The golf club car park has long been a battleground for premium car makers, yet in an era where brand loyalty is diminishing and newcomers are circling around the established players, the sport is being used in an altogether different way.
Golf offers something unique in sport in allowing amateur players to play in the same sporting arenas as legends of the game. While you can’t go and take a penalty from the same place as Harry Kane at Wembley, hit a six like Ben Stokes at Lord’s or serve an ace like Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, you can go and play St Andrews or Pebble Beach and attempt the same winning putt as Rory McIlroy.
Car makers recognise that and are now hosting their own tournaments on a vast international scale at some of the world’s best courses, designed solely for customers, rather than corporate entertainment.
More than 200,000 car buyers will take part in amateur golf tournaments organised by car companies this year.
