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The Community Impact of Golf in NSW OVERVIEW AND CONTENTS Golf New South Wales Foreword 3 Golf New South Wales is the peak representative body for the sport in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and New South Wales (NSW). Executive Summary 4 Our role is to encourage participation, fellowship, fair play, and the wellbeing of our The Community Impact of Golf in NSW 13 member clubs and districts. Golf NSW manages all aspects of the sport including course ratings, handicapping, high performance, development, participation, Economic Contribution 12 competitions including inter-club, district, interstate tournaments, Men’s, Women’s Social Contribution 17 State Amateur and Open Championships. Golf NSW also offers guidance to affiliated golf clubs and District Associations on Health Contribution 36 various legal, financial, industrial, political and administrative issues as required, to Environmental Contribution 51 ensure that the wellbeing of the sport is maintained. Methodology and Scope of this Assessment Charitable Contribution 59 The value of golf in NSW has been quantified based on the inclusion of: Appendix: Regional Insights 64 • Golf members registered with clubs or district associations, sourced from Golf References 85 NSW and Golf Australia databases. About the Authors 87 • Social golfers in an organised golf activity but not registered with an affiliated golf organisation, sourced from Ausplay data (Organised venue/activity participants). A range of valuation methodologies have been used in this project that are consistent with approaches and data inputs from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and Sport Australia. This project also incorporates primary research with golf stakeholders and participants from an online survey of 889 individuals from within the NSW and ACT golf community. THE COMMUNITY IMPACT OF GOLF IN NEW SOUTH WALES – 2021 COMMERCIAL-IN-CONFIDENCE Page 2 FOREWORD Stuart Fraser Chief Executive Officer – Golf NSW In times of hardship and adversity, the strength of the community comes to the forefront. This has been especially evident throughout 2020 and early 2021. Drought, fires and floods, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic have been a true test of the strength of the golf industry – and the NSW community more broadly. Through these difficult times, it has become clear that golf plays a critical role in strengthening and connecting communities. The research conducted throughout the development of this report has uncovered the value of golf to the community. Our clubs and courses are a destination – not just to play golf, but to connect with friends and family and feel a part of a community. One of golf’s strengths has been its ability to adapt operations to provide a safe sporting environment through the pandemic. This has added to the growing base of evidence and provides a clear realisation of the physical and mental benefits that golf can provide through testing times of isolation. This has been evidenced through the unexpected increase in participation, both from a social golf and Club membership perspective. While other sports were sidelined throughout 2020, golf participation increased across NSW, with a rise in memberships of around 1.4 percent across metropolitan Sydney, and 4.2 percent in regional areas. This new wave of keen golfers taking to the course has also included more millennials, an age demographic that the industry has traditionally had difficulty connecting with. This demonstrates the inherent appeal of the game. As an industry, golf must now set its sights on raising awareness about the diversity and inclusivity of our offer, which allows the sport to be accessible by all, and truly ensures that it is ‘the game for life’. In addition, this report is the first time we have quantified the environmental benefit of our footprint. The green open space, natural wetlands and tree plantings within golf courses play a critical role in regulating the natural environment. This ‘green infrastructure’ improves water quality through natural filtration and purification, provides protection against flooding by regulating water movement, and captures carbon from the atmosphere. Also worth noting is the unique natural habitats that our golf courses provide for local flora and fauna, and the rich ecology that supports a variety of native birds, animals, insects and plant life. We hope that this report will assist in changing perceptions and raising awareness of the sport, by quantifying the benefits that golf provides, not only to those directly involved, but to the NSW community as a whole. We would like to thank and acknowledge all of the clubs and individuals who have been involved and contributed to this project. The vital data and insights that have been shared are what ultimately prove the value of this sport to the community. Finally, we hope that this Community Impact Study will become a vehicle through which Golf NSW will advocate for the sport in the future. THE COMMUNITY IMPACT OF GOLF IN NEW SOUTH WALES – 2021 COMMERCIAL-IN-CONFIDENCE