They have a lot more exposure to games like soccer, and to things other than golf, so it really comes back to a lot of grassroots marketing, which is a particularly applicable term when you're talking about golf.
While these measures will help take golf to a younger generation, the current criticism of golf courses in the region, particularly in Dubai, is that they automatically price a lot of people out of the market.
Spencer agrees that the price of golf in the region is still a big issue, but he says that is because of the lack of options available at the moment.
" The bulk of the alternative is to play 18 holes of golf," he says. "There are other things to do, whether it be golf simulators, which can be done indoors, or golf training camps or a golf boot camp for young people on a par three or putting course."
Ensuring that every interaction point at a golf club is user-friendly will be essential in growing participation, adds Spencer, and this philosophy has been integral to the design of the clubhouses at Jumeirah Golf Estates. For example, he says there will not be a fine-dining experience because the aim is to use F&B venues more as meeting points than for dinner as an event.
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Other core components will be swimming, tennis, spa and retail experiences.
"The overall feel of Jumeirah Golf Estates is quite friendly, bright and cheerful, funky and modern. We have a young team and we want to be challenged by new ways of thinking and new approaches," adds Spencer.
As a result, a key aim is clearly to dispel the notion that golf is too expensive.
"There's a lot of ways of getting potential clients interested in golf that doesn't mean they have to pay AED 1000 (US $272) to play," says Spencer.
He stresses the importance of preparation: "If you pay AED 1000 (US $272) to play golf and you're not well prepared, you're not going to enjoy it".
It's the responsibility of golf course operators, therefore, to find out the goals of its players and help them to meet those aims.
"If my goal is to take up golf to learn about the sport and in my mind my aspiration is to learn to play the Dubai World Championship course, then I've set myself an aspirational goal. The huge difference between golf and literally any other sport in the world, is that you can learn to play golf, you can learn to love golf and you can learn to walk in the same piece of grass that Sergio Garcia or Greg Norman did. You can almost relive the history," says Spencer, adding that he thinks this will be key to changing golf globally.
As well as reinventing the image of golf in Dubai, Spencer has the high-pressure task of ensuring that Jumeirah Golf Estates is ready to host the inaugural Dubai World Championship in November 2009. Although he admits that it's a "guillotine date", Spencer says that phase one is very advanced and "extremely well on time to meet our deadline".
As well as being the first Dubai World Championship, the event will be the culmination of the first Race to Dubai - the new season-long event set up by Leisurecorp and the European Tour to replace the Order of Merit.
"All the professional golfers will be 'racing to Dubai' for the final event, which is the richest golf tournament in the world," says Spencer, revealing it has a US $10 million prize purse plus a $10 million prize fund for The Race to Dubai.
"Coupled with what we're already doing with the golf courses, our alliance with the European Tour, the Dubai World Championship and the Race to Dubai will very much drive tourism and the golf market in Dubai," says Spencer.
"Every week, Dubai will be in front of spectators of the European tour throughout the world; that will spark intrigue from all parts of the globe - what is the Race to Dubai actually to?"
Next year, Leisurecorp will also host the second oldest golf tournament in history at Pearl Valley Golf Estates in South Africa and the oldest Open at Turnberry, UK.
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