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This biennial study completed by SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC. on behalf of England Golf is designed to help England Golf understand the membership situation nationwide and within each county.
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www.englandgolf.org
Golf Club Membership Questionnaire2014
RESULTS BOOK
2
Background & Introduction
Current Situation
Key Recommendations
Strategic Plan
Club Membership
Recruitment and Retention
Joining a Club
Facilities and Playing Opportunities
Voluntary and Paid Staff
England Golf Support
Key Trends
Contents04
05
06
07
11
14
16
08
12
15
17
3
19
2120
2322
2624
4
BackgroundThis biennial study completed by SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC. on behalf of England Golf is designed to help England Golf understand the membership situation nationwide and within each county.
Paper copies of the questionnaire were distributed to every affiliated golf club in the country in February 2014. In addition, an online version of the
questionnaire was made available for Secretaries/Managers and other appropriate club personnel to fill in. Responses were received between March and July 2014.
709 clubs responded to the survey. 65% of clubs in the sample are private members’ clubs, whilst 26% are proprietary clubs. Artisan (3%) and municipal (6%) courses are also represented.
We are delighted to provide you with the key findings from the 2014 Golf Club Membership Questionnaire. Thank you to the 709 clubs who took part and I hope that this number will continue to grow in future years, as this survey provides unique and important management information about the current trends within golf clubs throughout England.
England Golf is very grateful to SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS
INC. who have supported this research and who have provided the very informative and insightful commentary within this publication.
We hope that golf clubs and other organisations will use this information, along with the recommendations for action within Raising Our Game, to inform their own plans over the next few years as we work together to increase the number of people playing golf regularly,
Introduction
David Joy Chief ExecutiveEngland Golf
The commentary included within this results booklet has been provided by SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC.
Further detailed commentary can be found on the full Membership Questionnaire 2014 Results presentation available from www.englandgolf.org
to halt the decline in club membership and to strengthen our talent pathways.
My colleagues and I within England Golf look forward to supporting you in these shared ambitions and we wish you every success in 2015.
5
Current Situation
This is in response to constrictions in financial circumstances and to the amount of time available for recreation, which has resulted in a decline in the number of club members over the last two years.
The widespread availability of discounted tee times and the desire to play a range of courses rather than one course regularly are other potential influences on this pattern.
Golf clubs continue to be dominated by men either approaching late middle age or
already embracing retirement. Whilst such golfers must be accommodated and enticed by clubs, forming as they do, the single key demographic for clubs, it is essential that Secretaries/Managers be careful to ensure that they are also offering competitive packages and appropriate offers for younger men and particularly for women and juniors.
To survive and thrive in this climate, clubs must review both their membership structure, and the activities and benefits
Club memberships are in a precarious position, with a combination of fewer players taking up the game and a greater number of golfers reverting to independent, unaffiliated, play.
which they offer as part of the golf membership experience. Offering a holistic experience that encompasses both golfing and social benefits over independent play, whilst recognising the financial and time restrictions placed on players is essential.
6
> The key challenge is to break down the barriers to entry so that those new to the game will feel comfortable engaging with a golf club environment as well as being happy that they can afford membership.
> Interestingly, cost in itself does not appear to be the most insurmountable barrier. Instead, the research suggests, it is the perception of a complex, long
> Ensuring the quality and value of not only the golf course, but the whole club environment is a key way of encouraging golfers to renew membership.
> Increasing the number of different types of membership is a clear way to insulate the club against at least some of the impact of reduced overall participation in the game. Clubs can make a greater effort to offer flexible packages. With less than two thirds of current members playing once a week, clubs must be ready to react to requests for
> In an era where courses are struggling to attract young people to take up golf, they should be encouraged to remove archaic regulations and overly formal application processes.
> The average club has less than five junior girl members, perpetuating a vicious circle whereby young girls are less likely to want to join an environment in which they form a clear minority.
Key Recommendations
membership packages tailored for those playing less frequently, but who still want the benefits of joining.
> Intermediate memberships are among the most beneficial types of membership for clubs to introduce, where appropriate. Courses should also consider increasing the maximum age of these memberships, to include golfers up to the age of 35.
