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

[jeffyjeffmn]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1398304494' post='9156817']
This is way overblown due to the nature of our "instant analysis"---twitter/facebook generation. Golf is a product, like any other product. It will exist as long as people are willing to pay for it. Golf courses don't exist to us as a favor, just like Wal-Mart doesn't exist because they just want to provide us with low low prices for the heck of it, because they are good Samaritans.

Golf can go to 35 million, or 25 million, or 20 million ....i don't care. I don't care if 20% of the courses around here close due to lack of membership. The remaining courses will chase after me like i was a contestant on "the Bachelor". Golf isn't going to die overnight. Even if people leave the game that is going to be FANTASTIC for the consumer due to the over-development of courses during the boom.

Things will normalize eventually.

Way overblown....who cares?

How many Lawn Bowlers are there in Montreal? Not many. But i know of a couple of Lawn Bowling places. If i wanted to Lawn Bowl i could. That's all that matters. Good riddance to anyone who wants to quit. I'll shake their hand and thank them for my lower rates over the next 10 years
[/quote]

You make some good points here. Some of this stuff is overblown and in the age of internet and facebook and instant gratification we tend to make irrational statements, however the amount of people and money lost is alarming. Also, the amount of money we must pay for a dozen new "quality" golf balls and a round of golf is pretty staggering as well. I haven't gotten a raise in 7 years and yet the price of everything continues to climb, and unfortunately that includes the price I pay for nice course. I love this sport as much as anything and it has replaced competitive running and basketball for me but sometimes I think I should find a cheaper hobby...then I go to global golf or ebay and buy something. I'm such a masochist.

[Startzel]

[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]

Great post!

I don't feel like we are truly growing the game in new markets. We are just trying to over harvest the market we already have.

That's why I cringed at everyone arguing the drive, chip and putt competition at Augusta National was a great start to growing the game. Not really, it just allowed rich kids who are already part of the golf market get to go to Augusta.

They weren't bringing in anyone new.

[Startzel]

[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]

Great post!

I don't feel like we are truly growing the game in new markets. We are just trying to over harvest the market we already have.

That's why I cringed at everyone arguing the drive, chip and putt competition at Augusta National was a great start to growing the game. Not really, it just allowed rich kids who are already part of the golf market get to go to Augusta.

They weren't bringing in anyone new.

[billyhandsomeface]

Anybody who quits the game because it is too hard is an idiot. That is what makes it so addicting. Like a rubik's cube, sudoku, or women, the best part is the difficulty. That being said I do not play from the tips because I have no reason to yet. That would be like skipping trig and going straight to Calculus 2. I also think that equipment prices aren't that bad if you buy used. There are plenty of sweet sets on Craigslist. I just wish that would stop me from buying so many. Golf could stand to lose the people that are out there to act like morons and crash carts into each other. It could also lose the people who think they are on the PGA tour but shoot 99 with 17 mulligans.

[Philip McCracken]

There are a lot of great posts in this thread. The only people worrying about the growth of the game are club manufacturers and golf course owners. Neither are looking out for the best interests of the game--only their bottom line. In my opinion they can suck it.

[Sean2]

Well, here is some information from Golf Digest Stix, 4/23/14:

According to Golf Datatech, interest in iron purchases for 2014 increased by 35%. This is up by about 9% from last year. The price golfers expect to pay is more than $700...the most in the survey's history.

The PGA Junior Golf League, which will begin its third year next month, grew by 345% in 2013, and is expected to double again this year.

[LUMA]

I'm going to sell all my equipment before it's too late. I don't want to wait too long and it all becomes nostalgic pieces of past times with no dollar value.

[Conrad1953]

[quote name='Philip McCracken' timestamp='1398305886' post='9157019']
There are a lot of great posts in this thread. The only people worrying about the growth of the game are club manufacturers and golf course owners. Neither are looking out for the best interests of the game--only their bottom line. In my opinion they can suck it.
[/quote]

You mean it's not in the best interests of the game to
have 15 inch holes? :-)

[jvalhalla]

My local courses seem fairly busy all of the time. Heck, i tried to get on for a quick 9 after work today but it wouldve been a 2.5 hr 9.

