The Pellucid Perspective - December 2021 - 7

Manager. Project Golf, started in 2019 in Myrtle Beach has also
attracted beginning adult golfers. Their approach to " socializing "
the making of tee times, course arrival and other basics is similar
to Welcome2Golf.
Oviously, we have been watching these developments with
interest. In fact, both our 2017 and 2018 State of the Industry
presentations contained the chart shown in this article. The Chart
clearly documents the growth of golf participants in the 25 - 40
Age cohorts. It also shows the " black hole " of participation in
those cohorts over the last 25 years. In 1995 that Age Group
was comprised of " baby boomers " whose Participation Rate was
over 25%. When GenX comprised that Age Group, participation
dropped to 18% and has fallen further to 12% now that the
Millenial Generation comprises most of that Age Group. Even
though we have been pointing out these Age issues for over a
decade; at least it's good to see the rest of the golf industry is getting
interested in the skill development component of new golfer
retention and the Age at which it occurs.
* Why has Get Golf Ready failed to get widespread
adoption?
* Welcome2Golf has only attracted 13 participating sites
in 2 years
* We have only attracted 1 Million " net " new golfers over
the last 5 years (NGF Welcome2Golf website)
Ever since the introduction of Get Golf Ready over a decade
ago; we have been asking the same question - " where is the
rental component? " . Do we really expect a new golfer to participate
in a few clinics and go out and invest in clubs, a bag, shoes
and the other stuff they will need to go out on a golf course?
Apparently we do - rental discounts are noticeably absent from
any of the Program Descriptions we have seen and we have
looked at a lot of them. All are providing clubs for the instruction
sessions, but then what?
Since the 25 - 40 Age cohort is now mostly Millenials; we
also have to take into account that their purchasing habits are
different. There is a whole world of Financial Technology payment
options being developed to accommodate these changing
demands - commonly referred to as " fintech " . I can now buy a
shirt at Brooks Brothers and pay for it using the " Klarna " fintech
app and make 4 payments over the next 60 days. A little
closer to home, I can buy a new putter at Dick's and get a similar
4 payment program on the " Afterpay " fintech app. If I want new
clubs, Dick's will offer me a longer term loan through " Affirm " .
Of course, I could also put it on a credit card and carry the balance
to accomplish the same thing, but I get hit with interest if
I do. Using Klarna or Afterpay, Brooks Brothers and Dick's are
effectively paying the interest in the form of fees to the fintech
company.
Club Champion offers an 18 month financing plan through
" Clear Solutions to
Golf's Business Issues "
NEW WAYS TO
GROW YOUR CLUB
Enhance your member experience
with EZSuite
From secure payments to customized reporting,
accounting tools and more, EZSuite opens new
ways to grow your club.
EZSuite by the numbers
$4B
in total sales generated
1,200+
EZSuite installations
and counting
Visit our website and register for more information and free sample reports at www.pellucidcorp.com.
Or, contact Jim Koppenhaver to discuss your unique needs at jimk@pellucidcorp.com or 847.808.7651
Visit business.golfnow.com
to learn more.
www.PellucidcorP.com
The Pellucid PersPecTive
7

https://business.golfnow.com/operations/ezsuite/ http://www.PellucidcorP.com

The Pellucid Perspective - December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Pellucid Perspective - December 2021