Golf is dying: "lost 5 million players in the last decade... another 5 million will quit in the next

[Goldenhawk]

A Callaway rep told me five years ago that women are the key to growing golf. That is why Callaway poured a lot of money into designing women's golf clubs. I think he hit it right on. OEM need to make club specifically for women and not just take a men's club head and put a women's flex shaft in it.

What also needs to happen is to have a LPGA golfer for preteen and teen girls to look up to. A Tiger-effect for women's golf. Lots if girls playing softball and soccer but very few girls playing golf. Perhaps Michele Wie will continue to win and become that person.

[JimNewton]

I'm not sure I buy much of this. Around here at least the game seems very strong. Even on a weekday morning I'm surrounded by other groups. I can't even get a spot at the driving range after work anymore without a wait. 3 years ago that place was dead. There are plenty of younger kids out there that are in to it.

My buddies that rarely play but never really want to all say "it's too expensive". A) they are cheapskates to begin with and B) in some ways it is too expensive. I hate buying new balls as it's serious price gouging ... like gillete razor blades price gouging territory. $4 to make that ball? I don't think so.

Greens fees are sometimes taxed as well. Yesterday we played what were called "the worst greens in Pennsylvania" for $50. Last weekend we went to a much nicer, more enjoyable course for $35. I don't get it.

[jmck]

I'm of two minds on the issue. On one hand, the game in the US has serious problems and is absolutely contracting. IMO, the Times does a decent job laying out the basic reasons why--saying "well, the courses around me are full on the weekends, so the game must be doing okay" is a classic example of anecdote not equaling data.

On the other hand, we're one Chinese teenage phenom away from creating a hundred million new golfers. Unlike in this country, there is [i]a lot[/i] of new wealth being created in China right now.

[jsams222]

[quote name='Yellow Jacket' timestamp='1398258360' post='9150321']
The New York Times published an article last Friday discussing the many ways golf is dying and the attempts to grow the game: [url="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/19/sports/golf/in-a-hole-golf-considers-digging-a-wider-one.html"]http://www.nytimes.c...-wider-one.html[/url]

[b]To summarize the article, the main reasons why golf is dying:[/b]
1) Too hard
2) Too expensive
3) Takes too long
4) Women don't feel welcome

[b]Why they're hard to fix:[/b]
1) Too hard
The best way to make the game easier is to have everyone play forward tees. People will always slice the ball and 3 putt, but it's most frustrating when you're chunking shots from the rough, so fewer of those is better for everyone. Unfortunately, the majority of golfers have stubborn egos.

2) Too expensive
Equipment is too expensive, but companies have back themselves into a corner releasing $500 drivers every 6 months. No CEO will ever cut back once they've established that revenue stream because they will immediately be fired, and the next CEO won't make the same mistake.
Green fees are also too expensive. Too many golf courses were built in the past 15-20 years. Indeed, there is a bubble in golf courses just as there was in housing. With fewer golfers, courses try to charge the highest prices they can get away with when they should just go out of business.

3) Takes too long
This is a byproduct of 1 with golfers playing tees that are too long. It's also a byproduct of too many tee times being squeeze together, a byproduct of courses trying not to lose money. Hell, the course I regularly play has tee times every 8 minutes which makes weekend rounds take 5-6 hours.

4) Women don't feel welcome
When half the population is missing, of course you're going to have problems. But this is to hard to fix, in large part because the majority of people who control golf and spend money on golf are from the Mad Men generation, when women knew their place (in the kitchen). Younger people are more progressive, but they aren't playing the game because of the aforementioned majority older players.

[b]Why Golf Is Doomed[/b]
It may seem like I'm saying older white men are the reason why golf is dying. Of course, it's more complicated than that. But there are systemic issues in the game, and by the time they're fixed, I fear golf as a recreational sport is basically going to die like boxing did as a spectator sport.

PGA of America president Ted Bishop: “I went to a golf club’s 125th anniversary dinner not long ago, and the overwhelming majority of the people in the room were over 55. We should be asking, ‘On that club’s 150th anniversary, who’s going to attend?’” My answer? No one.
[/quote]

I will preface this by saying I live in South Carolina and my entire family is or has been fully vested in the golf industry for the past 50 years.

