In 2016, Matt Powel from NPD revealed something most of us already know: the youth aren't golfing.
“From the golf industry statistics, we know that rounds are down. We know that millennials are not picking up the game, and boomers are aging out,” he told Business Insider. "The game is in decline."
More than a year later, Vice sports writer and former LPGA golfer Anya Alvarez wrote a follow-up. In her opinion piece, she wrote that the reason golf was dying was because of economic and financial reasons since it was too expensive in an age where the economy is looking uglier and uglier and because the sport lacked inclusiveness.
There is little cause to doubt that cost and economics are (undoubtedly) big factors for Asian youth too. Nevertheless, it is important for them to see the other side of the coin and consider the benefits of golf for youth in this day and age.
Getting more youth golfing: Who are the youth?
Powel, who is a sports industry analyst, had attempted to define the millennial as far as sports go.
Even a year before his statement on Business Insider, Powel had made several observations on the sporting habits of millennials.
"Millennials now outnumber Boomers by nearly 10%. This gap will continue to widen. Those sports brands and retailers that understand and embrace millennials will succeed in the future," he said.
He made these observations:
"Millennials have a passion for fitness and healthy living. This creates a strong interest in athletic and outdoor products.
"Many use the word 'cheap" to describe Millennials. Many millennials have massive college debt but will buy expensive products if they see the value. So I would describe them as 'frugal, not cheap."
Youth and e-sports
Youth golfing is something you're probably not going to see a lot of. So, what is?
There are several sports gaining traction today. There have been several reports indicating a rise in popularity of martial arts but the most obvious go-to today is e-sports.
The annual Internet Trends report from Kleiner Perkins partner Mary Meeker was released in 2017.
In the study, millennials and non-millennials were asked to specify whether they “significantly prefer” their favorite e-sport or traditional sport, “slightly prefer” the same, or have no preference.
While the non-millennials preferred traditional sports (56%), millennials were almost perfectly divided between esports and traditional sports. 27 % said they significantly preferred either sport.
There's hope for the golfless youth
According to the National Golf Foundation, there are still 6.2 million millennials, or 28% of all golfers, who are playing about 100 million rounds per year in the U.S.
Co-Chairs of WE ARE GOLF’s Millennial Task Force, Kris Hart and Glenn Gray, say there are several reasons why golf is attractive to millennials.
"Many enjoy the opportunity to be outside and the traditional values of the game. For others, rising stars, innovative brands, exciting events, relaxed rules, and forms of the game like Footgolf are helping to draw interest by showcasing golf as 'fun, young and cool.'"
Conclusion
Here at Deemples, we know that golfing is as much a sport as it is a social affair. So, naturally, many golfers would love to have more people pick up the sport. As the millennials take over and the baby boomers phase out, it's a hope that more youth would be golfing. Hopefully, the youth will soon realize that the sport in fact provides physical benefits, social benefits, and mental and emotional benefits as well as a slew of other amazing benefits.
While it's true that there aren't as many youths golfing as we would like, Deemples sees little reason to worry. Habits change and Deemples is adapting to help with these changing habits, making it easier for golfers to get a game whenever they want to.
