THE GBQ PODCAST
“If you put a golf club in someone’s hands, they’re a golfer”
On The GBQ Podcast, former Callaway Europe Managing Director Neil Howie spelled out the need to encourage all demographics to take up the game
GOLF must embrace anyone who picks up a club – because the future of the game lies in their hands.
Speaking on The GBQ Podcast to Sarah Stirk, former Callaway Europe managing director Neil Howie said breaking down barriers of time, money, and access would help future proof the sport.
The PGA’s Golf for All report, produced in partnership with IPSOS Mori, recently revealed around 16 million people in the UK and Ireland were playing some form of golf – with adventure golf and driving ranges soaring in popularity.
Those facilities had helped break down the gender divide – with the percentages of male and female off-course players standing at almost 50-50, compared with on-course where 75 per cent of players were male.
Topgolf, owned by Callaway, has proved a revelation in attracting a wide demographic of people to their facilities in Glasgow, Watford, Chigwell and Surrey. That’s buoyed by low price membership, a thriving social scene, and an emphasis on fun.
And asked what he would say to purists who believed a person’s identity as a golfer was defined by membership or joining their local club, Howie said: “There’s room for everyone, isn’t there? We take a view that if you put a golf club in someone’s hands, they’re a golfer.
“If you look at the type of people that use Topgolf – the demographic is all over the shop. Whether it’s hen parties, businesspeople and corporate dos, or people just going to hit golf balls for golf balls’ sake, it’s hugely important we continue to embrace all those types of people because that’s where the future is.
“I think there’s room for all of it. You’re not going to get away from the fact that private members’ clubs want their tee times and want their space. And that’s OK.
“But similarly, we need to encourage others as well to get into the game. Look at cricket. T20 has revolutionised where cricket is now. Look at test matches. Up to 5 or 10 years ago, it looked like it was a dying breed. It’s not anymore.
“Golf has always had a bit of a problem with time, hasn’t it? Time and money and access. If we can break down those barriers, which I think Topgolf does, then you’re halfway there.”
“Now I’m not suggesting you should put a dinosaur putting green in at Muirfield, but I can see the type of people that are coming into the game are going to demand some changes and demand some new things.”
Stirk asked Howie how golf could change a reputation in some quarters for being “slightly not welcoming and inclusive enough” and whether clubs should learn from booming sports such a padel tennis.
He added: “It fascinating you say that. I took my dear old mom who's 93 years old to a golf club for lunch because she wanted to go to a golf club for lunch.
“This was a golf course in Wiltshire. It’s probably not the best golf course around and it hasn’t got the best driving range around.
“But it’s got Toptracer on the range and my two eldest, who both play golf, will drive past the good range locally to get to this one because it’s got Toptracer on it.
“It’s also got padel. And the car park, this was on a Wednesday lunchtime, was absolutely heaving.”
He added: “This evolution will continue. I don’t think it is going to stop and I think clubs are going to have to embrace it.
“Now I’m not suggesting you should put a dinosaur putting green in at Muirfield, but I can see the type of people that are coming into the game are going to demand some changes and demand some new things.
“Padel is a very good example of how sport can evolve quickly if it embraces the right sort of mentality and attitude.”
Listen to the first episode of The GBQ Podcast, with former Callaway Europe Managing Director Neil Howie, by clicking here.
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