Insight

With golf’s last four majors being won by four different players in Woods, Koepka, Woodland, and Lowry, in 2019, the sport would seem to be back to its competitive best. Over the last decade, worldwide sponsorship spend in the golf has grown from $1.36bn to $1.82bn, yet the vast majority of that revenue fell to the promotion of its male players and tournaments. It remains a sport firmly centred around the men’s game, but in 2019, are we finally starting to see a shift in its overall appeal?

The changing of the guard in 2019

This year marked a watershed moment especially in the UK for women’s golf. The BBC broadcasted highlights of Solheim Cup after agreeing a deal with the Ladies European Tour as part of its #changethegame women’s summer of sport season. The exposure has granted access to an otherwise untapped audience. An audience that is crucial in growing the foundations of golf itself.

Away from the headlines, broadcast deals and sponsorship packages, understanding the barriers to mass participation remains key in helping golf establish itself as a truly accessible global sport.

As a golf professional, Martin Heys still believes that Ladies’ Golf has a long way to come in today’s supposed modern-day ‘level sports field’. It seems ludicrous to think that in this era of equality some golf clubs still refuse to open their membership doors to women. Perhaps in today’s modern ‘always-on’ environment, there is difficulty in spending, typically, over four hours playing a game – which of course hinders all golfers from getting out there and playing.

However, it remains a fact that golf is a sport that everyone should be able to enjoy and every level – highlighted by the great success of the recent Solheim Cup which took place last month (September 2019). Set at the stunning Gleneagles PGA Centenary Course in Scotland, the tournament was summed up by Martin as “an outstanding advert for Ladies’ Golf.”

Harnessing exposure of the ladies game

“The positivity and excitement generated on the back of a thrilling European victory need to be harnessed over the coming weeks and months. I’d actively encourage any lady who’s thinking about going back to, or getting into golf to go for it.”

And what better way to showcase that positivity than through a ground-breaking move for the sport; the BBC agreed a deal with the Ladies European Tour to provide full-text commentary via the BBC app and website alongside daily highlights on BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. Martin’s opinion is that whilst this was a huge step in the right direction there’s much more to come from the women of golf, not only in Europe but across the world – a view shared by the BBC.

Breaking the mold

Participation is a key area for Ladies Golf and it’s perhaps fair to summate that whilst the BBC took this huge step forward in promoting Ladies’ Golf in 2019, broadcast deals remain the biggest gatekeeper to growing mass participation. And when coupled with an archaic air of sexism from some grassroots clubs, the women are evidently up against it.

So what can be done to improve the relationships between rights holders and broadcasters? Well, one option is to engage higher profile and more creative sponsors in an effort to bridge the gap between the two. In turn, exposure of sponsors’ audiences to an inclusive and exciting sport such as Ladies’ Golf could clearly be win-win. How rights owners are shaping the game and what assets they are able to create for potential sponsors remains a vital element and piece to the whole puzzle.

If you’re working through a sponsorship question that needs clear, credible evidence, we’d welcome a conversation. Contact us to find out how Platformation can help.