DAVID PILLSBURY
CO-CEO,
American Golf Corporation
“Link Up 2 Golf”
LINK UP 2 GOLF
• Working title for a national player
development concept
• Mission is to connect people to the
game more effectively
• Address both attraction and retention
• Reduce or eliminate barriers that
prevent initial contact and turn
people away
LINK UP 2 GOLF
Attraction
• Make it easier for people to take that
first step
• Appeal to new players, former players
and infrequent players
• Utilize the promotional power of the
collective golf community
• Match location with demand
LINK UP 2 GOLF
(Continued)
Retention
• Make it more difficult for people to
leave the game
• Establish a more solid emotional
connection
• Utilize special play days for
beginners, women, kids, etc.
• Employ more flexible pricing and
playing-frequency programs
HOW WE GOT HERE
• Research indicates how critical the
initial experience is to retaining players
• McKinsey study emphasizes the need
for an emotional connection
• 20/20 Steering Committee supported
exploration of the concept
• Program design and implementation
framework have been established
• Looking for different approaches
and feedback
TODAY WE’LL LOOK
AT SEVERAL APPROACHES
• Women in Golf Week
• NIKE Golf Learning Centers
• NGCOA Get Linked.
Play Golf.
WOMEN IN GOLF WEEK
• Established six years ago
• Supported by public relations and
sponsors
• Purpose: Introduce women to the game
• Results: 20,000 women and $138,000
for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation
• Why can’t we do this as an industry?
AMERICAN GOLF PLAYER
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
• State of the Industry and
the Business
• The Mission: “Create Golfers”
• Based on Research &
Experience
• NIKE Partnership
WHAT DOES A LEARNING
CENTER LOOK LIKE?
• Golf for America: Known as the
place to learn – guaranteed
• “Yellow Brick Road” of Golf
• Transition to play emphasis
• Professional marketing
• Standardized curriculum
• Financial and customer reporting
• Pros compensated for returning guests
MORE SPECIFICALLY ...
• Attract new, former and
existing players
• Variety of Products
• Professional: Quality,
value and confidence
• Managed
• Measured Results
KEYS TO SUCCESS
• Attraction: Products, promotion,
grassroots, on-site, collateral
• Instruction: Compensation,
training, standards
• Retention: Tracking, rewards,
events, communication
• Management: Measurement,
accountability
CURRENT ENVIRONMENT
• 40 Learning Centers
• Creating 1 new golfer per day,
per facility
• Generating 80 additional rounds
per month, per course
• Will generate over 25,000
incremental rounds in 2000
• Employed over 75 PGA & LPGA
Professionals
BENEFITS TO THE COURSE
•Creating new golfers
•Tracking of new golfers
•Increased revenue
•Zero cost
Sunday Wrap-up
Slides 16-19
DAVID PILLSBURY
CO-CEO,
American Golf Corporation
“Link Up 2 Golf”
BREAKOUT 1 SUMMARY
National/Regional Program Ideas
• Develop a “Uniform Entry System”
• Program components
– Attraction
– Instruction/Orientation/Groups/Fun
– Equipment
– Transition to play: fun, family/beginner,
friendly, etc.
– Facility and program standards
– Tracking and measurement
BREAKOUT 2 & 3 SUMMARY
Implementation/2001 Strategy
• Roles and responsibilities:
20/20 actions steps 2001
– Define program models
– Select pilot markets (research)
– Identify research/measurement plan
– Define budget/plan
– Secure program funding
– Identify execution/coordination strategy
(how?)
– Pilot?