Destination Golf - September 2016 * | Page 28

Peter Walton at the Star Trophy with Colin Montgomerie © IAGTO

DG: Does golf need to change to address people’s changing
habits and available leisure time?
PW: This is a question that the leaders of the golf industry tackle
every day. From a golf tourism perspective, there is an indelible
link between golf participation on a regular basis and the
number of golf vacations taken each year. So we all want to see a
continued growth in avid golfers in all markets.
DG: Do footgolf, speedgolf and shorter courses threaten the
traditional 18-hole game?
PW: All versions of the game are beneficial in that they get
people engaged with golf, which leads to more people choosing
to go on holidays with their friends or family where golf is the
focus. On vacations where golf is more than just a one-time
amenity, golf will remain an 18-hole activity. Many golf travellers
even try to squeeze in an extra nine holes or even a second
round on the same day, light permitting!

where swinging a golf club at a young age becomes as normal
as kicking a football. In the US it will be interesting to see the
success of Top Golf’s new facility in Las Vegas, where golf is
at the heart of, but only one component of, an entertainment
complex. Maybe this is one way to draw Millennials into the
game in their twenties and thirties.
DG: Will there be a positive Olympic effect for golf, do
you think? The return of golf at the Rio Olympics resulted
in the biggest-ever global TV audience for both the men’s
and women’s competitions. Can it help boost the game’s
popularity going forward?

DG: Are enough young people taking up the game? And are
enough efforts are being made to woo them to the sport?

PW: I watched both tournaments from my sofa in London,
but was constantly receiving messages from colleagues either
spectating or working as volunteers in Rio. There is no doubt that
the return of golf to the Olympics was a great success with an
electric atmosphere that was palpable to the millions of viewers,
so that of course can only be positive. Personally, I am keen to
see the impact on accessibility to golf in Brazil; the growth of the
game among both girls and boys throughout Latin America; and,

PW: While in the United States, Canada and Europe golf has
become openly accessible over the past two decades, this is
not necessarily the case in Asia and Latin America. From a global
perspective we are still keen to see advancements in accessibility
to golf tuition and to golf courses for kids of all backgrounds,

DG: The annual IAGTO Awards are the highlight of the
International Golf Travel Market, the golf travel industry’s
largest marketplace event which you established and which

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looking ahead, the gradual positioning of Japan as a unique and
accessible golf destination ahead of the 2020 Olympics.