Originally published April 9, 2014
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioGolf.com
With the Masters Tournament this week sounding the start of the 2014 golf season, thoughts turn to the local links. Traditionally, not until we watch a week of golf from Augusta National Golf Club is it officially game on for the local golf community. Golf is a life-long passion for tens of thousands of Londoners. But make no mistake about it: golf is also a multi-billion-dollar industry, as much about dollars and cents as it is about birdies and eagles.
This season, London has become known as the “Golf Capital of North America,” thanks to its unrivalled per capita participation rate, availability of courses and the number of big-time tournaments slated for the Forest City in 2014. This summer, more than 100,000 adult Londoners – about two-thirds of them men – plus hundreds of junior golfers will spend more than $30 million on green fees and memberships, as well as new clubs, apparel and accessories – and for many, that’s where Golf Town in Hyde Park fills the gap.
Opened in 2005 at 1250 Fanshawe Park Rd. W., Golf Town is London’s largest golf retailer, employing 30 staff members during peak golf season. Store manager Pat McDonald has been on board since day one, and personally hired all staff for the store’s opening – many of which are still working at the big box golf store today. Nevada Bob’s Golf has a strong presence within the SportChek chain, and pro shops in London sell everything from tees to drivers. Occasionally, out-of-town retailers set up shop in local motels where they sell their surplus golf gear. And there’s Fore Golfers Only in St. Thomas.
But when it comes to one-stop shopping for the golfer in London, nothing compares to Golf Town. “When a customer comes through our doors, they know we can help them find what they’re looking for,” said McDonald, a former pro at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club. Canada’s biggest specialty golf retailer with 54 superstores from coast to coast, Golf Town, which was established in 1999, expanded big-time into the U.S. market with the friendly takeover of the mammoth Golfsmith chain in 2012. McDonald recently returned from a visit to the Golfsmith headquarters in Austin, Texas where they play golf 12 months a year. Now, he’s ready for a busy golf season here in London.
A 1991 London study, conducted by Canadian Golf Marketing, stated there were 81,000 golfers in London, 29,000 of whom were recreational golfers, and the balance avid golfers. That study reported, in most other municipalities, those numbers were reversed. The 1991 study indicated, more than 1.25 million rounds of golf were played each year at London and area’s 20 courses. Today, there are 50 golf courses within a half-hour drive of city hall, with many of the city’s top courses in west London.
The golf club manufacturing industry generates billions of dollars in revenue world wide, resulting in a buyer’s market. There are highly visible trends on the Golf Town shelves, according to McDonald. “Today the customer has numerous choices in golf clubs,” he said. “The big thing today is custom fitting. The new TaylorMade SLDR driver for example has high launch, fast ball speed and low spin. There are 21 adjustable weight positions.” London golfers have other choices to make, too, with about 120 golf courses in our area.
Golf great Arnold Palmer once quipped, “Golf is a game of inches. The most important are the six inches between your ears.” But to the local economy, the game of golf is measured in dollars and cents.
