Jupiter, Florida, United States: The National Golf Foundation’s [NGF] Golf and the Millennial Generation, a comprehensive examination of 18 to 34-year-old golfers and non-golfers, details the attitudes, behaviour and perceptions of this age group’s relationship with golf.
The report looks deeply into the assumptions that millennials’ progressive lifestyles, preferences and stressed finances are misaligned with golf’s traditional sensibilities and pay-for-play nature.
Currently, more than six million millennials play approximately 90 million rounds and spend US$5 billion on golf annually.
“NGF identified a considerable dip in the participation rate among 18 to 34-year-olds that has occurred during the past 20 years. This is of particular concern because, historically, participation rates have been highest among this age group,” said Greg Nathan, Senior Vice President of NGF.
“We felt it was NGF’s responsibility to provide the golf industry with an objective and thorough understanding of why this change in participation occurred, and provide guidance as to how the industry can best reverse the trend moving forward.”
NGF’s Golf and the Millennial Generation was a two-year undertaking where more than 1,500 millennials provided insight on the current and future health of golf’s brand.
NGF partnered with KS&R, a global market research firm, and FutureCast, a leading expert on millennial marketing and research, to develop this first-of-its-kind report.
Highlights and subject areas detailed in Golf and the Millennial Generation include:
– Millennial golf participation: Changing demographics, less recreational time and financial challenges contribute greatly to the decline of Gen Y participation, but these factors do not account for the entire drop.
– Golf’s brand health: Millennial golfers tend to align with older generations on the positive perceptions of golf, but they are more critical about the game’s culture.
– Millennial golfer segments: There are three distinct segments of millennial golfers, each with differences in attitudinal and perceptual traits.
– Latent demand: With more than 12 million millennial non-golfers interested in playing the game, there is a deep well of prospects to activate.
– The way forward: NGF identified 10 key considerations for golf brands and companies to keep in mind as golf businesses must chart a way forward with millennials.