ORLANDO, FLA — Judging by the tens of thousands who flocked to the Orange County Convention Centre over the past week, the notion the sport of golf is dead seems, well, a touch exaggerated.
The game, which has been struggling to attract Millennials and has seen rounds played decline in recent years, was at the receiving end of a thumping for the mainstream media last year. Maclean’s magazine ran a feature with the provocative headline, Why Canadian golf is dying? and numerous other magazines and newspapers noted the struggles of golf equipment giant TaylorMade, and U.S. sporting equipment retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods, which fired all of its in-house PGA professionals.
READ MORE: Must have gifts for the everyday golfer this holiday season
But the sports leaders, who were at this week’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando – a massive convention that showcases goods and equipment from across the sport from towels to sophisticated software—are hitting back at the notion the game is on a dangerous precipice.
“I think in the world in general, and especially in the golf world, there’s a difference between perception and reality and then it gets overblown and sensationalized and then that is what some people think,” says Ben Sharpe, the 41-year old CEO of TaylorMade who took over from longtime executive Mark King last year.
TaylorMade was at the heart of some of the sport’s bad press last year, as parent company adidas said revenue shortcomings in its golf business led to financial struggles for the athletic and apparel giant.
Sharpe said TaylorMade has already addressed some of those problems by trying to clean up inventory issues at retail and slowing down product cycles.
“Through our financial results we are showing that we’re taking responsibility and trying to clean up the market and cut through the sludge,” he says. “We’ve made some progress, though we still have work to do.”
Selling the sport to youth
However, there’s still genuine concern about luring younger people to a sport that is difficult and takes upwards of four hours to play. Numerous initiatives aimed at children and Millennials were on display at the show, from variations on golf to sophisticated mobile software designed to make the game more attractive to a generation that has grown up plugged into the internet.
One of the most discussed new ventures is Topgolf, where the sport mixes a driving range with elements of a nightclub and restaurant. The company, which is 35% owned by golf equipment maker Callaway, has been a huge success in the U.S. markets were it has been launched.
“It is killing it and it is a totally fun experience,” says Callaway CEO Chip Brewer. “It hasn’t made it to Canada yet, but it is only time before it makes it to all of the major markets.”
Brewer says it is OK for golf, a sport deeply linked with traditions and history, to break away from the notion it is staid and conservative.
“It has to be OK to crank some tunes when you play with golf,” he says. “That doesn’t mean Royal Montreal is going to do it, but other places will. Just like skiing and snowboarding exist together. And that’s great.”
Comments