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Thoughts on why people are walking away from the game...


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I think a number of people are leaving for the same reason that they did 20-30 years ago.

 

1: The game is expensive

a. A set of quality clubs, bag, ball, gloves, can easily set you back 2K plus.

b. Green fees for a round of golf cost $30 (on very low side) to $75. That is a large expenditure for the average person.

c. The cost of a Private or Semi-Private club probably ranges from $3K a yr, to 12K a yr.

2. Time

a. Finding any time to play conflicts with those who have a family, work hours, and if you have your own business you are probably working an 80 hr week.

b. Public courses are a joke, once you get to the course it is common to have 5 hour plus rounds (that makes a 7 hr trip). Much too long for the person with a lot on there plate.

3. For the serious player 1 time a week is just not enough golf. Multiple everything by 3 or 4.

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I don't think that this is enough to force people to walk away from the game, but I think that old and crabby guys working at golf retailers or at golf courses that are constantly vibing people out aren't helping things. While there are plenty of guys who genuinely enjoy working in the golf business and are great deal with, there are a ton of guys who seem pissed off about their lot in life that they still have to work when they should be retired, playing golf at a private course, etc. that seem to want to make life miserable for customers. I'm fed up with these guys who aren't helpful or condescendingly question every purchase you make at golf shops, or starters that act like they are St. Peter at the pearly gates when you are teeing off.

 

 

Anyone else experience this? Like I said probably not enough to turn people away from golf, but certainly not helping.

Yeah, I remember a bunch of those guys when I used to go to Myrtle Beach every spring. Like, in the late-1980s. When I was in my late 20s to early 30s. When we would show up late to the first tee, still half drunk, and completely full of ourselves, but it was the starter who was the problem. I don't think that dynamic has changed. And thinking back, I remember many more times when the staff, the pro, starter, marshals, were all welcoming and informative and genuinely nice guys.

 

And really, I'm not accusing anyone here of being like I was back then (not always, but at least occasionally), but there has always been a bit of a clash between generations, between customers and staff. In my experience, it hasn't gotten appreciably worse, and I can't believe its a specific reason for people leaving golf. In fact, the majority of staff in and around golf mostly behave in a way that would tend to KEEP me playing.

Trust me I live down here and that is still a problem at some of the courses. Some of the old fart starters think they own the course. Before anyone gets on me about bashing old farts I am an old fart myself at 61. But management has realized around here it is a competitive market and a lot of those with bad attitudes have been replaced but there are still some. The groups I play in avoid certain courses still because of bad attitudes

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I think a number of people are leaving for the same reason that they did 20-30 years ago.

 

1: The game is expensive

a. A set of quality clubs, bag, ball, gloves, can easily set you back 2K plus.

b. Green fees for a round of golf cost $30 (on very low side) to $75. That is a large expenditure for the average person.

c. The cost of a Private or Semi-Private club probably ranges from $3K a yr, to 12K a yr.

2. Time

a. Finding any time to play conflicts with those who have a family, work hours, and if you have your own business you are probably working an 80 hr week.

b. Public courses are a joke, once you get to the course it is common to have 5 hour plus rounds (that makes a 7 hr trip). Much too long for the person with a lot on there plate.

3. For the serious player 1 time a week is just not enough golf. Multiple everything by 3 or 4.

 

These are great points but thats golf and probably apply to most sports that require some sort of a field of play and equipment (hockey, down hill, competitive swimming, tennis etc) ...plus...todays society is changing in a big way:

 

Folks will spend:

$400-600 a month on car payments

$5-10 a day on a latte

$1000 for a phone and 200 a month for internet/tv/cable

More and more people are spending more and more time in front of a screen-that is becoming an activity

 

Young families put kids in 3-7 activities a month. They haven't got time or money to even think

 

Golf is no different than many other sports/activities competing for a slice of the pie.

 

If you are an individual, you gotta make choices, where you spend, how much you spend.

 

If you are in the business you are competing against many demands on a consumers $$ and a large boomer cohort who are dying.

 

Golf isn't owed any breaks.

 

Gonna go hit some balls at the range today. My $15 will help pay some college kids hour salary. There, I feel much better

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If it wasn't for those snowbirds,your course would probably be closed,and you might have to play a muni course...maybe you should

shake a snowbirds hand for giving you a course to play cheaply when they go home

 

Yep, without the snowbirds I might have had to pay more during the summer months when I could afford to play Tucson National (favorite local tourist-trap course).