> Golf clubs must also ensure that they are differentiating themselves from other sports
winded or non-transparent joining system that deters golfers from joining. Thus joining fees appear to be a much bigger obstacle to greater membership than high membership fees.
> Removing, or at least significantly reducing joining fees, as opposed to membership fees, could be a positive step for most clubs.
> Clubs who have lowered membership fees in an attempt to attract more members are less likely to have increased their membership over the last two years than those who have provided additional benefits or processes to ease the joining process, such as hosting induction days, structured coaching taster sessions or working with County Golf Partnerships.
facilities in terms of their social offering. Cultivating an atmosphere in which golfers of all generations can feel comfortable, and which defies the old, often inaccurate, stereotypes is key to increasing rates of membership.
> Whilst cash and time rich senior golfers account for a higher proportion of members than ever, golf clubs should make sure that they are not excluding younger players to cater for this group.
> Clubs which can demonstrate a commitment to junior play, either by offering regular individual or group lessons, or by offering the services of a dedicated junior organiser, can appeal more easily to junior players and, crucially to their parents. Clubs are significantly more likely to have increased the size of their junior membership over the last two years if they deploy at least one junior organiser.
> Clubs that offer a dynamic junior section are more likely to see higher rates of retention among their junior members and to encourage current members to recommend their club to others.
> Juniors are more likely to be energised and continue with golf, and with membership, into adulthood if they have a positive experience of junior golf.
FOR JUNIORS
FOR CURRENT MEMBERS
FOR NON-MEMBERS
7
RAISING OUR GAMEThe Strategic Plan for England Golf 2014-2017www.englandgolf.org
Strategic Plan 2014-2017
England Golf has developed the Strategic Plan 2014-2017 which aims to tackle golf’s challenges and create an even brighter future for the sport.
The strategy is built around the seven key themes or priorities which require coordinated action at club, county and national levels:
I
Increasing the number of players who play golf regularly
Increasing the number of players in club membership
Supporting clubs to attract and retain members and to achieve a sustainable business model
Identifying and developing talented golfers at every level, leading to international amateur success
Providing excellent championships and competitions for golfers of all levels
MORE MEMBERS
STRONGER CLUBS
IMPROVED IMAGEMORE PLAYERS
EXCELLENT GOVERNANCE
OUTSTANDING CHAMPIONSHIPS
WINNING GOLFERS
Changing the perception of golf and improving communications within the sport
Improving the governance, building the infrastructure and strengthening the partnerships to develop golf in England
These seven key themes are referenced throughout the results booklet with each question indicating how it relates to the England Golf Strategic Plan, some questions may target more than one priority area.
8
> 499 is the average number of golf club members.
> Adult males continue to account for the vast majority of golf club memberships (77%), whilst adult females account for 15% of members. Junior boys (7%) also significantly outnumber junior girls (1%).
> Clubs reported that 96% of their members are white (among the English population as a whole, 80% are white)
Junior Girls
361
70
31
4
Junior Boys
Adult Females
Adult Males
STRONGER CLUBS
AVERAGE NUMBER OF MEMBERS PER CLUB
> Each club has an average of 148 members aged over 65, and 109 aged between 55 and 64 years. This compares to just 16 members aged 20 to 25 and 13 aged 26 to 29.
> In total the average club has 84 members aged under 35. Clubs have less than half as many members aged under 35 as between 45 and 64 and less than a quarter of members aged under 35 as aged 35 and over.21
160
100
80
40
20
0
0-15 y
ears
16-19
yea
rs
20-2
5 ye
ars
26-2
9 yea
rs
30-3
4 yea
rs
35-4
4 yea
rs
45-54
yea
rs
55-6
4 yea
rs
65 an
d ove
r
140
120
60
148
109
85
41
19131615
AVERAGE NUMBER OF MEMBERS IN EACH AGE GROUP PER CLUB
STRONGER CLUBS
Club Membership
9
> On average, 77 golfers have joined each club in the last 2 years.
> On average 85 golfers have left each club in the last 2 years.
> This equates to an average decrease of 8 golfers per club.
