Program goal is to specifically grow junior and family golf
BEDMINSTER, NJ (July 28, 2011) – Golf Business Network (GBN), a provider of innovative solutions to enhance the skills of the game’s top golf professionals and instructors, announced this week that as many as 7,000 individuals have been introduced to the game at the halfway point of its year-long “No Golfer Left Behind” initiative to grow junior and family golf.
The initiative, launched in January at the PGA Merchandise Show, is a concentrated effort aimed at the GBN’s nearly 750 member golf clubs with the ultimate goal of urging every member to implement at least one new or enhanced program for both juniors and families. A new GBN survey indicated that nearly 40 percent of its member clubs have done exactly that, primarily through participation in “Get Golf Ready” programs.
“If we don’t make a grassroots effort club by club and pro by pro to grow the game, jobs will continue to be lost,” said Bob Mulcahy, president, GBN. “Moreover, juniors and non-playing spouses often feel unwelcome or unmotivated at golf facilities, and are taking up other activities instead.” In GBN’s instructor division, 37% added a player development initiative this year, with an average of 26 participants per program.
Some of the member solutions to attract young golfers included hiring a junior intern, creating a junior caddie program, developing a system where juniors earn reward points for skills and/or etiquette participation and can spend those points in the pro shop; hosting junior clubfitting/demo day; creating junior mentors to pair with younger players along lines of a Big Brother program; and focusing on one-day summer camps instead of week-long camps.
To heighten family interest in the game, successful solutions ranged from holding a family skills challenge to parent/child events to early evening full-family clinics, and a host of other ideas.
GBN is committed to developing and implementing comprehensive services that provide innovative solutions to enhance both the game’s professionals and its facilities as the industry’s landscape continues to evolve. Through educational programs, management tools and business opportunities, GBN’s members receive ongoing guidance and support to deliver greater value to their clubs.
For information about GBN services or its membership waiting list, call (908) 234-0021 or access the web site at www.golfbusinessnetwork.com.
Contact:
Karen Moraghan
Hunter Public Relations
908-876-5100
kmoraghan@hunter-pr.com
