F E AT U R E B Y T H E N UMB E R S
Over 1,600 avid millennial golfers share their
habits, attitudes, & preferences about golf.
Average annual rounds played
reached a new peak: 33.9 rounds, a
9% increase year-over-year. Average
handicap reached a record low,
decreasing 5% to 8.8.
33.9
average rounds
played per year
Average spend per golf round has
increased 28% over the past 5 years,
climbing to $47 from $34 in 2017 at
an average rate of $3.25 more per
round each year.
Where millennials purchase golf equipment and apparel:
Say golf has become more
important to them as a
result of the pandemic.
60%
Prefer golf venues that actively exhibit
social and environmental responsibility.
64%
Say these behaviors would influence
their likelihood of purchase.
73%
28%
Two-thirds
purchase golf
equipment in a
sporting goods
store.
60%
Would be willing to pay more if
excellent social and environmental
practices increased golf venue costs.
The 2021 Millennial Study, the fifth annual report, was conducted by GGA Partners
& Nextgengolf to assist facility operators in finding ways to adapt and develop their
offerings to meet the needs of the next generation of members and customers.
Data represents a sample of active, avid millennial golfers with prior golf interest
and experience playing in tournaments or golf events.
Read the report at ggapartners.com
64%
49%
44%
39%
22%
Sporting goods store
Online (retailer)
Course pro shop
Online (manufacturer)
Amazon
Every club must have a
backup of a backup of a
backup of their data.
In the last two years, my view on cyber insurance has shifted
from “nice-to-have” to essential. I strongly believe that every club
must have a comprehensive cyber insurance policy in place.
The club might have its IT infrastructure with the best of
the breed protection, however at some point it will fall victim to
cybercrime; this is due to the sheer size of the cyber world and
its bad players.
Items to consider:
• Always have an up-to-date managed firewall, the device that
is your club’s gateway to the Internet; this is going to be your
fence, and the firewall should be no older than five years.
• Make sure the club implements a password policy for every
employee. This is your lock on your door. The passwords have
to be complex – more than eight characters – and be changed
every 60 to 90 days. Some people believe it should be 30 days,
however being in the industry I know it creates a lot of pushback
and results in backfire when people do not take security
concerns seriously by being frustrated with inconveniences.
• Make sure you use VPN for remote access, which uses newer
technologies such as IPsec or Radius and not PPTP.
• Start asking your IT people questions about two-factor
authentication (2FA), technology that adds an extra layer of
security by sending you a text message with verification code.
• Have protocols in place where you need to verify with a person
face-to-face when any financial requests are coming
via email.
• Always check where an email is coming from by verifying
its address.
• Remove employees’ information from your website, or at least
do not publish email addresses.
• Have employees sign acceptable computer use policies, which
will make employees feel more responsible for how they use
computers at the club.
• Have cyber insurance in place that has a clear outline of what
is covered.
• Always talk to your IT people about any concerns you
might have.
We can’t stop cybercrimes from happening, but hopefully
with these measures in place, clubs can avoid the pitfalls of
being attacked.
Denis Kateneff is the chief executive officer of Club Support Inc.
34 § The Canadian Society of Club Managers § www.cscm.org
/ggapartners.com
/www.cscm.org