21%
24%
55%
34
% n
et d
ecr
ease
Increased
Unchanged
Decreased
100%
50%
40%
20%
10%
0%
70%
60%
30%
80%
54%
19%
27%
55%
24%
21%
38%
42%
20%
Adult Males
Adult Females
Junior Boys
Junior Girls
90%
55%
23%
22%
MORE MEMBERS
NO
90
%
YES 10
%
> For the minority of clubs which have a waiting list, the vast majority is for adult males (94%). Where applicable, the average number of golfers on a waiting list is 27.
Adul
t Males
Adul
t Fem
ales
Juni
or Boy
s
Juni
or Girl
s
6%
16%
32%
94%100%
0%
50%
CURRENT MEMBERSHIP TOTAL
MORE MEMBERS
CATEGORIES WITH A WAITING LIST
MEMBERSHIP CHANGES OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS
CLUBS WITH A WAITING LIST
MORE MEMBERS
Increased Unchanged Decreased
Where a clubs membership
has decreased the average decrease is 42 people
Where a clubs membership has increased the average increase is 46 people
25%
75%
10
> Clubs tend to have the most vacancies for adult men (an average of 64), whilst there are 50 vacancies on average for adult women. There are 35 and 37 vacancies respectively for junior boys and junior girls.
100%
50%
40%
20%
10%
0%
70%
60%
30%
80%
90%
7 day
Social
Inte
rmed
iate
Stud
ent
Senio
r
Flexible
Oth
er
Fam
ily
6 day
5 day
Corpora
te
94%
69% 69%65%
58%
44% 43%
25% 22% 20%
15%
> Despite being offered by relatively few clubs (25%), flexible memberships are arguably the most powerful way of attracting new members. 34% of clubs which offer flexible packages have increased their membership in the last two years, significantly higher than any other type. This is compared to only 16% of those clubs which don’t offer flexible packages.
TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP OFFERED
70
40
30
10
0
60
50
20
8
18 18
24
20
2826
6663
Junior Student Intermediate Adult Senior
Minimum Age (excluding n/a)
Maximum Age (excluding n/a)
MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM AGES FOR MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES
> The existence of intermediate and/or student membership categories is influential in convincing golfers in their 20s and 30s to join clubs and/or to retain the memberships they had when younger.
> In clubs with intermediate memberships, there are 50 members aged 20 to 34, which is significantly higher than the total of 36 among clubs without. With 14 more members on average per club, it becomes evident that offering intermediate memberships is an initiative that can be hugely beneficial to a golf club.
> To a lesser extent the existence of student memberships is also an inducement to membership. Those clubs that offer student rates have on average one more member aged between 20 and 24.
MORE MEMBERS
MEMBERSHIP VACANCIES
MORE MEMBERS
NO 5%
YES 95%
MORE MEMBERS
11
April (31%)
January(26%)
are the most common months for a golf club’s
subscription year to begin.
£900
£500
£400
£200
£100
£0
£600
£300
£700
£800
Junior fee Intermediate fee Full Adult fee Senior fee
£121 £117
£439 £423
£845 £848
£612 £605
Male
Female
AVERAGE MEMBERSHIP FEES
STRONGER CLUBS
> Clubs who have reduced membership fees in an attempt to generate new members are less likely to have succeeded than clubs which have provided other, more holistic benefits or worked with external bodies to appeal to new demographics.
> Clubs that have experienced increases in their membership numbers, charged full adult members an average of £861.09, compared to £761.53 that was charged by those clubs that have experienced a decrease in adult members. It was also higher than the average price (£826.97) charged by clubs whose membership has remained unchanged in the last two years.
> The same holds true of junior fees (£135.07 among clubs which increased junior membership over the last two years compared to £113.13 among those which have lost junior members in the same period). The same is also true of intermediate and senior fees.
Recruitment and Retention
100%
50%
40%
20%
10%
0%
60%
30%
80%
Mem
bersh
ip O
ffers
/
Ince
ntives
72%
Stru
ctur
ed c
oachi
ng
tast
er ses
sions O
pen D
ays
Reduc
tion
in fe
es
Induc
tion
Progra
mm
e
Work
ing w
ith C
ounty
Golf
Partn
ersh
ipO
ther
None
52%45%
35% 34% 33%
10% 10%
> Working with a County Golf Partnership (CGP) can be an effective way for clubs to increase their number of members. 26% of those clubs which are working in tandem with CGPs report increasing their memberships, suggesting that this yields more tangible results than offering incentives (22% have increased) or a reduction in fees (22%).
