Opinion & Analysis

How Snapchat Can Help Grow Golf

Published

9 years ago

Aug 23, 2017

The National Golf Foundation says that “Avid Golfers” (those that play at least twice a month) currently number 6.2 million golfers in the U.S., down from their high of 10.2 million in 2000. It’s no secret that participation in the game of golf has been in decline, and almost everyone can agree the best way to grow the game is to ignite interest from millennials and America’s youth. Past solutions have only slowed the decline, however, and the majority of kids today would rather play Minecraft or watch Netflix instead of hitting a little white ball toward a hole in the summer heat. At least they think that’s what they’d rather do.

If you’re on GolfWRX, there’s a good chance you’re also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You may not use Snapchat, however; an app that has been spreading across the country. Fourty-one percent of people 18-34 in the U.S. use Snapchat, and usage continues to grow.

One of Snapchat’s main features is the use of what are called “geofilters.” You take a picture, and depending on your exact location, various geofilters will appear. These are small visual overlays that you add on top of your picture. Here’s an example of a geofilter in New Burgh, New York.

If you take a look at any social media platforms today, the top shared content is either a picture or a video. It just so happens that golf courses can make absolutely stunning pictures and videos. Think about it; I’m sure you have that one hole at your local course that’s gorgeous at sunset.

Snapchat is all about sharing your experiences with your friends, and the new feature that lets businesses buy a custom Snapchat geofilter at an inexpensive annual rate could bring a huge return on investment for golf courses.

The current rate for a custom geofilter seems to be going for about $450 for 20,000 square feet. Of course, it would be insanely expensive to geofence the entire course, but if you stick with the balcony of the club house and maybe the gorgeous tee box on the 18th hole, then that $450 investment might pay off big. If golf courses are really trying to become more popular among the 18-34 year olds, why not meet them where they are, and where they are is Snapchat.

If only five people per day take a Snapchat, see the geofilter, and add it to their story, then that’s about 500 impressions every day. Multiply that by 365 days = 182,000 impressions. That’s $2.47 per 1,000 impressions, which isn’t that expensive. Plus, it’s not an annoying ad. It’s a friend suggesting friends that this place is cool and you guys should come here.

A Snapchat geofilter could have an exponential return as well. As more and more people come across the geofilter and share it with all of their friends, their friends are going to come play and share it with their friends. And on and on. If golf courses are really trying to gain interest in what could be the next generation of avid golfers, it’s time to talk to millennials in their preferred medium. Social media is here and it’s here to stay. Businesses that learn to shift and pivot will win and those that don’t will lose.

I got in touch with Grant Cardone, a real estate and marketing mogul, who had this to say about Snapchat.

“I’m 59 years old, I have hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate, and I use Snapchat as a tool to grow my brand and business.”

Just like Mr. Cardone has utilized Snapchat to grow his company, the golf industry needs to capitalize on this new opportunity to grow the game among the next generation of golfers.

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Joe Burnett

Joe is studying business at the University of Georgia. He loves golf and occasionally writes for WRX when he's not studying, hanging out in downtown Athens, playing the university course, or leading his start up, LocalComfortsUSA.com. Local Comforts creates clothing for all cities around the US. Find your cities t-shirt today.

10 Comments

Phil Yang

Aug 25, 2017 at 3:57 pm

The golf industry needs to focus on retaining the golfers. I left my club in disgust because the lousy way I was being treated. The club focused very hard in trying to recruit new members but stopped trying to accommodate current members. If the golf industry made sure the current golfers are happy to be golfers, that may create a more desirable effect than bending every which way in an effort to attract new golfers. Personally, I’m intrigued more by other’s passionate endeavors than by somebody trying to trick me into liking something I’ve no interest in.

Reply Report comment
Katie

Aug 24, 2017 at 4:52 pm

@Ryan I think the article is bang on in terms of appealing to the 18-34 target. Youtube requires a lot more resources (video content, filming, editing, promotion of finished content), Instagram doesn’t exactly have rave reviews when it comes to ROI for ads and the majority of that demo is one of the smallest/least engaged targets on Facebook (especially when looking at ad stats/view rates). I’d say using Snapchat to engage 18-34 year olds is a smart, cost efficient, time-saving solution for golf courses and any brick and mortar businesses as long as they promote their usage of Snapchat properly.

Reply Report comment
- Joe Burnett
  
  Aug 25, 2017 at 9:07 am
  
  Exactly Katie!
  
  Reply Report comment
Allan A

Aug 24, 2017 at 2:08 pm

Millennials and American youth only play golf to clown around and display their humorous incompetence. It’s not a sporting event, it’s a bash. Nobody that age takes golf seriously as a worthwhile pastime.
If you want to grow the game in these age cohorts you gotta make it cheap, even free for an introductory period. Nobody is gonna pay hundreds of $$$ to clown around for 5 hours on a golf course.

Reply Report comment
- Joe Burnett
  
  Aug 24, 2017 at 4:21 pm
  
  While I do see your point, I will have to disagree because I and many guys I play with are not ones to “clown around incompetently”. It’s important that people learn the rules and respect the course as well as the people playing around them- absolutely. Fortunately, not all millennials and teens are immature, and many actually have a passion to improve their scores. If golf continues to not capture the interest of the next generation, it will continue to see the number of avid golfers slide to record lows.
  
  Reply Report comment
Port

Aug 24, 2017 at 10:10 am

People waste enough time on the phone as it is we don’t need it trickling on to the golf course.

Reply Report comment
Ryan

Aug 23, 2017 at 10:24 pm

So… interesting article – I especially appreciated the CPM breakdown of just five snaps per day. Smart approach.

However, a more thorough (and potentially richer overall) article might have detailed the advertising options available to golf courses/businesses across all of the social platforms.

In particular, you gotta be careful with the following language: “If golf courses are really trying to become more popular among the 18-34 year olds, why not meet them where they are, and where they are is Snapchat.”

If one was targeting Americans 18-34, it wouldn’t be difficult to argue that Facebook, Instagram or YouTube might be a wiser investment of a golf course’s marketing dollars.

Reply Report comment
- Joe Burnett
  
  Aug 24, 2017 at 1:09 pm
  
  Thanks for the comment Ryan! I definitely think golf courses should utilize other social platforms, particularly Instagram then Facebook. I have a client on doing Facebook & Instagram ads now seeing around a $11 CPM. I think Snapchat is something that local businesses should jump on because of the value it provides in relation to other advertising platforms. Of course Facebook & Instagram are much more scalable in comparison to Snapchat Geofilters, but overall, a Snapchat geofilter particularly will give you more bang for your buck. Maybe I will write a follow up piece about Facebook, Instgram, & YouTube!
  
  Reply Report comment
carl spackler

Aug 23, 2017 at 1:19 pm

is this really a thing? i dont want to grow the game if it means i have to play behind group snap chatting half the time

Reply Report comment
- Joe Burnett
  
  Aug 23, 2017 at 2:56 pm
  
  I definitely agree with pace of play. However, this is an additional reason I think golf courses should stick with the minimum of 20,000 square feet for their geofilter. Give players the opportunity on to use the filter only on the beautiful 18th hole and watch more and more people come give golf a try.
  
  Reply Report comment

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Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

6 days ago

Jun 5, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.

I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.

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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.

With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.

Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!

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7 days ago

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