The change of golf class

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2006-10-31 11:56 Author:Miao Wei Xie Heng No.41, 2006

On October 27th, Mr. Xu Zhihong, president of Peking University, said in an interview with the media that Peking University had stopped the construction plan of the golf driving range because there were too many objections. President Xu said that I don’t play golf and I don’t know anything about golf. However, it used to be said that tennis was an aristocratic sport, and now almost all universities have tennis courts.

In Zhangzhou Campus of Xiamen University, a "most beautiful" golf driving range is under construction. The driving range started construction in the second half of last year and is expected to be completed in December this year. There is also a mini-court, 5 holes, 4 par-3 holes and 1 par-4 hole, with a total length of 622 yards, with bunkers, water obstacles and fairways. Mr. Zhu Chongshi, president of Xiamen University, said that they built "the most beautiful driving range in China", which is not an exaggeration. It is really rare to have a driving range with a length of 312 yards and a par-4 hole in China.

This summer vacation, Beijing and other cities started many golf summer camps, and parents spent thousands of dollars to sign up and let their children get in touch with golf. In the new semester in September, the students of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics found that the elective course of physical education included golf. The teacher said, "We are a university of finance and economics, and students have more opportunities to get in touch with economic figures after graduation. Now many businesses are negotiated on golf courses, so I hope students can get in touch with the society as soon as possible, understand this sport and lay a foundation for future business activities." Beijing University is going to build a driving range, and Xiamen University is going to link golf with elite education. All these news have caused debates, and golf is once again regarded as a symbol of "rich class" or "social elite".

At the end of October, news came from Tianjin that Tianjin Water Park, which has a history of more than 50 years, began to build two golf driving ranges. The person in charge of the park said that renting some venues was to alleviate the pressure of operation. But the parks enjoyed by the citizens are occupied by the stadiums and clubs of businessmen. In fact, many public sports facilities in Beijing have long been contracted as driving ranges, and the originally planned parks have also become stadiums. Spencer Robinson, the publisher of Asian Golf Monthly, said: "There are many inappropriate courses in Asia. In those places where courses should not be built, people have built courses, while those places that should be natural courses have not been used." He said that golf in Chinese mainland is full of commercial interests.

On November 9th, the "HSBC Championship" will be held in Sheshan Club, and Tiger Woods will come to China again. When HSBC planned this event, it proposed to IMG, an international management group, that tigers should participate in the event with the highest prize in China and even in Asia. As one of the largest financial services institutions in the world, HSBC sponsors top-class golf tournaments in Europe and the United States. Mr. Weng Fuze, president of HSBC China business, said in an exclusive interview with this reporter: "Compared with last year’s tournament, the number of golfers this year has grown even stronger, and many world experts including Tiger Woods, David Howell and jim furyk have confirmed their future in Shanghai. Another notable difference is that our investment in golf development in China is increasing. The HSBC Tomorrow Champion Training Camp project initiated by us in cooperation with the China Golf Association will be first carried out in four cities: Beijing, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Shanghai. " Mr. Weng Fuze said, "Golf is the only sport that HSBC invests in the world at present. Sponsoring golf gives HSBC the opportunity to talk directly with customers, and there are more and more golf lovers among our customers. "

A professional magazine once verified that in 1953, the Shanghai municipal government razed the golf course belonging to HSBC at that time and built a zoo there. After many years, the story seems to have a new cycle. Last year’s "HSBC Championship" promoted the sales of high-end villas in Sheshan Club, and professional reporters recorded the landing point of every shot of Tiger Woods. His influence in the golf crowd can be confirmed in many driving ranges. Those who discuss the technical details will discuss: You swing like a tiger, and you swing like a Florrick. On weekends, friends and relatives can be seen in many golf driving ranges. "Elder sister, swing a shot" and "Slow down, children". They are holding complimentary tickets or newly-established practice cards to experience their newly-started golf trip. Golf courses were once the exclusive territory of the rich, but more and more people began to try this sport and change its face.

How many golfers do we have?

CCTV Sports Channel has a "Golf Match" program every Monday night. The person in charge of the channel said that the "World Football" program on Monday night has a high audience rating, but when it comes to broadcasting golf, the audience rating suddenly drops. But the ratings of less than 1% can also be explained in this way. The director of CCTV Digital Golf and Tennis Channel stated that the number of viewers can often reach more than 1 million. In May this year, the Golf and Tennis Channel was revised and unveiled, and all major competitions will be broadcast live. And from next season, try to broadcast 24 hours a day.