 

But the other side of that coin is that when the local daytime temps start rising and well-to-do snowbirds leave, the courses have to lower rates or they would basically have little play from the locals during that time of year.

 

I for one don't believe any golf course on the planet is worth triple-digit fees and have never paid them. Even back when I could easily afford them. But that's just me.

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I ain't going nowhere unless I either can't swing a club or I'm in the ground.

 

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If it wasn't for those snowbirds,your course would probably be closed,and you might have to play a muni course...maybe you should

shake a snowbirds hand for giving you a course to play cheaply when they go home

 

Yep, without the snowbirds I might have had to pay more during the summer months when I could afford to play Tucson National (favorite local tourist-trap course).

 

But the other side of that coin is that when the local daytime temps start rising and well-to-do snowbirds leave, the courses have to lower rates or they would basically have little play from the locals during that time of year.

 

I for one don't believe any golf course on the planet is worth triple-digit fees and have never paid them. Even back when I could easily afford them. But that's just me.

 

I agree. There are lots of beautiful,great courses that i would love to play, but i will not pay their crazy fees. I really dont think golf is dying,but I

do think that a lot of courses are going to close over the next couple years. The number of people leaving out number the ones starting by a large margin.

Thats due mainly to the large numbers of "boomers" who are leaving for one reason or another. The bad thing about the snowbirds is that a lot

of courses count on them to pay the high fees during the winter in order to stay afloat. If the snowbirds quit paying ,the courses will close. They

may be making money without the snowbirds,but not enough to make it worth the trouble ! Thats the scary part for golf.

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Millenial (born 1983-2000) that makes that cohort 18-35. JMTC's-That age group does not have money for golf. They seem to be a very low impact cohort for the golf industry. They might be golfers later in life...but today...

 

I started golf late in life-Still working, kid out of the house...and the wife took it up with me. We are not members of a club. We play munis or other courses open to public golfing. We have time to play a couple times a week. Vacation now includes golfing usually with family.

 

Every where we play, it is very busy. The majority of courses we play have no housing component. They are older woodland style courses.

 

Courses closing? Courses losing membership?

 

Yup. They are in our area. It appears to be driven by two things. Boomers are dying, effecting private membership courses. Courses are introducing all kinds of lower pricing to increase membership. Annual memberships are selling for ridiculous prices on kijiji ...and... courses built with a residential component are not selling and are failing. Two have plowed over the course to introduce new development proposals.

 

Golf is no different than any other industry-greed will over build/over supply (Boomers started to have disposable income and maybe Tiger moved the needle)-demographics effect industry and economic hits will effect any sector that needs disposable income.

 

Golf is dying. Slow play is increasing due to too many golfers-Golf is too busy. It's probably a very regional driven thing.

 

Fair assessment. But I think golf popularity is more regional in combination with the wealth within the area, and not having to deal with seasonal golf. I'm right now spending much more time in La Quinta near PGA West, and about a zillion other courses. The cost now is low due to temps, so courses aren't busy. But in the "winter" months the prices go berserk, and it's hard to get a tee time for under $150 on a decent course. "World money" comes into the Cochella Valley and blows up everything. Same for SoCal coastal. I bet WRMiller out in AZ runs into the same in the Scottsdale area with tons of great golf courses.

 

Don't play the Scottsdale courses much anymore, as I'm three hours away. I do play in Tucson though, with Tucson National being my favorite. I play in the Summer (early of course) when rates are down. In the Winter, rates there (and all of the local courses for that matter) shoot through the roof for the yearly migration of the well-to-do Snow Birds.

 

And the courses are packed...

 

Then you get my drift about the Palm Springs area golf. Same thing. Cheap then thru the roof. GD snow birds.

