“GOLF IS VERY AFFORDABLE IN SWEDEN”.
The first woman to preside over the Swedish Golf Federation in its 113-year history, the election – unanimously by the federation’s assembly – of Maria Möller in 2017 was a clear sign of the strength of women’s golf and the drive to develop gender equality in the sport.
-Sweden is the European country with the highest percentage of golfers in relation to its population. What are the key factors that have made golf the leading sport in terms of number of players in your country?
-We have a long tradition of access to nature, which gives all Swedes the right to spend time outdoors almost everywhere (including private property). This has led to a great interest in many outdoor activities, such as hiking, alpine and cross-country skiing and, nowadays, golf. Golf is also very affordable in Sweden, where the average membership fee is around 500 euros per year. Finally, Swedish society consists of a very large middle class population, which is an important base for recruiting from all over the world.
-During 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sweden experienced a huge growth in both the number of golfers and, especially, the number of rounds played. How was that possible?
-First, we did not experience any societal blockade, so people were relatively free to move around the country. Second, we were able to keep the fields open, while most other activities were limited or closed. Then, many workers were laid off because of the pandemic, and those who were still working had to – and still do – work from home. All of this together made it possible for more people than ever to find the time and opportunity to play a lot of golf.
-The climate in your country makes playing golf practically impossible for several months of the year. What are the main golf tourist destinations for Swedes and what are the factors that are most taken into account when deciding on a destination, and specifically for the Costa del Sol?
-Swedes play a lot of golf abroad and the favorite destinations are Spain, Portugal, Turkey and the British Isles. Regarding playing on the Costa del Sol, I think the key factors as always are the climate, the quality of the courses, the prices, the availability and, of course, the general ambience of the destination.
-Women account for just over a quarter of Swedish golfers. Their number has grown by 9.2% in 2020, but it has still been almost three points less than the increase in male golfers. Why do you think this smaller increase is due to?
-Growth in 2020 came from both newcomers and returnees to the game. Beginners comprised a higher proportion of women than average, but returnees were primarily men.
-The fact that children’s and junior golf up to the age of 21 has grown spectacularly (34.7%) in Sweden in 2020 is an exciting exception on the international scene, where golf authorities are trying with little success to attract new generations to golf. What is the Swedish secret in this respect?
-We have a strong sporting tradition where young people play many different sports, and golf, in modern times, has become an alternative to team play and other sports. It also has to do with clubs creating an environment where young people like to hang out, assisted by motivated professionals. But for 2020 the most important factor was Covid-19, with most of the fun activities for younger people, such as cinemas, bars, matches in almost all sports, festivals, etc., closed. Playing golf became a meeting place, even for the younger ones, a fact that we hope will continue for years to come.
-With the gradual return to normality once Covid-19 has been controlled and hopefully overcome, how do you think golf will evolve in Sweden, will it continue to grow or will there be a stagnation or decline in the number of golfers?
-We believe that 2021 has every chance of being another successful year, but gradually the advantage of closing other activities will disappear. Therefore, it is logical that golf will gradually lose members, but we believe at a higher level than before the pandemic. We also believe that Swedes will again travel to play golf, but not to the same extent as before. We think it is more likely that sustainability will play a bigger role in people’s decision making, reducing things like frequent travel.
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