| With spring moving into summer for most of the | | | | Based on minority participation reports conducted by |
| country, the opportunity to blow off some steam or | | | | the World Golf Foundation and their Golf 20/20 |
| make a deal outside the boardroom with a golf club is | | | | initiative, the industry has been targeting minority groups |
| beckoning. And, marketers who are looking for more | | | | who are viewed as important to growing interest and |
| "green" should be looking on "the green." | | | | participation in the game. African Americans, along with |
| Prominent figures giving credence to this idea are, of | | | | women and Hispanics, are the demographics "with |
| course, President Obama and Tiger Woods. The | | | | pent up demand" who will help the sport meet its |
| Associated Press reported this month that the | | | | target of having 55 million participants by the year |
| President has recently had four golf outings in five | | | | 2020. If Year 2000 census data showed the golf |
| weeks. Mid-June marks the start of the U.S. Open | | | | industry having $62 billion in sales - more than the |
| 2009 whose website is featuring Tiger in their Player | | | | motion picture and sound recording industry and the |
| Bios section. During Black History Month earlier this | | | | amusement, gambling and recreation industry - then |
| year, the PGA of America presented a display at the | | | | the currently growing participation of wealthy |
| PGA Historical Center honoring four groundbreaking | | | | African-American players offers significant purchasing |
| African-American heroes in the sport. The presence | | | | power to be harnessed. That purchasing power has |
| of African Americans in the game is noteworthy. | | | | been estimated to become nearly half (45%) of the |
| A Profitable Niche Segment for Golf Industry and | | | | projected $1.1 trillion of all African Americans by 2012. |
| Luxury Brands | | | | With the proportion of African-American female golf |
| Statistically, the African-American golf community has | | | | participants found to be above average, another |
| grown by thirty per cent in the last decade with | | | | potentially fruitful sub-segment is appearing. Many |
| interest in the game rapidly outpacing that of Asian | | | | professional black women are taking to the golf |
| American and Hispanic Americans. In fact, the National | | | | course to capture that lucrative business deal often |
| Golf Foundation reports that a full fifteen per cent of | | | | negotiated on the green. In the Spring 2009 issue of |
| golfers - a stunning 5.5 million people - are minorities, | | | | Odyssey Couleur, Pam Swensen, CEO of the |
| and 2.3 million of them are African American. | | | | Florida-based Executive Women's Golf Association, |
| Since participation is a function of household income, it | | | | stated that she is seeing an increase in membership as |
| stands to reason that gaining the attention of this niche | | | | more African-American women use golf as a |
| segment of golf enthusiasts will help brands more | | | | business-building tool. |
| effectively implement their target marketing strategy | | | | All any luxury marketing executive has to do to |
| of reaching the affluent ethnic consumer - especially, | | | | potentially gain new prospects is to let go of some |
| the African-American Royaltons TM. Adding 2.3 million | | | | assumptions about who the typical golfer was in the |
| people to a list of potential consumers is any | | | | past and choose to step into the future of the golf |
| marketer's dream come true. | | | | market. |
| Participants With Purchasing Power | | | | |