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 Executive Women's Golf Association Marketing Plan: Executive Summary Excerpt
By Lindsey Huff
Calvin Coolidge, who once said, "the business of America is business," didn't quite get it right. As any CEO will tell you, the business of America is golf. With 43% of executives having openly admitted that some of their biggest business deals have been made on the golf course, the correlation between golf and successful business is difficult to ignore.
Among other things, golf serves as a platform for networking, negotiating, and camaraderie otherwise not achieved in the office. A far more important thing to realize is that the preconceived notion of golf as a business tool that is reserved only for the boys in top-level executive positions is no longer accurate. People from all different genres of business realize the benefits of getting on the course with clients. As painful as it is to admit, the world of business defends the whole cliche, saying,"It's not what you know, but who you know."
Research has uncovered the fact that there are an overwhelmingly large number of men golfers to women golfers. Only recently have women realized that they are at a great disadvantage in the business world when they either will not or are not able to participate with their male and/or female counterparts on the golf course. With this realization, women are taking to the course and learn the game of golf. More women are making business deals and networking alliances on turf once considered primarily the domain of men. The shift is coming as more women move up the executive ladder and into occupations and pastimes traditionally closed to them. Many successful businesswomen have confessed that their careers have benefited by networking with others on the course.
Women make up 36% of all beginning golfers, according to the National Golf Foundation (NGF), and the number of women playing golf has risen 11% since 1986 to more than 5 million and is continuously increasing. The problem is, many women are not sure where to begin to break into the business world by playing golf. This is exactly where the Executive Women's Golf Association (EWGA) can help the businesswomen of today and tomorrow.
The EWGA has the potential to be a key player in women's assimilation into the golfing community as well as the business networking community.
At the end of 2002, there were 17,051 members, giving the association an overall growth rate of 58% . Although these numbers are notable, the annual growth rate has been steadily declining for the past three years. Appropriate and intimate marketing tactics could undoubtedly solve this problem for the EWGA.
Key media avenues will be through the Internet and local newspapers/magazines. Since the EWGA is a non-profit organization with a very tight marketing budget, advertising through television will be not be an option.
The chief concerns of the San Francisco chapter of the EWGA are that it is currently lacking diversity within its member base, has insufficient membership retention, and is in a market where it could greatly exceed its current 200 member size. With extensive research on the San Francisco/Bay Area market, this marketing plan will address these issues and suggest ways of solving them through grass-roots programs, new sponsor acquisitions, and a new marketing campaign. This initiative -- which includes a new logo and slogan -- will improve the appeal of the association for women of all ages and ethnicities. Giving the EWGA a slightly different avenue for reaching women in the Bay Area, not just as a way to get into the golfing community but as a tool for career advancement as well.
The goals of this plan are clear: to increase product diversity, to improve membership retention and to increase product exposure. The EWGA has a quality product and the potential to be the Mecca for women who wish to enter the world of golf and 'drive' their lives and careers in a positive way. The San Francisco chapter of the EWGA will be seen as the benchmark not only for other chapters, but also for many women's business associations across the nation.
The San Francisco chapter will be the focus of this plan, with the objective for it to be implemented by the organization on a national scale.
About the Executive Women's Golf Association
"The opportunities offered by the EWGA are helping women make their influence felt in golf. The Association is an open avenue for women to use golf as a tool for both personal growth and corporate advancement. The EWGA provides women the opportunity to gain proficiency in this business sport in a welcoming and comfortable environment."
--Sara Hume, Executive Director EWGA
The Executive Women's Golf Association (EWGA) is a not-for-profit organization formed in 1991 to provide opportunities for women to learn, play, and enjoy the game of golf for business and for life. It serves as a means for women to learn the game of golf and find other women who are interested in doing the same. The mission of the EWGA is to promote and foster a spirit of acceptance, dignity and respect for career-oriented women golfers nationwide . The EWGA has over 17,000 members and 117 chapters throughout the country and one in Ontario, Canada. Each one of these chapters conducts its own local tournaments, tee times, events, celebrations, etc. However, all chapters are required to participate in the national EWGA Championship tournament held by the EWGA at a selected course in North America. Also, there is an annual conference that is held for EWGA members to help them improve their golf skills along with their business skills.
The Association's headquarters is located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The president of the board of directors is Tyra Jarvis (1996) and the Executive Director is Sara Hume (1999). A New membership costs between $90 and $120 depending on geographic location.
EWGA National Programs:
This annual gathering attracts over 750 members over four days who participate in leadership training sessions, personal development sessions, themed golf tournaments, golf clinics, a sponsor marketplace, a highly anticipated awards ceremony and banquet where the final champions of the EWGA Championship Golf Series are announced.
This is one of the largest female amateur golf events worldwide. Over 2,200 members compete in this event beginning at the Chapter Championships (100+ of them) then advancing to the 12 Sectional Championships and culminating with the Finals, which take place at the annual fall conference.
All EWGA members are required to have a USGA approved handicap index. Two separate competitions are held. They are:
- Individual stroke play in five flights based on handicaps
- Four-woman scramble team competition
Five years ago, Gerry Laue decided to start taking lessons because so many business outings took place on the course. It took her more than three years to work up the nerve, and experience, to play with others.
''Being a woman in business, there used to be much more of an old boys' network,'' says Laue, who runs Laue Marketing Group in Towson, Md. ''Now, women are creating their own networks."
The EWGA's existing sponsorships and partnerships that will be leveraged further through this marketing plan will be the LPGA, Office Depot, Bette & Court, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Titleist, etc. All of these companies will gain more opportunities to be present at events and advertise through additional collateral.
For the complete copy of the EWGA Marketing Plan, including demographic information and the overall strategy and rationale, contact Lindsey at lindsey@sportsbusinesssims.com
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