On Par with Digital Transformation

Abstract

Digital transformation is an important and integral part of the digital shift we as a society are facing. As society is changing to a more digital enhanced version, so are the sports that are played within the society. Golf is no exception to this digital transformation and yet is behind both the actual transition to a digital future and the assessment of the progress. The central organisation within golf could find difficulty in assessing digital transformation within golf. This research proposes the idea that golf is an ecosystem, existing of value bringing entities and the customers within golf. Using two literature reviews, this research uncovers what makes a good method to assess digital transformation and finds the definitions for entities and ecosystems to be used by both researchers and stakeholders. Changes to the model and model process by Westerman et al. (2014) were made to create the Ecosystemic Digital Technology Transformation Model. This research then formulates two questionnaires and adapts the model to create the Ecosystemic Digital Technology Transformation Model for the Dutch golf ecosystem. Empirical evidence of an applied version of this model is uncovered by sending the questionnaires to golf courses and golfers. The responses lead to the successful placement of golf courses on the model and therefore the validation of both questionnaires and the model. The proposed altered model can be used by central organisations within ecosystems to assess the digital transformation within the ecosystem. Researchers can use this research to further understand digital transformation within ecosystems.