Mid October saw Callaway Golf roll out the next edition of its ‘Golf Lives’ social series by shining the spotlight on three distinct courses in the initiative’s ongoing aim to demonstrate that golf isn’t solely about country clubs and elites.
This initiative is part of the golfing world’s wider objective of making golf more accessible and engaging potential players from all backgrounds and age groups and skills levels.
The latest iteration of the campaign, which celebrates untold golf stories to support and showcase golf’s spirit of inclusivity, is called ‘Home Course’.
The three-episode initiative, created by Callaway and its agency the Kimba Group (and produced by Vice Media, focuses on three very different public golf course in the USA.
The creative aims to capture the heart and the passion for those who play the game on these ‘home course’.
The three public, open to anyone courses profiled are ‘Wild Horse’ in Gothenberg (Nebraska), ‘Edgefield’ in Portland (Oregon) and the historic ‘Langston Golf Course’ in Washington DC.
Calloway’s campaign was initially teased with PR work and social content fronted by a trailer video.
Three unique courses. One love of the game.
Wild Horse Golf Club
Edgefield Golf Course
Langston Golf CourseWatch the world premiere of Golf Lives: Home Course LIVE at 3:00pm PST right here >> https://t.co/SrkenjtqLE pic.twitter.com/Wl7fHmTWsB
— Callaway Golf (@CallawayGolf) October 12, 2018
The three six-minute episodes, which take a documentary style approach, then roll out in turn.
The first film focused on Langston Golf Course: which was established in 1939 and was one of the first racially de-segregated courses in the USA.
The Langston film showcases that golf doesn’t just connect individual players, but also generations.
In the Edgefield film the focus is on the unique character of this public, pitch-and-putt course: a relaxed environment that welcomes everyone (a club that even distils its own booze).
While the ‘Wild Horse’ video documentary showcases a course created in 1997 by locals and farmers living in the close community of Gothenburg, Nebraska who clubbed together armed with a bank loan, their own tractors and a great deal of sweat and effort to create their own course which is now part of the fabric of their community.
“Callaway’s SVP of Marketing, Harry Arnett’s commitment to inclusivity and accessibility trickles down through the organization and inspires Callaway’s creative partners to bring new stories to the table,” says Kimba group co-founder Rebecca Rosoff.
Callaway’s ‘Golf Lives’ initiative emerged from a need to tell ‘new’ stories in golf.
“As marketers, we’re constantly asking ourselves how we can establish a ‘home team’ feel in such a solitary sport,” commented Michael Chiavetta, co-founder of the Kimba Group.
Comment:
These powerful messages of inclusion and accessibility positioning golf as a game that transcends its stereotypes are much needed.
Not least because golf is a sport that many in the sponsorship and sports marketing world feel is financially backed by brand partners’ who principle aim is to use it as a platform to engage high net worth men.
After initially working with Kimba and Vice Media to tell stories around Callaway’s tour professionals – such as Michelle Wie, Henrik Stenson and Kevin Kisner – this ‘Golf Lives’ initiative came from a Callaway perspective rather than a pro player endorser one and began development back in 2016.
“We wanted to invite viewers into our world to share with them our passion for the sport, for perfecting our products, and for the innovative technology that helps players get better, faster,” explains Callaway Golf chief marketing officer Harry Arnett.
The first season of ‘Golf Lives’, which ran in 2017, took a similar episodic storytelling approach as a framework.
Its three episodes followed two Houston, TX natives: rapper Scarface and former NFL star Arian Foster.
Links:
Calloway
https://twitter.com/CallawayGolf
https://www.facebook.com/Callaway
https://www.instagram.com/callawaygolf/
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/callawaygolf/
https://www.youtube.com/user/Callaway
Kimba Group
