A Newcastle based company has launched an innovative, interactive golf game designed to attract a brand new audience to driving ranges and golf clubs all over the British Isles.
6060Golf is designed to be fast, cheap and accessible and extensive introductory trials have shown it can increase income at clubs and ranges by as much as 50%.
The Managing Director of 60 60 Golf Craig Higgs, was alarmed by the drop in participation figures and was determined to invent something that would attract a new audience to what is sometimes regarded as an overly traditional and time-consuming game.
“There is no doubt golf has issues and they need to be addressed if we are to buck the current trend and see participation figures start to rise again,” said Higgs, who is delighted with the initial reception the new form of the game has received.
“The problem is that golf has an image problem among many sections of the population,” he added. “It is seen as too expensive and too stuffy and even people who are attracted to it are often put off because of the time it takes to play.”
60 60 Golf addresses all those issues in an ingenious fashion and with its interactive element it is likely to be an instantaneous hit, now that it is being rolled out around the country.
The concept itself could not be simpler and will appeal to both golf clubs and driving ranges because it is inexpensive to set up and to run.
The 60 60 Golf concept gets its name from the fact a group of golfers can hit 60 shots within 60 minutes and with an interactive element available via a free smartphone App participants can compete not just among themselves but with other players in other locations all over the country.
60 60 Golf offers multiple game options but the basic idea involves participants earning points for hitting shots at a number of different targets.
For an initial investment of £5,000 a year over a two year period 60 60 Golf will provide participating golf clubs and driving ranges with the targets and other support materials needed for their customers to play the games. It will also supply facilities with extensive advertising and marketing support and give official 60 60 Golf centres a supply of fliers and promotional material aimed at encouraging their customers to take out an interactive membership to 60 60 Golf. Membership is designed to lock players into the concept and will give them the opportunity to compete in national leagues alongside fellow members. These leagues will involve players of all standards and will be split into various categories so that men, women, juniors and disabled players of all standards can play against their peers.
The 60 60 Golf concept is designed to appeal to a mass market audience and it has already proved popular with 90% of trial participants expressing interest in it, 75% saying they would be likely to play it and 52% indicating they would take out a membership.
“We have had some extremely positive initial feedback both from golf facilities and participants with the former being delighted with the return on their initial investment and the latter thrilled by the entertainment the 60 60 Golf concept provides.”
Golf range and course operators will find that 60 60 Golf is simple to install and provides instantaneous results.
“The initial investment is minimal and trials across the country have shown that returns are impressive,” said Higgs. “One range owner saw his income increase by 50% over the 3-4 month trial period while virtually all the other participants saw business improve by at least 40%.”
“It doesn’t take a genius to see what we’re trying to achieve at participating golf clubs and driving ranges,” said Higgs. “It’s all about attracting new customers and improving repeat business. All the initial evidence shows that it works a treat.”
Six golf clubs and driving ranges have already installed the 60 60 Golf concept and the company is in advanced discussions with several other facilities around the country. The initial launch was aimed specifically at golf facilities in GB & I but it is expected the concept will be rolled out internationally in the near future.
60 60 Golf www.net60six.com