1) I do not think the courses themselves are too hard. I really think it comes down to the greens. When playing with friends and family (ranging from 6-20+ hcp), 90% of my time is spent looking for a ball in thick wooded areas (vastly overgrown and no OB) for 5+ minutes or 3-4 putts on a green that is Augusta fast. I hear all the time on TV if they would just slow the greens down to the speeds of Jack and Arnie days it would help a lot. I am not a professional golfer, I do not support my family off of golf. Why do I need to be putting on greens the with Tour slope ratings? When we play pickup baseball, does everyone play with the fences 420 down the lines and 430 dead center? Are we playing weekend tennis on clay or grass surfaces? Pickup games on basketball courts with 3 point line at 23'9''?

2) I am in my mid/late 20s, married and not strap for cash at all. But, I find it very expensive to play golf. Being in SC there are public courses everywhere. Though, I live in the Upstate, SC (near the mountains, not Myrtle Beach) so there are probably 1/5 of the amount of courses the beach has. The top 2 public courses in my area with 30 miles are $65 w/ cart, all day weekend rates (no golf now deals) with a 8/10 rating in my eyes. Personally, I feel sick to my stomach paying that or even thinking about paying that. The other public courses are probably in the anywhere from 3/10 to 6/10 rating with green fees averaging with care from $35-60 weekend rates. The private clubs here or anywhere from $10k-80k joining fee then $250 month (out of the question for my family at the time).
If I go to Myrtle with my family or Ocean Isle beach, I have a choice of 50 courses I can walk on to Saturday morning without a tee time and ride 18 for $25-35 in mid summer all 8/10 rating.
I find the market in the Upstate to be very "hard". Charging very high rates and not a lot of people playing. Though the market in Myrtle is very soft.
The only way I play is if I get a Golf Now deal, get a weekday deal on a friday for $20, play a very very nice Par 3 for $18, go to driving range.

3) Think this comes back to green speeds and thick overgrown, non maintained tree lines. I have not played "non-ready" golf in probably 5 years with anyone I get on the course with. It really comes down to playing with people who keep in the short stuff vs those who do not.

4) My wife feels very welcome at a golf course. She looks forward to working local tour events and attending them also. If anything, I feel like Teens are the ones being left out. I feel like every worker at the golf course has an eye on the Teens like they are 1 step away from carving their name in the green with their putter or something crazy.

Just my personal opinion on golf in my area.

[PostandGhost]

Golf has been around for hundreds of years. Golf is going to be just fine, the equipment companies are screwed.

What blows my mind is the arrogance of the people who think they can control an industry. Meddling is what got golf in trouble in the first place. Golf is over regulated as it is. We should really just leave golf alone. The PGA, R&A, TMAG, and especially the USGA are so self important. They all have to "save" golf. Are they kidding? That's the most arrogant thing I've heard. Save golf?

Golf doesn't need saving. These guys don't care about Golf, not in the abstract they don't. What they're concerned with is a bottom line, their own financial statement. People that are narrow and unenlightened don't impress me and it's hard to get behind their cause. Compared to the golf companies, Golf is doing great. Like I said, it's been here for hundreds of years. How long has TMAG been around? Since 1979? That's pretty conceded to think Hack Golf can save a game that has existed for hundreds of years. And this goes for all of the golf companies that meddle, I'm just using TMAG as the low hanging fruit example.

Think about how many golf companies have come and gone, but yet Golf is still here.

How long has American football been around? How about basketball? Maybe those are the sports that need to be saved so that they can one day be centuries old like Golf.

Golf has survived Protestant Reform, The Great Plague, King Henry VIII, The General Crisis, The Napoleonic Wars, The Industrial Revolution, Marxism, WW1, the great depression, and WW2, yet people think a 4.25" hole is going to destroy golf? Golf is just going through a period of self correction. It was never meant to be as popular as it has become. The adjustment doesn't mean golf is dying, it just means the sport is becoming more healthy. Golf will be around long after everyone on this website is gone.

[jmplautz]

[quote name='jholz' timestamp='1398264262' post='9151025']
Just out of curiosity, what impact do you guys think the economic model of golf course construction has had on the health of the game? Your experiences may vary, but I don't recall too many people building courses along the lines of the classic muni intended to cater to lower (or simply normal) income players. At least in my recollection of the construction boom in the 90's and early 2000's, it seemed that golf courses were generally part of larger real estate developments (even municipal courses), resorts, or simply higher quality designs that demand more capital in maintenance and upkeep. We all love a nice course, but do we have to insist on tour quality in order to enjoy the game on a daily basis?

