Brexit’s effect on the golfing industry

It has only been a few of weeks since the UK voted in the referendum to leave the EU, and many people are still trying to understand how the decision will affect the country in both the next few months, and the years ahead.

The golf industry is no exception to this, and a number of industry professionals and associates have spoken about whether they think the decision will come to impact the industry. The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) is one of the country's biggest organisation of greenkeepers, counting around 5,700 members. In the last few weeks the organisation has spoken out about the decision, and claimed that they foresee that leaving the EU is likely to cause a “reduction in greenkeeping budgets”.

Difficulties in the leisure and hospitality industry have also been voiced by professional services firm, KPMG. Will Hawkley recently stated that “the decision to leave the EU is likely to cause the leisure and hospitality sector a great deal of uncertainty and concern.

"Not only are there vast numbers of EU nationals working in the hospitality sector, but EU supplier and commercial contracts will need to be reviewed, and there will also be concerns over foreign visitor numbers within the industry. All of these factors could have a material impact on operations and revenues.” Though these comments paint a negative image on the golf industry's climate, post Brexit, there are also a number of people who have said the impact will be negligible.

Sam Baker, who was the founder of Haversham & Baker Golfing Expeditions , said: “Unless somebody wants to be an alarmist, the truth is it probably will have very little impact.” In a similar sentiment, Ken Schofield, former European Tour Executive Director, said: “I don’t think it will have a huge change in any of our sporting connections within Europe.”

In other recent news, representatives from the Ryder Cup have recently stated that the Cup will continue to be played under the European flag, and that English golfers will be encouraged to be part of the team.

Further positive tournament news for the European tour came from a spokesman for the tour, who said: "In terms of tournaments appearing on The European Tour International Schedule, including those in the United Kingdom, we do not believe that the result will have any impact."

Though the decision is still fresh in many people's minds, and the country is still in a tumultuous time of uncertainty, it is refreshing to see that industry leaders are still making an effort to continue the connection to Europe’s vibrant sporting opportunities. As to the future of the sport, time will tell if there is any lasting impact. 

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