As far as the number of golf courses is concerned, there are 300 to 400 golf courses in China, which is already the second largest golf country in Asia and the fifth largest golf country in the world. Spencer Robinson of Asia Golf Monthly said, "We estimate that there are 300,000 golfers in China at present, including foreigners in China, but course operators and some related people think that the golf population in China should be more. Some people even think that after five years, the golf population in China can reach 4 million-this is obviously an unrealistic figure. "

Li Yan, the boss of Baijiatong, said: "I think the golf population in China is only 500,000, which is still high. Excluding those foreign businessmen who play in China, they can play golf three times a month, and the country will not exceed 500,000." However, what Li Yan counted most was another account. "There are 250 million people in the United States, 30 million of whom play golf; There are 120 million people in Japan, 16 million of whom play golf; There are 48 million people in South Korea, 5 million of whom play golf. The golf population in these countries is more than 10% of the total population. You calculate the population of more than 300 million cities in China, and 10% of them have an annual income of more than 10,000 dollars. The consumption concepts and habits of this income group will undergo fundamental changes. " Li Yan is in charge of "Baijiatong", which is to promote golf clubs and practice cards for beginners. "Now all courses, driving ranges, clubs and clothing companies claim that China has a golf population of 1 million, and they are all staring at this 1 million, and banks, cars and real estate companies are all doing activities for them. But my target market is 30 million people. "

There was an article in Golf Digest magazine that golf is a "national entertainment" in America, because you can play golf no matter how old you are. "You can not only play like a professional player, but also play on the courses they have played, and even occasionally play the same swing as them." In 1972, an article in this magazine said that golf is the "official sport" of our time. "When people work on farms, they are too scattered to play golf; When people work in factories, they are too tired to play golf; When people work in the office, they have time and energy to play golf, because it is one of the few fitness opportunities they can get, even if they are getting older. "

Li Yan’s judgment is that the golf craze in the United States began in the 1960s and 1970s, when the economy was developed. The golf craze in Japan and South Korea was also related to economic development. Mr. Xing Gongjie, President of Bank of Montreal, Canada, Beijing Branch, also supports this statement: "Golf has become a fashion trend. Japan was more than 30 years ago, South Korea was more than 20 years ago, and Hong Kong was more than 10 years ago, all of which were accompanied by economic growth, and the popularity of tennis will be several years earlier than golf. I think golf has also become a fashion in the mainland. "

Let some people fight first.

In 1994, Chia Tai International released a record called "Let me fool myself again". The singer "Transocean" was named "Liu Guoliang". "My goodness is the goodness of a good citizen, which is different from that of table tennis coach Liu Guoliang. However, the two of us have played ball, and I can let him play golf as much as he wants me to."

When Liu Guoliang filled that record, he was in the United States, and he came into contact with golf in Los Angeles. After practicing for a year and a half, he passed the PGA Playability Test. According to the American golf professional qualification regulations, after passing the ability examination, you are a professional trainee. Liu Guoliang said, "I gave up later. Professional players, this road is too difficult. If you really want to enjoy golf, don’t go in the direction of career. Later, I decided to use my skills and contacts to do some business related to golf. "

In 2000, Liu Guoliang met John Reynolds III, vice president of American Club Car Cart Company, and he soon became the company’s agent in China. Reynolds III is a member of the American Masters Augusta Stadium. In January 2006, he finally took Liu Guoliang to Augusta to play a game.

Liu Guoliang’s best partner is Dai Ningwei. In the late 1990s, Dai Ningwei contracted the project of Shenzhen Golf Club, and later began to play golf. He said, "Liu Guoliang is a player I respect very much, and he is my predecessor. He has passed the American professional ability test at the age of 34, and when I was 34, I had not touched the club." Dai Ningwei’s ability to read lines is a must. He laughed at himself as "drainage buried lines, so he can read lines accurately". Zhang Lianwei specially invited Dai Ningwei to caddy at the Volvo China Open held in Shenzhen Golf Club last year. In 2001, Tiger Woods went to Mission Hills in Shenzhen to play ball. It was a big party for businessmen. Many businessmen spent tens of thousands of dollars to get the chance to play a hole with Tiger Woods. Duan Yongping, the boss of BBK, sponsored the tournament and got the chance to play 18 holes with Tiger Woods. Liu Guoliang served as a caddy for Duan Yongping. "Actually, I watched the tiger play ball when I was in the United States, but it was still fun to play a game with him and have a chance to chat with him."