Again, your experience may vary and correct me if I am wrong, but the busy courses in my area tend to be the cheaper, more modest facilities. Any time I go to a course with fees in excess of $60 - $70 (remember that I am in Alabama so this constitutes "somewhat expensive"), the parking lot is empty. Like so many other business these days, it seems like there are too many people going after the big money and too few catering to the modest needs of everyday people.
[/quote]

This is correct to my untrained eye. Where I live, too many of the courses wanted to be high profile, upscale courses that few can afford to play on a regular basis. And few do play them.

[Oldboy]

1. I find it interesting this attitude of "well less hacks out there for me to deal with and cheaper used clubs for me!! .. who cares if golf isn't growing??" .. that's an awfully selfish way to look at it

2. the water issue is going to be interesting .. especially with the segment of the population that doesn't believe that climate change/extreme weather leading to drought and a scarcity of water is real

3. Golf may be dying here in the states .. but just look at the explosive growth in asia .. which is a bit disheartening in my eyes only because the equipment manufacturers will simply direct their efforts and attention to that market and continue to put out new clubs/balls every 6 months and keep increasing prices rather than have to react to the pressure of decreased demand here in the states

[Cicero]

Golf will be fine. Equipment companies and courses are going to feel the pinch, if they haven't already. Golf is just finding it's level after the Tiger effect. They hopped on the train, and good for them. They just didn't seem to account for the fact that it wouldn't last forever.

[thatboygaule]

Don't think WRXers will allow this game to die out

[CKalma]

[quote name='zerofade' timestamp='1398269915' post='9151781']
1. I find it interesting this attitude of "well less hacks out there for me to deal with and cheaper used clubs for me!! .. who cares if golf isn't growing??" .. that's an awfully selfish way to look at it

2. the water issue is going to be interesting .. especially with the segment of the population that doesn't believe that climate change/extreme weather leading to drought and a scarcity of water is real

3. Golf may be dying here in the states .. but just look at the explosive growth in asia .. which is a bit disheartening in my eyes only because the equipment manufacturers will simply direct their efforts and attention to that market and continue to put out new clubs/balls every 6 months and keep increasing prices rather than have to react to the pressure of decreased demand here in the states
[/quote]

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/national_world&id=9507004 If only other states could help supply water to those states in a drought.

[kacyb6]

i've talked to my mom about this, she's 70, with a 12 handicap. I'm 38 with a 29 handicap (its dropping! yay! And I've observed folks at the clubs i've played at...you're right, they're all over 55. You know why? BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE TIME TO PLAY. All the peeps my age I've played with in the NYC metro area, are working people that might get in a round on the weekend on occasion. And as we know its hard to get any good at this sport if you don't really put in the effort. Otherwise you suck every time you go out. I have a friend who's quitting for that very reason. He just doesn't have time to get any better at it. I don't have a family and can spend my extra time as I please..usually at the driving range and a round on Saturdays.

My mom didn't have time to play in her 30s and 40s - she was taking care of kids and running a house full of them. But she always watched when she could on TV. Now she plays 4x a week.

I don't think golf is going to die. I think as we age, and the kids behind us age, we'll have more time for it. And the 50+ set will always be running the golf club.

Just my 2 cents.

[Roody]

We have 70+ courses within a couple hours from my area, and they all seem to be pretty busy on most weekends. So to my naked eye, I can't see how they can claim it's dying.

What I think is happening is that golf's not dying, it's just returning to pre-Tiger-era levels. That's not dying, IMHO. Tiger fattened up the monster, and no one else has come along to sustain the fat monster.

Because of the boom, companies pump out 18 new models of clubs every year, golf courses were built all over the place, and pro shops increased their fees. Now that the industry is settling back down, "correcting" itself if you will, the companies that were profiting the most are in panic mode.