WHAT INITIATIVES ARE CLUBS USING TO ATTRACT NEW MEMBERS?
MORE PLAYERS
12
MORE MEMBERS
70%
40%
30%
10%
0%
60%
50%
20%
63%
Adul
t Fem
ales
Juni
or Girl
s
Juni
or Boy
s
Fam
ilies
Oth
ers
Adul
t Males
People
who
hav
e ne
ver p
laye
d golf
People
who
hav
e pla
yed g
olf pre
vious
ly
Friend
s/re
lativ
es o
f mem
bers
No p
artic
ular
gro
ups ta
rget
ed
57%55%
50%
41%39%
37%
31%
18%
7%
TARGET GROUPS FOR MEMBERSHIP
13
MORE MEMBERS
90%
50%
40%
20%
10%
0%
60%
30%
70%
80%
Web
site
Prom
otiona
l mat
erial
Link
s w
ith c
omm
unity
group
s Via lo
cal b
usin
esse
s
88%
65%60%
51% 50%
26% 25% 25% 24%22%
17% 17%
12%
Social n
etwork
ing
Link
s w
ith sch
ools
Public
atio
ns
Link
s w
ith lo
cal f
acilit
ies
County
Sport
Par
tner
ship
s
Link
s w
ith fu
rthe
r/hi
gher
educ
atio
n pro
vider
s
Link
s w
ith d
rivin
g rang
es
Join
t pro
motio
ns w
ith
other
clu
bs
Oth
er
HOW DO CLUBS MARKET THEMSELVES?
> Whatever medium clubs prefer to use, it is clear that developing a network of contacts, either through visitor registration or through external advertising, is beneficial to promote offers such as a membership package with additional benefits.
> County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) are a successful marketing tool for those clubs that do use them. 35% of clubs who market through CSPs have increased their membership over the last two years, higher than the overall average.
> Clubs that have links with local facilities are also more likely than average to have increased their membership.
MORE PLAYERS MORE MEMBERS
25%
20%
15%
5%
0%
10%
23%
Good fa
cilit
ies
Price
Flexible
mem
bersh
ip
Social e
vent
s
Comm
unicat
ion
with
mem
bers
Benefi
ts/d
iscoun
ts
Gen
eral e
thos/
welco
me
Recip
roca
l arran
gemen
ts
13%11% 11% 10%
7% 7%6%
5%4%
Compet
itions
Good s
taff
Gro
up C
oachi
ng
6%
> Continual investment in facilities, particularly to weatherproof courses to make playing golf possible all year round, is credited as being the key factor underlying member retention.
> For many golf clubs, it was the holistic experience and offering of value for money rather than any particular initiative that was credited.
> Offering members the chance to play other courses through reciprocal memberships has been influential for a number of clubs, as it can help to entice independent golfers who are reluctant to join a club out of fear of limiting the breadth of courses that they play.
> Flexible memberships, or at the very least, flexibility with payment, was also noted as a key method of retaining members who would otherwise drift from the club as a result of playing less frequently. Intermediate memberships and other measures to promote affordability for golfers in their twenties, were also recognised as being of particular value.
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO MEMBERSHIP RETENTION
14
MORE MEMBERS
PERCENTAGE OF CLUBS THAT CONDUCT AN EXIT SURVEY
STRONGER CLUBS
> Clubs communicate much more regularly with their members than with visitors. Only three quarters of clubs record contact information for visitors, whilst only four out of five of those who do then use the details.
NO 47%
YES 53%
> The research suggests that joining fees provide a deterrent to new members, particularly adult males. 23% of clubs without a joining fee have increased their number of adult male members over the last two years compared to 17% of those with a joining fee. Among women too, clubs with a joining fee are less likely to have increased their number of adult female members in the last two years (17%) than those without (23%).
