This is part 1 of a series of articles written by the GOLF 20/20 Ambassadors highlighting ways for the golf industry to engage with 18 to 34-year-olds and promote the game to millennial golfers. Read the rest of the series.
With the majority of the millennial generation now in adulthood, businesses have focused large amounts of marketing efforts toward this demographic. The golf industry, for example, has identified 18 to 34-year-olds as a key segment of the golfing population to engage with to ensure growth into the future.
Millennials have been described by older generations as unpredictable, self-centered, civic and progressive. Golf is looking for ways to more closely align the game with the lifestyles of this generation, and here are a few ideas to do that:
- Make it unpredictable: Many people outside of the sport think of golf as a boring old man’s game. Millennials golfers want to be surprised when they play. Designing a creative hole layout or throwing in a par 6 would give avid millennial golfers something to get excited about.
- Summer golf camps: I know I had a ball at summer golf camp when I was younger. These camps should not only teach kids how to play and improve their game, but also make it fun with little mini-games and playing the course. Keeping children engaged with golf before they reach 18 is important to keeping the sport healthy.
- Open facilities closer to college campuses/high schools: I know many colleges have courses on or close to campus, but some do not. At USC, the closest decent course is a 30 minute drive away, and commuting for college students and young adults is frequently a reason why they don't play.
- Create a device that signals when a club is forgotten: Leaving your wedge around the green happens to the best of us. Not only is it a hassle to go back and find, but it can also lead to people losing their clubs and having to buy a new one. Besides, if it's a mobile app, millennial golfers will probably download it.
By: Noah Karth
Twitter: @karthabird
Instagram: karthabird
