Scott Kooken, Links Unlimited, on the Incredible Golf Renaissance
The Unexpected Turnaround of Golf
Golf As a Lifestyle
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When Scott Kooken and partner Bret Williams founded Links Unlimited in 1996, their vision was to elevate the use of golf equipment in incentives and promotions from tees and imprinted golf balls to high-quality clubs and high-end accessories. That focus helped drive the company to become one of the industry’s largest master fulfillment companies supporting many leading brands outside the game of golf.
After the popularity of Tiger Woods helped rejuvenate the game in the late 1990s and 2000s, it began a slow decline as the number of aging players outnumbered younger people or women entering the sport.
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During the pandemic, the game of golf unexpectedly took off as a safe way for family and friends to get outdoors, not only for full-course players but also for people happy to go to the driving range or putting green. According to the National Golf Foundation, the number of golf rounds played continues to grow, even after leaping almost 20% since Covid began, partially because of a new generation of younger golfers who came out to play during the pandemic with their parents. The game is also continuing to attract more casual players because of the success of retail entertainment centers like Topgolf and other golf-related locales with appeal to people who’ve never played a course.
While Links Unlimited now carries a broad collection of brands, golf has remained a significant part of the business, Kooken explains, with a continued focus on quality and higher-end products. “We still sell millions of golf balls,” he says, “but only high-quality brands. I can’t see why anyone would want to put their logo on a low-end ball. Our focus is on aspirational brands and quality golf accessories with appeal not only to serious golfers but also to the much broader audience of people now involved with the game.”
In the 1990s, the big impediment to featuring high-quality golf clubs in program catalogs is the sheer number of SKUs (stock-keeping-units) involved with a single club. This can include factors such as right or left-handedness, loft, flex, and shaft preferences difficult to manage in traditional catalogs. In the early days, the easiest solution for clubs was to offer a gift certificate redeemable through Links Unlimited after communicating with the recipient. Today, with the help of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), Links Unlimited can provide real-time feeds of in-stock golf clubs into incentive, loyalty, and recognition catalogs, he explains. This makes it possible for participants to select their dream club right online, without need for an intermediate step.
Golf As a Lifestyle 
Because of PGA (Professional Golf Association) standards for clubs, Kooken points out, the amount of year-to-year innovation is negligible, giving players less incentive to change up their clubs each year. That’s why Links Unlimited also focuses on golf accessories, such as bags, range finders and GPS devices, gloves and shoes, he says.
With more people focused on getting exercise while golfing, manual golf carts have become more popular. The high accuracy of range-finders and GPS devices have made them popular, and simulators and the expansion of major golf brands into more mainstream apparel and travel accessories have continued to broaden the definition of golf products in the IRR business.
These trends not only have increased the number of golf-related products available for catalog programs but also for even-gifting at organizational events, Kooken observes. Depending on the demographics of the group, Kooken urges less emphasis on club fittings at events with a strong golf emphasis, because many experienced players already have their favorite driver or putter. Instead, Kooken underlines the appeal of golf-related accessories for event gifting, such as sunglasses, shoes, and apparel that appeal to almost everyone.
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