[Oldboy]

[quote name='CKalma' timestamp='1398270529' post='9151883']
[quote name='zerofade' timestamp='1398269915' post='9151781']
1. I find it interesting this attitude of "well less hacks out there for me to deal with and cheaper used clubs for me!! .. who cares if golf isn't growing??" .. that's an awfully selfish way to look at it

2. the water issue is going to be interesting .. especially with the segment of the population that doesn't believe that climate change/extreme weather leading to drought and a scarcity of water is real

3. Golf may be dying here in the states .. but just look at the explosive growth in asia .. which is a bit disheartening in my eyes only because the equipment manufacturers will simply direct their efforts and attention to that market and continue to put out new clubs/balls every 6 months and keep increasing prices rather than have to react to the pressure of decreased demand here in the states
[/quote]

[url="http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/national_world&id=9507004"]http://abclocal.go.c...orld&id=9507004[/url] If only other states could help supply water to those states in a drought.
[/quote]

that story is hilarious .. that Portland water official should be fired

[MadGolfer76]

Well, we still don't have the face/palm emoticon up for use. Have to make due with...

[u][size=5]The National Golf Foundation[/size][/u] - "The most [u]trusted[/u] source of information and insights on the [u]business[/u] of golf"

Issue 1 - "Trusted" and "reliable" are two different words when it comes to data.

Issue 2 - People who have a hand in the pie shouldn't necessarily be viewed as reliable.


They are talking, on average, about 500,000 people per year leaving the game of golf. BUT, they aren't talking about the [i]actual[/i] reasons they are leaving. They are only speculating about the reasons, and haven't provided any data or the method for collecting this data. All the article is, is an opinion piece:

[i]"People under 35 have especially spurned the game, saying it takes too long to play, is too difficult to learn and has too many [u][b]tiresome[/b][/u] rules." [/i]

When you quote research, you don't color it with words like "tiresome." This should be a red flag for anyone reading. This whole article represents a business interest, and that interest is trying to present reasons for throwing the rules out the window to increase profits.

Also, this is a game where the typical participants are old folks (mostly men)...who have a habit of dying from time to time, or even frequently. How much of the 500,000 lost is due to death, injury, moving abroad...other reasons than just not feeling like continuing to play? Once you shave this off the top, and add in folks who ARE taking up golf to offset it, I think the number will become a lot more reliable. Sure, people are moving away from the game - it happens, and has always happened. If someone wants to do an interesting (and useful) bit of research, consider doing it from the standpoint of folks *outside of golf* who have lost their jobs in this economy and now can't play, [i]but would still like to play[/i]. I think some of these ideas would paint a clearer picture of what is going on.

My take from this is: Don't let businesses sharing "faux research" fool you into thinking the game is in trouble (vs. business of golf) when all they want to do is sell out the rules of the game to turn a buck. The game is contracting, and the bloated extras will be gone at some point whether they want it or not. I don't think it is fair for desperate money-pinchers to drag down the game in an attempt to stay above water for one or two more years. Tear off the Band Aid and be done with it.

[Ifelloffladder]

frankly I wouldn't mind losing the guy who picks up grass to check wind direction, takes out ranger finder to check distance, stands behind the ball for 1 min. to determine where his target is, then takes about 20 practice swings, on top of all that shanks his shot.

[Llortamaisey]

If water becomes such an issue to where we can't grow grass, I think golf is going to be the least of our worries.

Personally, I don't see golf dying. Like others have said, I think it's getting healthier.

[joey2aces]

I get tired of hearing people calling golf bigoted or racist or aimed towards whites. NCAA. NFL. NBA. MLB. they were all dominated by whites and then it shifted, massively,to being heavily dominated by blacks. Yet we never hear about that. If someone wants to play a sport they can. The first tee is a prime example and allows that privilege to any child that wants to learn the game. But most kids are blinded by whats "cool" and most inner city kids meet at the park, not at the course.

[Yellow Jacket]

For those of you saying things are fine, consider this. There were [url="http://www.golfincmagazine.com/news/top-news/golf-participation-falls-1995-level"]24.7 million golfers in 1995[/url] and there are 25 million golfers today. In other words, [b]it's as if there was no Tiger effect. Meanwhile, the US population increased from 268 million to 314 million.[/b]

[Yellow Jacket]

[quote name='joey2aces' timestamp='1398272003' post='9152087']
I get tired of hearing people calling golf bigoted or racist or aimed towards whites. NCAA. NFL. NBA. MLB. they were all dominated by whites and then it shifted, massively,to being heavily dominated by blacks. Yet we never hear about that. If someone wants to play a sport they can. The first tee is a prime example and allows that privilege to any child that wants to learn the game. But most kids are blinded by whats "cool" and most inner city kids meet at the park, not at the course.
[/quote]
Your argument actually proves the race problems in golf. All those sports are no longer white dominated. Meanwhile, Tiger is still the only black golfer on tour.

