Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to establish the effects of service quality of sports centers on customer loyalty and intention to adhere to exercise.Design/methodology/approach: In total, 500 questionnaires were distributed to five sports centers located in the city of Seoul, of which 472 were returned and used in the data analysis. The collected data were subjected to frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, a reliability test, and structural equation model analysis using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 18.0.Findings: The results show that, first, service quality, comprising the two factors of the facilities of sports centers and instructors, positively influences customer loyalty. Second, the service quality of sports centers positively influences the intention to adhere to exercise, and, third, so does customer loyalty.Practical implications: Management needs to make more efforts to strengthen service quality, comprising facilities and instructors, in order to increase customer loyalty, represented by the sense of closeness with and attachment of customers using sports centers, as well as to increase the need for exercise.Originality/value: Previous studies on the service quality of sports centers have been limited to customer satisfaction, customer trust, reuse intention, recommendations to others, consumption behavior, and relationship commitment. Since the research on the direct relationship between service quality of sports centers and exercise adherence is still limited, this study provides data and implications relevant to the management of sports centers by investigating the relationship among service quality of sports centers, customer loyalty, and intention to adhere to exercise.

This study aimed to verify the effects of participation motivation in sports climbing on leisure satisfaction and physical self-efficacy. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the causal relationships between participation motivation in sports climbing, leisure satisfaction, and physical self-efficacy, and to determine participation motivation. This study examined this causal relationship by verifying leisure satisfaction’s mediating effect on the relationship between participation motivation in sports climbing and physical self-efficacy. The participants of this study included 324 individuals over the age of 20 years with at least three months of sports climbing experience in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions. The results indicated that among the subfactors of participation motivation in sports climbing, only skill acquisition and achievement positively affected leisure satisfaction, that leisure satisfaction positively affected physical self-efficacy, and that leisure satisfaction mediated the relationship between skill acquisition and achievement among the subfactors of participation motivation in sports climbing and physical self-efficacy. This study indicated that improved leisure satisfaction through sports climbing increases physical self-efficacy, including perceived improvement in physical abilities and confidence in interpersonal relationships. Accordingly, to expand and sustain participation, a systematic system for sports climbing instruction and educational programs is required to increase skill acquisition and a sense of accomplishment.

This paper studies the effects of relationship marketing factors of sports centers on commitment to relationship and intention to recommend. A statistical survey was used for quantitative research, and in-depth interviews, for qualitative research, according to the mixed methods research. The results of the quantitative research show that the relationship marketing factors of bonding, facility, and price positively influence commitment to relationship. Expertise and facility positively influence intention to recommend. Finally, commitment to relationship positively influences intention to recommend. Sports centers could build relationships based on polite and hospitable service, and host monthly events for building rapport among members. Instructors’ expertise promotes bonding and serves as the most essential factor for intention to recommend. Sports centers must adequately introduce promotions related to rational consumption and specialized promotion. Centers that are managed too carelessly or frugally will have a highly negative impact on customer relationship and intention to recommend. This study aims to empirically analyze customer needs by comparing the results of in-depth interviews with customers based on the results of quantitative studies through mixed methods research. It determines the relationships between the aforementioned variables, providing practical implications through analysis of the customers’ subjective consciousness by focusing on sports facilities in order to secure competitive advantage, and thus, overcome financial difficulties.

The purpose of this study was to understand customer behavior among Korean golf travelers based on the choice attributes of golf courses in Southeast Asia. This study was based on Creswell and Clark’s triangulation design, a mixed-methods research framework that compares the results of quantitative and qualitative investigations. The results of the quantitative study were as follows. ‘H1. Golf course choice attributes will have a positive effect on customer satisfaction’ was partially accepted. Among choice attributes, course management, price, operations management, and lodgings had an effect on customer satisfaction. ‘H2. Customer satisfaction will have a positive effect on intention to revisit’ was accepted. ‘H3. Customer satisfaction will have a mediation effect on the relationship between intention to revisit, and golf course choice attributes’ was partially accepted. Among choice attributes, customer satisfaction only showed a mediating effect in the relationship of intention to revisit with course management and price. The novelty of this study is that we performed mixed-methods research, which has not been carried out in previous studies. Furthermore, we conducted in-depth interviews only with golfers who visited courses in South Asia, selected based on their duration and purpose of the visit. The results of the qualitative study were compared with those of the quantitative study to provide empirical evidence that can be used to help domestic golf travel industry and golf courses in Southeast Asia.

This study verified the analysis of the relationship between service quality of food and beverage and customer behaviors for sustainable golf course management. This study employed triangulation design, a mixed methods research framework that compares the results of quantitative and qualitative investigations. The quantitative study verified the effects of service quality of food and beverage on customer loyalty and willingness to recommend online. The subjects of the quantitative study analyzed the responses of 372 golfers over 20 who use driving ranges in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The results of the quantitative study were as follows. First, reliability and responsiveness among sub-factors of service quality had a positive effect on customer loyalty. Second, empathy among sub-factors of service quality had a positive effect on willingness to recommend online. Third, customer loyalty had a positive effect on willingness to recommend online. Fourth, customer loyalty had a mediating effect on the relationship between reliability among sub-factors of service quality and willingness to recommend online. For the qualitative study, six research participants were selected, and in-depth interviews were conducted on golfers’ preference and non-preference factors for food and beverage services at golf courses’ clubhouses. The qualitative research results are as follows. First, golf participants recognized that the speed of food preparation and prompt provision of food and beverages were significant. Second, the food flavors and the clubhouse restaurant’s physical environment were also deemed important. Third, poor quality of food and beverage facilities and meals negatively affect the reliability and willingness to recommend the golf course. This study is unique in that it adopted a mixed methods approach, which has not been done in related previous studies.

This study is for a search for methods of development of marine leisure sports. As worldwide trend of marine leisure sports is developing rapidly and people more concern about their quality of life and leisure in Korea, the ear of marine leisure sports should be coming in Korea soon. This study is for a search for methods of development though the SWOT analysis. The results of the study are as below. First, the Strength of enlargement of the base in Korea are elation of concern of government and local governments, expanding local event of marine leisure sports with existing facilities and various programs. Second, the weakness of enlargement of the base in Korea are lack of awareness of marine leisure sports, frequent accident occurrence and lack of experts of marine leisure sports. Third, the Opportunity of enlargement of the base in Korea are more budget due to elation of concern of government and local governments and more preference of people in Korea. Fourth, the Threaten of enlargement of the base in Korea are low efficiency of high cost investment construction from government and local governments, huge fee of using facilities due to high cost investment construction and requiring treatment improvement of instructors of leisure sports facilities.