‘Stupid idea’ to boost golf participation wins 2019 Telstra Business Award

An idea that was rejected as the “the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard” has been awarded the 2019 Telstra Business Award.

Future Golf, launched by Ali Terai in 2014 with a simple Facebook post and $100 website, has injected more than $5 million into the sport in Australia and is now one of the world’s largest communities of younger golfers.

Inspired to start the passion based business after having his first child, Terai recalls “I wanted to show Marcel, that if you have an idea, a passion and a dream, it’s worth taking imperfect action and giving it a crack.”

After migrating to Australia in the 1990s, Terai’s father had a dream to start an Indian Restaurant, but it always remained an idea.

Terai comments “my dad was always waiting for the perfect time to start, unfortunately the perfect time doesn’t exist. As a child I saw the toll not following his dream took on my father and I didn’t want to make the same mistake”.

The simple concept of Future Golf was initially jarring for those not ready for the age-old pastime to be shaken up.

Presenting the idea to a longtime industry leader, Terai recalls being told “in all my years in the game, this is by far the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, if you’re around in thee months time, I’ll eat my hat.

“You should quit now, this will never work.”

Terai and the team of Future Golf didn’t follow the advice, going on to create the member and partner driven movement, which distances itself from ‘old school’ golf by offering rounds and events at partner courses and linking would-be golfers with a youth-driven community in the thousands.

Commenting on the success of Future Golf, Terai advises “we exist because golf needs a platform that is flexible, accessible and friendly.

“We wanted to create a golf community that was relaxed, where people didn’t feel out of place or embarrassed. Our core mission is growing the game, getting more people playing and guiding golfers from beginner to addict.”

Future Golf is helping connect a new generation of golfers with a sport that features an average age over 60. 92% of Future Golf members are aged between 25 and 39.

Diversity is a big focus, with the team recently launching the $50,000 ‘Future Women’ initiative which fully sponsors 250 memberships to encourage younger women to get into golf. This initiative will single handedly increase the participation among women aged from 20 to 39 years by 5%.

Future Golf also includes traditional golf clubs with more than 700 Future Golf members having gone on to become members of clubs all across Australia and inject much needed revenue into the industry.

Advising that he aims build a global community of 1 million golfers, Terai acknowledges that getting to this point hasn’t been easy, adding “it was probably time to pull the pin after getting that early feedback,” he said. “But for some reason we couldn’t. We kept hosting stupidly small events. We kept posting on social media. We kept calling clubs.

“Slowly, a few members started to join and then it snowballed.”

Those members are reaping the rewards, which include rounds at Australia’s best public and private courses, introductory lessons, a golf handicap, golf trips, apparel and access to Xgolf, Topgolf, driving ranges and mini golf.

Future Golf now has over 80 partner clubs and facilities ranging from Holey Moley and TopGolf to top private clubs like the Yarra Yarra Golf Club.

Yarra Yarra Golf Club General Manager Peter Vlahandreas comments “this is the market we really need, the 25-40 year old market, as they are the future of our clubs. It is a great pathway. We are thrilled to be a prestige partner with Future Golf and look forward to an amazing partnership together.”