British bank HSBC Head of Sponsorship Giles Morgan said that the game is "at a crossroads and must now change," according to Steve Eaves of GOLF CLUB MANAGEMENT. Morgan's comments "come after more than a decade of falling participation in the sport, which has seen membership of clubs plummet" and many golf clubs struggling financially in the U.K. All of HSBC's golf contracts are up for renewal in '15 and Morgan is "concerned that the game is not moving with the times." He said, "Golf is at a crossroads moment. There are lots of positives about golf but the world, particularly with digital communications and people's time, has changed in the last 15 years beyond anybody's wildest dreams. I'm not sure that golf has kept up with that change. ... I do think that those who are in charge of the game need to be brave. They need to take some risks." While Morgan did not say that HSBC is "set to end its sponsorship of golf in the immediate future," he did warn, "If in 10 years people are not engaging in the sport, not playing it or watching it and it's not relevant to the people we want to do business with, it follows that it won't be the right way to engage with them" (GOLF CLUB MANAGEMENT, 3/16).