The thing that irritates me is the "new golfers arent welcome on the course" line everybody throws out. I remember when I was growing up and learning to play the game in Arizona. My dad didn't book a 0800 tee time at a nice course in the spring...we were out on the muni at 3pm in July paying the cheap rates. He knew I stunk and that was the time to go. That is how you learn the game. Heck, to this day I play hard during the "off" times. I'm now in Florida and I can't wait for summer. Give me 93 degrees and 100% humidity at 3pm...I'll get 18 knocked out walking in 3 hours max. There are plenty of open times where people new to the game can play without worrying about their pace or other people, and it is dirt cheap too.

[fowlerscousin]

I dont think equipment is that expensive considering a set can last for years, and maintenance is super inexpensive. Even a pair of shoes can last for years with medium usage.

[joey2aces]

[quote name='billyhandsomeface' timestamp='1398305385' post='9156937']Anybody who quits the game because it is too hard is an idiot. That is what makes it so addicting. Like a rubik's cube, sudoku, or women, the best part is the difficulty. That being said I do not play from the tips because I have no reason to yet. That would be like skipping trig and going straight to Calculus 2. I also think that equipment prices aren't that bad if you buy used. There are plenty of sweet sets on Craigslist. I just wish that would stop me from buying so many. Golf could stand to lose the people that are out there to act like morons and crash carts into each other. It could also lose the people who think they are on the PGA tour but shoot 99 with 17 mulligans.[/quote]

I think this is one big reason why people don't stick with the sport. It's hard to be good at it. There are no teammates to pick you up if you're in a slump. If you're out of the top 150 you're basically fighting for your life and/or complaining on twitter about an exemption.

We live in a society that wants instant gratification. They're told they deserve this or that. That they're entitled to things. Well sport doesn't know of entitlements. Any sport. One will sooner make a 3 pointer or catch a football or hit a baseball than shape a 20 yard draw around a tree to within 10 feet.... On command.

Golf isn't dying solely because of race or cost or equipment etc. there are no "studs" in golf. Put tiger in a room with lebron or tom Brady along with 100 kids and 90% of the kids will pass on tiger. IMHO. Yet 90% of their parents would pick tiger. That says something.
Golf, like life, is something we mature into. It's hard to watch golf on tv as a kid. But now i love it. We cant force feed golf. Kids see the money that the average NBA. MLB. Nfl. Players make. Which is much more than yeah average tour player makes without endorsements. There's no studs in golf.... To kids anyway.

Most kids are introduced to golf through a male figure in their lives. In 2010, 72% of unwed mothers were black. Now obviously not all of the men were deadbeats but that 72% is a big number. But how many of those men who weren't deadbeats had a father who introduced them to the game. Golf doesn't have a race problem. Race has a golf problem. In fact, I'd go as far to say that if more kids of all races were introduced to golf they'd be better off in life in general. With exception to daly and woods i cant remember off the top of my head other golfers who make the news for getting arrested or making headlines in a negative light. (Ok, Elks tweets are bad but if you're not a golfer you didn't hear about it) Can't say that about mlb. Nfl. NBA. Entertainers. Etc. thats who kids look up to. Thats who they want to emulate.

My high school friends who are black would play basketball, football, track, wrestle. They wouldn't mock me for playing golf but i never heard the end of the busting of chops. Now, when we play golf, I get to bust the chops. Who's the first guy they call for scrambles?? Now they're introducing the game to their kids and they all say that they wish they'd had the opportunity to play as a kid.

