The European golf industry is set to benefit from a new partnership between the continent’s largest golfing community, HowDidiDo, and leading specialist sports research consultancy SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC (SMS INC).
With more than 6.5 million online visitors in 2010 and holding the handicaps and scores of in excess of 1.1m golfers, HowDidiDo is an ideal partner for SMS INC – a company which provides a comprehensive research service for equipment manufacturers, federations, retailers and golf course operators.
HowDidiDo’s managing director, Barry Dyett, said: “Golf club members remain the lifeblood of the sport even in the 21st century. They play more golf and purchase more equipment than non-members and are critical to the industry. Nobody is better placed to investigate our subscribers, and understand and provide insight into the sport than SMS INC.
“It is also vital for HowDidiDo to understand more about our membership if we are to build the relevant services for our golfers. We are confident that this partnership will enable HowDidiDo to serve our members better, and provide a valuable addition to the quality of SMS INC’s golf research.”
The exclusive research-service partnership will see a profiling of the HowDidiDo client base and allow regular golfer and club member research among the membership.
While it will provide HowDidiDo with a comprehensive analysis of its own membership it will also allow SMS INC to undertake some specific profiling and behaviour investigations into the regular and avid golfer in 2011.
John Bushell, managing director of SMS INC, explained: “Providing insight into the regular golfer and their golfing lifestyles will help shape the future of the sport for the whole European golf industry. The analysis provided delivers unique insight across the industry – enabling the key decision makers and stake-holders to grow the sport for all involved. Simply, research is essential for the industry.
“HowDidiDo members are part of the core of the golfing market and their input will prove valuable to the research programmes provided by SMS INC.”
Fuelled by a significant rise in its membership – which increased by 50 per cent last year – HowDidiDo continues to attract support from many leading brands, including Titleist, PowaKaddy, Footjoy, TrendyGolf.com, La Manga Club, Your Golf Travel.com and Volvo.
HowDidiDo contains the results of more than 21 million rounds along with the handicaps and scores of in excess of 1.1m golfers. Standard membership is free and the plethora of statistics available allows any golfer to analyse and compare performance with other players at their own club or across the network.
The service is also available free to any golf club – and consequently its members – which uses the market-leading CLUB2000 software from Club Systems International which is in place at 1,500 UK clubs.
SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC www.sportmarketingsurveysinc.com
HowDidiDo www.howdidido.com