A grey market is a common way of defining an elderly population. Although, the grey market is becoming more healthy, wealthy and “youthful” due to the advances in modern medicine and the longer life expectancies of today’s population. So just because they are older, do not discard them as non-prospective golf members.
Targeting the grey market is a lot more financially rewarding than most golf marketers understand. In today’s times, we are dealing with the baby boomers now going into retirement. These baby boomers were consumers who did, and do whatever they want. They live how they want and they really live life with gusto.
Baby boomers have already raised their families, sent their kids to college and have done their primary spending over the past 30 or 40 years. Now that they are going into retirement they are downsizing their homes, they are getting rid of the big house, going into smaller homes or even condos and they now have expendable income.
Most people in their retirement age are living on a budget. Well the grey market is probably are living on a budget too, but that budget probably is a lot larger than you think. Targeting the grey market is going to give you an edge on the competition.
A lot of golf marketers when they think of their ideal targets, they want golfers between the ages of 30 and 60. But that was golf marketing from decades ago; they are still living in the past. Now golfers are golfing well into their 80’s and have been very active most of their lives and plan to continue being active because we, as a nation, are far better educated in the benefits of being active throughout our entire lives.
I understand that a lot of golf properties don’t like to target the grey market because they are afraid they will be out there playing every day and beating the system. But “most” of the baby boomer (not the few hundred that are core golfers) market are still very active with their business, investments, charities and different social activities that they are still not going to commit to playing golf 25-50 times a year.
No matter what that 3% is, it is still 3% of the population that is the core golfers. You don’t have to be concerned about that, or build your business model around the fear that a lot of these baby boomers taking up golf are going to be playing 25-50 times a year for the rest of their life. Just like anything else in life, everyone is enthusiastic in the beginning; so they might play a lot but after three months, they will cool down and they will get back into the rhythm of their normal lives. They will go back to playing again once or twice a month because the newness will wear off.
Targeting the grey market is easy for opening up additional revenue streams and different opportunities to grow the game, your golf course and grow your golf career.
For more free tips on growing the game, increasing rounds through golf course marketing, golf marketing, golf course campaigns, golf campaigns, professional golf membership sales and advancing your golf career visit us today @ www.golfmarketingmmc.com or call 904-217-3762.