[skullshot]

[b] Bloomberg News[/b]

[b] U.S. Golf Course Closures Exceed Openings for Eighth Year[/b]

By Michael Buteau January 17, 2014

More golf courses closed than opened in the U.S. in 2013 for the eighth straight year, according to the National Golf Foundation.
A total of 14 18-hole courses opened last year, up from 13.5 in 2012, while 157.5 courses were closed during the year, three more than a year earlier, the Jupiter, Florida-based organization said in a statement on its website. The organization counts every nine holes as 0.5 of a course.
Since 2006, course closings have outnumbered openings after more than 4,500 courses had opened over the previous 15 years. Those courses, many of which were built as part of real estate projects, shut down as the U.S. recession led to a reduction in home sales needed to support the courses. Golf club memberships and rounds played also declined during the recession.
[url="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-17/golf-course-sales-prices-climb-back-from-recession-lows"]Story: Golf Courses See Green Again[/url]
Of the closings, 66 percent charged less than $40 for greens fees during peak times. The closings decreased the total number of U.S. golf courses to 14,564.5, the Foundation said. Public courses made up 97 percent (151.5) of the closures, with private courses accounting for 4 percent (6). A total of 8.5 public courses opened last year, compared with 5.5 new private courses.
Since 2006, 643 18-hole courses have closed, the organization said. The decline has followed a 40 percent growth from 1986 through 2005, a period with more than 4,500 courses opening, according the foundation data.
Among the 14 course openings in 2013 was the Tom Doak- designed Red Course and the Dismal River Club in Mullen, Nebraska, a town with a population of about 500. Doak’s course joined a 7-year-old Jack Nicklaus-designed course at Dismal River. Gary Player’s Cliffs at Mountain Park Course in Travelers Rest, North Carolina, also opened in 2013 after five years of delays.
[url="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-16/as-chinas-elite-take-up-golf-lavish-courses-bloom"]Story: As China’s Elite Take Up Golf, Lavish Courses Bloom[/url]
To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Buteau in Atlanta at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at [email protected]

[mjtoal]

[quote name='OldGolfer87' timestamp='1398287511' post='9154671']
[quote name='tbowles411' timestamp='1398284697' post='9154211']
[quote name='mjtoal' timestamp='1398277112' post='9153013']
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. T[b]hey weren't really golfers or golf fans.[/b]
[/quote]
I really hope you're kidding...
[/quote]

Regretfully ... he is not ..I do believe ........ but one can see anything they want when looking at reality with blinders on
[/quote]

No, mate, I have the blinders off. I don't live in the bubble with you.

I was playing golf long before Tiger came on the scene, and the game was just fine then. It will be fine after Tiger too.

People who switch off their TV when Tiger is not in contention are Tiger fans, not golf fans.

So Tiger brought a lot of money into the game. It doesn't help me much if he has fattened the pensions of Tour players or brought more money into equipment manufacturers so that they can accelerate the product cycle even more.

The game will always have ebbs and flows in fashion and popularity and a few courses who haven't got their business plans sorted out have always gone out of business now and again. The game will find its own level, and it would be a mistake to attach all the positive changes in the game with Tiger unless you do the same for some of the negative ones too.

[dirtyric]

I play as much as I can and my wife attempts to go once a week with me. She doesn’t practice that much and she likes to get out on the course, but is very self concise about her game (even with lessons she is just a bad golfer, it happens). We always seem to get paired with 2 guy's who are around scratch and it defeats her mentally before she even tee's her first ball. I almost wish that courses around me would block off certain tee times reserved for couples, high handicap juniors and woman.

[teejaywhy]

[quote name='Sean2' timestamp='1398306209' post='9157093']
Well, here is some information from Golf Digest Stix, 4/23/14:

According to Golf Datatech, [b]interest in iron purchases for 2014 increased by 35%[/b]. This is up by about 9% from last year. The price golfers expect to pay is more than $700...the most in the survey's history.

[/quote]

What does that mean anyway? How is it measured? We are only 1/4 of the way thru 2014...

[596]

[quote name='Yellow Jacket' timestamp='1398282306' post='9153833']
[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]
I won't go into whether or not your example is flawed, but the analogy is flawed. In 1995, about 10% of America played golf. Is it unreasonable to expect that 10% of America would play golf in 2014? I don't think so.

When the population of a country grows but participation in activity does not, that is a sign of decline in that activity.
[/quote]

Actually.......yes, it is unreasonable to expect the same increase in golf as you see in the population. I have no statistics, but you'd need to compare "why and where" the increase in population has occured. You could only then make a reasonable "guess" as to a "reasonable" increase in those that may play golf as they grow up.

