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Sport known to be practiced by gentlemen for many years, golf is becoming more and more popular in the world by touching more and more different profiles. The audit of European Tour Destinations reveals new information on trends:

• Half of the new members in some sites are women
• The clientele is now younger, valuing the quality of life - and family life
• Capital investment projects meet the needs of members and the long-term sustainability of the business

The demand for golf has increased globally and with it, the number of members. However, what members want has changed and sites need to respond to retain and retain valuable long-term customers.

This is the view of European Tour Destinations, a network of 30 world-class golf venues, revealed in a recent audit of golf members.

Women's golf is booming, whether at the amateur or professional level. Women's tournaments are gaining in importance and increasing in endowments. Mentalities are changing, even the oldest institutions. The famous Muirfield golf course and its management have made important decisions in their club for the promotion of women's golf. Exclusively for men since its creation in 1744, the Scottish club now allows women to become members. This allowed the club to re-enter the rotation of the courses hosting The Open (formerly Briitish Open). It last hosted this event in 2013 when Phil Mickelson won.

Muirfield Village will host in 2022, for the first time in its history, the AIG Women's Open, the women's equivalent of The Open, five years after welcoming its first members.

The findings, published in a new media feature Rethinking Membership, highlighted changes in consumer behavior and emerging trends, including:

• 30% of sites have increased annual fees between 10% and 20%
• 78% of sites plan a capital investment in new equipment over the next 12 months
• 50% of the new golfing members of Finca Cortesin and PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness in Spain, and Quinta do Lago and Bom Sucesso in Portugal, are women

According to Luis Filipe, director of corporate and leisure relations at Quinta do Lago, which now benefits from a multitude of new sports and leisure facilities, there has been a fundamental change among the members of the Portuguese resort: “The clientele is now younger and […] value their quality of life and the quality of life of their family more. "

This is a sentiment shared by the general manager of the St-Leon Rot Golf Club, Eicko Schulz-Hanßen, who attributes the change to a desire to improve lifestyles, with "people building activities on a daily basis. and weekly to achieve a better work-life balance. "

Targeting a younger demographic is and has been increasingly important in Linna Golf, Finland. Its CEO, Esa Honkalehto, explains: “Of the 100 new members who have joined us recently, around 60 are young people born in the 1990s. They are more regular players, eager to participate in the many events and competitions. These young members brought a spirit to the club and it is very different from what it used to be. "

For more information on European Tour destinations, visit: europeantourdestinations.com