Page 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE ANNUAL COMMUNITY $1,419,395,200 IMPACT OF GOLF IN NSW IS Economic Contribution Social Contribution Health Contribution Golfers are: ANNUAL BENEFIT LIFETIME BENEFIT 3½ times $48.05 million $1.67 billion ANNUAL BENEFIT more likely to volunteer than the general population physical $1,250,671,978 12% more $45,694,691 $1,631,312,290 likely to be able to $818.6 access support than mental million the general population $176.1 $2,356,913 $48,130,663 $144.2 million million $103.7 million $8.0 Golfers have: million 17% more Clubs and Regular Equipment Golf Tourism Events and contact with social Environmental Contribution Associations Participants Merchandise, Programs networks than the Training and general population Coaching $32.94m $12.85m Water filtration Floodwater $ and purification regulation/storm Charitable Contribution ANNUAL BENEFIT water protection ANNUAL BENEFIT $91.75 million $19,109,757 Contributed by golf clubs $44.8m $1.15m each year $28,924,169 Landscape Carbon sequestration Contributed by golf and neighbourhood $9,814,412 members each year amenity THE COMMUNITY IMPACT OF GOLF IN NEW SOUTH WALES – 2021 COMMERCIAL-IN-CONFIDENCE Page 5 METROPOLITAN AND REGIONAL FINDINGS Metropolitan Annual Community Regional Annual Community Golfers Economic Benefit Golfers Economic Benefit $520,664,340 $730,007,638 Annual Community Annual Community Environmental Benefit Environmental Benefit $64,523,382 $27,224,068 Annual Community Annual Community Health Benefit Health Benefit $20,260,332 $27,791,272 $ $ Annual Community Annual Community Charitable Contribution Charitable Contribution $13,554,265 $15,369,903 THE COMMUNITY IMPACT OF GOLF IN NEW SOUTH WALES – 2021 COMMERCIAL-IN-CONFIDENCE Page 6 KEY ECONOMIC FINDINGS $1,250,671,978 Annual Economic Contribution Golf is one of the most popular sports in NSW with over 408,000 members and social $818.6 players across the state. million $176.1 Golf makes an annual economic contribution to the NSW economy of $1.25 million $144.2 billion. This is delivered through the following: million $103.7 million • Regular golf participants including both members and social players. $8.0 million • Expenditure on services, goods, maintenance, and employees by golf clubs, associations, governing bodies and other golf-related entities. • Spectator attendance at golf events. Clubs and Regular Equipment Golf Tourism Events and Associations Participants Merchandise, Programs • Golf-related travel and tourism throughout the state. Training and Coaching • Retailing of golf equipment and merchandise. THE COMMUNITY IMPACT OF GOLF IN NEW SOUTH WALES – 2021 COMMERCIAL-IN-CONFIDENCE Page 7 KEY HEALTH FINDINGS The health contribution of golf annually and across the lifespan in NSW… ANNUAL HEALTH CONTRIBUTION – Golf in NSW Physical Mental Total Health Participant Segment Health Benefit Health Benefit Benefit (Yr) $48.05 million $1.67 billion Males - Golf Members $29,409,222 $585,320 $29,994,542 Annual Health Contribution Lifetime Health Contribution Females - Golf Members $3,956,919 $1,134,958 $5,091,877 Physical inactivity is the fourth highest risk of disease behind tobacco, obesity Sub-Total (Golf Members) $33,366,141 $1,720,278 $35,086,419 and alcohol use. Regular participation in physical activity provides significant Males - Social Players $10,787,296 $191,518 $10,978,814 health benefits to individuals from both a physical and mental health perspective. Females - Social Players $1,541,254 $445,118 $1,986,372 The physical health benefits analysed in this study are derived from reducing the Sub-Total (Social Players) $12,328,550 $636,635 $12,965,185 prevalence of chronic diseases (breast cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes, Total Annual Health bowel cancer and stroke) as identified by the Australian Institute of Health and $45,694,691 $2,356,913 $48,051,604 Contribution Welfare. The mental health benefits are derived from reducing the prevalence of anxiety and depression. LIFETIME HEALTH CONTRIBUTION – Golf in NSW Three out of the top ten most common diseases in Australia are reduced in Physical Mental Total Health prevalence through physical activity, with five per cent of all diseases being Participant Segment attributed to physical inactivity according to the Australian Institute of Health and Health Benefit Health Benefit Benefit Welfare. Males - Golf Members $1,278,083,542 $13,931,356 $1,292,014,899 These diseases which are reduced in prevalence through physical activity have a Females - Golf Members $98,213,443 $26,725,298 $124,938,741 significant negative impact on the health of Australians. The contribution to health, that golf provides in terms of dollars saved, is significant for the whole Sub-Total (Golf Members) $1,376,296,986 $40,656,654 $1,416,953,640 community. Males - Social Players $235,836,846 $2,248,255 $238,085,101 The reason golf members provide a greater contribution than social players is based Females - Social Players $19,178,459 $5,225,754 $24,404,213 on the higher frequency of participation.

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