Alberta Golf to test new recreational brand UpSwing this summer
Alberta Golf (Calgary) – For over a hundred years Alberta Golf has been the governing body of the sport in Alberta and mostly known for key offerings such as handicap rating, course rating, running high performance championships and grassroots “grow the game” initiatives. This summer golfers across the province will get a sneak peek at a new brand offering called UpSwing by Alberta Golf, this new line of business will be launched in the spring of 2022.
The goal of UpSwing will be to grow the game for all players, not just the 44,000 members of Alberta Golf , but to engage the larger golf community which consists of a half million recreational players in the province. Sarah Urbanowski has joined Alberta Golf as the Director of Business Transformation and is responsible for the UpSwing platform.
“This will be a platform to make golf simpler to get involved in, it will facilitate everything from research to booking to playing the game. We want to solve the problem of what we’re seeing as a fragmented market,” Urbanowski said. “There are a ton of options out there for golfers from golf courses to lessons to events but it’s hard for some people to navigate, you kind of have to be in the know to find the experiences that are right for you. We really want to solve that problem.”
“From a brand perspective we want to create something that seems accessible, breaks down the barriers of the perception that golf is stuffy and exclusive,” Urbanowski admitted. “We felt we needed to create a new brand to do that to tap into the social aspect of golf which is the key reason recreational players love the game so much.”
Alberta Golf hired a research firm to perform market research and put 2 surveys into the market this winter, an audience perception and engagement survey and a longer form survey that helped define our customer personas. We found 2 key elements that Alberta Golf members and non members wanted. The first was more distinct products and services and the second was to be more forward thinking and innovative. The recreational group really enjoys the social aspect of the game more than the game itself, they play 30 to 40 rounds a year but aren’t as interested in the traditions of the game and find it hard to break in as a new golfer especially if they are an adult.
“Access and value for experience are hard for golfers to navigate and that’s where UpSwing comes in to facilitate making it easier to golf,” Urbanowski admitted. “We want to create a space where golfers can learn, find experiences that are fun and social, and be rewarded for playing more. Every time they’re active on the platform they’ll be rewarded for their experience, earn points, be able to redeem them for rewards, so that’s the goal for March of 2022 but we’ll be testing this with golfers throughout the summer.”
The initial release of the platform this summer will be tested in BETA format will the ability to match with courses and events, along with attending Recreational events and fun family festivals.
“We want to match players to the course they want to play, events that best suit their needs, review their experiences and the loyalty program to reward them for the more they play,” Urbanowski said. “Every time they’re active on the platform they’ll be rewarded for their experience, earn points, be able to redeem them for rewards, so that’s the goal for March of 2022 but we’ll be testing this with golfers throughout the summer.”
The goal of UpSwing is to co-create something that best facilitates the needs of both the golfer and the golf course.
For golfers who want to engage now, a great way to get involved is to join one of our Rec Series events, which are fun, casual, social golf tournament with prizes and contests.
Another way for golfers to engage this summer is to sign up early as an UpSwing Insider and come along for the entire journey as the platform is tested, get a first look at the offerings and be in the know about all of the progress along the way.
Follow UpSwing on:
