Level A Austrian PGA Professional and CPG Golf Development Team member, Marie Jeffery, explores the topic of coaching communication and its significance for golf participation and performance.

The webinar will focus around four key areas of communication science and coaching: communication basics, using communication to build rapport, human sensory channels and message structures to support and enhance learning.

By the end of this CPG podcast, you will be able to:

– Understand the importance of multilayer communication for coaching

– Feel comfortable infusing the 4-side model for your own coaching

– Have a basic understanding of rapport-creating strategies

The CPG Podcast brings the latest features, news and in-depth interviews from the world of professional golf, PGAs and PGA Professionals.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

LISTEN ON GOOGLE PODCASTS

LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

LISTEN ON ANCHOR

In a recent blog I wrote, I focused on the ‘COVID-19’ consumer and how golf clubs can take advantage of increased expenditure, rounds played and engagement from those people who decided to take up golf in the aftermath of national lockdowns.

This exemplified a process of consumer segmentation – a marketing technique that allows us to tailor prices, products and promotions to various people based on differing characteristics. If we do this, we can encourage increased consumption and therefore, increased revenue.

So, how can we segment our consumers beyond that ‘COVID-19’ characterisation? Ordered from the simplest forms, all the way through to the very deep, ambiguous, subjective (and influential) ways, I list and explain some very simple ways that can help guide your own future marketing practice below.

01 DEMOGRAPHIC TRAITS

To breakdown a consumer down based on their objective, easy-to-identify physical traits would be to conduct a demographic segmentation. Such traits include:

• Gender – Female / Male
• Age Group – Teenagers / Young Adults / Middle-Aged / Retired
• Ethnicity
• Occupation
• Education

This is a very simple way of collecting data on consumers to then group and break down, and can be done through various ways such as filling in an online questionnaire or recording data through your tee time booking systems.

How does this affect tailoring prices, products and promotions? Well, consider the fact that men will most certainly choose to play 18 holes of golf together more than women; teenagers will consume easier forms of golf such as the driving range and mini golf; people of higher social classes with higher disposable incomes will spend more at your club and on specialist services such as golf lessons than those of lower classes; and people of white-ethnic backgrounds are more likely to consume golf in general than people from BAME communities.

We now have some valuable insights that we can then focus our marketing activities on to encourage behaviour and consumption. The downside of this form of segmentation is that it is rather generic – it doesn’t factor in individual differences (for example, people from the BAME community do choose to play golf, just less so than white ethnicities). We need to look deeper than demographic traits more often than not to gain more insightful and more influential data.

02 BEHAVIOURAL: CONSUMPTION HABITS

This form of segmentation focuses on the way in which your consumers interact with your brand. There are various ways in which you can do this:

• Frequency – How often do they play golf or have a lesson? Once a week? Monthly? Annually?
• Time – What times of the day do they play? Twilight? Full rate? Weekends? Weekdays?
• Occasions – Do they consume golf during set periods or special occasions? Such as bank holidays, Christmas, easter?
• Type – What product do they consume? Is it a 9 hole green fee? Some PING Golf Clubs? Golf Pride Grips? Junior golf lessons? Golf Carts?
• Spend – How much do they spend relative to the product / service type they are consuming? Low / Medium / High?

This will give you a very good picture of the consumer from a consumption point of view, rather than just who they are as a person demographically. This is more useful and influential, as it allows you to tailor and target key products and promotions to each individual.

For example, as a golf coach I might create a special Christmas offer with discounted golf lessons. There’s no need to send this to your regular pupils who have a lesson every week. Rather, send it to the people that you know buy golf lesson packages at Christmas, historically, and entice their spending with you again.

The only problem with this is it is a data-heavy form of collecting consumer information. Whilst you will build a pretty good picture of each of your customers (and is something worth investing the time in) it is just that – time consuming. If you can allocate part of your week to this task and focus on just the key areas you want to collect data on, then this might be a more efficient and effective way of segmenting based on consumption habits and your available resource. For example, if you just want to increase green fees, then focus on the green fee frequencies, times, occasions and types that are purchased…

03 BEHAVIOURAL: HUMAN IDENTITY

Human identity is perhaps the deepest, most subjective form of understanding consumer purchasing decisions and behaviour. It takes the previous behavioural form of segmenting based on habits to a much deeper level of understanding.

