As the game becomes more popular so too do golf holidays
Whether it’s the Tiger Woods effect, or the fact that it is no longer considered an elite pursuit, statistics show that more and more people are talking to the first tee - particularly beginners and youths.
And the numbers travelling abroad of dedicated golf holidays has jumped too, according to the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) chief executive, Peter Walton.
“Fifty one per cent of people have taken a golf holiday - i.e. golf being the primary purpose of travel - at some stage,” he said.
“Even our most recent figures for last year show that 30% of players travelled abroad. That has been fairly constant - what’s really changed is the numbers of people playing the game.”
After number topped out in the 90’s in the main markets surveyed (when growth was down to 1.5%), figures jumped in 1997 in the US (’98 in Europe) with a 7% increase in players.
“That increase has held every year, but particularly for beginners with a 33% hike, and youths (36%),” Mr Walton said.
He underlined the concurrent increase in golf holidays - 7% compared to 2% for regular holiday travel - and said that in an extensive poll of 5,000 customers, a clear pattern of diversity emerged.
“In the early 90’s, people were going back to the same destinations, but in the last three or four years, 70% of all golf travellers now consider themselves to be adventurists rather than destination loyalists.”
Even in the internet era, tour operators like Killester Travel are still heavily relied upon by customers.
“You’ll find 400 courses in South Africa on the net,” Walton points out. “But you still need advice on which ones to play.”
