＂Deep＂ golf attracts young people, and this ＂aristocratic sport＂ has begun to be grounded.

Interface journalist | Qin siyue

Interface news editor | Shi yiying

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early springthreemoon,Lao Huang, a golf enthusiast from Beihai, Guangxi, and several golfers flew to Sanya, Hainan for an appointment..

Although in order to avoid the stream of people,Lao Huang didn’t make an appointment for the hottest Blackstone Stadium in Mission Hills in Hainan.,However, the popularity of other courses is still beyond the expectation of Lao Huang and his friends."prime timeOnline booking speed,Rely on robbery. When playing ball.feelThe caddies of the whole stadium are out.."

At the same time, Thailand, which is hot in four seasons, has become the first choice for many golfers to go abroad for "ball narration". At the end of February, 2023, LPGA (Women’s PGA Tour) was held in Pattaya, the country’s second largest tourist city, where the golf course was also in a "difficult to book" situation.

According to the China Golf Association(Referred to as "China-High Association"), 2016-2020 domesticgolfNumber of participantsUp to 30 million people.

The popularity of golf has rekindled, and more and more young people have begun to play golf.“The aristocratic movement seems to have become more grounded..

• “Noble sport "golf"

In the hearts of China people.,There has always been a stereotype of "aristocratic sports" about golf..originate from15th century ScotlandGolfEarly indeedbeIn the nobility..

20Century,With the popularity of golf equipmentAnd business.With the establishment of competition rules and systems, golf became popular among the middle class.andCan be widely carried out.

Golf entered China in?In 1896,At that time, the first golf club in China was established in Shanghai..

now,The more important events in golf are the four Grand Slams.,They are the British Open.、United States Open、the masters /masters tournamentandAmerican Professional Golf Association Championship(PGA Championship).

Take the PGA Championship as an example.,by2022yearIn August, the average audience of the four rounds of the PGA Tour of three media, CBS, NBC and Golf Channel, was 781,000. In the past five years,The event’sThe ratings have increased by 7%.

It is worth mentioning that,CBS, ESPN and NBC signed with the PGA TourBroadcast protocolThe total annual value is nearly 700 million dollars.,andWill last until 2030.

And in order to welcome the new season.,“Not bad money "PGA also prepared.sixBillion dollars(invite to meet together40.2100 million RMB)Bonus of.

However,Golf has been "hot" in Europe and America for decades.,for a long timeThe market in China has been tepid..

Lao Huang this year55year,Is one of the top executives of a local enterprise., twoI started playing golf years ago through an acquaintance..Old Huang with money and leisure,Perfect for the impression of golf lovers..

This time, Lao Huang and his golfers came to a stadium in Sanya,Just the membership fee15ten thousand,Non-members should play a game here.1400Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368).

Although I am still a beginner in terms of seniority.,But Lao Huang has invested a lot of money in golf equipment.“The club I use is relatively new.,XXIOYes,Early 20 thousandclothesIt also cost more than 10 thousand a year.And then for a year18class,The class fee is about 10 thousand,Plus the cost of making a ball appointment with friends.、Caddy tip、The simulation practice equipment at home."

Roughly calculate,Lao Huang, a beginner, also spends 100 thousand a year on golf..

"I practice three or four times a week.,Like a friend who introduced me to play ball.,That’s on the court every day., "Lao Huang added,"The cue is also a hundred thousand take-off.,More expensive."

Mike, the golf course manager who works in Hainan, told Interface News.：“Every day, I basically meet male customers aged 35-70..These guests have a lot of time even on weekdays.,Stay for a whole afternoon.."

Mike introduced,The investment of a golf course ranges from tens of millions to billions.,“The cost of our home is very high.,Imported grass seeds used,The cheaper ones are domestic big leaf grass.,However, the foot feels ordinary and the water permeability is not good..And fairway design.,Are places to burn money.."

Such a cost,The unit price of playing a game will naturally not be cheap.. Once at home,Therefore, golf has become a so-called "exclusive sport for middle-aged and elderly people".

• Young people invaded the golf course.

Mike told the interface news,In recent years, there have been some changes in the guests practicing golf on the green.“Some families began to train their children to practice golf..Except for adults who come for fun.,Usually on weekends and holidays, many children come to our place to find a coach for class..The green also looks younger."

generally speaking,The "Broken Circle" of a Minority Movement,It is always accompanied by the breakthrough achievements made by athletes in this project in international competitions..

2011After Li Na won the French Open women’s singles title in 2006,,The consulting volume of tennis schools in Guangzhou has skyrocketed. CCTV reported that a tennis personal trainer said,Usually, the school’s inexhaustible enrollment quota was filled early.,in spite of,Every day, more than a dozen parents call him to inquire about the registration..

In the field of golf,,Feng Shanshan is the man who broke the circle..

In 2012,23Feng Shanshan, 18, is in the LPGA Championship.It is the first time that a registered player of China High Association has won four Grand Slam titles. In November 2017,Feng Shanshan climbed to the top of the female high school.No.1 in the world, and won the "after the ball" for 23 weeks.

one5 yearsofcareermiddleFeng Shanshan has won 22 titles, including 10 LPGA titles, in international competitions such as USA Tour, Europe Tour and Japan Tour.

