Millennials and the members of Gen-Z (people aged 16-21) are glued to their phones. Frankly, so is Gen Y. It shouldn't be surprising, then, that these two generations have and will continue to integrate their mobile devices more into their golf games.
Golf mobile startup 18Birdies (which, in full disclosure, provides occasional neutral, golf-related content authored by third-party freelancers to GNN) commissioned a survey of 1,769 Americans age 16 and older to identify their wants and needs as golfers and the potential influence technology could have in bringing non-golfers to the game.
The survey found a total of four in 10 golfers are interested in learning to play golf, that two-thirds of Millennials want to learn and 73 percent of Gen Z golfers are interested in taking up the game.
Among golfers, the survey found golf-centered mobile apps are highly favored, with 94 percent of Millennials saying they would play more golf with a mobile app. Overall, 61 percent of golfers said a mobile app would help them play more golf, particularly helping them identify distances and keeping score.
Equally striking is the momentum for rounds that are less than 18 holes, with 73 percent of golfers expressing support to play more three-, six- or nine-hole rounds.
Golfers also could grow the sport by simply being a welcoming influence to their non-golfer friends. The survey found 86 percent of Millennials and 83 percent of Gen Z-ers would be more likely to play if they had a friend to take them to the range or course. That's something we've known about previous generations, but it's striking to see that high of a figure for modern non-golfers. However, once cost is known and factored in, that number might drop substantially.
