Effects of Athlete Evangelism and Loneliness on MZ Generation’s Golf Equipment Purchase Intentions

This study aimed to examine golf equipment purchase intentions by interrogating athlete evangelism, loneliness, and generational differences within the MZ generation. Specifically, a 2 (athlete evangelism) × 2 (loneliness) × 2 (generation) one-way analysis of variance was conducted with 340 Korean participants aged 20 to 44. The findings revealed that participants with high athlete evangelism displayed higher purchase intentions for golf equipment than those with low athlete evangelism. In generational comparisons, Generation M exhibited significantly higher purchase intentions than Generation Z. In addition, a significant interaction effect was found among athlete evangelism, loneliness, and generation. Building upon these findings, this study presents practical implications for the golf equipment industry.