Where Are Golf’s Disruptors?
Adam Keable, Gather Co-Founder
CHALLENGE….
Right, you have 10 seconds to name 5 true disruptors in golf…go!
Tough isn’t it?
If you did have names rolling off the tongue, please do get in touch as we’d love to hear them, but for the moment, we'll assume that most of you struggled. Which then begs the question:
Does the golf industry lack disruptors or has it been going unnoticed?
We believe it is the former.
Although we can’t pretend that golf is an industry synonymous with innovation, you do feel given the last 20 years of technological advancement, we would be able to recall a few that have radically changed the consumption and delivery of golf. At Gather we have made it our mission to seek out these disruptors but far too often in our weekly meetings, we’ve struggled to identify any! But why is this important and does it really matter? According to our research, there is a void of inspiration and empowerment that spurs the forward thinker to go and create! We all share the Topgolf story but all too often it is the only one!
WILL IT EVER CHANGE?
So why is there a lack of disruption and will this change? We believe yes and here is why.
‘Disruption refers to a situation in which new entrants to a marketplace or industry use new technologies or business models to take from the traditional established players’
Moving away from golf for a moment, there are numerous and well documented examples of disruptors that have changed the face of an industry; Netflix, Airbnb and Uber to name a few. The interesting commonality between them is that these companies have largely disrupted traditional industries that previously boasted high barriers to entry and complacent mindset, giving them a sense of security because of their market dominance.
Indulge me for a minute if you will, but phrases like ‘traditional established players’, ‘market dominance’ and ‘complacent mindsets’ ring very true with golf.
In parallel, consumer power has shifted well and truly in favour of the customer. Consumers have become more demanding and their voice is ever growing. Although golf remains conservative, you don’t have to look far to see golfers challenging the norm.
Behaviours in golf are certainly changing as it was not long ago that Rory McIlroy called out The R&A and ‘hoodiegate’ sent social media into a frenzy. The chorus of golfer’s voices is becoming louder and it’s not going to stop anytime soon.
THE OPPORTUNITY AND THE CONUNDRUM FOR MANY OF US
However two missing ingredients for disruption are investment and environments, but come closer...both of these are building in the background!
With the ‘boom’ rhetoric and a significant global market, investors are starting to see golf through a commercial lens rather than a passion play. Communities are forming on social media that are bringing in wider knowledge, blurring industry lines, with people on the outside looking in through a different lens. For many the issue of not biting the hand that feeds us is a real conundrum, but for others, it does not apply.
So what does this mean? Well potentially that idea you’ve been kicking about, it may be now a good time to explore it! A traditional industry, changing consumer behaviours, inward investment and wider community knowledge - we will see more disruption in the next 10 years than we saw in the previous 100.
My big question is whether they will come from within or outside golf?
My gut says outside because within golf we are still a bit scared...but what do you think?
(Image Credit: Markus Spiske)