According to Sports Weekly, in 2016, when Feng Shanshan won the bronze medal in the Rio Olympics and received the highest attention, Feng Shanshan ranked fourth in the list of sports wealth in China with an annual income of 33 million yuan.

andTen years ago.Shanshan FengofFighting alone is different. At present, there are 7 China women.playerFighting in LPGA,Commercial value has also been concerned by many brands..

Considered as the most powerful receiver in Feng Shanshanjanet linexist2I just successfully renewed my car brand in June.Buick Golf Ambassador,She was also signed with herLiu Yu、Yin RuoningTwo teenagers.He Muni, a "Sichuan girl", has the same high exposure rate as her F1 driver boyfriend because of her good appearance.

In recent ten years, the second generation of sports celebrities have also "invested" in golf, which has accelerated the influence of golf among young people.

table tennisLiu Yujie, the daughter of Liu Guoliang, the Grand Slam winner and president of China Table Tennis Association, chose to study golf instead of following her father’s footsteps.last yearIn June, at the age of 9, she defended her title.watch from a height or distanceHSBC Junior Golf Championship Finals Group C champion.

ZhangJike, a grand slam table tennis player, joined the ranks of golf lovers after fading out of the table tennis world. In recent years, he has been ridiculed as "too tanned". Xiao Kaili, the daughter of his teacher Sean Xiao, is atlast yearIt has also become the youngest champion in the starting point.

According to the data of China Golf Association, in 2013, there were only over 400 young players registered in China. By 2022, this number has exceeded 100,000. Supporting youth events have also soared from more than 30 games to more than 800 games.

Mike told the interface news: "During the epidemic, many clubs can’t go out to play, so they practice in local venues. With more passengers, our unit price will be lower accordingly."

The popularity of domestic golf has warmed up, and young people have "invaded" golf courses, which has also appeared from the product side. Chen Baiyuan, commercial director of ADIDAS GOLF Greater China, revealed that "there has been double-digit growth every year in the past four years, especiallyIn 2022, we grew by over 30% year-on-year. "

• Young golf brings new opportunities.

Open data display,At present our countryGolf sports eliminationFee groups mainlystillDistribution inmiddleHigh income groups.

But it is worth noting that,The largest proportionThe annual income of the group is concentrated in 100,000-200,000.Accounting for about60%；but200,000-500,000 annual incomecolonialProportionThen slide down to37%。

According to the Analysis Report on the Market Situation and Investment Prospect of China Golf Industry from 2021 to 2027 released by Zhiyan Consulting, in the China market, the size of the golf market in 2020 will be about 10.26 billion yuan, up 4.4% year-on-year.

According to the analysis of Zhiyan Consulting, due to the development of indoor golf and the increase of teenagers’ participation in golf, the development of golf in China is showing the trend of popularization, younger consumer groups and cooperative management.

Demand affects supply.Facing the younger consumer groups, it has also become a new trend of golf segmentation.

At present, golf equipment is mainly divided into two parts: golf equipment and shoes and clothing. In terms of golf equipment, Callaway is currently the largest in China market, while in the field of shoes and clothing, many comprehensive sports brands have noticed the potential of the golf market.

Unlike Nike’s decision to cut off the golf equipment product line in the summer of 2016, Adidas has chosen to add more golf segments in the last decade.

This German sports product giant began to lay out golf segments in 1997. In 1999, they acquired TaylorMade, one of the top ten golf brands in the world, and then merged with Maxifli, a well-known golf accessory brand.

In 2014, Adidas officially established the ADIDAS GOLF sub-brand, focusing on the research and development of golf shoes and clothing products. In the LPGA that just started the new season, many players appeared in professional shoes and clothing products such as ZG23 and Ultimate365 TOUR of ADIDAS GOLF.

Chen Boyuan told Interface News: "We have the highest market share of footwear in many regions, and there are Asian line products specially designed for the Asian market in the clothing part. Now the market has a clear trend of youthfulness. In the next three to five years, we will pay more attention to young and creative products. "

Pang Zhihai, the founder of OK Golf, a domestic online distributor of ADIDAS GOLF, believes that Adidas has performed well in online channels favored by young consumers, which caters to the trend that golf lovers in China are younger and transfer to lower-income groups in recent years.

"Adidas’ main product is golf shoes, which is a blank place for traditional golf brands." Pang Zhihai explained: "The price of Adidas is generally lower, and the design of styles is more fashionable, which can attract many young consumers."

Many people in the industry believe that 2023 will be a year of rapid development of golf in China.

According to the 2023 Volkswagen Golf Tournament Plan announced by China Golf Association, China High-tech Association Volkswagen Golf YouthJunior open、More than ten events, such as the Volkswagen Golf Amateur Tour of China High Association, have been put on the agenda..

Lao Huang told the interface news: "Many competitions are just inviting each other in the circle.,There is no registration fee, but it will also be sent.equipment、Hold a dinner party, etc.Counting the rental space,The cost is over one million yuan.,Basically, it is sponsored by the brand..in the country/at home,More common are alcohol and sports brands.."

More and more young people are stepping onto the golf course, and this market segment also provides new market opportunities for sports brands.