> Among juniors the impact of joining fees is even more pronounced. The majority (94%) do not charge joining fees, however those that do are significantly less likely to have increased their number of either junior boy (4%) or junior girl (3%) members. Joining fees appear to put parents off, perhaps understanding that other commitments and the ever changing passions of young people mean that juniors often flit in and out of clubs and that therefore a joining fee potentially represents wasted money.
DO CLUBS HAVE JOINING FEES FOR?
100%
50%
40%
20%
10%
0%
60%
30%
80%
90%
70%
37%
63%
35%
65%
6%
94%
Adult Males
Adult Females
Junior Boys
Junior Girls
6%
94%
Average Amount
Adult Males £931
Adult Females £935
Junior Boys £ 137
Junior Girls £126
15
MORE MEMBERS
Yes
No
Joining a Club
16
> Only a minority of clubs charge transition fees from junior to adult membership.
TRANSITION FEES
68% 32%
Entry fees for transition from junior to adult
Are entry fees staggered?
11% 89%
100%50%40%20%10%0% 60%30% 80% 90%70%Yes
No
MORE MEMBERS
MORE MEMBERS
HOW ARE MEMBERS ACCEPTED?
Junior membersAdult members
PROPOSED
46%
PROO
F OF
HANDICA
P 14%
OT
HE
R
17%
INTERVIE
W
46%
PROPOSED 33%
WRITTEN
APPLICATION 67%
PROOF OF
HANDICAP 5%
OT
HE
R
20
%
INTERVIE
W
37%
> Having a formal process in place for accepting new members can potentially present a problem for juniors who may not know an existing member or may be intimidated by the prospect of a formal interview.
> Only 19% of clubs requesting that juniors be proposed and 17% of those wanting an interview have increased their overall membership total in the last two years. 32% of those taking other measures have increased their membership.
Similarly only 16% of those who interview adults and 17% who require proposals have increased membership.
WRITTEN
APPLICATION 70%
PERCENTAGE OF CLUBS WITH ADDITIONAL FACILITIES
STRONGER CLUBS
> The small minority of clubs that have children’s play areas, and the quarter that have coffee shops are more likely to have increased their number of members in the last two years than clubs that do not have such facilities.
17
DO YOU ACCEPT GREEN FEES?
MORE PLAYERS80%
40%
0%
20%
60%
7%
No
71%
Yes, Variable
Yes, flat rate
22%
> Green fees account for an average of 18% of revenue, with 24% of clubs saying that green fees account for a greater proportion of revenue than in 2012.
> For 40% of clubs, the proportion of revenue accounted for by green fees has been driven down over the last two years, a result perhaps of the increased availability of reduced green fees online as well as the impact of golfers leaving the sport altogether.
Facilities and Playing Opportunities100%
50%
40%
20%
10%
0%
60%
30%
80%
90%
70%
95%
78%
72%
26%
11% 9%
2%
Bar
Funct
ion
Room
Coffee
shop
Resta
uran
t
Oth
er
Gym
/Hea
lth/S
pa/
other
sport
Child
ren’s pla
y ar
ea
TYPE OF COMPETITION ORGANISED
OUTSTANDING CHAMPIONSHIPS
100%
40%
20%
0%
60%
80%
100% 99%93%
85% 84%
45%
25%
Stab
lefo
rd
Med
al
Bette
r ball
Texa
s Scr
amble
Juni
or
Shorter
form
ats
Oth
er
> An average of 73% of members have taken part in at least 3 competitions in the last year.
18
PERCENTAGE OF GOLFERS WHO PLAY
100%
50%
40%
20%
10%
0%
60%
30%
80%
90%
70%
Adult Males
Adult Females
Junior Boys
Junior Girls
59%
65% 62%66%
50%
61%
44%
56%
% who play once a week
% who play once a month
> Adult female members are slightly more likely to play on average once a week (62%) than adult men (59%).
MORE PLAYERS
62% of women
59% of men
play golf
once a week
Yes
No
7%
93%
25%
75%
Can juniors play in adult
competitions?
Do juniors need a certain handicap to play
in adult competitons?
