Golf | Just a couple of years ago, a golf stock was a curse word to many of its owners – then it all turned on its head

Golf strong growth is also beginning to show in the value and appreciation of the much-tarnished golf stock.

A couple of years ago, many owners wanted to get rid of their golf stock at almost any cost. According to the Finnish Golf Courses Association (SGK), the trend is now the opposite: a golf share is a valuable asset.

Before the start of the spring golf season, SGK will start the Share is number one campaign, which includes 25 golf courses from all over Finland.

This is the first time golf courses have collaborated on such a large scale in favor of stock gaming.

“It says the time is ripe and we want to upgrade stock gaming to modern times. Of course, it does not apply to everyone. There is no need for changes in some of the fields, ”says an SGK spokesperson Jukka Rimpiläinen.

Finland the golf association has 132 member clubs. In two years, about 16,000 new enthusiasts have joined the sport, more than half of whom have been under the age of 30.

There have been even more golf beginners, but some have not yet joined any club. At the end of last year, the Golf Association had 157,175 members.

The growth of the species has brought congestion to the fields. There is a shortage of gaming times if you want to play a lot and reserve a good playing time for yourself or your family in time.

The corona pandemic contributed to the popularity of golf and other outdoor sports.

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“The more fields you go along, the bigger your mouth will speak and influence.”

Especially the first game of the pandemic in 2020 exploded: 4.1 million rounds of golf were played in Finland. Last year, the number of rounds dropped to less than four million.

“At least the importance of the corona cannot be underestimated. It came to golf directly on the silver tray when there were no restrictions on outdoor sports, ”says 2 Up Golf Agency CEO Henri Karttunen. The company is a marketing partner for SGK’s golf stock campaign.

“It was felt that this had to be done now and that is the beginning of a multi-year project. Some golf courses understood and were able to take advantage of the value of playing stock two years ago, when the boom began, ”says Rimpiläinen.

Fields the idea of ​​a joint campaign is basically simple: a stock is often the best way to play. A shareholder can always play. In addition, the campaign is a reminder that the natural rise in stock value has begun.

At the same time, the aim is to increase the voice of golf stockholders, increase community spirit and rejuvenate the profile of stock players.

“The more fields you get involved with, the bigger your mouth we speak and influence. And the results will be better this year and in the years to come, ”says Karttunen.

Yet well into the early 2000s, golfing was difficult if one did not own a golf stock.

After that, the situation changed when golf clubs wanted to be in the public interest. Anyone could be a member of a golf club. You no longer needed a golf share to pay for the game.

Trading in new golf stocks almost ceased in 2006. Instead of a share, the courses began selling individual green tickets and seasonal game rights.

For an ordinary player, the change was good. Instead, the shareholders responsible for building the golf courses suffer. SGK wants a change in this.

“How many golf courses would be up and running today if they had no obligation to pay?” Rimpiläinen asks.

“Shareholders have carried the sport over all difficulties. There are not many other species in Finland where everything is built with private funds. ”

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“The value of the share has turned on its head. At one time, the golf stock was a curse word to get rid of. ”

Karttunen says that golf now has a market for the buyer and seller of a golf stock at the same time.

The value of a golf course on 25 courses that emphasize stock gaming varies from one euro to about 2,500 euros. So there is a choice according to the buyer’s wallet.

“Owning a golf stock is going to change the stick and pass it from one generation to the next. The value of the share has turned upside down. At one time, the golf stock was a curse word to get rid of, ”says Karttunen.

In 2017, Karttunen himself was content to sell the golf share he inherited from his father for one euro. Today he would not do the same.

Most golf courses pay an annual management fee for the right to play. Usually, one share entitles the holder to one seasonal game for one person.

When the golf stock is starting to have value again, it is removing scammers nestled in the industry.

Jobbarians contacted older shareholders who were reluctant to pay their consideration in advance. Vague buyers acquired golf shares for which they were not intended to pay any consideration to the golf course but to receive personal gain.

Liabilities and payments for paying shares increased as a result of scams.

Rimpiläinen believes that when confidence in the golf stock is restored, the opportunities for scammers will wither away from the market.

“There is no longer a need to get rid of a golf stock that you should be proud of.”

Managing director Jarkko Raski Greater Helsinki Golf has noticed that the trend in stock gaming has turned positive. He is one of the inventors of the joint business idea of ​​the fields.

“If I were in the stock field, I would definitely join. It can hardly be more concrete to promote the interests of stock fields and stock players. ”

Included in the shop are Golf Talma, Hirvihaara Golf, Lakeside Golf, Greater Helsinki Golf, Tahko Golf, Vyborg Golf, Sea Golf Rönnäs, Nurmijärvi Golf, St. Laurence Golf, Tuusula Golf, Keimola Golf, Hartola Golf, Ruukki Golf, Lahti Golf, Laukaa Deer Golf, Gumböle Golf (or Espoo Golf), Alastaro Golf, Hyvigolf, Tawast Golf, Ähtäri Golf, Messilä Golf, Harjattula Golf and Uusikaupunki Golf, Archipelagia Golf, Iitti Golf and Kullo Golf.