WEBVTT - PGA Tour President Jill Spiegel Talks Women's Golf

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<v Speaker 1>But do me the favorite. I got that swing. Do

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<v Speaker 1>wan doua doua doua doua doua do wa dou wan

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<v Speaker 1>do yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>Ella Fitzgerald speaking of swing, speaking of makes me think

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<v Speaker 2>a little bit about golf. You probably if you think

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<v Speaker 2>about the game or the sport, you'll bring up the

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<v Speaker 2>PGA Men's Tour and you would be right. Yet, thanks

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<v Speaker 2>to the pandemic, tim more women are engaging in golf.

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<v Speaker 3>Okay, check this out. The National Golf Foundation reported last

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<v Speaker 3>year that one of the most notable aspects of the

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<v Speaker 3>pandemic driven rise in participation over the past three years

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<v Speaker 3>has been the influx of women and girls. The organization

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<v Speaker 3>noted that there are about six point four million female golfers,

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<v Speaker 3>up from five point six million in twenty nineteen, with

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<v Speaker 3>the female golfer pool jumping fifteen percent, Carol, compared to

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<v Speaker 3>a two percent lift among male golfers.

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<v Speaker 2>I have some nieces and a sister in law that

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<v Speaker 2>you can add to that list.

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<v Speaker 1>There.

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<v Speaker 2>This brings us to the Women's US Open, currently underway

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<v Speaker 2>at the Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania. Round two today,

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<v Speaker 2>we welcome back Jill Spiegel. She's president of the PGA

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<v Speaker 2>Tour superstore. She joins us in Atlanta. Jill, great to

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<v Speaker 2>have you here with us on this Friday. I grew

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<v Speaker 2>up watching a lot of golf, my dad, my four brothers,

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<v Speaker 2>they were all in I never learned to play, which

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<v Speaker 2>really upsets me.

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<v Speaker 3>It's that you can look to you, Carol.

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<v Speaker 2>I know, I know, and I do think about it.

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<v Speaker 3>I just need like four hours on a Friday, get out.

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<v Speaker 2>There on the links right after I finished this three

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<v Speaker 2>hour show.

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<v Speaker 1>You got it?

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<v Speaker 2>Hey, Jill, what are you seeing when it comes to

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<v Speaker 2>women engaging as a player, as a fan, and you know,

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<v Speaker 2>individuals who are interested in golf related merchandising.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, well, you guys quoted a couple of the stats

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<v Speaker 1>in your opening, and it's really fun to watch. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>twenty six percent of all golfers or women, and sixty

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<v Speaker 1>percent a lot of new people came into the game,

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<v Speaker 1>and sixty percent of new golfers that came into the

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<v Speaker 1>game over the last few years have been women. So

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<v Speaker 1>we we anticipate that twenty six percent climbing over thirty

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<v Speaker 1>here in the new future. And what's really exciting as well, is,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, over forty percent of eighteen and under golfers

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<v Speaker 1>or girls, which is great. So that trend is going

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<v Speaker 1>to continue, and it's really exciting to see not only

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<v Speaker 1>in women's golf, but in women's sports in general. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>if you look back just a couple of months ago,

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<v Speaker 1>with the craziness around Caitlin Clark and how that's translated

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<v Speaker 1>into the WMBA, it's it's really exciting. And the women's

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<v Speaker 1>purse this weekend at the US Open is almost it's

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<v Speaker 1>twelve million dollars, almost double was just three years ago.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, Viewership is much much higher on the LPGA

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<v Speaker 1>and twelve you know, the media consumption is twelve million

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<v Speaker 1>viewers a week versus just what was just four million

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<v Speaker 1>a few years ago, so it's really fun to watch.

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<v Speaker 1>We are very supportive of the female customer in our stores.

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<v Speaker 1>In several of our locations we lead with women's apparel,

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<v Speaker 1>and our resort locations we actually saw more women's apparel

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<v Speaker 1>than men's apparel. So it's always been an important business

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<v Speaker 1>for us. But we're continuing to really focus on it

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<v Speaker 1>and continue to grow it. And you know, if it's

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<v Speaker 1>twenty six percent of the business, we want it to

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<v Speaker 1>be thirty five forty percent. Of ownership.

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<v Speaker 2>I want to take a step back. Why do you

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<v Speaker 2>think more women, more girls in particular, are engaged. What

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<v Speaker 2>is it particularly? Is there a player? Is it like,

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<v Speaker 2>what's going on?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, you do have that, I mean you have you know,

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<v Speaker 1>you have Nelly Korda, which has been amazing to watch

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<v Speaker 1>this year. I know she's having a tough weekend, but

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<v Speaker 1>you know she's won six of our last seven tournaments.

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<v Speaker 1>And I think, you know, I think COVID was really

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<v Speaker 1>good to the golf industry in general, and I think

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<v Speaker 1>it attracted more women at the time. You know, people people,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, adults who are working from home, had more flexibility.

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<v Speaker 1>And we're getting out on the course and you're seeing

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<v Speaker 1>the demographs changing a lot, which is nice. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>it used to be middle aged white men, and you're

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<v Speaker 1>you're seeing not only are you seeing more women, but

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<v Speaker 1>you're seeing more people of color and a lot more youth.