JUNIOR COMPETITIONS
> The average handicap required for junior boys to compete in adult competitions is 22
> The average handicap required for junior girls to compete in adult competitions is 32
19
OUTSTANDING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Adul
t Males
(mem
bers)
Adul
t Fem
ales
(mem
bers)
Adul
t Males
(non-
mem
bers)
Adul
t Fem
ales
(non-
mem
bers)
Juni
or Boy
s (m
ember
s)
Juni
or Girl
s (m
ember
s)
Juni
or Boy
s (n
on-m
ember
s)
Juni
or Girl
s (n
on-m
ember
s)
90%
50%
40%
20%
10%
0%
60%
30%
70%62%
80% 76%
62%
71%
87% 87% 84% 84%
MORE PLAYERS MORE MEMBERS
PERCENTAGE OF CLUBS OFFERING GROUP COACHING TO
COACHING STAFF
1
0
2
PGA Professional - Level 3 or ASQ Level 2
per club
PGA Assistant Professional - ASQ Level 1 or ASQ Level 2
per club
Other
2 2
EXCELLENT GOVERNANCE
1
> There are a further 1,200 volunteers in England who have qualified as Level 1 Coaches (Source: The Professional Golfer’s Association)
Voluntary and Paid Staff
CLUBS WITH A SECRETARY/MANAGER
20%
0%
40%
60%60%
22%
11%7%
Yes,
Full T
ime
Yes,
Hono
rary
Yes,
Part T
ime
No
20
EXCELLENT GOVERNANCE
> 93% of clubs employ a secretary in some form. However, only 60% of clubs employ a full time secretary.
deploy at least
one junior organiser
93% of clubs which have seen an increase
in junior membership
> Clubs have an average of 24 volunteers, the majority of which serve on the club committee. The majority of volunteers are male (69%) and are aged over 55.
Tota
l volu
ntee
rs
Club C
omm
ittee
volu
ntee
rs
Oth
er v
olunt
eers
Gen
eral A
ctivity
Event
s/to
urna
men
ts
volu
ntee
rs
Team
Man
ager
s/
help
ers vo
lunt
eers
Juni
or sec
tion
25
10
0
5
15
24
20
16
9 9
7
5
3
VOLUNTEER BREAKDOWN
EXCELLENT GOVERNANCE
SUPPORT FOR THE JUNIOR SECTION
Junior Organiser
Child welfare officer
35%
59%
6%
15%
26%
59%
> 85% of clubs have one or more junior organisers. However, 86% of these clubs do not deploy a separate organiser for girls.
> Clubs which do deploy a junior organiser are significantly more likely to have increased their number of members in the last two years.
> Around two thirds of clubs have at least one child welfare officer
EXCELLENT GOVERNANCE
Yes. more than one
No
Yes
21
England Golf SupportHOW ENGLAND GOLF CAN HELP
70%
40%
30%
10%
60%
50%
20%
63%
Recru
itmen
t of n
ew m
ember
s
Ace
ssin
g fund
ing
Reten
tion
of exist
ing m
ember
s
Safeg
aurd
ing (c
hild
pro
tect
ion)
Work
ing in
par
tner
ship
with
PGA
Dev
elop li
nks w
ith sch
ools & c
omm
unity
Mar
ketin
g & C
omm
unicat
ions
Coach
Dev
elopm
ent &
Educ
atio
n
Legisl
atio
n
Staf
f and
volu
ntee
r tra
inin
g and
educ
atio
n
Busin
ess pla
nnin
g
Club o
perat
ions
Equalit
y & D
iver
sity
Recru
iting
voul
ntee
rs
No a
ssist
ance
requi
red
Clubho
use/
facilty
acc
esib
ility
Oth
er
0%
59%
48%
44% 44%
27%24% 23%
21%
16% 15% 14% 12% 12% 9% 9%5%
>The majority of clubs want help from England Golf in recruiting new members (63%) and accessing funding (59%). A good number of clubs would also be interested in help retaining existing members, developing links with schools and
the community and in help with marketing and communications. Only 9% of clubs say that they need no assistance from England Golf.
22
WHAT COULD ENGLAND GOLF DO TO GROW THE GAME IN ENGLAND?
