News & Views | FEBRUARY, 2025

America is More Impatient

Whether you politically lean left, right or straight down the middle, our latest Consumer Optimism Barometer continues to show a more impetuous society, with waning patience. SEE DETAILS  and CONTACT US to find out how this has implications for leisure businesses seeking to meet the needs of their customers.

Who Needs a Drink? 

New SLRG data shows that while a majority of U.S. adults claim to be drinking less alcoholic beverages than they did five years ago, they aren’t necessarily seeing the same phenomenon among others. HERE  are two quick infographics that look at the breakdown among various age groups.

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A LOOK AT TRENDS EMERGING FOR THE YEAR AHEAD

Unlocking Consumer Insights: 2025 Trends Shaping Tomorrow’s Markets

SLRG’s Jon Last joined Stephen Kraus of University of San Francisco and Question Pro President Dan Fleetwood for their annual look at what new insights are suggesting for the year ahead.  The January 29^th webinar unpacked evolving consumer attitudes and behaviors and their implications for leisure and sports marketers in the year ahead. You can download the deck, or watch the a video of the webinar, HERE with our compliments.

2025 Golf Industry KEY TRENDS

The 22nd edition of our annual golf trends series returned to this year’s NGCOA Golf Business Conference at the PGA Merchandise Show. Sports and Leisure Research Group President Jon Last and NGCOA President Cathy Harbin provided a deep dive into the year ahead in the golf industry, sourcing insights  from our golfer omnibus study, the new NGCOA Golf Business Pulse Report and the ongoing Consumer Optimism Barometer. Click HERE for the presentation slides. More in depth results are also available on a custom basis. Please CONTACT US for details.

SLRG INSIGHTS IN THE NEWS



Getting Culture Right

February 12, 2025

SLRG’s Jon Last co-authors a February 2025 article that defines and explores “club culture” and how managing it can be a critical success factor to optimize golf facility success.”

Read Here »

Sports Has Become More Exclusive by Being More Inclusive

February 12, 2025

Sports marketers have simultaneously embraced broader definitions of customer experiences while also working to deliver more elite and aspirational offerings.

Read Here »

ARDA Shares 2024 Year-End Insights, 2025 Outlook from Latest Vacation Ownership Sentiment Index

February 12, 2025

A recap of 2024 key trends and findings as well as the 2025 outlook from the American Resort Development Association’s Vacation Ownership Index, powered by SLRG.

Read Here »

DRIVER$: The Year Ahead in the Golf Industry

February 12, 2025

SLRG's Jon Last and David Klein dive deeply into vital signs from recent golf industry studies and gaze into the crystal ball for what lies ahead in 2025.

Listen Here »

ARDA Inside Look – December Vacation Ownership Sentiment Index

February 1, 2025

An online survey was conducted by Sports & Leisure Research Group for ARDA Research & Insights in December 2024 among a nationally representative sample of 500 U.S. based timeshare owners and 500 leisure travelers. The monthly index is designed to provide ongoing data and insights into travel preferences and attitudes of timeshare owners versus the average leisure traveler.

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Notes From the 2025 PGA Merchandise Show

February 1, 2025

In Compass Point’s annual Golf Industry forecast, SLRG Golfer Omnibus data supports the thesis that while the golf industry continues to enjoy strong performance, consumer insights suggest that expectations for 2025 are somewhat tempered.

Read Here »

NGCOA: Latest from Sports & Leisure Research Group

February 1, 2025

SLRG’s January 2025 feature on the National Golf Course Owners’ Association website, includes a preview of key trends presented at the annual Golf Business Conference drawn from the soon to be released Golf Business Pulse Report.

Read More »

Do Sports Fans Really Want to Talk About Athletes and Money?

January 16, 2025

In his monthly column, Jon Last of Sports and Leisure Research Group discusses fan sentiment around professional sports contracts.

Read Here »

MRII Podcasts Insights & Innovators Podcast Series



SLRG’s Jon Last is a past President and current marketing chair of Market Research Institute International, a thought leadership group and partner with The University of Georgia in offering the leading global online certificate programs, supporting the career development and education of market research professionals.  SLRG is also a proud sponsor of the Institute.



MRII ‘s podcast series offers compelling discussions with industry leaders.  Last is one of the hosts of the series.

Learn more about MRII HERE