Wealthy African Americans Are on the Green

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With spring moving into summer for most of the country, the opportunity to blow off some steam or make a deal outside the boardroom with a golf club is beckoning. And, marketers who are looking for more “green” should be looking on “the green.”

Prominent figures giving credence to this idea are, of course, President Obama and Tiger Woods. The Associated Press reported this month that the President has recently had four golf outings in five weeks. Mid-June marks the start of the U.S. Open 2009 whose website is featuring Tiger in their Player Bios section. During Black History Month earlier this year, the PGA of America presented a display at the PGA Historical Center honoring four groundbreaking African-American heroes in the sport. The presence of African Americans in the game is noteworthy.

A Profitable Niche Segment for Golf Industry and Luxury Brands
Statistically, the African-American golf community has grown by thirty per cent in the last decade with interest in the game rapidly outpacing that of Asian American and Hispanic Americans. In fact, the National Golf Foundation reports that a full fifteen per cent of golfers – a stunning 5.5 million people – are minorities, and 2.3 million of them are African American.

Since participation is a function of household income, it stands to reason that gaining the attention of this niche segment of golf enthusiasts will help brands more effectively implement their target marketing strategy of reaching the affluent ethnic consumer – especially, the African-American Royaltons TM. Adding 2.3 million people to a list of potential consumers is any marketer’s dream come true.

Participants With Purchasing Power
Based on minority participation reports conducted by the World Golf Foundation and their Golf 20/20 initiative, the industry has been targeting minority groups who are viewed as important to growing interest and participation in the game. African Americans, along with women and Hispanics, are the demographics “with pent up demand” who will help the sport meet its target of having 55 million participants by the year 2020. If Year 2000 census data showed the golf industry having $62 billion in sales – more than the motion picture and sound recording industry and the amusement, gambling and recreation industry – then the currently growing participation of wealthy African-American players offers significant purchasing power to be harnessed. That purchasing power has been estimated to become nearly half (45%) of the projected $1.1 trillion of all African Americans by 2012.

With the proportion of African-American female golf participants found to be above average, another potentially fruitful sub-segment is appearing. Many professional black women are taking to the golf course to capture that lucrative business deal often negotiated on the green. In the Spring 2009 issue of Odyssey Couleur, Pam Swensen, CEO of the Florida-based Executive Women’s Golf Association, stated that she is seeing an increase in membership as more African-American women use golf as a business-building tool.

All any luxury marketing executive has to do to potentially gain new prospects is to let go of some assumptions about who the typical golfer was in the past and choose to step into the future of the golf market.

The History of the US Open Golf Tournament

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30 years after the start of The Open, the US Open was first played in 1895, making it the second oldest of the modern day golf majors. Since 1895, the original golf majors were The Open, The Amateur Championship, The US Open, and The US Amateur. It wasn’t until 1960, when Arnold Palmer commented that he could win the Grand Slam, after he had won The Masters and The US Open, if he could manage to win The Open and The PGA, that the modern day golf majors were established.

The Championship was played for the first time on the same course and on the same week as the US Amateur. It was held at a 9-hole course at Newport Golf and Country Club, Rhode Island. It comprised 4 rounds of 9-holes played on the same day and was won by Englishman, Horace Rawlins. Only ten professionals and one amateur took part and the total prize money was $335.

From the original 36 holes in one day, the format of the event has changed several times during the years. The Championship was extended by the USGA to 72-holes in 1898; 36-holes played over each of two days. The format was changed in 1926 to 18-holes played over each of two days, finishing with 36 holes on the third day. The present day format was established in 1965 – 18-holes played over each of 4 days.

Its popularity really took off after spectator tickets were sold for the first time in 1922. This almost coincided with the amazing career of an amateur golfer from Georgia, Bobby Jones who won in 1923, 1926, 1929, and 1930. The second big rise in popularity was in 1954 when the event was televised for the first time on national television. But it wasn’t until 1977 that all 18-holes of the final two rounds had live coverage and 1982 that the first two rounds were broadcast live.

The event was dominated by British players since its beginnings up to 1910 (actually it was Scotsmen who took most of the titles (12 of the first 15 events.) The top Scotsman in those days was Willie Anderson who won the event four times between 1901 and 1905. In fact, there have only been three other golfers to win four US Opens – Bobby Jones from 1923 to 1930, the year he won the Grand Slam; Ben Hogan from 1948 to 1953; and Jack Nicklaus from 1962 to 1980.

With Tiger Woods third victory at the 2008 US Open, it can only be a matter of time before he joins the illustrious golfers with four wins, and who knows, maybe he will go into the golfing history books with 5 wins or more. Did you know that a European has not won the event since 1970, when Tony Jacklin from England won? Another Englishman, Lee Westwood, had a chance in the 2008 event but missed a 15 foot birdie putt on the last hole.

Surprisingly, only 5 players have managed to win The US Open as well as The Open, The Masters, and The PGA. None of them have won all 4 majors in one single year though – Bobby Jones did his Grand Slam with The Open, The (British) Amateur Championship, The US Open, and The US Amateur. The five players to win the four golf majors were Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.

With 78 wins between 1911 and 2008, Americans have dominated The US Open. No other country have come close; South Africa has the second most wins with 5 titles. There have only been a handful of nations that have won the event once or twice – Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, and Argentina. Since 1910, Scotland have only managed to produce one golfer that has won The US Open; Willie MacFarlane in 1925. In fact, in recent years, only Sandy Lyle has managed to win a golf major on US soil – The Masters in 1988.

Golf Clubs – They Have To Be Perfect For You

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When it comes to golfing, not any old golf club will do for you. You know this if you have ever been on the golf course having make up for a club that is too long or not long enough. Besides adversely affecting you game, using golf clubs that do not fit your body can cause aches and pains after using them for a while. And if you are concentrating on making up for the poor fit of your clubs, then you probably aren’t focused on playing your best gold game.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to spend a lot of cash on custom-fit golf clubs, though. While custom golf clubs are one way to go, you can probably find what you are looking for at a good golf store. But there are some things think about.

Though the length of the club is important, it’s not all you need to consider. Professionals say that the size of the grip of your club should be comfortable in your hands. For this reason, clubs for younger players and women usually have a smaller grip.

If you decide that a set of custom-fit golf clubs is the way to go, there are some things to know. The aim is not just to make sure that the golf club reaches from your outstretched hand down to the ground, but also to make the most of your body and build as well. Getting a set of golf clubs custom fit is a process that takes some time.

A proper fitting session should occur both indoors and out. The best custom-fit golf clubs should be tailored so that the way swing is considered. This can become a costly endeavor.

Although many golf club manufacturers will charge a high fee for the fitting session, many offer this service on a complementary, if you buy a set of golf clubs from them. While custom clubs are more expensive than a general set purchased from a shop or elsewhere, the cost will be worth it when you see the immediate improvement in your golf game.

Think about the shots that you have been making since you started playing golf. If you’re taller or shorter than the average golfer, custom clubs can make all the difference.

You might be wondering how long it takes to get a set of custom golf clubs in your bag. Many manufacturers of custom golf clubs can offer delivery within a few days, or often no more than a few weeks.

There are few negative aspects of getting custom-fit golf clubs. If you want to buy them for someone as a gift, or resell them someday, custom clubs are probably not the way to go. More than likely, the golfer who is going to receive the custom clubs will be surprised enough to get the fitting session, and most who go to this expense and trouble don’t usually sell them.

Investing in custom-fit golf clubs is entirely up to you. If you want to perfect your swing and are planning to buy a new set of clubs, custom clubs might be the best investment you can make!