"If you must compare golf in China and the United States, it is obvious that playing in the United States is cheaper. But this comparison is meaningless, and the main difference is the historical and cultural accumulation of golf. A club like Augusta does not have money to become a member. In China, few people play golf, and few people know about golf. Therefore, their views on golf are one-sided, as if they are rich or expensive, and it is an aristocratic sport. Or golf is gambling. In fact, life is not a gamble. You bet 5 yuan on it, and people bet 100,000 yuan on it. It is obvious how much money golf professionals can get when they play first place. The prize list is a reference for the level of players. I would rather say that amateurs gamble a little, which is modeled after professional players. " Liu Guoliang is a well-known amateur in China. When interviewed, he was making preparations for the "Global Connect" competition organized by China Mobile. He did not deny that his cart business was getting better and better, precisely because there were more stadiums and more people playing. "I feel that there are more people who know about golf now. This is an inevitable trend. Everyone can see more games, middle-and upper-income people have begun to play, and public courses have also increased."

"Golf is more difficult for most people. Talent, physical condition, social atmosphere, environment and economic foundation are just like the barrel theory. If there are fewer places, you can’t play golf well. However, the vitality of golf is different from other sports in that it is not a direct confrontation, but rather leisurely. People of different levels can also play together, TEE off on different tees, make shots, and play fairly. "

The driving force of golf

In 2005, the total prize money of the Asian Tour of Golf was 20 million dollars, the European Tour was 200 million dollars, and the American Tour was 250 million dollars. If all the expenses such as appearance fee, publicity fee, license fee and operation fee are included, holding a top-level professional event is costly, and the generosity of sponsors has contributed to the prosperity of golf events. In the eyes of sponsors, sponsoring a golf tournament is like digging a gold mine, because the most targeted customers and people with the most purchasing power are gathered here.

Sponsorship from financial institutions accounted for 21% of the PGA Tour. Financial giants with strong financial resources such as Zurich Bank, Wachovia Bank, Barclays, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, American Express, MasterCard and Morgan Stanley generously contributed to the high title fee. The total prize money of American Express Championship is $7.5 million, Wachovia Championship is $6 million and Barclays Classic is $5.75 million. Enterprises’ sponsorship of sports events always starts from their own target consumers and corporate culture concepts, and the financial industry is keen on sponsoring golf. "In our financial business, UBS Group AG’s success depends on providing high-quality services. The same is true of golf. It requires decisive decisions, as well as professionalism, professionalism and partnership. " Kathryn Shih, CEO of UBS Group AG Asia-Pacific Region, told this reporter that UBS Group AG was named as the Hong Kong Open, and the prize money in 2006 increased by 66% to 2 million US dollars compared with last year. "Although our customers come from different backgrounds, the popularity of golf in the Asia-Pacific region makes it increasingly an effective way to communicate with customers."

"There are so many poor students, how can you learn golf in the university? How can you play golf when there are so many people who still have not enough to eat? In the political context of China, such remarks are always correct. " Mr. Xing Gongjie said, "However, it should be noted that in the world, golf or golfers have the healthiest image. They are elegant and gentlemanly. Occasionally, a few golfers with poor image will be classified as’ bad’ just because of smoking and drinking. So I will take my children to play ball games. When I go back to Canada, they will also say, Let’s play ball together. That feeling is very happy. It is often seen on the court that a family plays together. "

"It’s certainly a good thing to learn to play in college. Perhaps because a student doesn’t have such good economic conditions, he will put down his studies and have no chance to play, but if he has the opportunity and ability to get in touch with golf after working for a period of time, he will get started faster." Mr. Xing Gongjie said, "Before the IT bubble burst, golf was booming in Beijing. In the late 1990s, many automobile brands started to hold their own golf tournaments, and later real estate companies joined in. There are many kinds of amateur competitions, and various chambers of commerce will organize competitions. Playing ball can really expand their social aspects, but playing that kind of’ social ball’ is also very tiring. "