Consider this – those who identify as a male and those who identify as a female (ignoring the biological characterisation) will consume very different products and services. Males watch more gory, action-focused films, generally play heavier-contact sports, wear certain clothes and listen to certain music. Females will lean towards comedies and chick-flick films, play socially-focused sports and wear very contrasting clothes choices to males!

They do all of this to subconsciously –  to exert and portray their chosen identities. In other words, they watch the films they do, they eat the food they eat and they purchase the goods that they purchase to show that they are a male and show that they are a female. It is a complex social construct that we are not aware of most of the time but this form of segmentation looks at our decisions as consumers in a whole new, subconscious way. And that is why this is so influential and must be exploited, as leading golf marketeers.

Now take this premise, and apply it to the fact that there are endless facets and contributory variables that make up our overall individual identity, and not just the male and female role identities mentioned – in golf, there are those people who identify as ‘Golfers’, and those who identify as ‘somebody who plays golf’. You can already assume that there will be consumption differences between these two, right? But in what ways?

For my University thesis, I took this exact idea to try and better understand consumer behaviour in golf and identify the varying consumption habits of such types of ‘golfing identity’. What I found was insightful at the very least but could actually have influential implications for golf marketing practice. Some of the findings between these two forms of golfing identity included:

Golfers

• Travel abroad for golfing holidays
• Hold golf magazine and journalism subscriptions
• Listen to golf podcasts and various other online content
• Take regular golf lessons
• Value playing different courses in their local areas
• Plays at least twice a week
• Volunteer for clubs, counties and other golf bodies
• Value custom fitting and high-spend equipment

Somebody Who Plays Golf

• Usually play one key golf course, within very short driving distances to their homes
• Rarely take golf lessons
• Play golf once a month
• Generally use second-hand, value-focused equipment

So, by segmenting your consumers using these three different strategies, you have begun your journey to better understanding your consumers and in creating a system for targeting of your products and services. It is now a balancing act on how you decide to segment, based on some set questions – How much time do you have? What do you specifically want to find out? What goals do you have? These will all dictate your choices.

Then, ongoing data collection and analysis is necessary to ensure you are continuously understanding and improving your knowledge of everybody who wants to play golf at your venue, or have lessons with you, or buy those new sets of golf clubs and balls in your shop.

If you do, then you can effectively drive your revenue and returns.

European Tour Golf and Murray Sport and Medicine Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Andrew Murray, and Golf & Health Project Executive Director, Dr. Roger Hawkes, explore the science of COVID-19 and implications for golf / golfers, while also talking about the longevity, physical health and mental health benefits of golf.

The CPG Podcast brings the latest features, news and in-depth interviews from the world of professional golf, PGAs and PGA Professionals.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

LISTEN ON GOOGLE PODCASTS

LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

LISTEN ON ANCHOR

Longstanding CPG Member Country, the PGA of Italy, play a crucial role in growing and developing the game of golf in Italy, and will continue to do so during what is a hugely important period for Italian golf with the staging of the 2023 Ryder Cup in the country.

The CPG chatted to PGA of Italy Operations and Event Manager, Francesco Gatti, about the association and its current goals and driving motivations for the future of the sport in Italy…

CPG: What does the golf industry look like in Italy?

FG: Due to increasing cultural and competitive attractions and past times, golf in Italy is currently seeing periods of stagnation in the numbers of playing golfers across the country. This highlights some key points, most notably the need to utilise effective national programs and marketing strategies to invert this trend.

Currently, over 90,000 golfers are registered players across the country, enjoying and engaging in a diverse and large national product offering in the form of over 400 facilities and clubs (ranging from 9, 18, 36 hole venues, driving ranges and indoor facilities).

What is really exciting is the Italian golf prospects, particularly with the 2023 Ryder Cup matches being staged at Marco Simone in Rome. This, along with effective marketing activity from the PGA of Italy, will most certainly help reach an ever-growing audience and encourage access and participation across all levels of the game.

CPG: What about the PGA of Italy? What roles do they play in trying to develop and grow the game?

FG: As a representative body of Professional Golf and Professional golfers, the main objective of the PGA of Italy is to safeguard the rights and influences of its members – the PGA Professional.

Our main activities can be divided into three categories:

1. Professional tournaments – We organise many golf tournaments, including Pro-Ams and Championships across the year in what is one of the most comprehensive schedules in Europe.
2. Education – Like with tournaments, we also organise CPD and learning opportunities and events across the year. These come in the form of seminars, workshops and meetings.
3. Promotion and Marketing – This is of the association and its activities, its members, and golf more broadly to the wider public.