For example, and it's ONLY an example. Are more people passing away then being born into the same economic class, therefore replacing a golfer with a golfer? Is the population due to foreign immigrants that have no past history with the game of golf?

All I'm saying is a 10% increase in population may very well not equate to a 10% increase in golfers. [size=4]As a past business owner that dealt in statistics and trying to grow a business, just saying that a 10% population increase will lead to a 10% growth in golfers is not looking at all the possibilities. You need to find out where those 10% came from before you can make a guess on an increase in golfers.[/size]

[596]

[quote name='skullshot' timestamp='1398319369' post='9158295']
[b] Bloomberg News[/b]

[b] U.S. Golf Course Closures Exceed Openings for Eighth Year[/b]

By Michael Buteau January 17, 2014

More golf courses closed than opened in the U.S. in 2013 for the eighth straight year, according to the National Golf Foundation.
A total of 14 18-hole courses opened last year, up from 13.5 in 2012, while 157.5 courses were closed during the year, three more than a year earlier, the Jupiter, Florida-based organization said in a statement on its website. The organization counts every nine holes as 0.5 of a course.
Since 2006, course closings have outnumbered openings after more than 4,500 courses had opened over the previous 15 years. Those courses[b], many of which were built as part of real estate projects, shut down as the U.S. recession led to a reduction in home sales needed to support the courses.[/b] Golf club memberships and rounds played also declined during the recession.
[url="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-17/golf-course-sales-prices-climb-back-from-recession-lows"]Story: Golf Courses See Green Again[/url]
Of the closings, 66 percent charged less than $40 for greens fees during peak times. The closings decreased the total number of U.S. golf courses to 14,564.5, the Foundation said. Public courses made up 97 percent (151.5) of the closures, with private courses accounting for 4 percent (6). A total of 8.5 public courses opened last year, compared with 5.5 new private courses.
Since 2006, 643 18-hole courses have closed, the organization said. The decline has followed a 40 percent growth from 1986 through 2005, a period with more than 4,500 courses opening, according the foundation data.
Among the 14 course openings in 2013 was the Tom Doak- designed Red Course and the Dismal River Club in Mullen, Nebraska, a town with a population of about 500. Doak’s course joined a 7-year-old Jack Nicklaus-designed course at Dismal River. Gary Player’s Cliffs at Mountain Park Course in Travelers Rest, North Carolina, also opened in 2013 after five years of delays.
[url="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-16/as-chinas-elite-take-up-golf-lavish-courses-bloom"]Story: As China’s Elite Take Up Golf, Lavish Courses Bloom[/url]
To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Buteau in Atlanta at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at [email protected]
[/quote]

And there is something that has not been mentioned. It has nothing to do with the love of the game or declining interest in golf or a 15" hole or a kids program, etc It had to do with the real estate bubble, period. A course built in a area with 1,000 homes all of a sudden is left free standing and the 1,000 homes are now empty, the course fails, it had nothing to do with golf.

The golf course boom was connected to real esate profits in many cases. Build a course and make money, build another course and make money, build another course and make money....there is a flaw in that thinking in the big picture. If one course can make a 30% profit, so can 50 more? No, that is flawed analysis.

Golf saw a flood of players, courses and profits that the game could not sustain. So golf saw a self leveling event. It will not die, it just has to deal with the natural ceiling. It's just like TM's claim of increase distance with every new driver. Soon you add up all the yards and everyone is hitting 400 yard drives. Golf can not increase every year, because eventualy every single person in the USA is a golfer. That will never happen. There is a limit to annual increases. Golf hit a "golf recession" just like we did financially. It'll recover on it's own, all by itself, without help from the golf companies, and programs.

[rgk5]

[quote name='nando' timestamp='1398261672' post='9150669']
[quote name='Mario Good Times' timestamp='1398260263' post='9150521']
The less people play golf the better pricing and more tee times available for me.
[/quote]

Yeah!
[/quote]

And the lesser number of golf courses will there be to choose from in your area. Do you really think the remaining courses will reduce prices or increase them?