Before becoming the editor of Golf Master, Eco worked in Xubao Stadium in Shanghai for 4 years. In Eco’s observation, the bags of Shanghai amateur masters and Beijing amateur masters are somewhat different. Beijing masters are almost all Honma hardcore. "Probably northerners make public that golf is expensive, so they all use the most expensive clubs. In the bag of Shanghai masters, Mizuno, TaylorMade and other brands are available, which is more practical. " Besides, the masters in Beijing don’t want to talk about business with you. Some people will say, "I used to swing a sledgehammer when I was a worker in Daqing. That arm strength and that accuracy will definitely help me play golf now, and it is also accurate and ruthless." In Shanghai, there is no contradiction between golf and business. The teams in Shanghai were first organized by Taiwanese businessmen. Later, amateur players in the transportation industry formed the "747 Team", which not only strengthened the contact with peers, but also gave people who wanted to make friends with this circle some opportunities. People in IT circles form quanta team, while polar bears are in the paper and stationery business. In 2002, the friendly competition of golf teams in Greater Shanghai was formally established, and cars and real estate were sponsored in succession. In that year’s competition, someone won a Mercedes-Benz in one hole.

Shanghai Xubao Golf Course is not supported by real estate projects, but the club has achieved brand success by holding Volvo China Open in succession. Echo said that the most exciting experience in her work is also holding competitions, but the Shanghai golf course emphasizes the international background, and most of the senior managers are foreigners, so she turned to be a reporter. My first job as a reporter was to interview the global BMW Owners Amateur Competition held in Thailand in 2005. A marketing manager of BMW said that the reason for organizing the BMW Asian Open in Shanghai is simple, but the market research conducted by the company shows that 50% of BMW owners in China love golf. Although BMW has a F1 team, the public will really accept F1 only when China has its own first-class F1 drivers.

In Apotheker’s judgment, golf is no longer an "aristocratic sport". "A few years ago, in the office building over there in Shanghai Jinmao Center, there were often stadiums to put up small advertisements and sell annual cards for 2,800 yuan or 4,800 yuan, which could play more than 10 games. The purpose of the stadium is to let more white-collar workers start playing golf. Playing golf can help them’ climb up’ and have the opportunity to play with customers and bosses, which is good for the career development of white-collar workers. Moreover, they can afford this kind of consumption. In Beijing and Shanghai, they can find a stadium that costs 200 yuan to play a game. A game takes four hours, which is only 50 yuan per hour. How much is it for you to rent a court for playing tennis? For the golf driving range, an annual card may be 3,000 to 5,000, which is similar to the price of a fitness card. "

There are always more people outside the door than inside.

Chang ‘an Street, 2nd floor of Ocean Building, the headquarters of Baijiatong, the office of boss Li Yan is like a warehouse, and packages of TaylorMade clubs are being repackaged. In July, "Baijiatong" and TaylorMade reached an agreement on joint promotion. The new card launched by "Baijiatong" includes a set of TaylorMade clubs, driving range and green coupons, and the price is more than 10,000 pieces. Li Yan said: "So many people in China know about Adidas, but most people don’t know that Adidas has acquired golf equipment TaylorMade. This brand is known to players. The reason why they cooperate with us is that they have taken a fancy to those who haven’t played yet and are preparing to play."

Most people know "Baijiatong" through advertisements on the radio. In Beijing, it is FM91.5, in Guangzhou, there are Pearl River Economic Station and Guangzhou Golden Melody, and in Shanghai, there are "EASY FM" and "879". The most attractive part of advertisements is that you can get a club and experience golf at one time for only 99 yuan. Of course, as soon as you go to play ball, you will find that the budget may have to be doubled. If you buy a pair of gloves for playing ball, you may have to pay another 99 yuan.