Gre
ater
med
ia v
isib
ility
Equa
l VAT
betw
een
mem
bers
and
prop
rieta
ry c
lubs
Cou
nter
ing
the
imag
e of
gol
f as
an “el
itist
” sp
ort
Gre
ater
col
labo
ratio
n w
ith o
ther
bod
ies
Enco
urag
ing
club
s to
sto
p of
ferin
g he
avily
disc
ount
ed o
ffer
s
Mor
e co
mm
unic
atio
n w
ith c
lubs
Focu
s on
regu
lar go
lfers
rath
er tha
n el
ite p
laye
rs
Mor
e di
rect
fund
ing
for cl
ubs
Focu
sing
on
juni
ors/
redu
cing
fees
for ju
nior
s
Gre
ater
tra
nspa
renc
y on
how
affl
iatio
n fe
e is s
pent
Targ
et c
omm
uniti
es/s
choo
ls
Mor
e fu
ndin
g fo
r ne
w g
olfe
rs
Sim
plify
the
han
dica
p sy
stem
Enco
urag
e gr
eate
r in
ter cl
ub c
olla
bora
tion
10%
4%
3%
1%
6%
5%
2%
9%
0%
9%
8% 8%
6% 6%
5% 5% 5%
4% 4% 4% 4%
3%
7%
8%
9%
23
> Respondents identified a wide range of potential avenues for England Golf to grow the game and naturally there was some disagreement on key issues.
> Many clubs agreed on the fact that England Golf needs to improve golf’s visibility in the media and there was also support for greater communication with clubs and for fostering greater communication between clubs.
> There was also much support for simplifying the handicap system, providing greater transparency on how golfers’ affiliation fees are spent, for focusing more on the average club member than on elite players, and for promoting the game more clearly to women and juniors.
Clubs encourage England Golf to advertise the game as welcoming to a
broader cross-section of society
24
100%
60%
20%
0%
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2014
40%
80%
Male Female
2012
NATIONAL BREAKDOWN - MALES TO FEMALES
Key Trends
2004
2006
2008
2010
2014
Increased UnchangedDecreased
2012
HOW MEMBERSHIP HAS CHANGED
60%
40%
0%
20%
11%
9%
8%
7%
2000
2002
2004
2006
2010
2014
Junior % of total membership
10%
2008
2012
NATIONAL BREAKDOWN - JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP
95%
90%
85%
75%
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2014
Employ a secretary/manager
80%
2012
GOLF CLUBS THAT EMPLOY A SECRETARY/MANAGER
25
96%
92%
86%
82%
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2014
88%
94%
Golf clubs with vacancies
84%
90%
2012
PERCENTAGE OF GOLF CLUBS WITH MEMBERSHIP VACANCIES
40%
0%
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2014
Clubs with a waiting list
20%
2012
PERCENTAGE OF GOLF CLUBS WITH A WAITING LIST
30%
10%
80%
40%
20%
0%
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2014
Student Intermediate
2012
60%
PERCENTAGE OF GOLF CLUBS OFFERING STUDENT & INTERMEDIATE MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES
30%
10%
5%
0%
2010
2012
2014
20%
PERCENTAGE OF CLUBS OFFERING A FLEXIBLE MEMBERSHIP CATERGORY
Flexible
25%
15%
80%
40%
0%
2002
2006
2008
2010
2014
Adult joining fee charged
2012
20%
60%
2004
PERCENTAGE OF GOLF CLUBS CHARGING ADULTS A JOINING FEE
95%
90%
80%
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2014
85%
Clubs with a Junior Organiser
2012
PERCENTAGE OF GOLF CLUBS WITH A JUNIOR ORGANISER
30%
15%
5%
0%
2000
2002
2004
2006
2010
2014
Junior joining fee charged
25%
2008
2012
10%
20%
PERCENTAGE OF GOLF CLUBS CHARGING JUNIORS A JOINING FEE
80%
40%
20%
0%
2006
2008
2010
2014
2012
60%
PERCENTAGE OF GOLF CLUBS WITH A CHILD WELFARE OFFICER
Clubs with a welfare officer
26
27
Further detailed commentary
can be found on the fullMembership
Questionnaire 2014results presentation
available fromwww.englandgolf.org
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