment, 2011)
– 2,264 sport fans
– Germany, UK, France, Spain
and Italy
– Core consumer group: 12 – 35
years old
– Online competing with TV

9. Rio 2016: Golf...in the
Olympics?
 70% of world population watched Beijing (Neilson,
2008)
 Olympic brand: humanity, world peace, global,
goodwill, inspiration and friendship
 A lesson in marketing: USA presidential elections
 Golf and your business? Brand
/ Org.
– Your brand, your markets?
– Your purpose, beliefs and values? Social
media
– Demographics? Consumer
– Technology? groups

10. Trends in sport participation
 Growing demand for sports that are accessible, offers
opportunities for self expression, freedom and
autonomy, experimentation and are free of time
constraints and long term commitments (Coakley,
2004)
 Motivation to participate in sport:
– Retaining health (male)
– Fun and social interaction (retired)
– Fun and participation (female)
– Enjoyment and participation (youth)
 What are the implications for golf and golf clubs?

11. Why do people play golf?
 Connection with
nature
 Physical challenge
 Well being
 Health
 Business and social
Source: Frankly Consulting, 2005 functions?
 Why do people join
golf clubs?

12. Innovation: New experiences

13. Recreating the golf business
IMPLICATIONS FOR GOLF
MANAGEMENT

14. Management practice
 Organisations fail because they do what they
want to do rather than fulfil the wants and needs
of others (Principles of Marketing, 2008:7)
 Survival depends on identifying new market
opportunities - innovate or go bust!

15. Where to position your golf business?
View of golf in sport context
Play and participate
View of
Traditional Modern golf in
conservative liberal social –
cultural
context
Compete and perform

16. Aligning your golf business
culture
Service and
experience
Golf, club and operation
people practices
Target
group or
groups

17. Managing golf culture
 How do you view your golf
business?
– Business are economically
bound and consumers
rational?
– Business is culturally
bound and consumers
emotional?
 The balanced scorecard: a
performance and learning
system aligning
quantitative outputs with
qualitative processes
Source: Kaplan and Norton (1996)

18. What is your handicap?
-5 0 +5
 Social?
 Cultural?
 Economic?

19. Recreating the golf business
THANK YOU