Volume 2, Issue 4 – April 2012
Fellow Citizens of Crazy Town –
The feature story of this month’s NGF Dashboard presents new information on one of the most critical numbers in golf. No, I’m not talking about Nicklaus’s 18 majors, Shrek’s incredible deuce on Augusta National’s Hole #2, nor am I talking about Bubba Watson’s brand new size 43-Long jacket.
Of course I’m referring to the 25.7 million Americans over the age of six who played at least one round of golf in 2011.
It’s our job at the NGF to track the vital signs of golf, so we’re very well aware of the attrition in the number of golfers and rounds seen over the past six years. The sky isn’t falling on golf, by any means, but any business that’s losing customers had better find out why, and figure out how to reverse it, or it will continue to struggle.
I was recently reminded (not a moment too soon, I might add) exactly what is required to grow the game. After dinner and a round of golf with two rare individuals with intimate knowledge and extensive experience in converting non-golfers into golfers… I was convinced, unequivocally, that it all comes down to one word. But first, a quick story told by one of these individuals.
Charlotte-based Del Ratcliffe came down to visit NGF’s Jupiter office a few weeks ago. He told me about how he talked-up a cab driver on the way north from the Palm Beach Airport. “How do you live down here in south Florida and not play golf!?” Del asked. After finding out that the driver had some interest in playing, Del told him “Give me your phone number and I’m going to find you a local Get Golf Ready program to get you playing golf.” Plain and simple, Del invited this particular non-golfer to play golf… and he activated real-life latent demand.
So back to the word… the answer to reversing the declining (but stabilizing) number of golfers:
SALES!
Rocket science… no. Effective… absolutely. There are more than 313,000,000 people in this country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Every non-golfer is a potential golfer and new customer, right. So why aren’t we creating more golfers?
Okay… golf is not for everybody. So what. The audience isn’t universal for any product or service. However, NGF research has consistently shown that there are a minimum of 25 million non-golfing Americans who are “very” or “somewhat” interested in playing golf.
Sales 101 = ASK!
We’re not asking enough people!
We’re not asking them often enough!
Invite somebody to play.
Most of us agree that golf is the greatest game ever created, right? So when’s the last time, you, as a golfer, thought enough of a friend, business associate or family member to invite them to try golf? Many in our industry have long advocated that golfers at large could grow the population of players significantly. If just a fraction of us brought at least one new person to the course each year, the impact would be profound. This is true.
But those of us making our living in the golf industry are not just golfers at large… we’re professionally employed in the golf business. Our obligation (and enlightened financial self-interest) to sell is far greater. So why don’t we make more “asks?” Are we, like many salespeople, afraid of rejection? Do we think “sales” is a bad word synonymous with sleazy or intrusive? Are we so lazy that we think that we can leave the duty of sales to people with titles like “sales representative” or “sales manager?” Forget it. We all sell ourselves every day. We need to sell our game constantly and consistently. In a taxi, at the doctor’s office, at the post office, anywhere.
With this in mind, consider the thousands of us employed as PGA Professionals or work at one of the 16,000 golf facilities. The growth of those businesses depends on having current customers play more and finding new ones to play at least a little. Selling is how customers are made in any business on the planet. Selling something you love is the easiest sales gig around. It’s always genuine and never phony.
Invite people you know to play golf. If you invite them into more formal learning programs like Get Golf Ready in 5 Days, the research is clear that they’re more likely to stick with it and become a Core customer.
Make the ask. Explain the myriad benefits of playing golf. No training required.
Cheers from the HMCT (aka Greg Nathan, NGF)
Mayor of Crazy Town 