Data mining has grabbed its fair share of headlines recently. Whether it’s the National Security Agency collecting meta-data from phone and Internet companies to track terrorists or Facebook developers profiling users by their likes and dislikes, segmenting the population into ever-smaller groups based on preferences and goals has become a standard way of life in the modern business world.
Golf, overall, has been different. With few exceptions the industry has all but ignored data mining as a tool to gauge trends, attract new players, or to learn what existing golfers like and dislike about the game.
For the better part of three decades, the National Golf Foundation lumped all players into one of two categories: core golfers and occasional golfers. And what was the demarcation line between the two? Eight rounds per year. If you played one round every six weeks, you were considered a “core” golfer. If you played once every seven weeks, you fell on the other side of the dividing line. There was no macro data to differentiate people based on their enthusiasm for the game or the amount of money they spent at the course.
But that has now changed. The NGF recently revised its methodology to measure golfers, not just by the number of rounds they played, but by their self-described commitment to the game. Surveyors asked respondents to put themselves into one of five categories:
1. Golf Nuts: in which the respondents would say, “I love golf, and it’s my favorite activity.”
2. I’m Hooked: in which respondents would say, “Golf is one of my favorite things to do.”
3. Casual Golfers: in which respondents would agree, “Golf is one of several ways I like to spend my recreational time.”
4. Fringe Golfers: those who would say, “The game is OK, but I most often choose to do something else.”
5. Not Golfers: those who play rarely and only at the urging of others.
“What we found surprised us in many ways,” the NGF report read. “First of all, we found that there were many more committed golfers than you would be led to believe by looking only at frequency of play.”
For instance, only 56 percent of participants are classified as core golfers (playing more than eight rounds per year), but the report found that 78 percent of golfers are actually “committed” to the game and are highly likely to stay with it. Even among occasional golfers—those who play less than eight rounds per year—58 percent claimed they were committed to the game, with 9 percent calling themselves “hooked” and 3 percent saying they’re “golf nuts.”
These findings present a tremendous opportunity for the industry if those “committed” golfers can be identified. Even if someone has only played seven rounds annually in the past, that commitment to the game shows aspiration. Properly guided, that player will take lessons, get fitted for equipment, perhaps join a league, or get a handicap—all things that will further immerse him or her in the game and increase revenues for course operators.
“Tracking Core Golfers is still vital,” the NGF report stated. “But the data shows that tracking the segments of golfers who classify themselves as ‘committed’ is just as important.”
Along those lines, individual operators can gain great insight into their customers’ aspirations by asking them two simple questions: How often do you play? And would you describe yourself as a golfer (within the definitions created by the NGF)? With that data, owners can target committed golfers, even if those people haven’t played many rounds in the past. Multiple-round packages can be offered along with lessons and teaser e-mails on new equipment. Sometimes, it’s as simple as sending a reminder notice that says, “Hey, we haven’t seen you in a while. Hope you’ll come out to play golf again soon.”
But in order to take advantage of the “Golf Nut’s” enthusiasm, you have to know who that golf nut is. Surveying customers, just as the NGF did nationwide, is the only way to collect that data.
Knowing someone’s aspirations is at least as important as knowing his or her past behavior. That’s true on a macro level, but it’s also true in individual markets. Just as Amazon knows when to remind you about a new John Grisham novel, successful operators will identify their “committed” golfers and engage them on a personal level to fulfill their individual needs. —Steve Eubanks