ORLANDO, FL. – Feb. 19, 2005 – The challenge to lure more traveling golfers to both destination and non-destination golf courses and resorts and to grow the travel golf economy was the focus of a ½ day pre-conference workshop, Generating Revenues: Marketing to Out-of Towners, presented by Longitudes Group, LLC, a leading provider of geo-demographic research information for golf business.

The NGCOA with 6,000 member courses worldwide is the leading resource for golf course owners looking for tools to assist them in making their businesses more profitable and successful.

Typical golf courses generate approximately 5% of their rounds from visitors. The opportunity to double or triple the rounds from this segment can have great rewards. Visitors have very low impact on the locals or members, as they come, play, spend and then leave. Targeting affluent golfers, as profiled by John Swain, VP Marketing of Links Magazine and Premier Properties.net, can increase revenues through a combination of print and Internet marketing, noting that two-thirds of site visitors use one or both to get golf travel information.

According to CVB projections, one out of every two golfers will book online by 2010. In addition, forming strategic partners with local businesses and other golf course co-operative ventures can reach out-of-towners for recreation and business travel.

The sessions emphasized the expanding role of target marketing with geo-demographic tools now available for 5.5 million avid golfer households by zip code, trends post 9/11 of metro resort development in major cities like Dallas and Minneapolis, leveraging marketing dollars through knowing the customer and utilizing online internet marketing techniques for efficiency and results. Leveraging local convention & visitors bureaus in your market was also the focus of a panel lead by key CVB executives.

“Marketing to out-of-towners and retaining golf travelers is critical. Longitudes Group provided an excellent group of speakers and content for specific tools to help owners and operators to grow this segment of their business”, said Mike Tinkey, Deputy Executive Director of NGCOA.

Longitudes Group, LLC, is a geo-demographic research and consulting company providing leading edge target marketing focused on golf, travel and leisure research.