On October 1, 2003, Li Yan swung his first shot at Beijing Wanliu Club. At that time, a friend asked him to play ball on October 8. He felt that he would not play and had no face, so he went to make a surprise attack in advance. In Wanliu, I first bought a course of 20,000 yuan, a set of poles of 30,000 yuan, and a driving range card of several thousand yuan. "To make golf bigger, we must first solve the price problem. If you learn golf, you will spend half a car’s money, which is certainly unrealistic. What we need to do is to make information transparent, because I have taken a lot of wrong paths when learning the ball, so I can consider it from the perspective of consumers, and I will do whatever consumers need. I just broke the concept of golf’ high’. "

In April 2005, "Baijiatong" Golf had its own platform and began to sell practice cards at various prices. Thousands of them were launched in Beijing that year. Li Yan found that the proportion of group buying is high, which shows that many companies regard playing ball as a means to entertain customers or train employees. He heard many people criticize "Baijiatong" for "abusing" golf, but his goal is obviously to "abuse" golf more: "Just look at friends around you, some of them are traveling, indicating that the tourism market is good, some are going to restaurants, indicating that the catering market is good, and some are going to play golf, indicating that golf is getting hot. But even if there are 2 million private cars in Beijing, there are still many people who want to learn to drive, and the business of driving schools is still good. Mobile phones are popular enough, right? There are 400 million users in China, but there are still many people who don’t have mobile phones. So what we have to do is to increase the market. This year’s’ first package’ is calculated according to 1 million, which is not an exaggerated figure. China sells 5 million cars and more than 30 million credit cards every year. I tell others about my Baijiatong revolution every day. Last year, the space we expanded was only in Beijing. This year, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chengdu and Chongqing all opened. We have to jointly issue with auto dealers and banks as the mainstream channel. 1 million is not impossible. As long as 10% of these 1 million people continue to buy our products, we will succeed. "

Like Baijiatong, Golf Zone and Zhonggaowang are also engaged in golf service industry, but they mostly provide booking service, aiming at "stock market". During this year’s World Cup, Eagle Golf’s 1872 hotline entered the market. Their slogan was "China Golf Booking Operator" and "Eleventh" Golden Week. The number of people who booked the next game through 1872 was 1,767. Their business model was simple: the hotel had Ctrip, and the course reservation was 1872. The manager of Eagle Golf said: "Our target customers are those who have already been exposed to golf."

"As long as you pick up the phone and can book a stadium, it should be regarded as a public stadium." Echo said, "At the beginning of opening, many courses claimed to be the Augusta of China and take the elite route. Unless their matching villas sell well and the owners don’t need the return of the courses, otherwise, the operating pressure will make these courses receive individual customers. Although they don’t call for’ public courses’, the price of sending green tickets is gradually acceptable."

Li Yan believes that golf membership only buys "hitting right" and has no feeling of "shareholder", so most people don’t need to buy membership. He has lived in Beijing for more than 20 years and played golf for more than 10 years, but Mr. Xing Gongjie doesn’t have a membership card. "I think it has something to do with the level and way of club management. In the United States and Canada, many clubs have a long history, and membership is a very serious matter. As members of this club, everyone will have a say in how this club develops. If you want to join a new member, then the old members will discuss together whether to absorb this new member. Does he fit into this circle? Just because a club in China bought a membership card doesn’t mean you can make irresponsible remarks about the operation of the club. "

The membership card price of Beijing Taiwei Club is RMB 1.2 million, while the membership price of Shanghai Tomson and Xubao exceeds US$ 80,000. As the HSBC Championship attracted Sheshan of Tiger Woods, the membership card price has now risen to US$ 180,000. At the same time, there are also "civilian" clubs in Shanghai, and Binhai Club has launched an annual membership card of 1780 yuan. In the "University Town" and other stadiums near Beijing, the price of playing a ball is 200 yuan. A frequent golfer once said, "The golf course in China has a very strange phenomenon. No matter whether it is well maintained or not, there is a common price: the green fee for members and guests is 300 yuan. If one day, the pricing of these courses starts to range from $20 to $200 like that of the United States, the golf courses in China will see hope. "

Song Liangliang, Deputy Secretary-General of China High-Tech Association, was the general manager of a golf club in Beijing 10 years ago. At that time, he introduced a business mode called "100 yuan All-in", which was limited to China people, and everyone could play a game only by 100 yuan, and included all the expenses such as transportation, golf rental and lunch. But only one person signed up for that activity. Now, if any stadium launches the "all-in 150 yuan", there must be more than one applicant.■
(Thanks to Golf Masters magazine Huang Qing and Eco for their help in this article)