According to the latest report provided by HSBC, the golf industry remains immersed in a period of transition, driven by economic and social changes in an increasingly interconnected and globalized world.
According to the banking consultancy HSBC, there will be shifting trends that will determine the future of the golf industry in 2020:
Golf clubs will evolve into family-friendly resorts.
- There will be family-equipped areas instead of bars.
- The courses will be better adapted for junior female players.
- More facilities with “Women Friendly” certification will emerge.
New game formats.
- The 6 and 9-hole circuits will become popular as an alternative to the traditional 18 holes.
- A premium sports television channel will promote professional tournaments adapted to this new “mini format”.
A younger audience will boost the golf industry.
- Golf will become fashionable and will be seen as a social and healthy sport.
- The next “Tiger Woods” will be a young Asian player, a profile highly in demand by sports sponsors.
- Asian brands will begin to venture into the golf equipment and apparel market.
Greater female inclusion.
- Golf will be more unisex, allowing men and women to share this sport, similar to the cycling trend in developed markets.
New technologies will transform golf.
- Golf simulators with motion sensors and gestural interfaces will become a socio-sporting trend.
- Video games will attract new players to golf.
- Applications like “Caddies” will assist golfers with real-time analysis and decision-making.
- Smart sensors in equipment and golf courses will enable more efficient learning.
Sustainability and environmental conservation.
- Golf will become a knowledge center in water management and conservation.
- The first “Carbon Positive” golf course will be inaugurated, generating great media interest.
- Authorities will modify equipment regulations to reduce the distances reached by professional players, thereby controlling the expansion of golf courses.
Asia: the great investment target.
- Major brands are looking for emerging markets, and Asia remains the key region for expansion.
- Clear examples include Volvo and the European Tour, which are gaining impact in the Middle East.
- According to research by The Futures Company (2007), Chinese parents see golf as an effective tool to teach children decision-making and build self-confidence, a view shared by British and American parents.
