The Pellucid Perspective - April 2013 - (Page 5)

GOLF CLUB MANAGEMENT Filling the junior golfer gap Several new programs show potential for youth market, but facilities shouldn’t ignore 18-34 demographic By Jim Koppenhaver I t’s been more than 5 years ago that I recall first hearing colleague Stuart Lindsay’s admonition that the severe decline in caddie programs would come back to bite us in the collective industry butt. To hear Stuart tell the story, there would be two major impacts of the industry’s post-1995 headlong pursuit of maximizing cart revenue: 1) The number of junior golfers would decline meaningfully due to the loss of exposure to the former caddie cadre and 2) The size of golf ’s “next generation” (18-34 yr olds) would be significantly smaller due to the loss of the caddie program farm system. As someone who understandably strives to live in facts vs. “I think, I feel, I believe” (therefore I am?), I’ve been watching the annual golfer base size on both groups to see how Stuart’s prognostication is developing. The early read is he’s 2-for-2 if one looks at the cumulative results from 2000-2011. (Remember, the consumer survey which informs us of the golfer base demographics runs in arrears, so our current figures are 2011 with 2012 results coming up in May of this year). As support for this, since 2000, our junior golfer base (defined as age 7-17, playing 1+ rds/yr in the annual survey) has declined by 22% while the 18-34 age cohort has declined by 26%. As a reference point, the overall golfer base has declined by 17%, so both groups are easily outpacing the rate of our overall industry participation malaise. In retrospect it would appear that the industry’s collective decision at the turn of the century as it relates to the “fast nickel” (rapid and widespread adoption and promotion of cart use as the default mode of play) vs. the “slow dime” (increased cart usage but a more balanced attack of caddying and even walking unaccompanied) is something we’re going to have to live with and overcome in 2013 and beyond. In all fairness, given what we’ve been through rounds and revenue-wise over the past 5+ years, it’s easy to Monday morning quarterback this, but if we’re all honest with ourselves, we probably pushed the accelerator (sorry, bad pun but couldn’t resist) a little too quickly and hard in throwing caddie programs under the proverbial bus. New programs emerging Uncharacteristic of me, rather than belabor this point further, I’m going to call that “water under the bridge” and talk briefly about industry efforts that are underway attempting to fill this gap in junior development and creating a new feeder system for the 18-34 age group. Most probably the “leader in the clubhouse” as it relates to a successful, deployed and proven model is the Pro Kids program in San Diego, which has over a decade of experience and hosts roughly 1,500 youth annually according www.PellucidCorp.com to their website. Two newer programs which have aspirations to create a template for expansion beyond a single market are the PGA of America’s Junior League Golf ( JLG) launched in 2011, and the Jack Nicklaus Learning Leagues ( JNLL) which will debut this spring. Both have enumerated strategies, plans and, importantly, established branding and communications vehicles which they’ll have to leverage significantly in order to get their ideas airborne enough to move the needle on junior participation at the national level. Entering its 3rd year in 2013, the JLG has expanded since 2011 from a 4-city pilot to 120 teams spanning 22 markets at the close of 2012. According to PGA Magazine, 1,800 juniors participated in the 2012 season. Teams are generally comprised of 12 members (8 starters, 4 subs is the template) and the age range is 7-13 year olds. It’s a team format and scramble-type scoring, which potentially spreads the wealth of shots and contribution to the winning effort across a wider range of the team members vs. golf ’s more traditional stroke or match play formats. While it’s still early and the growth trendline is encouraging, when one looks at the most successful market thusfar, Atlanta with 30 teams, it still only represents 360 youth participants at this stage in the game. On the flip side,however, I like the structure, which copies the successful formats of Little League and other organized youth sports league formats. Additionally, it’s golf ’s first true attempt (to the best of my knowledge) to reach out in a more proactive manner to be a “sport of consideration” for kids during their formative years. The “new kid on the block” is the Jack Nicklaus Learning Leagues ( JNLL), which will be launched this spring in 15 pilot cities and be run by the National Recreation and Park Association (or NRPA, this is like alphabet soup, but wait, there’s more). According to the press release, the program has three age groups, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-10, and is built on an equipment foundation called SNAG (Starting New at Golf, told you there were more acronyms) which is customized to the kids. I actually recall my first encounter with Terry Anton and Wally Armstrong (the SNAG Daddies) at the first Golf 2020 conference back in 2001, where I observed as their initial evangelism efforts fell on deaf ears. Since the SNAG component of the JNLL doesn’t involve an anchored stroke, I’m guessing the USGA is probably OK with launchers (drivers), rollers (putters) and infinitely softer compression and larger size balls. But I digress. The ultimate aim of JNLL is multi-fold: 1) Get kids exposed to the sport of golf in a non-threatening team environment at the same stage in life when they’re being courtThe Pellucid Perspective 5 http://WWW.PELLUCIDCORP.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Pellucid Perspective - April 2013

The Pellucid Perspective - April 2013
Contents
Phoenix shifts municipal golf to General Fund subsidy
Filling the junior golf gap
One shot at a time
Plumbing the depths of the on-course restroom issue
Online golf store a solution for pro shop sales?
March golf weather impact: Hibernation mode for golf nationally
Military spending cuts threaten VA golf market
First phase of golf resort with Kidd-designed course in Oroville, CA up for approval
Nice guys finish last ... in Tax Court

The Pellucid Perspective - April 2013