If it wasn't for those snowbirds,your course would probably be closed,and you might have to play a muni course...maybe you should

shake a snowbirds hand for giving you a course to play cheaply when they go home

Bill hate to disagree with you on that but in this area we hear that all the time from the snowbirds---- We managed to survive just fine during the recession and back in the early 00s after 911--- The courses that did close in this area during those time frames were older courses in bad repair and with bad management so much so that locals would not play them even during tourist season

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If it wasn't for those snowbirds,your course would probably be closed,and you might have to play a muni course...maybe you should

shake a snowbirds hand for giving you a course to play cheaply when they go home

 

Yep, without the snowbirds I might have had to pay more during the summer months when I could afford to play Tucson National (favorite local tourist-trap course).

 

But the other side of that coin is that when the local daytime temps start rising and well-to-do snowbirds leave, the courses have to lower rates or they would basically have little play from the locals during that time of year.

 

I for one don't believe any golf course on the planet is worth triple-digit fees and have never paid them. Even back when I could easily afford them. But that's just me.

 

I agree. There are lots of beautiful,great courses that i would love to play, but i will not pay their crazy fees. I really dont think golf is dying,but I

do think that a lot of courses are going to close over the next couple years. The number of people leaving out number the ones starting by a large margin.

Thats due mainly to the large numbers of "boomers" who are leaving for one reason or another. The bad thing about the snowbirds is that a lot

of courses count on them to pay the high fees during the winter in order to stay afloat. If the snowbirds quit paying ,the courses will close. They

may be making money without the snowbirds,but not enough to make it worth the trouble ! Thats the scary part for golf.

 

I'm a boomer, and haven't played now for a few weeks. Just had my first kidney stone last week (worse than getting shot, and yea I've had experience with that), and for the last few weeks I've been fighting my lower back and hips.

 

Back is better, and my right hip is now pain free, but when I bend over at the waist I get these burning pains down my left leg, all the way to my left foot.

 

And with the new suspension issues I'm having trouble walking more than a couple hundred yards. This getting old stuff suc...err...stinks. ;)

Primary bag:
Titleist 913 D3 8.5
Titleist 915Fd 13.5
Titleist 913h 17
Mizuno MP-18 4-PW
Scratch wedges 50, 55, and 60
Bettinardi mid-shank putter

Backup bag:
Ping G400 9
Ping G30 fw 13
Ping G30 hybrid 19
Ping iBlade 4-PW power spec
Macgregor VIP wedges 51, 56, and 60
Bettinardi mid-shank putter

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If it wasn't for those snowbirds,your course would probably be closed,and you might have to play a muni course...maybe you should

shake a snowbirds hand for giving you a course to play cheaply when they go home

 

Yep, without the snowbirds I might have had to pay more during the summer months when I could afford to play Tucson National (favorite local tourist-trap course).

 

But the other side of that coin is that when the local daytime temps start rising and well-to-do snowbirds leave, the courses have to lower rates or they would basically have little play from the locals during that time of year.

 

I for one don't believe any golf course on the planet is worth triple-digit fees and have never paid them. Even back when I could easily afford them. But that's just me.

 

I agree. There are lots of beautiful,great courses that i would love to play, but i will not pay their crazy fees. I really dont think golf is dying,but I

do think that a lot of courses are going to close over the next couple years. The number of people leaving out number the ones starting by a large margin.

Thats due mainly to the large numbers of "boomers" who are leaving for one reason or another. The bad thing about the snowbirds is that a lot

of courses count on them to pay the high fees during the winter in order to stay afloat. If the snowbirds quit paying ,the courses will close. They

may be making money without the snowbirds,but not enough to make it worth the trouble ! Thats the scary part for golf.

 

I'm a boomer, and haven't played now for a few weeks. Just had my first kidney stone last week (worse than getting shot, and yea I've had experience with that), and for the last few weeks I've been fighting my lower back and hips.

 

Back is better, and my right hip is now pain free, but when I bend over at the waist I get these burning pains down my left leg, all the way to my left foot.

 

And with the new suspension issues I'm having trouble walking more than a couple hundred yards. This getting old stuff suc...err...stinks. ;)

Yes it truly does ! I play 18..head home, and spend 10 minutes under the pulsating shower on my lower back. I got a shower head

a few years back that really makes a strong flow of water...sure seems to help.

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If it wasn't for those snowbirds,your course would probably be closed,and you might have to play a muni course...maybe you should

shake a snowbirds hand for giving you a course to play cheaply when they go home

 

Yep, without the snowbirds I might have had to pay more during the summer months when I could afford to play Tucson National (favorite local tourist-trap course).

