Business Enquirer Issue 117 | Bling Your Swing | September 2023

COULD GOLF BE YOUR AUTUMN HOBBY?

BLING YOUR SWING

Could Golf Be Your Autumn Hobby? And if it is, do it in style!

BLING YOUR SWING

PROJECT

DIRECTED BY: JAMIE WAITE

ARTICLE

WRITTEN BY: LAURA WATLING

BLING YOUR SWING

Whilst British summers are known for taking a journey all around a barometer, Autumn is set to see another year of above average temperatures. And whilst it may also see higher levels of precipitation, that’s never stopped golfers - there are umbrellas that have been invented purely to facilitate the sport.

So, with the fun of summer drawing to a close, why not consider taking up golf before the snow puts paid to play?

When it comes to European golf, England comes out on top, despite the unpredictable British weather. And this should come as no surprise, as it’s very much part of UK heritage, dating back to 15th Century Scotland.

With over 2350 golf courses (2022), England has the most to offer when it comes to places to play (for context, Germany comes in second with 1053). To match this, England is also leading the charge when it comes to number of registered players, with around 740,000 people officially playing the sport.

Research by the R & A (one of the world’s leading bodies in golf) has indicated that the sport saw a boom during the pandemic, which has only continued now we’re out the other side. 2022 figures highlight a 15% increase in people playing 9 or 18-hole golf since 2020.

In 2020, the R & A also published its Golf and Health Report, which provides evidence supporting the positive impact that golf can have on both players and spectators of the sport.

Whilst players will clearly exceed the recommended daily step count, with the average golf course extending six kilometers, it’s been highlighted in the R & A’s report that spectators do too.

“...research, published in July 2017, found that almost 83% of spectators at the 2016 Paul Lawrie Match Play at Archerfield Links in East Lothian met and exceeded the recommended daily step count,

with the 339 fans in the study averaging 11,589 steps per day (people are generally recommended to walk 10,000 steps a day)” the report states, and continues to inform that “Spectators walk between 5-6 miles on average and burn more than 1,000 calories per day”.

The report also delves into the impact of golf on strength and balance, dementia and memory loss, and mental health and well-being.

The report summarises that:

• Golfers live longer and are healthier and happier;

• Golf can help strength and balance and improve quality of life;

• Golf can be played by people of all ages and abilities, including with disability;

• Golf provides social interaction, a significant protective factor for mental health and wellbeing;

• And golf can help reduce health costs and can add value to health systems through social prescription.

So, if the data is telling you to give golf a go, why not do so in style? And style in golf goes far beyond fashion.

Bling Your Swing!

UK founded Bling Your Swing can customise your clubs, not only adding personalisation, but custom fitting shafts and grips to specification.

“We specialise in full custom designs of putters, woods, and irons from a range of brands including Scotty Cameron, Taylormade, Titleist, Mizuno, NikeGolf, Ping, and Callaway Golf,” said business owner Jamie Smith.

A professional spray painter and panel beater by trade, Jamie established Bling Your Swing 4 years ago, a passion project as an avid golf fan.

BLING YOUR SWING

BLING YOUR SWING

With golf seeing a boost during the same period, Jamie saw rapid growth of his business, accumulating 18,000 followers on his Instagram page. Unfortunately, a curse of the modern age, the account was lost and Jamie is now striving to rebuild it at @ bling.your.swing .

As well as adding personalisation to clubs using laser engraving, Bling Your Swing can repair paint and skied wood, clean and polish, and add ceramic finishes.

“It can take time to find a golf club that works with you, and players do become attached to their favourite set of clubs. I’m passionate about revitalising clubs, and I’ve mastered repairing unsightly marks and damage to a very high standard,” explained Jamie, “ultimately, this saves customers a lot of money on unnecessary new equipment”.

With customers such as professional golfer Simon Dyson and Footballer Lee Cattermole, Jamie at Bling Your Swing is an expert in creating artistic golf clubs that are unique and noteworthy.

BLING YOUR SWING

Since Jamie established the business in 2019 (which started in his garage and now has its own unit in Spennymoor, County Durham), he has reinvented more than 10,000 clubs, bringing joy to its users .

With business going from strength to strength for Jamie, his vision is to grow the business further, adding a partexchange service, where customers can part-exchange their old clubs for ones reconditioned by Bling Your Swing.

“Golf is for everyone, every age and every gender, and I want to support the sport in becoming accessible to all, reducing the cost of buying top quality clubs,” said Jamie.

Although based in Durham, Bling Your Swing can work with customers from all over the world.

To see examples of Jamie’s club artistry and refurbishment visit his Instagram page (and give him that all important follow) at @ bling.your. swing and his website blingyourswing. uk