Believers in Cool

November 1, 2009

A recent study conducted by Label Networks Inc. this past summer  asked North American Gen Y youth “what sport they most wanted to learn.”  The question was posed to 6,278 13-25 yr old boys and girls and the results were presented by Kathleen Gasperini at the 2009 Action Sports Conference this past July.  The top aspirational sports for both sexes was surfing, snowboarding, and skateboarding but what surprised me the most was the complete and utter absence of golf from the top 10 positions. What happened?

Is golf really that “not cool” with today’s youth? Based on this research it would appear so, or maybe it is because golf  has just been around for so many centuries that it is just being taken for granted? Is it because we all grow up seeing our mom and dad playing golf so in the back of our head’s we just dismiss it as something old people do?Although I love the fact that golf can be enjoyed by any age group, I think we can all agree that the golf manufacturing industry as a whole is lagging behind promoting our favorite sport as fun, creative, and contemporary.

There are many youth and junior golf organizations in the United States working hard, and doing a great job at making the sport fun and more accessible to Gen Y’s.  But it says a lot that these organizations need to exist in the first place in order to capture kids interest and to create opportunities for them to play. Most golf courses and golfers are not welcoming to Gen Y’s demographic unless they are wearing dress pants, staying whisper quiet, and accompanied by an adult on the course. Compare that to the creativity and self  expression that snow, skate, and surf sports offer and it is no wonder why kids think golf sucks.

But for us at PunkRockz, we see this as an opportunity. We are bringing the excitement and creativity and MARKETING potential of board sports to golf and believe it is a huge opportunity for golf retailers, fans, and the sport in general.  We believe this is a step forward for attracting future generations and keeping the current generations of golfers interested and playing golf.

PunkRockz makes cool golf balls. They are fun to look at, fun to golf with, and bring much needed creativity and self expression to our sport. Our golf balls appeal to not just Gen Y’s but also to the Gen X generation that grew up snowboarding, skating, and surfing -the generation that made these board sports mainstream.  These board sports pioneers are now taking up golf and seeking something more from this rich and wonderful sport.

You can see Label Networks research by following this link: http://groupynetwork.com/experiment/research/what-sports-would-teens-most-like-to-learn/

2 Comments »

1. 

   Hi Guys’,

   Just wanted to say we completely agree with you and we have been creating a wave of change in golf for a number of years now. We recognize there is a new school in golf and we are trying to make golf more popular by golfizing certain things from popular culture.
   This is why we do t-shirts as it allows us to express our selves and create our own view of the great game. We love what you have done and the balls are fantastic.

   Old Game, New Cool for those who don’t want to drink from the main stream!

   Bunker Mentality Crew

   Comment by Rob — November 10, 2009 @ 2:40 pm

2. 

   I want to thank the blogger very much not only for this post but also for his all previous efforts. I found punkrockz.com to be greatly interesting. I will be coming back to punkrockz.com for more information.

   Comment by payday loans — February 22, 2010 @ 2:36 am

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