By Phil Nunn
IT is time to give overt recognition that senior golf adds substantial value to our community and to the health of the sport of golf. Senior competitive golf is also proving to be an attractive vehicle for the promotion of business brands who partner with event organisers. This is not surprising given that the 2023 GA Golf Participation Report which shows that female women golfers over the age of 50, account for 85 per cent of the female golfing population and senior male golfers (over 50) are at 63.2 per cent of the male golfing population.
Recent victories in the Men’s and Women’s senior team events against New Zealand, and at the end of 2023 in the Asia Pacific Championships, reflect the great talent amongst Australia’s men and women senior amateur ranks. This talent is further exemplified by individual performances in these competitive forums, and in the World Golf Rankings which have both Nadene Gole and James Lavender ranked as number one in respective women and men’s rankings.
The oversubscribed fields in many Senior Order of Merit events, most recently the NSW Senior Amateur and in Victoria at the Alpine Senior Masters, illustrate the demand from seniors to play competitive golf beyond Club levels. Vibrant Senior and Masters pennant competitions provide further evidence.
The rebirth of Senior Interstate Teams golf, at the Interstate Teams Challenge at Tocumwal at the end of April, and the enthusiasm of players to earn selection in the Victorian and NSW teams gives hope that an annual senior state teams’ competition involving more states could eventuate.
What benefits do events such as these and more generally the Senior Order of Merit (SOOM) events staged in each state provide other than to the competitors?
Clubs opt to offer tournaments as part of SOOM as it provides direct revenue through entry fees and spend within the clubhouse and pro-shops. Additionally, the senior golfers are seen as leaders. They go back to their clubs and extol the virtues of the club’s visited, thus increasing the further visitation to these Clubs. In short, a successful senior event is good for the sustainability of these host clubs. The golfers going into regional areas to compete, provide a wider benefit. Tourism Research Australia statistics in September 2023 indicate that on average a domestic tourist (that is what these golfers are) spend on average around $257 per day in the region they visit, on accommodation, food and beverages, fuel, and incidental retail and fees to visit other tourism places of interest. To illustrate, the NSW government have recognised the economic stimulus by providing financial support for the staging of the NSW Senior Amateur Championship at Tamworth.
The interstate challenge has also been successful in attracting commercial partners who see a benefit in associating their organisations with competitive senior golfers.
For example, the Kieser Australia Physiotherapy Services group are sponsoring the NSW team. Kieser expect to see increased demand for the programs they offer which are customised to the specific needs of golfers. Kieser will be able to point to at least one of the NSW team who has benefited from the design of a program for golfers, the player has wanted to avoid musculoskeletal injuries, issues holding him back and he has looked to improve his performance on the course.
Organisers are also delighted to have the Living Communities group to sign up as a partner to the event, to continue their commercial relationship with senior golf in Victoria. Living Communities who are undertaking the huge residential development within the Black Bull Yarrawonga precinct, see the association as a perfect entree into their target demographic.
Similarly, the Beacon Lighting group see the commercial benefit of associating its brand with senior golf. This is hardly surprising given the age profile outlined above. Golf Club members would also appear to have more disposable income for discretionary spending than the community average.
Golfers’ more usual commercial partners, such as the big golf brands, are likely to become more involved with senior golf as they recognise the leadership that low handicap senior golfers provide within the membership base of their home clubs. Who has not looked into the golf-bags of the best players to see what equipment they are using? Who has not wondered how they decide what clothes and shoes to wear to make them look good and feel comfortable?
Dare I say it, but golf magazines also benefit from featuring stories of senior golfers that their readership can relate to, with senior golfers also a very strong part of the target market for the advertisers as they seek to promote and inform about golf tourism, golf carts, equipment and clothes.
These senior competitive golfers often introduce the younger members of their families to the game, buy them, or hand down equipment, and create and hand on a great love for the game.
Golf administrators and potential commercial partners would be wise to appreciate and use these senior golfers and the events they play in to further their own organisational objectives.
Phil Nunn has been a member of Golf Australia’s Victorian Senior Advisory Group (SAG) for the last 12 months and has played in the GA Senior Order of Merit events for the last 16 years.
Phil has a background in sports administration, has been a senior Golf Victoria pennant player at both Box Hill and Huntingdale Clubs, and is currently a member of the
Tocumwal Golf Club.
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