As spring unfolds like a flower blooming, this hail is like a siren song to millions of men and women who love to play golf. And as a promotional products distributor you do not have to be a fan of the game or play the game to be in the game, so to speak.
Data analysis from We Are Golf, a coalition of golf industry brands and governing bodies, showed some opportunistic numbers gained from the 2016 season. For example, there are a little more than 15,000 regulation golf courses, of which 11,344 are public and 3,670 are private. The number of jobs supported by the golf industry neared 1.90 million, and there were approximately 23.8 million golfers, 24% of which were women. In 2016, 2.5 million golfers played the game for the first time.
Other numbers representing outstanding promotional opportunities include $3.94 billion raised for charity through golf tournaments, %6 billion spent on golf equipment, accessories, supplies and apparel, and $25.7 billion spent on golf-related tourism in the US.
Likely, your business and a large portion of your clientele are located near one or more golf facilities. Additionally, there are likely annual golf charities hosted by foundations to raise money. Both these factors combine to make relevant, attractive opportunities for businesses to get involved via a wide number of promotions and promotional products. You can take an informal survey of your clients to find out how many avid golfers they have on staff, or if they tend to have a large portion of their own customers who enjoy golf.
First of all, you can sponsor an upcoming tournament. Tournaments tend to be a several-day event, so there are numerous opportunities up for grabs, such as a hole-in-one sponsor, etc. These tournaments tend to attract quite a high number of both participants and spectators who will be exposed to your client’s brand.
You can also organize a golf outing for your own esteemed clients or prospects; this is a great idea for law firms, real estate, mortgage and title companies, financial advisors, insurance firms, and accountants, as well as high-end auto and boat dealerships.
You can also choose to host an employee team-building effort at a golf course. You can “use golf as a team bonding tool -- have a tournament instead of an annual picnic or offer a group golfing trip as an incentive for meeting a sales target or other goal,” suggests Terry Shatner of Myron Promotions. Both concepts are perfect for client-logoed apparel such as golf shirts, caps, and/or windshirts.
Promo Ideas
If you don’t golf, go spend a day at a charitable golf event so you can witness first-hand all the tools and gear golfers use and apparel they wear. Look at anything that has a logo on it. You will see a wide variety of price points represented and therefore, client applications.
For example, you can sport your logo on the Titleist ProV1 golf ball, dubbed the number-one ball in golf. Or how about a logoed golf scorecard holder? Golf towels are popular, as are divot tools, golfball cleaners, golf tags and ball markers. For higher end golf gifts or awards, Pro Golf Premiums offers brand name products such as Adidas golf shoe bag, Puma cooler bag, Callaway cooler set, Titleist professional valuables pouch, Taylormade players duffle bag, Titleist and Callaway den caddies, and a variety of clubs, such as the Callaway Sure Out 2 Wedge, to White Hot Pro 2.0 Black Jumbo Putter, Taylormade Milled Grind Wedge, and many more.
And no matter the type of event, it can be memorialized as a gift for golfers. For example, Warwick Publishing provides customized golf themed photo folders and frames, perfect for foursomes and winners.
You can also sponsor a registration gift, such as providing a logoed badge, badge holder and lanyard, or prizes that don’t have to be golf related but can be much more reflective of your business. For example, if you are a BYOB restaurant, perhaps wine accessories will be highly appreciated and drive traffic to the eatery.
For those with smaller budgets, think about the comfort level of the golfers – perhaps a lip balm, a water bottle, first aid kit, visor, sunscreen, or sunglass string holders.
Golf is highly competitive, but it is also considered a fun day out, fortified by camaraderie. From regulars to novices, charity tournaments to corporate events, golf is a green opportunity for promotions.