 

But the other side of that coin is that when the local daytime temps start rising and well-to-do snowbirds leave, the courses have to lower rates or they would basically have little play from the locals during that time of year.

 

I for one don't believe any golf course on the planet is worth triple-digit fees and have never paid them. Even back when I could easily afford them. But that's just me.

 

I agree. There are lots of beautiful,great courses that i would love to play, but i will not pay their crazy fees. I really dont think golf is dying,but I

do think that a lot of courses are going to close over the next couple years. The number of people leaving out number the ones starting by a large margin.

Thats due mainly to the large numbers of "boomers" who are leaving for one reason or another. The bad thing about the snowbirds is that a lot

of courses count on them to pay the high fees during the winter in order to stay afloat. If the snowbirds quit paying ,the courses will close. They

may be making money without the snowbirds,but not enough to make it worth the trouble ! Thats the scary part for golf.

 

I'm a boomer, and haven't played now for a few weeks. Just had my first kidney stone last week (worse than getting shot, and yea I've had experience with that), and for the last few weeks I've been fighting my lower back and hips.

 

Back is better, and my right hip is now pain free, but when I bend over at the waist I get these burning pains down my left leg, all the way to my left foot.

 

And with the new suspension issues I'm having trouble walking more than a couple hundred yards. This getting old stuff suc...err...stinks. ;)

OMG I would not wish kidney stones on any one. I have had them 3 times in my life one of the reasons i do not drink soft drinks any more and mostly water.

I can remember my first ones--- I passed them in the Emergency Room and I was doped up as heck. I remember they had me peeing in a funnel with a screen. I came back rattling them in the funnel screen. The nurse laughed and told me "Congratulations Honey you have had 2 babies and that is as close as a man can come to giving birth" She also added " I am well qualified to make that statement because I have been a nurse for 30 years and have had 3 babies". The second time was not so easy I had to be put to sleep and they ran a tube where you know what had to go in there and bust them things to get them out. Made me stay in the Hospital overnight. Got out and was not supposed to but drove 3 dirt track races that weekend with the tube in and all. One of the reasons I earned the name of Ironman. 3rd time was a charm passed them too in the Emergency room doped up. Lucky for me it has been 12 years now

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You are correct Stu. The ones you guys play are the ones well run. If the big influx of tourists were lost for months every year,the less well run ones

would have a tough time,and some would probably have to close.

What has happened here is the Founders Group bought 21 courses and one of the package services and in the last 5 years or so have really raised the bar. Even the independent courses have formed golf groups with group memberships etc. But in the long run it is cheaper for them to operate sharing equipment and making bulk purchases on seed fertilizer etc.

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You are correct Stu. The ones you guys play are the ones well run. If the big influx of tourists were lost for months every year,the less well run ones

would have a tough time,and some would probably have to close.

What has happened here is the Founders Group bought 21 courses and one of the package services and in the last 5 years or so have really raised the bar. Even the independent courses have formed golf groups with group memberships etc. But in the long run it is cheaper for them to operate sharing equipment and making bulk purchases on seed fertilizer etc.

Sounds like some folks know what they're doing ! Hope you locals can keep benefiting from the well run ones !

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One of my favorite local courses is rumored to be closing next year. Their practice area is awesome. I take my 3yo out there and he loves chipping and putting around. Kills me to think about not having that place around. It’s a beautifully maintained course and I don’t think they charge as much as they could. Probably part of the problem! You can play the garage muni course or for $10 more you can play there. They probably have double the maintenance budget and barely cost more. I don’t usually bark about greens fees because I know the course doesn’t maintain itself! You get what you pay for typically. I will be sad to see if go if the rumors are to true.

 

The thing that I like about golf is that you can play all your life. You certainly can’t do that in other sports. Maybe to an extent. I have found memories playing with my dad and my pap when I was a teenager. I’m looking forward to having that tradition with my boys!

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Damn, this thread is lasting so long, people will have taken up golf, left golf and come back again. :beach:

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I honestly think we need to introduce the availability of playing 3, 4, 5, 9 holes. Im a club member and live very close to my course. I have a lot of fun in summer taking a carry bag out and playing "my" 5 hole loop. To enable me to do that I have to be a full member on 7 day membership. If my son comes for a walk with me, he's not allowed to hit a ball.