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<v Speaker 1>So I think, you know, it's it feels more accessible,

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<v Speaker 1>more fun. It's you know, I think golf can be

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<v Speaker 1>very intimidating you if you're new to it, and I

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<v Speaker 1>think some of those barriers are getting broken down, and

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's a little more casual than it was.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm wondering about how much that growth from the COVID

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<v Speaker 3>era has continued. I think of I'm a cyclist, and

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<v Speaker 3>I think the cycling industry got a huge boon during COVID,

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<v Speaker 3>but it is just getting crushed right now because how

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<v Speaker 3>many bikes do people really need? I won't answer that question,

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<v Speaker 3>because I need any always one more is the answer

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<v Speaker 3>to that question.

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<v Speaker 2>How many bikes? Do you have?

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<v Speaker 3>Too many bikes? What I will say, though, is some

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<v Speaker 3>sports are not seeing that bump continue. What can you

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<v Speaker 3>tell us about golf?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, it's a really good question, and you know we

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<v Speaker 1>you quote us some stats from the NGNGF, and we

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<v Speaker 1>look at it closely too. And twenty twenty three, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>twenty twenty and twenty twenty one were record years, and

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<v Speaker 1>the last four years, rounds of golf have been at

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<v Speaker 1>an all time high, with twenty three at a peak,

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<v Speaker 1>over five hundred and thirty million people, rounds of golf

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<v Speaker 1>were played and participation was almost twenty seven million. In

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<v Speaker 1>twenty twenty four. Rounds of golf are up over twenty

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<v Speaker 1>twenty three. So we were all holding our breath.

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<v Speaker 3>You know.

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<v Speaker 1>Our business doubled during COVID, which is tremendous, and we

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<v Speaker 1>were thinking, you know, you know, when is the air

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<v Speaker 1>going to come out of this balloon, and it really

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<v Speaker 1>hasn't happened. The industry has never been healthier. And what's

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<v Speaker 1>exciting to see too is not only are people playing

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<v Speaker 1>golf on the golf course, more people are actually playing

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<v Speaker 1>off course golf. And when I talk about golf course,

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<v Speaker 1>what I mean is simulate our golf. They're either going

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<v Speaker 1>into a five iron or a top golf and ten

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<v Speaker 1>percent of those people are converting to green grass golf.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's the growth continues in your right. There's a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of sports that saw a huge spike during COVID

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<v Speaker 1>and they're regressing down. In golf, recreational golf has never

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<v Speaker 1>never been happier, you know, healthier. One in nine people

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<v Speaker 1>are playing golf. And the beauty of it is all

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<v Speaker 1>ages can play, all abilities can play, and you can

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<v Speaker 1>play together regardless of your skill level. So that's how

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<v Speaker 1>the game is up.

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<v Speaker 2>Is there any correlation if you play a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>minuature golf that.

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<v Speaker 3>You actually been cutting the short game golf are hitting.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, you're putting your you're putting will be very good,

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<v Speaker 1>and you know, but it's you know, people who used

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<v Speaker 1>to go to top golf, and top golf has been

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<v Speaker 1>very good for our sport, yea. You know, they'd go

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<v Speaker 1>to top golf and it was food and beverage and

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<v Speaker 1>entertainment and then they'd go home. But now now it's

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<v Speaker 1>you know, people are sparking an interest and we're seeing

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<v Speaker 1>in our business. You know, the technology business is really

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<v Speaker 1>really healthy, and the simulator business is healthy. And you know,

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<v Speaker 1>there's a launch of a of an interactive league this

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<v Speaker 1>starting this January with professional golfers called TGL and it's

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<v Speaker 1>you're going to see that that you know, twenty four

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<v Speaker 1>of the top players on tour playing simulator golf down

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<v Speaker 1>in Florida on Monday nights. So there's a former surgeence

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<v Speaker 1>of different ways you can take in the sport and

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<v Speaker 1>simulator golf doesn't take four hours, and you know, you

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<v Speaker 1>can play it in a couple hours or an hour.

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<v Speaker 1>Even so it's it's opening it up for and making

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<v Speaker 1>it more welcoming, you know, without the time commitment.

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<v Speaker 3>What's just thirty seconds? What's the line you can draw

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<v Speaker 3>from the popularity of top golf to people actually going

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<v Speaker 3>out and playing golf more.

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<v Speaker 1>The line, well, I think people are more comfortable. They

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<v Speaker 1>get a taste of it, they know that it's fun,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm like, I'm going to give it a try.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's you know, we like I said, we never

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<v Speaker 1>saw that conversion before. And for ten percent people, ten

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<v Speaker 1>percent of you know, fun golfer's going out and actually

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<v Speaker 1>taking up the sport. That's gonna that's gonna be a

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<v Speaker 1>lot more people coming into the game and growing the

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<v Speaker 1>game really interesting.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, listen, good luck with the tournament and everything this weekend.

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<v Speaker 2>Really great to get some time, have a great weekend.

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<v Speaker 2>Jill Spiegels, she's president of the PGA Tour superstore joining

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<v Speaker 2>us from Atlanta to know it first play some golf,

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<v Speaker 2>I know. So I think I regret not having learned

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<v Speaker 2>with my dad. I know it's never made, but he was.

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<v Speaker 2>My understanding is he was a great teacher, So I

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<v Speaker 2>can't do that.

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<v Speaker 1>That's true.

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<v Speaker 2>All right, you're watching Blueberg