1st "Golf Survey": Casual golf courses encourage active young people to make their golf debut!

2019.12.24 Press Releases
CCC Marketing Co., Ltd.

-Subscriptions and beginner courses are key to encouraging those interested in golf to make their debut-

CCC Marketing Co., Ltd. (Head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Kazuhiko Kitamura) is pleased to announce that in light of recent challenges in the golf market, and in order to consider the future of the golf industry, it has conducted an original survey of golfers and non-golfers to investigate how people interact with golf and the demand for golf course use.

[1] For golfers, golf is a place for communication
According to the Leisure White Paper 2019 (※1), the number of people playing golf on golf courses in 2018 was 6.7 million, meaning the market size has halved compared to the 1990s, and golfers are aging. In response to these challenges in the golf industry, CCC Marketing conducted a survey of golfers (those who have played golf at a golf course in the past year) and non-golfers (those who have not played golf in the past year) to consider the future of the golf industry. We divided participants into six gender and age groups (male and female x 20s-30s, 40s-50s, 60s-70s) and investigated their approach to golf and demand for golf course use.

First, the largest demographic of golfers was men in their 60s and 70s (41% of all golfers). Of these, 66% are veteran golfers with over 30 years of experience, 86% enjoy playing golf with friends, and 83% tend to consider golf a barometer of health.

The next largest demographics were working men in their 40s and 50s (30%) and men in their 20s and 30s (9%). The results show that many people play golf with business associates, such as clients and colleagues (69% of men in their 40s and 50s, and 58% of men in their 20s and 30s), indicating that people use golf to build business relationships.

Finally, female golfers account for 20% of the total, with the breakdown being 4% in their 20s and 30s, 7% in their 40s and 50s, and 9% in their 60s and 70s, with the proportion increasing with age. Many female golfers enjoy playing golf with friends, their husbands or partners, and are also very active, participating in a variety of activities such as travelling and playing sports.

The above results show that golfers, regardless of gender or age, see golf as a place for communication and as a sport that can be played while enjoying conversation.

[2] Young, active non-golfers with many hobbies want to start playing golf!
Looking at non-golfers who have not played golf for over a year, 29% of the total had played golf in the past, 17% had never played golf but wanted to try, and 54% were not interested in golf.

Of those interested in golf, 22% are men in their 20s and 30s and 28% are women in their 20s and 30s, meaning that young people account for 50%. We found that he is not only interested in outdoor hobbies such as traveling, driving, and sports, but also in movies, gourmet food, and eating out, making him an extremely active person with many hobbies.

On the other hand, it is clear that there are some hurdles to getting started in golf. The first is that it costs money, so it's not something you can just start doing casually. They believe that golf equipment (85%), apparel such as golf wear and shoes (81%), and playing fees (78%) all involve large expenses. The second most common hurdle was unfamiliarity with golf, with 74% saying they didn't know what golf equipment to get and 66% saying they didn't have anyone to play golf with. How we can overcome these challenges may be the key to attracting people interested in golf to make their golf debut.

[3] To start playing golf, it is important to choose a golf course with a comfortable environment and special features.
Next, we surveyed golfers and non-golfers to find out what kind of golf courses they would like to use. The evaluation was based on the total percentage of people who answered "I would very much like to use," "I would like to use," or "I would somewhat like to use" regarding the services and features of various golf courses.

■ Golfers place importance on cost performance and course level
The common need among golfers of all generations was "good cost performance (94%)."It is clear that cheap is not necessarily better, and people tend to want to play at a price that is acceptable to them and that provides satisfactory service. Additionally, being able to enjoy playing without stress is a very important point, with responses such as "play proceeds smoothly (94%)" and "the grass is well maintained (93%)."

What is particularly distinctive among the younger generation is that they prefer "courses for beginners (79% of men in their 20s and 30s, 83% of women in their 20s and 30s)."On the other hand, many middle-aged and older people expressed a desire for a "strategic course," and it was found that the level of the course differed depending on the golf career.

Additionally, younger people were more likely than other age groups to respond that "there are comprehensive leisure facilities nearby, such as hot springs, shopping malls, and amusement parks (70% of men in their 20s and 30s, 79% of women in their 20s and 30s)," "there are ample facilities within the club (beauty salons, hot springs, massage parlors, etc.) (71% of men in their 20s and 30s, 78% of women in their 20s and 30s)," and "there is half-time play (71% of men in their 20s and 30s, 74% of women in their 20s and 30s)," suggesting that they are interested in enjoying playing at golf courses.

Non-golfers place importance on subscriptions and beginner courses
Common needs across all generations of non-golfers include "a course suitable for beginners (63%)" and "the ability to borrow golf clubs for free (62%)," with high ratings for services at golf courses. Additionally, among those in their 20s and 30s, who are most interested in golf, both men and women tend to have a higher need for services such as "renting golf shoes (65% of men in their 20s and 30s, 75% of women in their 20s and 30s)" and "renting golf wear (62% of men in their 20s and 30s, 67% of women in their 20s and 30s)" than other age groups. In the future, the use of subscriptions may become an effective way to encourage non-golfers to make their golf debut.

[4] Survey overview
Survey period: November 8th (Friday) to November 12th (Tuesday), 2019
Survey organization: CCC Marketing Co., Ltd. T Survey (online survey of T members)
Survey target: Nationwide / Men and women / aged 20-79
Allocation and number of valid responses: For the age composition of golfers, please refer to the Leisure White Paper 2019 (※1).
Survey design: CCC Marketing Co., Ltd.

*1) "Leisure White Paper 2019" published by the Japan Productivity Center, a public interest incorporated foundation. https://www.jpc-net.jp/leisure/)

Materials related to this matter

1st "Golf Survey": Casual golf courses encourage active young people to make their golf debut!

Inquiries regarding this matter
CCC Marketing Co., Ltd. Public Relations: Ando, Nakagawa
TEL: 03-6800-4464