 

What if he could pay a fee, 1/4 of the green fee, and play five holes, include a half set. I bet you can't even do that at a municipal.

 

Whilst golf is 4 hours plus 18 holes or bust, fewer people will take it up casually, for all the reasons highlighted in this thread.

 

Interestingly, the UK has seen a tremendous amount of success in cycling in recent years. All those middle aged men in lycra discussing alloy frames and carbon frames and the merits of shimano gears and lubes are just like us. Whats the best bike, how many bikes, winter bikes, commuting bike etc. Twenty years ago they'd have been golfers....

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Biking, eh? Hmm.

 

My muni course allows anyone to come pitch, chip, and putt for free. Range balls are only $6 off grass. Most courses are open year-round, weather permitting. And 18 holes there is far cheaper than even 9 at the local private club. Walk ins are welcome to play 9 or 18.

 

When you get to be 69, your world view has changed. You simplify goals and don't let many issues get under you skin. Today, right now, is the most important time, so you look to enjoy yourself or help someone else have a good time. Why on earth would I leave the game I love? IMO those who leave have not fallen in love with the game and probably don't understand it. They most likely can't commit to the challenge, to practice, to achieving, and never learn to realized the immense value of having fun playing with those you care about.

 

I wish Golf would focus on the players and the value of golf to us, rather than harping relentlessly on slow play, long balls, and hawking the latest best temporary miracle gimmick.

 

The old TV show "Shell's Wonderful World of Golf" (would any show be named that today?) exhibited innocent sportsmanship and friendship between the players, announcer, and gallery. I know that era is now gone, but that type of game and era saw golf booming.

 

Today, people might be leaving the game, but players like me aren't. It isn't the people, it is the game that has redefined itself.

 

It baffles my mind why any golf advocate who cares about growing the game would get up on his radio or TV show and time and again gleefully blurt "Golf is really hard, folks!" Not the best slogan for a game losing its public and family appeal.

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I'm not sure I've ever met anyone who has walked away from the game. Most people I know who have a set of clubs might be on hiatus due to other things going on in life, but they'll play if they have the opportunity. I don't know anyone who sold their equipment and threw in the towel.

 

The post above sums it up: it's money. I think the measurement for people "leaving the game" is the industry measuring its own income vs. expenditures. As prices go up (equipment, memberships, greens fees for consumers, and maintenance, salaries, marketing for courses) the money flow goes down. A lot of courses can't survive under that kind of monetary pressure and they close or the municipality closes it.

 

Also you hear it all the time in the media, the selling of expensive trips, equipment, balls, training aids, etc. You wouldn't hear it if people weren't buying this stuff. Who are these people? I sure don't know them. Virtually all my equipment and training aids I've found at Goodwill. I save and buy the best balls I can, then I practice in the backyard so I don't lose them on the course. I'm not whining, but the reality is you won't grow the game unless you grow the experience, not the industry.

 

I also think that regular golf schmucks like me try to retain some shred of dignity and self-esteem as we play. I can play 20-year-old clubs, but I'd rather play a newer set and give myself the best chance at success, as well as avoid comments such as "Nice sticks, Old Tom." But new equipment, even balls, are beyond our ability to own. It's true that mostly no one on the course cares what you play...as long as they feel they have the best equipment and are beating you.

 

The campaign for growing the game of golf does not exist. You don't grow something from the top up.

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Used to play a lot. Par golfer. Length of time to play has to be main factor. If 9 holes was promoted more with better pricing for me and my friends we would be more likely to play way more often.... but everyone feels they NEED to play 18 so if 9 holes was more popular more would play!

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I used to golf for free, so I took advantage of it. Now that I have to pay it has become very infrequent. I just get more fun and excitement out of mountain biking. Definitely get much more value. Once you buy a bike the rest is pretty much free. And it's a great workout and chance to see awesome places. I wish I could golf more but dropping $70 for 1 round of golf vs. $70 for a year state parks pass here in Colorado is no contest.

My daughter just started college out of state this year so every dollar counts.

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The cost of game being blamed for perceived lack of participation I believe is completely misguided and does not align with basic economics. Participation in any recreational event is mostly dependent on a participant's disposable income. The health of golf is not dependent on if the last marginal golfer can't afford it, no more than the boating industry is dependent on if the last marginal boater can afford a new Malibu boat.