CPG: What does the PGA of Italy Membership look like? 

FG: In order to become a member of the PGA of Italy, its associates have to be either tournament players or teachers affiliated with the Italian Golf Federation.

We have three different programs available to our members. The basic level includes the main services, previously explained, without access to certain competitions. This is tailored for younger and assistant professionals, who recently joined the association.

The second program – the annuity membership, grants full rights to the members. The is tailored for professionals with at least 20 years of industry experience and / or are over 60 years of age.

Lastly, the honor program is for those professionals who no longer play golf and teaching, however stay members of the PGA of Italy as honorary members.

CPG: Why is being a part of the Confederation of Professional Golf important?

FG: As an internationally-natured association, the CPG is a vital political and institutional reference point for the PGA of Italy. It helps foster a globally-connected work environment for PGAI, which benefits us from the international networks and benefits  it provides.

CPG: What direction do you see the association, and golf in Italy heading in over the next few years?

FG: The situation and association is an ever-changing, dynamic situation. We always strive to better ourselves in everything we do but I would say our main focus right now surrounds improving our marketing strategies and communication activities and so far this has been very positive. With the current situation surrounding COVID-19, our hope is that this won’t slow or impact our gains and progress too much.

CPG: Will the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone help the PGA and golf in Italy achieve its goals?

FG: Absolutely, I believe the Ryder cup would be an incredible opportunity for the PGA of Italy and for the growth of golf in Italy overall. We think the Ryder Cup would be able to engage with a much wider audience of people, and help make golf a more widely-known and easily-accessible sport for players and non-players alike.

Visit the PGA of Italy

In addition to FEGGA and its Member Associations, other groups taking part in the global event include the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA), the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA), and Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). All together the groups represent more than 31,000 golf course management professionals in 78 countries around the world.

The celebration on Sept. 23 will include a commercial that will begin rotation on the Golf Channel and other media outlets, and social media messages touting the many ways that superintendents/greenkeepers make the game more enjoyable and sustainable. Golfers and others are encouraged to join in the conversation on social media using the hashtags #ThankASuper or #ThankAGreenkeeper depending on their country’s nomenclature.

“Superintendents/greenkeepers work hard each day to provide the excellent playing conditions that add to the, enjoyment of the game,” said Rhett Evans, GCSAA Chief Executive Officer.

“But in the face of the pandemic, they have played a key role in developing and maintaining the safety protocols that allow golfers to engage in their favorite sport while adhering to pandemic-related guidelines and restrictions.”

As courses reopened after the early months of the crisis, the demand for golf was clear. In the United States, golf rounds in June and July were up as much as 20% over the same time period in 2019, and in many parts of Europe, July rounds were up to as much as 40% – 60% over last year.

In addition to dealing with new pandemic procedures, greenkeepers continually strive to keep the game’s playing fields healthy and beautiful with environmental stewardship as a primary focus. Thanks to the overall efforts of the golf industry, golf courses are using less water, employing sustainable management practices and expanding natural wildlife habitats on courses.

Dean Cleaver of FEGGA commented; “Golf has been a major outlet to having some normality to people’s lives during the pandemic. It’s therefore fitting that we take a day to recognise the men and women who work behind the scene to provide this perfect escape.

“FEGGA is proud to join the many associations around the world by encouraging those who love golf and appreciate the work done by our dedicated greenkeepers to share their thoughts on social media to #ThankAGreenkeeper”

Visit www.fegga.org

Both key figures in the world of golf and Professional golf, Johan Hampf and Jonathan Mannie play pivotal roles in their respective countries of Sweden and Austria. As Chief Executive of the PGA of Sweden, Johan is at the forefront of developing PGA Professionals and the Professional game throughout Sweden. Jonathan meanwhile is Chairman for the Ryder Cup European Development Trust [RCEDT] and is a CPG Golf Development Team member, alongside fulfilling his coaching roles.

In this CPG Masterclass Series podcast, Jonathan and Johan will both take you through what life has been like during the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, using Sweden as a case study, and focus on the measures and steps that have been taken over the past month and what their experiences of this have shown. As the golfing world begins to come alive once again, they will answer the key question: What are the individual countries’, PGAs’ and their PGA Members’ next steps?

