The total number of golfers around the world has been on the decline for quite some time now. Some would say the reason is golf is not giving the instant gratification like games on smartphones or similar devices can. Others would say the decline is the result of the global financial crisis or perhaps that the game is simply too slow.

There has been endless discussion and a lot written on how to get people into or return to playing golf. To be fair, there have been many brilliant ideas brought forward to grow the game. And while some are working, others are not. Personally I think we – ‘we’ being the golf industry as a whole – are losing the public relations battle.

We all know it is the negative stories that get all the attention. For example, when the announcement was made as to where the Olympic course was to be located in Rio, many of the stories were about how the project was delayed because of environmental concerns. Straight away the non-golfers, and some of the golfing population, have this negative perception that the golf course is not environmentally friendly. The positive story, which few people hear, is the golf course site plans to have around 30 per cent more native habitat areas when it is finished than when it started.

Isn’t it time we had a dedicated full time promoter of golf? We need to advertise! One good example is Guinness, who used the catchphrase ‘Guinness is good for you’ to advertise their product. Could golf use a similar catchphrase – ‘Golf is good for you’?

I firmly believe a large amount of people have no idea of the benefits that come with the game of golf. In fact, I think many perceive golf as being bad for the environment and only accessible for the elite. We as an industry need to pool our knowledge and collectively be more proactive at promoting the game.  

I could never understand how golf – which can be played from the age of three to 103 – is played by such a small percentage of the population. We need to tell the 99 per cent of people who don’t play golf that ‘golf is good for you’. We have to be more aggressive in our promotion.

How often do you hear about the billions of euros or dollars or yen that golf adds to the economy? How often do you hear about the tens of thousands of golf courses created which are acting as ideal habitats for numerous and often rare flora and fauna?

I recently finished a course in China where the site had been, from an environmental standpoint, disgusting. There was poisonous debris from an old factory, and pig slurry was flowing across the land straight into a river, which many people depended on. The development of the golf course helped cleaned it all up and it now acts a fantastic example of how golf can be great for the environment.

Unfortunately my marketing budget and expertise is not going to get that story out to very many people. Particularly when the course can’t open because of the negative image golf has in China at the moment. However I believe this would be a good example to show the government in order to begin to change the image of golf in China.

Most businesses, groups and organisations within the industry are very good at promoting their own interests. Some of this promotion does overlap with the interest of growing the game but let’s face it, whether they are supplying, servicing, or consulting, the main objective of most companies is to promote their own business interests. Generally, most of their promotion is within the golf industry and very little, if any, is sending the message to non-golfers outside the industry and saying ‘golf is good for you’.

Ask yourself this. What do you do to promote and grow your own business? You advertise. Why is it that we, as a golf industry group, don’t advertise? We should have ads in the papers, social media, everywhere, to promote golf. We should be shouting about the fact that golfers are generally healthier people and less of a strain on the health services. Did you ever see a billboard with the caption ‘Relax, reduce stress, spend time with friends in the fresh air – play golf’? Where are the photos of deer on the golf course with the caption ‘Enjoy the wildlife – play golf’? OK, maybe this is just a little bit cheesy. Marketing might not be my speciality, but you get the idea.

The golf industry needs to take a proactive role in promoting all of the positives that the game has to offer. We need to broadcast to the world that golf is a fun, healthy exercise. It teaches sportsmanship, good fellowship and good manners. The media is not going to do it for us.

We hear a lot about growing the game these days. In my opinion we need to grow the game from the bottom up. That means starter golf facilities close to the centre of cities and towns. Developers are unlikely to do this because the financial return from golf alone is usually not enough to cover expensive real estate costs near towns and cities. But it can happen if you have either a rich golf nut or you have government subsidies. I believe governments will develop golf if they can see it will benefit the people and more importantly get them re-elected. To grow the game we need to promote and educate the public and governments on the ways in which ‘golf is good for you’.  

What we need is a group, business or organisation to be created whose single purpose is to let people everywhere know that golf is good for them. Positive golfing stories can be fed to this promotional group or company by anyone from around the world. This company would then create positive news stories, videos, and documentaries to promote the wonderful game of golf in all languages.

Why is it that we, as an industry, are not doing more to market golf? I think there are two reasons. Firstly, we don’t have a dedicated PR machine or company which promotes all of our golfing interests, and secondly, it is going to cost money.

I believe there is a need for an independent group or company to do nothing but promote the wonderful game of golf. This group or company could be funded by each and every golfer by way of a small levy – maybe a dollar, pound or euro per player – added to the fees we already pay to our golfing unions or organisations. Golfers won’t mind paying a little extra because they all know that attracting more golfers will bring more revenue, helping to improve facilities and potentially further reduce the cost of the game. Maybe some of the bigger organisations, like the pro tours, could donate a little more (in light of the fact they won’t speed up play!). And there are plenty of other potential sources of income – in the UK for example, lottery funding might even be available.

So, that’s the money problem solved. Now, who wants the public relations job with a multi-million dollar budget? I mentioned this idea to a friend in the PR business and he felt this was a good idea but was concerned that it was too simple and would never get all the groups in golf, including the R&A and the USGA, to endorse it. Really?

Incidentally, if you are looking for golf design work, Jeff Howes Golf Design is really good for you!

This article first appeared in Golf Course Architecture – Issue 43.