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Abstract

A total of 677 spectators attending two LPGA golf tournaments rated the relative importance of 27 reasons to attend on a 5-point Likert scale; they provided three phrases (free response format) describing their thoughts of the event, and they completed demographic data categories. The instrument was developed as a result of literature review, interviews with various stakeholders of golf (spectators, sponsors, media, organizers, golfers). The internal consistency was 0.91 as measured by Cronbach alpha. The analysis of variance, followed by the Tukey test was used to seek differences based on gender, age, and golf-playing frequency with an alpha level set at .05. Several differences per category were found resulting in the following observations:

1. A focus on excitement/drama and event image would attract females.

2. A focus on learning to play shots and being close to the field of action/feeling the presence of golfers would enhance a market plan.

3. Market to more nongolfers by emphasizing scenery, fitness benefits, event image, and golfer personalities.

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Spectators’ Views of LPGA Golf Events

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