The CPG Podcast brings the latest features, news and in-depth interviews from the world of professional golf, PGAs and PGA Professionals.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

LISTEN ON GOOGLE PODCASTS

LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

LISTEN ON ANCHOR

Professional Rafael Machado, who is based at Tucan Country Club on the outskirts of Panama City, will use love.golf’s methodology and resources to help his existing female students as well as inspire more women to take up golf.

Supported by Syngenta, love.golf is informed by proven academic and market research and designed to bring together like-minded women for shared experiences out on the golf course, hosted by a lively group of coaches spanning seven countries.

“It is very rare to see women playing golf in Panama – they make up less than ten percent of all golfers – and it is my goal to change that,” said Machado, who discovered love.golf through social media. 

“Since 2018, I’ve been running a Wednesday session for women and we’re starting to create a community.

“I decided to join love.golf so that this small group of ladies can reach the next level, and to significantly increase women’s participation by creating events and improving our marketing strategy.

“Longer term, I would like to see a united community of women at every golf facility in Panama.”

Machado believes the key to achieving his goal is to stand out from the current women’s coaching offers by implementing love.golf’s tried and tested methods as well as its modern terminology, tone and imagery. With that in mind he has already set up a Facebook group called ‘Damas Tee Time’.

“It’s a platform for sharing pictures, videos, lessons and doing live content with the women who play golf,” he explained. 

“Women who try golf for the first time will see that there is already a strong local community of women, and it gives them the opportunity to share their experiences.

“And as a love.golf coach, I am meeting with many local coaches to learn how they are coaching women, asking questions and encouraging them to think differently about how to attract more women to the game.”

Founder and Head Coach of love.golf, Alastair Spink, said: “Panama will be the seventh country being introduced to love.golf, and it’s so encouraging to see how the program continues to transcend borders.”

HOW I PLAY came from the recognition that there is a general lack of knowledge for potential and existing players and coaches who are new to golfers with disability. The series aims to provide tips and tricks that the featured players use to help them play to the best of their ability.

HOW I PLAY is hosted by Tony Bennett who discusses golf technique, preparation, recovery, practice routines and course strategy with the featured players. In each session Tony calls on highly skilled coaches, who add their insights to help bring the discussions within reach of all players, regardless of ability.

Four seasons of HOW I PLAY are available, each with six players, and together they provide a comprehensive map of impairments commonly found amongst golfers with a disability.

VISIT EDGA GOLF

Anderton will bring a wealth of experience and business acumen to the executive management team role having held a number of senior positions in sport.

Following Duncan Weir’s recent retirement after 35 years with The R&A, Anderton will take on Weir’s strategic and operational responsibilities for Golf Development and Amateur Championships. He will also assume responsibility for Sustainability, the British Golf Museum and for The R&A’s international offices in Singapore and Argentina.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “Phil joins us at a time when the importance of developing golf around the world and building momentum on the growing interest in the sport has never been more important.

“He is very well placed to harness the investment we make to grow golf in so many different ways and ensure it is managed sustainably. Phil will play a key role in shaping our future strategy and delivering our commitment to ensuring golf is thriving in 50 years’ time.”

Phil Anderton said, “I am delighted to be starting a new role working for The R&A and it is a privilege to be given the opportunity to help shape the sport worldwide.

“Our goal is to ensure the sport thrives by becoming more appealing, accessible and inclusive and The R&A has a huge role to play in driving that effort. The sport has so much to offer and I look forward to working with our affiliated national associations, federations and partners across golf to make this happen.”

Anderton, who will be based at The R&A’s headquarters in St Andrews, knows the home of golf well having graduated from the town’s University in 1988 with an MA in Management and International Relations. He is originally from Edinburgh.

His early career involved roles with Procter & Gamble and The Coca-Cola Company before he moved into high profile roles in Scottish and international sport. He was Chief Executive of both the Scottish Rugby Union and Heart of Midlothian Football Club; Chief Marketing Officer of the ATP Tour and Chairman of the ATP World Tour Finals; and Chief Executive of Al Jazira Sports Club in Abu Dhabi.

Anderton has a wealth of knowledge and experience of implementing and delivering on business strategy in sport. While at the ATP, he reviewed the golf industry’s work in growing participation at grassroots level to help inform tennis. More recently, he has run his own consultancy businesses.

Golf has also been a lifetime interest for Anderton, both as a fan and as a keen player. He recently joined Gullane and plays to a handicap of 12.

VISIT THE R&A