[Soloman1]

I saw the golf business transform in Japan from the bubble days to now. Golf used to cost $250+ on the weekdays and $300-400 on weekends. Memberships were hundred's of thousands of dollars and the courses were full every day. New, glamorous, gaudy, gigamongous courses with gold-plated toilets were being built as fast as possible.

Almost all went out of business, except for the most exclusive. People with old, big money always have money - the "economy" only affects the little people...

You can play those courses today for under $100. The service is still first rate, the amenities are all still there, it's just all less expensive and the new owners just make less money. There are less players on the weekdays, but it's still hard to get a starting time on any course on a weekend.

It all comes down to the local demand...

[Upgrayedd]

[quote name='jvalhalla' timestamp='1398307958' post='9157367']
My local courses seem fairly busy all of the time. Heck, i tried to get on for a quick 9 after work today but it wouldve been a 2.5 hr 9.

The thing that irritates me is the "new golfers arent welcome on the course" line everybody throws out. I remember when I was growing up and learning to play the game in Arizona. My dad didn't book a 0800 tee time at a nice course in the spring...we were out on the muni at 3pm in July paying the cheap rates. He knew I stunk and that was the time to go. That is how you learn the game. Heck, to this day I play hard during the "off" times. I'm now in Florida and I can't wait for summer. Give me 93 degrees and 100% humidity at 3pm...I'll get 18 knocked out walking in 3 hours max. There are plenty of open times where people new to the game can play without worrying about their pace or other people, and it is dirt cheap too.
[/quote]I resemble this comment completely. The first nice day of spring weekday or no weekday the courses around here are clogged. Even today at 51 give me the oklahoma (or florida) summer heat every time. The wimps can't hack it, the grass is standing nice and thick, rates are cheaper, and I have the course to myself. It is glorious and if it wasn't like that five months a year I would quit the game because of the crowds.

[cloozoe]

[quote name='Upgrayedd' timestamp='1398346863' post='9159427']
[quote name='jvalhalla' timestamp='1398307958' post='9157367']
My local courses seem fairly busy all of the time. Heck, i tried to get on for a quick 9 after work today but it wouldve been a 2.5 hr 9.

The thing that irritates me is the "new golfers arent welcome on the course" line everybody throws out. I remember when I was growing up and learning to play the game in Arizona. My dad didn't book a 0800 tee time at a nice course in the spring...we were out on the muni at 3pm in July paying the cheap rates. He knew I stunk and that was the time to go. That is how you learn the game. Heck, to this day I play hard during the "off" times. I'm now in Florida and I can't wait for summer. Give me 93 degrees and 100% humidity at 3pm...I'll get 18 knocked out walking in 3 hours max. There are plenty of open times where people new to the game can play without worrying about their pace or other people, and it is dirt cheap too.
[/quote]I resemble this comment completely. The first nice day of spring weekday or no weekday the courses around here are clogged. Even today at 51 give me the oklahoma (or florida) summer heat every time. The wimps can't hack it, the grass is standing nice and thick, rates are cheaper, and I have the course to myself. It is glorious and if it wasn't like that five months a year I would quit the game because of the crowds.
[/quote]

Yeah, when I was starting out I used to play the "sun-stroke" specials in Tucson. Tee off between noon and two on a summer afternoon and it was about $6.00 for eighteen. I didn't have to be so self-conscious about my rudimentary skills and have foursomes climbing my back and glaring at me. You could play as quickly or as slowly as you liked as there were very few people on the course; just me and a few leathery old goats enjoying the 105 degree day.

[Upgrayedd]

[quote name='cloozoe' timestamp='1398347732' post='9159515']
[quote name='Upgrayedd' timestamp='1398346863' post='9159427']
[quote name='jvalhalla' timestamp='1398307958' post='9157367']
My local courses seem fairly busy all of the time. Heck, i tried to get on for a quick 9 after work today but it wouldve been a 2.5 hr 9.

