GAME CHANGERS

Pandemic saw golf boom, now keep the growth going

WORDS BY SAVANNAH RICHARDSON

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“Grow the game” is one of the mottos for the LPGA, PGA Tour, and golf in general. Golf is truly one of the only sports that anyone of any age can play and enjoy.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the few things people could do safely was play golf — at least here in Georgia and the Golden Isles. Golf courses here — including Jekyll Island Golf Club, Sea Island, Sapelo Hammock, Sanctuary Cove, Heritage Oaks, Brunswick Country Club, and others — have adapted to keep golfers playing.

According to a Golf Datatech and its 2020 National Golf Performance report, 2020 saw a 13.9 percent increase in rounds played compared to 2019. That essentially equates to 50 million more rounds played in 2020. There was a 37.3 percent spike in December alone. Granted, it could have been the Masters playing in November along with the RSM Classic, but something sparked in people that led them to the links.

It’s also when I picked up the game and started playing, becoming a part of one of the biggest golf movements in history. When COVID-19 shut the world down, and other sports were benched, golf thrived. Why? Because anyone and everyone can play.

This 13.9 percent increase was the second-highest behind 1997 when, you guessed it, Tiger Woods won the Masters at 21 years old.

What’s even crazier is that when things shutdown in March, golf approximately lost 20 million rounds, according to Golf Datatech, until places reopened in May.

I’m a numbers junkie, and seeing just a smidge of these numbers tells me that golf is heading in the right direction. While the pandemic was absolutely terrible and too many people lost their lives, so many young, old, and people in-between picked up clubs and learned how to play.

Even though there was a 13.9 percent increase, we must continue to market the game, “grow the game,” and get more players involved. Those numbers set me on a journey to find different ways to continue growing the game in 2021.

I mean, even Kris Jenner, the matriarch of the Kardashian/Jenner clan, purchased full sets of golf clubs for her family for Easter. It may not do anything, but there will be some girls who adore the Kardashians pick up golf because they’re doing it.

I think social media will play a huge role in growing the game. Why? Because young people do everything on their phone. They follow their favorite golfers, and they follow golf-centric accounts.

Many people use their platforms to share golf related content with the world — “growing the game” in their own way.

We should be embracing these golf influencers. Some golf media doesn’t think this is the way to grow, but isn’t reaching as many people as possible a key part in “growing the game?”

The old school way is still relevant to some, but there has to be change to continue the growth.

Golf organizations, please find ways to implement social media into your club. Also, embrace youth and millennial golfers. They are the future of this game.

Many local clubs here in the Golden Isles have done just that, hosting various U.S. Kids events, high school events, and college events. They’re giving kids the chance to play on world-class courses — something very few have the opportunity to do.

Another thing we can do is celebrate and embrace diversity in golf. Encourage everyone to play.

Jeremiah Austin, a Brunswick High golfer, is a great example. He’s had places like Sapelo Hammock and Brunswick Country Club help him improve the game he loves.

Austin even got an invitation to the Mack Champ Invitational in Texas earlier this year.

To keep golf growing, the key is to embrace everyone. Give those who don’t have the opportunity to play the chance to see if they like it.

There are so many other ways to grow golf, but social media and embracing all walks of life are two through which we could see immediate growth.

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