Some industries remain challenged when it comes to attracting millennials. The golf industry is one of the most challenged, so therein is found some guidance when the going remains tough.
By Vincent Pane

The golf industry has been going through a lot of soul searching as it tries to figure out how to attract millennials to a game that is built on tradition and has a reputation as being a bit (shall it be said) stodgy. Millennials are anything but stodgy, nor are they traditionalists. They are informal, like things to happen quickly, embrace change, and enjoy entertaining variety. The golfing industry has been struggling to figure out what changes it needs to make to attract the younger generations to the game.

Remarkable millennials are already winning championships, but golf clubs and parks are meant to appeal to the regular golfer, and it is those types of golfers that are not appearing in desired numbers. Yet, successful strategies are being implemented to target millennials and Gen Z that are turning traditional golf on its head.

Other industries can learn a lot from the golfing industry's struggles because it is a case of converting an old sport into a new attraction. If the golfing industry can do it, so can others, but it requires rethinking everything from the first to the last tee.

Turning a Traditional Game into a Non-Traditional Event
Golf is a game with rules and etiquette that reflect its long history.

It is a quiet game with low speaking golfers walking a course while wearing the accepted clothing and shoes. Not much else happens except for swinging the chosen club and watching and waiting to see where the ball lands. For millennials used to fast technology action, it appears somewhat boring and tedious.

Woah … wait a minute. That is not how avid older golfers view the game. It is a thinking person's game of strategy with different courses offering a variety of challenges. It is also about camaraderie, maybe talking about business, and looking for the right mixture of practiced body movements, accurate swings, and developed eye for assessing where the golf ball should land.

The positive perspectives of avid golfers is not the same as the millennial perspective.

Removing a Stigma
This is a problem that other traditional industries are having.

For example, U.S. manufacturers are struggling to compete for millennials because factory work is stigmatized as the place people go to work when they do not have a college degree or do not seem qualified for higher level work. Factory jobs are also viewed as something baby boomers did back in the day, so to speak. It is an "old person's industry" offering dirty jobs, repetitive work, dead –end jobs, and boredom. Yet, some manufacturing jobs are highly technical and many offer high pay and a solid future, and people can get a two-year trade degree instead of a four-year academic degree for a lot less money. How is the message going wrong?

It is not that millennials are avoiding golf all together. There are outstanding millennial golfers the industry hopes will attract more people in their generation, like Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and Jason Day. However, as the CEO of the PGA of America said, to stay relevant, golf needs to attract more millennials, Gen Z, women and minorities. So it is not just a "millennial problem."

The most urgent need though is attracting millennials. Think of it as phase one of a long-term strategic plan. To attract millennials, the golf industry has decided it needs to forgo some traditions and add the kind of activities and golfing opportunities that fit the millennial profile.

It has to erase its traditional stigma. One of the first changes needed is creating a welcoming culture for the millennial who may play golf with music playing through a Bluetooth hearing device or plays soft music on a wireless speaker in the golf bag.

Playing the Music
Changing an organization's culture is never easy because change is not easy. It is similar to changing from a siloed, hierarchal system to a flatter one that is more versatile and flexible.

Businesses are advised to create networking opportunities, which is why golf has a reputation as the land of business deals.

That is what modernizing golf courses are doing. They are holding non-traditional golf events. Swannies Golf Apparel created a Party Scramble series held across the country in 16 cities, which specifically targeted millennials based on the National Golf Foundation's research on millennials. The events begin with people meeting at a local bar or pub, many of them "lurkers" or people who are interested in golf but have yet to visit a course. A bus takes the group to the golf clubhouse where music is playing. Every three holes, the golfers play a game.

Though this may sound silly to older traditional golfers, the NGF found that millennials were more likely to drink on the course, and less likely to follow the rules precisely or keep score faithfully. Millennials want relaxed rules and opportunities to experiment with golf-like games.

This probably sounds a bit horrendous to the old-school golfers, but pleasing millennials as clients is important. Some courses are setting aside times when golfers can play non-traditional games like Footgolf (golf played somewhat like soccer) and Big Hole Golf which has wide cups and Frisbee golf. The PGA and USGA have introduced Tee It Forward in which players can set their tees ahead of normal tees to shorten the time it takes to play a round of golf. Golf courses are also offering shorter rounds than 9 and 18 holes.

Becoming More Entertaining
Golf 20/20 is an industry-wide coalition of U.S. golf organizations that realizes golf courses must reorient themselves to become more entertaining.

Kris Hart, founder and CEO of www.nextgengolf.org and co-chair of Golf 20/20 is looking for a balance between maintaining the game's integrity with adding millennial-attractive features. The features include technology, updated food and beverage options, and some excitement.

Topgolf is a company that has blended golf, technology and entertainment. It is not a course, but a place where people can hit micro-chipped balls into a net and get instant feedback. There are competitive golf games, a restaurant, HDTVs, music, and climate-controlled playing bays.

Technology is used to track golfing performance, to enable booking tee times via a smartphone, and to connect golfers.

Like the golf industry, each industry must be willing to think beyond tradition and consider innovative ways to attract younger people. The reality is the millennials and Gen Z will soon make up most of the workforce and the consumer base. They are not going to become like baby boomers as they age. Their life experiences are totally different.

Industries must develop strategies to give the younger generations want they want and deliver messaging they will listen to.