How to take advantage of the calm and conviviality of a green to talk about business
Meetings that bring together entrepreneurs and investors in a fun and relaxed way. Beyond the clichés that this sport can convey, golf remains a business accelerator. Competitions and other golfing events would remain a means of developing one's network and talking about business for some of the economic decision-makers, whatever their sector.
With 735 golf courses with land across France and 810 golfers in total (including 000 licensees), France is no exception when it comes to golf. Even if, unlike other countries like the United States or the United Kingdom, it would still be a few strides behind. “We must not forget that golf is the first individual sport in the world, ahead of tennis. The fact that this discipline is making its return to the Olympic Games is a good sign ”, displays Pascal Grizot, vice-president of the French Golf Federation. Several players in the sector believe that the organization by France last year of the great mass of world golf, the Ryder Cup, would have also made it possible to promote this sport. “Since this event, France has become a golfing destination, which now attracts American and Asian tourists,” adds Christophe Pottier, director of golf activities for the Barrière group, who for his part offers ten golf destinations as well as a notebook. of 410 partner golf courses.
However, the business practice of golf remains less developed than in English-speaking countries (United States, United Kingdom), which have always tended to use this sport as a business vector. “We can see it as a potential to be developed”, however emphasizes Marc Lhermitte, partner at EY. According to him, a study carried out by the federation shows that golf is played 69% with friends, 32% with a club partner, and only 9% between colleagues. Moreover, when golf clubs are asked about their priorities, the development of corporate customers comes second, just after tourism customers.
One of the elements which could slow down the development of golf is precisely its image: “we went from a sport which seemed to be reserved for the elite to a strong democratization in the 80s, with an explosion in the number of courses” , believes Marc Lhermitte.
Some do not hesitate to compare its rise with that of another discipline which has also been able to seduce the BtoB public. “Tennis was in the same situation as golf 30 years ago, with some difficulty of access, very protected clay court equipment, etc. But it ended up developing thanks to the presence of champions and strong media exposure, as well as a large court construction program ”, recalls Marc Lhermitte. Around a hundred golf courses have also been built or re-equipped over the past five years near major cities, focusing on opening up to a diverse population.
Doing business differently
“The magic of golf is that it is a sport that can be used as a practice or entertainment sport by companies, which is not the case with rugby or football”, poster Marc Lhermitte. Whether during the week or at weekends, the clubs indeed offer several formulas which allow managers and business leaders to “network” in a rural setting. “You can choose to bring customers or suppliers to share a half-day activity during the week, but also a dedicated weekend, with entertainment, a reception or a meeting that can be held on site” , notes Marc Lhermitte. An opportunity to combine business with pleasure, and to discover or rediscover partners in a different light. “Golf is a good way to spend four hours with someone and discuss things outside the usual context of business meetings,” said Pascal Grizot, vice-president of the French Golf Federation. “The clubhouses of golf courses, like that of Deauville, are real meeting spots, like certain large Parisian circles”, recognizes Christophe Pottier.
“Golf clubhouses, like the one in Deauville, are real meeting spots, like certain large circles in Paris”
Links that are forged with a community effect, difficult to compare with what we find in team sports, where efforts are more intense, the participants are more numerous and where the objective remains, in fine, to win the bet. “We're not going to talk about business while playing a rugby match,” admits Pascal Grizot. But like these sports, golf also allows companies to invite their partners to big events, as was the case with the Ryder Cup. “These meetings remain conducive to inviting clients,” says Pascal Grizot.
“Companies can take advantage of big events to invite big customers and suppliers, much like they would by sponsoring the Tour de France or by taking a box at PSG, in order to display a certain brand image and to have a good half day. And therefore to intensify relations ”, notes Marc Bousige, director of the International Academy of Golf Trades (AIMG). He cites as an example a client company specializing in the manufacture of industrial beams and which had difficulty meeting its clientele, mainly composed of architects and contractors. “They realized that the entry into the matter and the contact were much easier with golf, which also allowed them to make fewer contacts, but of much better quality,” he says.
A trend that is gaining ground
According to Marjorie Armengaud, development manager of the Golfy network, which offers an access card system to a network of partner golf courses, it takes an average of 77 euros for a game (excluding reduction) on a national golf course. “When you bring in a non-golfer on a course, he quickly realizes that it is not a sport for the elite. People observe the quality of the welcome, the services and the restaurants, which very often triggers the desire for business leaders to organize seminars or incentive operations on site ”, she confides. .
More often than not, the emphasis is on user-friendliness rather than the search for performance. “When companies contact us to organize a golf event for a BtoB audience, they prefer to reward a team than an individual, and always provide a starting gift, as well as a brochure highlighting the sponsors, with half a day that ends with a small meal. All budgets are possible depending on the service requested ”, indicates Marc Bousige.
Although these events are open to all businesses, this does not prevent certain sectors from being found more frequently on the greens: banking and finance, investors, automotive professionals, real estate agents, industry or high-end services. … “In recent years, we have also seen a boom in new technology companies,” recognizes Pascal Grizot. Proof that golf has now become trendy?
““ In recent years, we have also seen a boom on the side of new technology companies ”. Proof that golf has now become a trend? ”
However, to participate, entrepreneurs and managers will have to lift a brake: that of practice time. “After a little theoretical part, it takes an average of ten sessions to learn how to hit the ball before you can really get started,” says Pascal Grizot. “Golf is an activity that takes time, but it is not necessarily a question of money, because someone who goes skiing will spend more,” adds Marc Bousige.
To gradually open up to the uninitiated, golf operators already offer coaching packages intended for non-practitioners. And sometimes go as far as more complete programs, as is the case of the Barrière group, which announces the launch of a “golf academy accessible to all, and in particular to beginners, as well as to high-level players. or to corporate customers ”, explains Christophe Pottier.
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