Almost all golfers under 35 now use social media

The vast majority of UK golfers now use at least one of the major social media websites or apps and, for the first time, the majority of golfers now own a smartphone.

New research by polling company SMS reveals how important social networking can be to a golf club’s marketing operation as almost all golfers under the age of 35 are now on social media.

SMS, commissioned by Golf Gamebook, polled over 4,000 UK golfers and found that Facebook is the most popular network overall for golfers, while younger golfers have a preference for Twitter and older ones for LinkedIn.

Across all age categories, 62 percent use Facebook, 25 percent LinkedIn and 24 percent Twitter.

SMS has not revealed what the overall percentage of golfers who use at least one social network is, but as the minimum possible figure is 62 percent, this represents a steep rise from 55 percent when it last carried out this kind of research.

Almost all golfers under the age of 35 use social media, with 80 percent on Facebook and 64 percent on Twitter alone. LinkedIn might be the second most popular social network for golfers overall, but it is only used by 16 percent of golfers under the age of 35.

Perhaps surprisingly, the research finds that while under 35s are the most active on social media, over 55s are the second most active.

The findings also reveal that 54 percent of UK golfers follow European or US Tour players online, 43 percent seek coaching and swing advice and 43 percent use social media to look for information on new products from leading equipment manufacturers.

Two years ago a slight majority of golfers did not use a smartphone, but that has now dramatically changed, with more than two-thirds of golfers now owning one. Nearly a third of golfers own an Apple iPhone alone, and a similar percentage owns an Android device, with a Samsung smartphone being the most popular. Windows phones such as Nokia, and Blackberry phones, together have about 10 percent market share of golfers.

Mikko Rantanen, CEO of GameBook, said: “It is vital for the golf industry as a whole that we understand how golfers are using social media channels to learn, communicate and engage with like-minded individuals.”