BUSINESS A new way to advertise to the golfers

Golf Ad Mats USA is selling advertisement space where golfers can see it.
'PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A startup company founded last year is doing its best to get between golfers and their game.
Golf Ad Mats USA is seeking distributors nationwide to sell advertisements within the squares of artificial turf where duffers spend countless hours perfecting their swing.
Though the ads are contained within an 8-inch circular space, the turf between a golfers' feet and the tee adds up to miles and miles of advertising at driving ranges nationwide, said John Matschner, managing partner of Golf Ad Mats.
Targeted audience
The company promises advertisers a targeted audience that just might need a kink removed from the spine, a slice removed from a swing, or a cool brew after a tough practice session.
"We are in negotiations with some national advertisers that recognize this as a niche market where they can reach a certain group of people," Matschner said. "But this is also something that local advertisers can use, the neighborhood store or whatever."
A month-long advertisement costs $100 per mat, with 15 percent going to the driving-range owner.
The company may be getting in just as the golf industry is seeing initial signs of an upswing.
Golf has stumbled over the past several years as corporations tightened belts and the economy sputtered, but a growing number of people have headed back to the fairways over the past two consecutive quarters, according to figures released by the National Golf Foundation.
Rounds have increased
Rounds played during the first quarter of this year were up 5.3 percent nationwide, according to 1,115 golf facilities polled from January through March, compared with the same period last year.
In the Northeast, where Golf Ad Mats is based, rounds played are up by more than 50 percent during the same period, according to the foundation.
That has certainly been the case at Sterling Farms Golf Course in Stamford, Conn., according to Paul Grillo, executive director.
Sterling Farms agreed to allow advertisements on its 44 mats last month and is expecting an additional $10,000 in revenues per year, he said.
About 100,000 people use the two-story, heated and sheltered driving platform each year, Grillo said.
Investment
"We'll throw all of that money back into the range, so golfers are going to see newer mats and newer golf balls," Grillo said. "It should generate quite a bit of revenue."
If golfers don't like the ads, they haven't been vocal about it, driving range employees and managers said.
"No problems, absolutely not," said Jen Shaw, who has been selling buckets of golf balls at Scally's Golf Center outside Pittsburgh for about 12 years. "They put ads behind toilets, so I guess they can put them anywhere."
Golf Ad Mats put 150 distributorships up for sale in February at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla. The company granted seven licenses, though expects more people to fork over the $20,000 licensing fee to take part.
"From day one, our booth was filled with people that wanted to get involved," Matschner said.
Advertising sales are projected to reach $2.5 million in the first year, he said.