The thing that irritates me is the "new golfers arent welcome on the course" line everybody throws out. I remember when I was growing up and learning to play the game in Arizona. My dad didn't book a 0800 tee time at a nice course in the spring...we were out on the muni at 3pm in July paying the cheap rates. He knew I stunk and that was the time to go. That is how you learn the game. Heck, to this day I play hard during the "off" times. I'm now in Florida and I can't wait for summer. Give me 93 degrees and 100% humidity at 3pm...I'll get 18 knocked out walking in 3 hours max. There are plenty of open times where people new to the game can play without worrying about their pace or other people, and it is dirt cheap too.
[/quote]I resemble this comment completely. The first nice day of spring weekday or no weekday the courses around here are clogged. Even today at 51 give me the oklahoma (or florida) summer heat every time. The wimps can't hack it, the grass is standing nice and thick, rates are cheaper, and I have the course to myself. It is glorious and if it wasn't like that five months a year I would quit the game because of the crowds.
[/quote]

Yeah, when I was starting out I used to play the "sun-stroke" specials in Tucson. Tee off between noon and two on a summer afternoon and it was about $6.00 for eighteen. I didn't have to be so self-conscious about my rudimentary skills and have foursomes climbing my back and glaring at me. You could play as quickly or as slowly as you liked as there were very few people on the course; just me and a few leathery old goats enjoying the 105 degree day.
[/quote]When I was a kid I could play all day long for $4 in the 107 heat and never see another living soul. I carried 45 holes with my buddy one day in those old leather golf shoes. Nowadays if the temperature isn't between 72 and 78 F people need the ac on. Spring is like that. Some people go to church once a year on easter sunday, some people play golf once a year and then remember how hard it was and quit. God I love a quitter.

[Jim Clark]

Golf course business is tough. The land near major metro areas is too expensive.

[bub72ck]

It's really hard to avoid the 800 pound gorilla in golf's room: It's a very expensive sport to play. PERIOD! Society has tried and tried to open golf up to lower income people and areas but it's very difficult to do. Soccer takes a soccer ball. That's it. That's why it's the most popular sport in the world. Basketball takes a ball and a hoop. Nothing more. It's hard to lose a basketball so you only need one. Golf is different. Clubs, balls, tees, special shoes, specific clothing, a golf course which takes up land and requires people to operate. It's a constant expense to keep grass cut and fertilized. The drive, chip, and putt contest kept talking about how many "urban" kids and been introduced to the game. Yet, the kids on the program were associated with places like TPC Summerlin and The Honors Course.

The sooner people realize golf is exclusionary in it's makeup the sooner we will realize that the decline in golfers and courses is natural after the fad of golf has worn off. With Tiger coming to the tour in 1996-97 I would estimate golf at it's height of popularity at 1999-2000. It's gone down since then and the nasty financial decline of 2008 made it even worse. People have moved on to the next fad thing. All these courses that are closing wouldn't have ever been built if good economic conditions and a burst in popularity hadn't come together 15 years ago. No new courses have been built in my area in the last 20 years except for one very exclusive club. But, none of the ones that have always been there have closed. They are all busy and making money.

[Jay ZG]

Good. Maybe I'll actually be able to get a tee time at 10am during the summer on a Saturday less than a week in advance!

[gtnike]

Been lurking for awhile, finally joined specifically to comment on this.

I have a couple of thoughts. I am 32 and the first time I ever swung a golf club was 8 years ago, so I was 24. So I think back for myself, what interested me? My company sponsored a hole at a golf scramble so I watched people play and it fascinated me and I wanted to try. I bought a package set of clubs/bag for $100 on ebay, it just had the odd number irons, a driver, fairway club, and putter. But it worked. I have a local muni so I hit the driving range a lot and played maybe 2-3 times that first year. Now I play probably 2-3 times a month year round, I'm not great (best score ever was 85, but I still shoot in the 100's too often), but I enjoy the challenge and the ability to be competitive at something as an adult.