[Golf Monkey]

WRX is part of the problem.

[backtees]

[quote name='LUMA' timestamp='1398267480' post='9151449']
Yep, it's over. Never going to happen again. Everyone will soon sell out and go out of business. Courses all over the world will close and the game will go into the books and looked back at in high school history classes the same way as the sports played during the Roman Empire.
[/quote]

The number of golfers in China went from 50’000 to 3’000’000 within 10 years

Equipment sales in China are almost $9 billion

Korea, Japan, India have double digit growth rates in sales

Russia doubled the number of clubs and holes within less than 6 years

Etc.

Is golf really declining?

[kellygreen]

[quote name='Yellow Jacket' timestamp='1398273099' post='9152251']
For those of you saying things are fine, consider this. There were [url="http://www.golfincmagazine.com/news/top-news/golf-participation-falls-1995-level"]24.7 million golfers in 1995[/url] and there are 25 million golfers today. In other words, [b]it's as if there was no Tiger effect. Meanwhile, the US population increased from 268 million to 314 million.[/b]
[/quote]

But golf cannot control the larger social and economic forces that affect life in this country. It can only adapt to them.

So the real question is, "Is golf in so much trouble that it needs to fundamentally alter itself?" I believe that answer is "No".

I think golf will be fine AS LONG AS, it makes a sincere effort to accomodate playing less than 18 holes rounds...and making "non-traditional" (euphemism) and new players feel welcome to the game. Something it has NOT always done.

[MadGolfer76]

[quote name='joey2aces' timestamp='1398272003' post='9152087']
I get tired of hearing people calling golf bigoted or racist or aimed towards whites. NCAA. NFL. NBA. MLB. they were all dominated by whites and then it shifted, massively,to being heavily dominated by blacks. Yet we never hear about that. If someone wants to play a sport they can. The first tee is a prime example and allows that privilege to any child that wants to learn the game. But most kids are blinded by whats "cool" and most inner city kids meet at the park, not at the course.
[/quote]

Joey, I think what people are awkwardly trying to get at is there sometimes is an issue of access for kids. First Tee programs are good, but they aren't everywhere. When I was teaching high school once, I came across a kid moping around the auditorium by himself. When I asked what was the matter, he told me he couldn't try out for the basketball team because his family couldn't afford it. They were being asked to pay a sign up fee, and buy three different uniforms (games, practice, and away) and two pairs of court shoes along with some memorabilia. It came out to a couple hundred bucks. Now, he could still hit the public courts and play basketball, but it really isn't the same when none of your friends are there, as you know. This is a far cry from finding a court and someone with a ball to use.




And for all those reading, how many of you thought this was a black kid?

[enduro]

While golf participation may be shrinking in USA to more traditional levels, in no way is golf even close to dying out. IMO, most of the "grow the game" initiatives are about maintaining unrealistic corporate profit margins than improving the game of golf. Instead of changing the very nature of golf, perhaps it is the business model that needs changing.

[MadGolfer76]

[quote name='Yellow Jacket' timestamp='1398273360' post='9152327']
[quote name='joey2aces' timestamp='1398272003' post='9152087']
I get tired of hearing people calling golf bigoted or racist or aimed towards whites. NCAA. NFL. NBA. MLB. they were all dominated by whites and then it shifted, massively,to being heavily dominated by blacks. Yet we never hear about that. If someone wants to play a sport they can. The first tee is a prime example and allows that privilege to any child that wants to learn the game. But most kids are blinded by whats "cool" and most inner city kids meet at the park, not at the course.
[/quote]
Your argument actually proves the race problems in golf. All those sports are no longer white dominated. Meanwhile, Tiger is still the only black golfer on tour.
[/quote]

Black...Asian...depends on the conversation.

(didn't mean for that to rhyme, btw)

[mjtoal]

Sounds like a sad story. Golf isn't dying where I live. The courses are still busy and the retail shops aren't closing. Maybe some of the Tiger fans are drifting away. Seeya. They weren't really golfers or golf fans.

[Petethreeput]

I am pretty sure the boy in Mad's story isn't black, based on the demographic of his state.

