Let's Talk Golf with SME Jacob Stillman, Analyst
3 Questions with an SME: This series taps into the minds of our 80 Subject Matter Experts at Endeavor Analytics across the globe to explore trends in sports, media, and entertainment.
Question 1️⃣: Jacob, you have been doing a lot in the golf space. What stands out to you?
➡️ There is so much positive momentum in golf right now. We work with players and many tournaments around the globe and the big trends we're seeing are that participation and viewership are up, and the sport is getting more diverse.
You would expect a post-Covid bump, but this trend has continued into 2024. 273M are fans of the sport and 144M are participants around the world - increases of +23M and + 14M from 2020, respectively.
As it stands now, golf viewership (at least in the U.S.) is rising as well. The 2023 PGA TOUR season saw a slight increase in overall viewership, with sizable jumps among younger demographics. 18–34-year-olds saw a +15% jump Y-o-Y, and the coveted18-49 group rose +14%.
Lastly, participation among people of color has risen considerably. In 2022, 5.6M non-white golfers participated in on-course play - accounting for 22% of the on-course player population, which is up from 17% in 2019. This group also makes up 40% of off-course golfers.
Question 2️⃣: Is golf benefiting from the growth in women's sports?
➡️ Yes! Female participation in golf has risen considerably since pre-Covid levels - and at a much higher rate than men. Since 2019, female golf participation has risen +15%, much higher than the +2% increase among males.
What really stands out here is that the biggest boost is coming from the younger female generation. Currently, 37% of all golfers under the age of 18 are female. That number has greatly risen over the past couple decades - in 2000 just 15% of golfers under 18 were female. For those looking to market to the golf world, it's important to be aware of this movement.
Question 3️⃣: If a brand is considering golf as a sports marketing asset, what should they know about the fans?
➡️ Well, first of all I would encourage them to get involved in some capacity, especially in-person. Our research shows that Golf fans are incredibly receptive to sponsorship - so from an impact perspective there looks to be a real advantage to investment in golf events specifically.
PGA Tour fans are nearly 1.5x more likely than the average adult to notice a sponsor of an event and are nearly 3x more likely to buy a product after noticing sponsored content at an event.
The game is growing from a number of angles - whether that be fandom, viewership, or diversity in participation. Buzz around the sport continues to rise as well - driven by increased golf content creator popularity, Netflix's Full Swing, and growing international investment. It is an exciting time for golf, and any potential stakeholders that are looking to enter the space.
#golf #sponsorship #sportsmarketing #pga #lpga