 

For those of you that complain golf is too expensive at say $70 per round you would only be correct if courses were empty. If rounds are $70 and courses are mostly full, than the pricing/supply/demand equation is close to be being balanced at that price point. Of course what you see on these forums is mostly a neglect of geographical nuances. Golf is far cheaper, in fact perhaps as cheap as it has ever been, outside the urban population centers. If you live in a populated area without enough courses to spread out demand, you will have 5 hour rounds at $70. That is a you problem. That is no different than people who choose to live in area's where they have a 60 minute commute and complain about traffic.

 

In fact, I would suggest most avid golfer's would pay an additional fee if they were guaranteed playing in under a certain amount of time.

 

I would also suggest that there is a clear distinction between somebody that plays golf and somebody that is a golfer. For a golfer, golf is their main hobby, in fact, probably their only hobby. Most of the people that leave the game or complain about the game are not golfer's, but rather they play golf. If you would rather ride a bike or run or do some other activity than you are not a golfer, you play golf. If you leave the game, it is a good thing, not a bad thing.

 

The golf industry's problem is they spend too much time trying to get new people to play and focus to much on people that play golf, rather than focusing on their core "golfers".

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Golf is too expensive. Clubs, balls, greens fees, all of it. $70 per round is not possible for me no matter how you rationalize it. If the majority can afford it, great. Michael Breed todayvwas making fun of a golfer whose foursome buddy moved away and he was the guy with the rangefinder. The golfer asked what do we do now? Breed laughed and said it is easy, just go to the Leupold website and get one for yourself!! He thought that was such a simple solution. Those rangefinders cost like $350 and up. Breed talks the talk of a grassroots golfer but he has lost touch.

 

Sorry, I'm done. This topic gets me.

 

Also, I am one who does not aspire to play faster and faster. I play with zero wasted time, and I relish my time on the course. What is all the bull about "you must play faster"? Sure some need a kick in the butt and golf behavior lessons (which should be mandatory) but why on earth rush such a wonderful pursuit?

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Golf is too expensive. Clubs, balls, greens fees, all of it. $70 per round is not possible for me no matter how you rationalize it. If the majority can afford it, great. Michael Breed todayvwas making fun of a golfer whose foursome buddy moved away and he was the guy with the rangefinder. The golfer asked what do we do now? Breed laughed and said it is easy, just go to the Leupold website and get one for yourself!! He thought that was such a simple solution. Those rangefinders cost like $350 and up. Breed talks the talk of a grassroots golfer but he has lost touch.

 

Sorry, I'm done. This topic gets me.

 

Also, I am one who does not aspire to play faster and faster. I play with zero wasted time, and I relish my time on the course. What is all the bull about "you must play faster"? Sure some need a kick in the butt and golf behavior lessons (which should be mandatory) but why on earth rush such a wonderful pursuit?

 

Golf is too expensive for you doesn't make it too expensive in the aggregate. $70 rounds are not common place outside of urban areas. I averaged less than $25 a round this year.

 

MG Golf sells high quality lasers with the slope function for $119. They also sell Tour level balls for $20 bucks, In the off season you can find tour balls for often less than 20 bucks a dozen. There is an ongoing thread in the ball forum discussing ongoing golf ball deals. Ebay, Lostgolfballs.com, rock bottom golf, Carl's golfland are loaded with cheap deals. Everyday.

 

 

If it is too expensive for you in your area than you have three choices, move, reduce your rounds, or don't play.

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I’ll refer you to the current Breakfast Ball thread, enough said. Some people walk away because some people are too serious about playing a game and ruin the fun for anybody who play with them.

 

I can understand tournament play and the rules, etc. But casual golf should be fun, not a freaking task. When I play with friends I don’t care what they do to enjoy the game. If I don’t agree with it, I shut my mouth, play my game, and smile.

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Well I have had two friends refuse to come play with me again because of blatant racist nonsense(the reason I play alone usually, too many stories to count), there is no youth system worth anything, and market value for everything in the sport is determined by the richest demographic in the world, so most everyone else struggles to keep up.

 

Oh, and it's hard and take forever.

 

Not for everyone lol

 

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