IN THIS ISSUE
Private Club Membership Finding a New Normal – Still Desirable to Golfers
The Power of Referral – Core Golfers Introducing New Golfers
6th Annual NGF Golf Business Symposium Set for St. Louis on April 23rd and 24th
August 2012 Rounds Played Report
56 Million Golf Gamers... Let’s Get (some of) Them from the Console to the Course!
List of NGF's New Members in Q3
NGF TOP 5
Sponsored by: NGF's GolfSAT
Top 5 States/Cities managing the most golf facilities
American Golf Census
golfbiz
Keep Your Skin in the Game All Year Round

Mark Wishner, Owner/President of Sun Safetee Program educates reads on the importance of wearing sunscreen in the winter months.

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American Golf Census
The Power of Referral – Core Golfers Introducing New Golfers

The 27,000 PGA member professionals are often referred to as the "foot soldiers of golf" with the greatest potential to grow the population of golfers through their player development efforts.  The PGA's Golf 2.0 Strategic Plan for growing the game is spreading its reach, executing programs and mobilizing new ones.  NGF research among Core golfers revealed that, as of the end of Q3 2012, 30% of Core golfers were aware of Golf 2.0 - and awareness has been trending upward for the past three quarters.

Industry experts would agree that the effort of PGA members is critical to potential growth in players, but reaching the non-golfer with a personal "invitation" to golf from a friend, colleague or family member is quite another. As with most grassroots efforts, engaging the “installed base” of golfers to invite or refer others into the game can be hugely impactful and efficient.  It's true that many golfers feel they have no vested interest in growing the game (and are naturally most interested in their own games), but there are golf lovers who take pleasure in inviting folks into the game that has added so much to their lives.

What is the size of the referral "team" currently out there? Recent NGF research found that 41% of the estimated 14.4 Million Core golfers know at least one non-golfer who is interested in playing golf. The average Core golfer knows three interested non-golfers. This equates to approximately 5.9 million Core Golfers who know 17.7 million interested non-golfers (not considering a percentage of overlap which surely exists).

When asked if these Core golfers would refer non-golfers to a "Welcome to Golf" program in their area (if provided the information to pass along), 85% said “Yes.”  This means that we have a potential base of five million grassroots Core golfer promoters, who could potentially reach 15.1 million interested non-golfers with invitations to play golf or sign up for Get Golf Ready or another "Welcome to Golf" program. 

* Program presented as a “special program for beginners or returners to golf (one that introduced the fundamentals of the game as well as the rules and etiquette).”

Featured Report
Private Club Membership Finding a New Normal – Still Desirable to Golfers
New NGF research shows that the vulnerability of current private club memberships may have peaked – and lapsed club members who resigned memberships under the financial pressures of the past four-to-six years now appear to be reconsidering their non-member status.
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