Sparking a Revolution: Health & Wellness integrates into the Traditional Game of Golf
Around the world, coronavirus led to an unprecedented disruption for golf courses, clubhouses and resorts. As owners and operators struggled to survive, a new way forward emerged for the time-honoured game, sparking a revolution in what could once be described as a stuffy and elitist backdrop, opening doors to fresh new opportunities.
As the first wave of COVID-19 hit in the earlier part of last year, the number of golfers dropped dramatically at golf clubs and hotel resorts, leaving golf businesses reeling - like many others in tourism and hospitality, hotels and spas. In the US alone, golf represents an $85 billion industryand a network of 14,500 courses, and it was now facing down extinction.
Played in verdant expanses of manicured fairways and award-winning landscapes, the industry hoped that the game’s built-in social distancing would attract new players - participants looking for alternative outdoor activities, to replace routine walks in their locked-down neighbourhoods. And to the early relief of many, as courses reopened last summer, players flocked to them.
Coronavirus had become a catalyst for the game of golf. The problem: Traditional golf and old-school country clubs are a far cry from the experiences desired. The solution: The time-honoured game of golf is overdue for a renaissance of sorts along with the birth of the next generation country club.
In fact, most experts suggest that this is the very juncture at which golf clubs and resorts have the chance to review their operations and explore new opportunities. A surge in health consciousness and social equity triggered new business models. The Global Wellness Institutesays, “The $4.2 trillion economy of wellness is fast-growing, resilient, and pervasive. The forces driving consumers to spend on wellness are sufficiently strong that wellness industry growth around the world has been robust and has exceeded GDP growth (even in years in which the global economy shrank). Wellness services can help address the rising global health epidemic, improve public health.”
Organizations like the International Association of Golf Tour Operatorshave urged their members to consider their next steps post-pandemic, suggesting that investing more money into promotions of golf travel will enable the golf courses and resorts to stay ahead of the ‘new normal’ post-lockdown. While coronavirus clouded the sector’s performance over the past two years with travel bans, shutdowns, and anxiety resulting in a downturn in visitors, the organization is optimistic that golf travel will bounce back “quicker than most other tourism industry sectors once the risk or fear has run its course.”
Already before the virus hit, in 2019 golf clubs and resorts were exploring ways to reinvigorate the declining popularity in the game, looking to inject new ideas and approaches. Slowly declining numbers in previous years had sent warning signals that the industry needed to look for ways to attract younger players, more women and people of colour.
The latest Golf Operation Impact surveyconducted by GolfNow suggests that the 2021 outlook is positive. The survey was conducted among more than 300 owners and managers, mostly from public and semi-private clubs and representing 45 states, six Canadian provinces and several international properties. About half the respondents viewed the pandemic as a “silver lining” for the game, and two-thirds were “very optimistic” that a surge in interest and new players would help it emerge stronger. Eight out of 10 respondents reported rounds had increased and revenue was up more than 25 precent. Some introduced pre-paid tee times to promote contactless check-ins. They also noted that online and mobile tee time bookings had become more popular and many were looking to prioritize these technologies in their operations.
Meanwhile, as clubhouses and banquet venues were ordered closed, and resort travel dropped, there was little to celebrate as revenue streams all but disappeared on the hospitality and retail side of the equation. Curbside pick up and delivery for pro shops, snack shacks on the nineth, and single-rider carts were just some of the ways in which operators sought to stem the loss. And, they tapped into the ‘physical activities economy’ - which according to the Global Wellness Institute “is a massive global market opportunity: forecast to grow from $828 billion in 2019 to $1.1 trillion by 2023.”
Last May, the CEO of Almarose Hotels & Resorts, which operates nine top golf courses in the UK, explained, “Our staff have worked hard in preparing courses and implementing the new ‘Play Safe’ measures. We estimate golfers at our venues in the past week have walked in the region of 31 million yards and burnt nearly 7 million calories. Just imagine those numbers multiplied across the whole country and the health benefits involved!”
Chief Medical Officer of the European Tour, Dr. Andrew Murray, notes that golf is good for boosting your immune system, a healthier heart, lowered stress and improved mental health. And study after study supports the incredible health befits of surrounding yourself in the beauty of nature. Simply put, golfers live longer.
The Golf and Health Project, an initiative supported by the World Golf Association, suggests that “these benefits must be made available to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. More wellness destinations, boasting amazing natural resources, need to reassess and rethink exclusionary practices, opening up the healing nature of golf courses to a broader range of clients to more people of colour, women and younger participants.”
The next generation country club needs to promote inclusivity and develop environments and price structures that welcome all - including players that are new to the game, people of colour and families. Standing at the vanguard to this new approach is professional golfer, Tiger Woods whose company, TGR Design, has launched a revolutionary new lifestyle community centred around a spectacular 767-acre golf course, amid the rolling hills of Montgomery, Texas. Bluejack Nationalpays particular attention to offering families a luxury experience.
As the youngest man and the first African American to win the U.S. Masters, Tiger Woods believes that the future of golf lies in family-orientated clubs and courses that cater to younger players. In this new era, golf has been embraced as a recreational alternative for kids and families and is pushing youth, women and people of colour up the leaderboard in golf.
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Image Credit: Golf In British Columbia