I think a lot of this is regional too. I grew up in Atlanta, I would probably have never played golf if I stayed there because almost all of the clubs are private. So you either have to pay a chunk-of-change to join, or you have to play as a guest (which most members don't want to play with a newbie and even then the cost as a guest is usually not cheap). Here in Nashville and Middle Tennessee we have a lot of nice private courses, but there are a TON or public and muni courses too. I can get a Saturday afternoon tee time with cart for $30 at 4-5 courses that are a half hour from my house.

Something else that made it easy for me to get into golf is an executive course. We have a First Tee course nearby, of the 9 holes there are seven par 3's and two par 4's. That made it easy for me to go play in a short period of time, and it was real golf not just the driving range. So even on the longest hole (a 330 yard par 4 with a creek at 250 yards out), It wasn't so hard to discourage me. Tee it forward doesn't work because of ego's. If I am with 3 other guys my age and they are at the tips, I am going to play from the tips. Too many courses are designed for touring pro's and that hurts the game. Isn't the statistic that while new clubs have increased driving distance for pro's, amateaurs are still around 200-250 average? I think something that could introduce more people to golf would be to have a pre-set time (maybe after 1 PM on the 3rd Sunday of the month?) where you shorten the holes and everyone plays from close tee boxes. Take a 380 yard par 4, put one set of tee boxes at 300 yards and make everyone play there? That way you give people a taste of real golf without having to take 6 shots and lose 2 balls on every hole.And that takes ego's out, everyone plays the same exact distance.

I don't think the 15" cup makes a difference. How many people do you know who stopped playing golf because putting was too hard? I doubt there have been many, if any.

[Roody]

[quote name='gtnike' timestamp='1398361738' post='9161661']
I don't think the 15" cup makes a difference. How many people do you know who stopped playing golf because putting was too hard? I doubt there have been many, if any.
[/quote]
My wife still can't putt (lacks touch, doesn't line up her putt, doesn't read greens well), but it doesn't stop her from playing. She just laughs it off. She's also the type that will pick up her ball and drop it where mine is. She also plays the appropriate tees for her skill level, and stops at 9 holes when she doesn't have enough time to play more.

She's enjoying the game her way, and she doesn't need anyone to dumb it down for her with a 15-inch cup. Maybe if all these other players who are "on the edge" of quitting would follow suit, we wouldn't need to come up with silly gimmicks so the equipment manufacturers can have more warm bodies to sell their clubs to.

[Sean2]

[quote name='teejaywhy' timestamp='1398326388' post='9158413']
[quote name='Sean2' timestamp='1398306209' post='9157093']
Well, here is some information from Golf Digest Stix, 4/23/14:

According to Golf Datatech, [b]interest in iron purchases for 2014 increased by 35%[/b]. This is up by about 9% from last year. The price golfers expect to pay is more than $700...the most in the survey's history.

[/quote]

What does that mean anyway? How is it measured? We are only 1/4 of the way thru 2014...
[/quote]

No idea. That is what the article stated.

[rgk5]

[quote name='Sean2' timestamp='1398383729' post='9164405']
[quote name='teejaywhy' timestamp='1398326388' post='9158413']
[quote name='Sean2' timestamp='1398306209' post='9157093']
Well, here is some information from Golf Digest Stix, 4/23/14:

According to Golf Datatech, [b]interest in iron purchases for 2014 increased by 35%[/b]. This is up by about 9% from last year. The price golfers expect to pay is more than $700...the most in the survey's history.

[/quote]

What does that mean anyway? How is it measured? We are only 1/4 of the way thru 2014...
[/quote]

No idea. That is what the article stated.
[/quote]

Probably results from the first quarter.

[Conradmacdonald]

I'm not sure I agree with this argument that golf is doomed. The US had a huge housing bubble which had people artificially spending money on houses. With these houses came golf courses (which we cant afford), I think we are just re-adjusting to equilibrium quantity of needed golf courses (think of it as foreclosure of golf courses). Short term it will be bad, (loss of jobs) but those jobs are not real in a sense, just artifically there due to the bubble. Golf is a luxury item and will decrease in tough economic times.