The issue isn't whether it is dying, but rather is this a cycle or a trend. IF it is a cycle, there will be new players picking up the game to fill in for the losses. If it is a trend, then it is like bowling. We are, as active participants in the sport creating the trend.

If I were a new golfer, found WRX and read the crap people spew about "idiots who suck... fools who take practice swings and then shank it... wonder if I am posing because I bought new equipment to start... ignoramuses who can't figure out the unspoken code of conduct..." I would quit the game too.

I golf too much, I love playing, but the attitudes we (this site and on the course) is why new people quit or never start in the first place. If we, and I mean us who in theory are so danged smart, don't start to become accepting, this "cycle" will become a trend, and then where will we play? The famous course will be fine because we hardcores will always play, but what about the other courses that aren't so well known... our ability to choose our experiences will be greatly diminished. Courses will close which means less choice.

Maybe that is what golf needs, but if it is a trend in the US, when would it stop?

[596]

There is one fundamental problem with any business now a days, and golf is a business. I don't care if it's the local pro shop, Taylormade, Ping, or nearly any business anywhere. For a number of reasons businesses feel as though they MUST increase profit and sales every year. I know major businesses that EXPECT a 10-15% increase on profits every year, year after year. Think about that, there is a major flaw in that thinking.

You cannot increase business every year year after year. Eventually you will find a limit to the profit in any business. This is where banks/wall street made a big mistake. They expected increased earnings and profits every year. Their employees pushed to the point of illegal activity to show profits. They paid, well we paid, dearly for that mistake. The share holders expect increased returns every single year, the CEO's expect an increase every single year, employees expect an increase every single year......well there is a limit to the increases. It can't go on forever and ever. Eventually it WILL crash. We've seen it numerous times and not learned from it.

Golf is the same. You cannot expect more people to play the game every year, year over year. It will NOT ever happen. People come, people go, fads come and go. Businesses as well as the game of golf should have seen this happening. No adjustments to the game, courses, equipment, handicap system, will ever produce an increase in golfers every year.

Will golf die? Nope. Everyone needs to see, expect and plan for the limitations, it's foolish not to.

[596]

[quote name='Ifelloffladder' timestamp='1398271358' post='9151991']
frankly I wouldn't mind losing the guy who picks up grass to check wind direction, takes out ranger finder to check distance, stands behind the ball for 1 min. to determine where his target is, then takes about 20 practice swings, on top of all that shanks his shot.
[/quote]

Not to hijack the thread, but:

I laugh, out loud, every time I see a guy use a range finder from 230 yards, when his best tee shot all day was 215. Really? What clubs are you now choosing between? Does that little blue marker 30 yards in front of you marking the 200 yard mark not tell you something? What.....maybe a 5 iron instead of the smashed, on the screws 3 wood just to get to the 50 yard mark? And NO, these people are not thinking about lay up yardage. It's his routine and will destroy his game if he didn't do it.

[tatertot]

[quote name='596' timestamp='1398279258' post='9153389']
There is one fundamental problem with any business now a days, and golf is a business. I don't care if it's the local pro shop, Taylormade, Ping, or nearly any business anywhere. For a number of reasons businesses feel as though they MUST increase profit and sales every year. I know major businesses that EXPECT a 10-15% increase on profits every year, year after year. Think about that, there is a major flaw in that thinking.

You cannot increase business every year year after year. Eventually you will find a limit to the profit in any business. This is where banks/wall street made a big mistake. They expected increased earnings and profits every year. Their employees pushed to the point of illegal activity to show profits. They paid, well we paid, dearly for that mistake. The share holders expect increased returns every single year, the CEO's expect an increase every single year, employees expect an increase every single year......well there is a limit to the increases. It can't go on forever and ever. Eventually it WILL crash. We've seen it numerous times and not learned from it.

Golf is the same. You cannot expect more people to play the game every year, year over year. It will NOT ever happen. People come, people go, fads come and go. Businesses as well as the game of golf should have seen this happening. No adjustments to the game, courses, equipment, handicap system, will ever produce an increase in golfers every year.

Will golf die? Nope. Everyone needs to see, expect and plan for the limitations, it's foolish not to.
[/quote]

This is one of the best posts I've ever read on GolfWRX. Infinite growth is not possible. There are more golfers today than there were 20 years ago. Taylormade can still sell just as many $400 drivers as ever. Just because they want to sell more doesn't mean we have to butcher our game. And is OUR game, not some corporations.