Must Read | Promotional Products Work OSTILL is Franck Camhi / Shutterstock.com Driving Growth In Golf Promotional products give golf courses an easy win. Here’s how to use branded merchandise to get more people to the green. by Audrey Sellers WE’RE LIVING IN A GOLDEN AGE of golf. The U.S. golf course and country club market is worth about $26.7 billion, according to IBIS World, with the industry projected to grow 1.8% this year. And with more than 16,000 golf courses at 14,000 golf facilities around the country, there are more golf courses nationwide than McDonald’s or Starbucks locations. You don’t need to be well-connected or well-to-do to tee off at most of them, either. About 75% of golf courses are open to the public, making the game more accessible. Eight in 10 golfers play public golf and pay a median green fee of $37. The sport has an estimated reach of 106 million people, according to the National Golf Foundation, with 1 in 3 Americans over age 6 engaging with the sport in some way in 2021. Another 12.4 million people enjoyed the sport exclusively at driving ranges and entertainment venues like Topgolf, according to Zippia. Although rounds played declined by 5.9% in 2022 compared to 2021, golf continues to draw people of all ages. The median age for U.S. golfers is 54, but younger age groups also enjoy the sport. In 2021, about 6.1 million players ages 18-34 and 3.1 million junior golfers younger than 18 played on a golf course. Once golfers get in the game, they want to keep playing. In a 2022 survey from GGA Partners, the National Collegiate Club Golf Association and the City Tour, 53% of respondents said golf is an important part of their lives. Golfers are willing to spend more than ever to play the sport, too, with members of Gen X willing to pay about $6,800 to join a private club. Millennials and members of Gen Z say they’d spend about $6,100. When it comes to individual club membership, the average cost is about $520 per month, according to a survey by Golf Digest. Golf is big business, and now is the time for golf courses to build on the momentum of the past few years. Read on for some ideas to get your golf course marketing off the ground with promotional products. 60 • APRIL 2023 • PPAI
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