Thinking outside the tee box

Thinking outside the tee box

From six-hole courses for players in a hurry to indoor simulators at housing estates, golf promoters are looking at novel ways to revive interest in the sport.

One challenge that has kept golf stuck in a bunker lately is its inability to attract newer players, especially the younger generation. In an always-connected world with its countless distractions and instant gratification, a game that takes five hours to play is a tough sell to many young people.

“Junior golf is not growing at the pace that it should be,” said Mike Sebastian, the CEO of Asia Pacific Golf Group. “Those youngsters that you see engaging with golf are in the minority and are mostly from the country-club set where their parents belong to golf courses.”

The drop in juniors taking to the game is a universal trend, he said, and although efforts are being made to attract youngsters, they have yet to yield satisfactory results. “It’s a matter of relevance and golf is deemed to be no longer relevant to many youngsters.”

Tim Trinka, president of the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF), acknowledged that the industry has to think outside the box, possibly even developing shorter forms of game to cater to busy people who have less time.

“We have discussed the possibility of creating three-hole or six-hole courses or just practice facilities that do not take up large tracts of land and are close to population centres,” he said.

In fact, the first six-hole course is to be opened in Thailand soon to serve urban players with a fast-paced lifestyle. “It takes only about an hour and a half to complete one round,” said Mark Siegel, the managing director of the golf tour specialist Golfasian Co Ltd.

“The industry has been talking for a long time about how to resolve this problem of people not wanting to pick up the game because they don’t want to spend so much time.”

Traditionalists, of course, are welcome to visit the course and play three rounds to reach a total of 18 holes.

One of the other biggest complaints about golf in Asia is the weather, continued Mr Siegel. “It’s very hot and tiresome to play golf outdoors so one option is to play it indoors.”

This helps explain the growing facility of golf simulators in Asia in recent years.
“Driving ranges with indoor screen facilities are actively trying to attract younger players and there has been a big surge in popularity for screen golf facilities, especially in Korea,” added Mr Trinka.

Dilip Ghosh, the managing director of Singapore’s first indoor golf club, Urban Fairways, has been in the business for six years and still considers his venture to be in its infancy. His club primarily targets players who are restricted by a shortage of time. Golfers of all levels including beginners are welcome.

As the distributor for the Full Swing Golf Simulator system in Singapore, Mr Ghosh sees a new trend for simulators in the residential property market such as condominiums and private housing estates.

At around $80,000, a simulator is amazingly accurate and offers a great representation of the real sport if a person doesn’t have time to play and practise on an outdoor course.

“Players are realising that they can both play, learn and practise on a golf simulator in the same way a pilot learns on a flight simulator,” he said. “Property developers are using golf simulators as an addition to the already well-established swimming pools, gyms and meeting rooms as a way to add investor value.”

YOUNG TRADITIONALISTS

While new ways to enjoy golf are emerging, there are still some enthusiasts who decided to take up the game at a very young age and want to play it in the traditional way.

Phatthara Amornwetcharat, 19, was introduced to golf by his parents and says it is no longer a simple pastime for him as he is looking at becoming a professional.

“It’s true that most young golfers are introduced to golf through their family, but you need to love the sport in order to do it well,” he said, adding that he has been playing since he was nine years old.

“Golf is not easy,” he says, because a player has to train body and soul. “It’s the mind and the strategies that you plan when you see certain types of courses.

“Golf gives you good life lessons. You’re competing with yourself and if anything goes wrong, you are responsible for it. You also have to have integrity because you are your own referee. It’s shameful if you cheat to get a trophy.”

Mr Phatthara always liked sports, but says golf is the only one that brings him stillness and calmness. “You don’t get that from football or any other kinds of sport.”

He also believes the number of committed young male and female golfers has been rising gradually over the years. “Part of it is because many young professional golfers are becoming their major inspiration.”

WOOING WOMEN

Mr Trinka also sees another positive change with more women becoming involved with the golf business, ranging from female general managers to course superintendents, golf writers and senior businesswomen who play the game. “There is no doubt this trend will continue.”

However, Mr Sebastian disagrees, saying that in his view the availability of equipment and accessories for women relative to men is still “very miserable”.

“There are no statistics to prove that women golfers are on the rise in Asia,” he said. “Until we have research available, there is no conclusive way to ascertain women’s involvement with golf in Asia.”

That view might appear surprising, given the dominance of Asian women on professional tours, including the US-based Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). Five of the top 10 women players in the current Rolex Rankings are Asian or of Asian descent.

Although there is no research available to confirm the rise of female golfers in Asia, a study in the West by the market-research group GfK found that 5% of women aged 19-64, equivalent to 640,000 people, were “very interested in taking up golf this summer”, while 30% (3.8 million) were “somewhat or a little interested”.

The female population is a powerful consumer group that will determine the success of the golf industry in the future. Currently, only 19% of all golfers are women, according to the National Golf Foundation. Experts say millions of women want to participate in golf but they don’t feel welcome.

To push the growth of female golfers, the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) of America has launched an industry-wide initiative to bring more women into the game.

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