How To Attract Millennials To Golf
A recent report from the National Golf Foundation reveals that , but you鈥檒l certainly test your marketing skills if you鈥檙e aiming to attract millennials to golf. Dana is here with a few tips to help you out of the rough.
- Make it mobile. Of , the convenience of booking a tee time on a mobile app and then checking in curbside with their smartphones probably tops the list. Besides making it easy to book, a mobile app lets you push offers and discounts attractive to bargain-loving millennials. Automatic check-in means millennials can hop out of their cars and walk up to the first tee without waiting around for an employee. While millennials appreciate good service, check-in is not the place where they鈥檒l find it necessary鈥r even wanted.
- Reboot your F&B. Millennials like convenience, choices鈥nd craft beer. Let鈥檚 rephrase: they love craft beer! (.) Update your 19th聽hole options with local craft beers, hard cider and shandy. Other worth checking out: sell beverages in 鈥渢asting鈥 formats; add fresh juices, kombucha drinks and smoothies to your menu; offer more 鈥済rab and go鈥 options (breakfast sandwiches, wraps, healthy snacks) in a self-order kiosk setup; and appeal to their eco consciousness with a F&B program that reduces food waste and packaging, and offers local and sustainable choices.
- Stock the pro shop with the gear millennials want. Revamp your merchandising to include high-performance clubs and styled to look good on and off the course. For ideas, see what millennial golfers like Jordan Spieth are wearing and carrying. It鈥檚 not your granddad鈥檚 collared shirt and golf pants, unless worn ironically, of course!
- Sell golf differently. Millennials are busy. Finding a four-hour slot to play golf (that drags into five hours on the weekend) is hard. Sure, you can encourage speed of play, but tell that to a millennial who鈥檚 stuck behind a slow-moving foursome on a hot Sunday afternoon. Think about selling golf in more flexible increments than 9 and 18 holes. Sell 3- or 6-hole packages that encourage players to enjoy a few favorite holes before heading to the clubhouse for a craft beer (or brunch, another millennial favorite). For millennials, the experience is more than the round of golf鈥攊t鈥檚 golf-plus.
- Appeal to their social instincts. Speaking of experiences. Millennials want them, and they want to share them on their social media platforms. Keep in mind that , so be sure to add Instagram to your mix. And it鈥檚 a small step to take career networking from LinkedIn to the links. for millennials on a career ladder, in sales or looking for a mentor. It鈥檚 worth adding content to your website on the pros of networking on the course.
- And relax a little鈥K? Whether it鈥檚 easing the dress code or allowing music to be played on the course, show millennials that they are welcome. It starts with their first impressions, too. Give your website a critical look and make sure it is visually appealing and features photos of millennials playing the course.
Ready to play? Out of the who play golf, about . Don鈥檛 miss out on this target audience. Let us help you refine your messaging and touchpoints to attract millennial players. Contact Lynn Kaniper at 609-466-9187 ext. 117 or聽lkaniper@danacommunications.com听迟辞诲补测.