As winter begins to wear on in the North and Midwest, snowbirds--both vacationers and retirees--traditionally retreat to golf courses in Southern and Western states.

A newly launched network of golf courses has also launched a new advertising program featuring branding on the leaderboards where tournament scores are posted.

To find out how to get your client’s message out on the links in sunny climates, read on.

This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.

Fast Facts

What
Ads on leaderboards, the large signs for keeping score at golf matches.

Who
The National Golf Course Advertising Association (NGCAA), headquartered in Tallahassee.

How it works
Ads are placed on leaderboards, which display tournament scores on golf courses.

Network buys are available through the National Golf Course Advertising Association, which was formed in October by 22 owners of independent golf courses. There are both private and semi-private courses in the network.

There is typically one leaderboard per course.

Typically the ad space is divided to accommodate ads ranging in size from 1 foot high and 2 feet long to 1 foot high and 4 feet long.

Creative is provided by the advertiser.

Nearly all of the leaderboards in the network are made of granite, so the ads are engraved and hand painted. Artwork is four-color.

The focus is on branding rather than promotions because the ads stay up at least a year, says executive committee member Jerry Swartz.

The creative should include the advertiser’s logo and contact information like a web site address or telephone number, Swartz says.

Advertisers include national, regional and local businesses.

Discounted or free golfing can be included in the campaign. For example, when a car dealership advertises at a local golf course, the deal may come with coupons for free golfing to hand out to their customers.

Add-ons include branded driving range mats and ads on golf cart wheels, flagsticks and golf bag racks. Some courses offer advertising on GPS screens that are in the carts.

Markets
The network includes courses in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

Numbers
There are approximately 100 courses in the network.

How it is measured
Four impressions per visit are based on the typical golfer encountering the leaderboard at the beginning of the game, once each during the first nine holes and the last nine holes and then again as they leave the course, Swartz says.

What product categories do well
Restaurants, investment firms, real estate, banking, jewelry, lawyers and car dealerships are top categories.

Golf-related products also do well.

Demographics
According to a 2007 study by the National Golf Foundation:

-The average golfer is a 41-year-old married male with a household income of $80,000.
-80 percent of golfers attended college, 83 percent hold professional or managerial positions, and 26 percent own businesses.
-Golfers spend more than $26 billion per year on travel with 80 percent reporting plans to take a vacation in 2008 and 80 percent of those on vacation planning to play golf.

Further, the group reports that the number of rounds played by golfers increases 100 percent as they turn 60 years old.

Making the buy
Lead time is 30 days to 60 days, depending on the number of golf courses and locations in the buy.

Advertisers can cherry-pick golf courses, buy markets or buy the entire network.

A minimum buy is a year.

Cost varies by location. For example, courses in San Diego cost 1.75 percent more than courses in Austin, Texas. There are quantity discounts. Production costs are additional.

Who’s already on golf course leaderboards
Allstate Insurance, A.G. Edwards and Budweiser are recent advertisers.

What they’re saying
“We were able to target what we knew was an affluent crowd of home owners. Also we were able to send some of our clients out there to golf as a freebies. It was nice to be able to send them out there and know they would see our sign.” – Mercedes McCloughan, owner of Allstate Insurance in Marble Falls, Texas

Web site info
The National Golf Course Advertising Association at http://www.ngcaa.org