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

[FourTops]

The memberships are completely sold-out at my friend's private country club in SoCal...$850/mo dues, plus $100 F&B min....tennis, gym...giant pool...events, etc. He says it's the best investment he's made because the entire family has a place to hang out...and in the afternoons the club lets him take his kids out to practice on the course. Sure, that's expensive, but he can play almost whenever he wants...and 9 holes takes no longer than 2 hours...and 18 holes is often under 4 hours. After golf he jumps in the pool with the kids and orders a round of Margarita's. Everybody's happy.

 

$850 is a mortgage payment around here. The rest goes to food, gas, bills,cloths..

Ya see, not everyone is the upper crust. The correct answer is cash, followed by time.

 

$850 is an American Express bill in Socal. I said it's not cheap, but then again there's plenty of private clubs all around the country that likely cost what the area can support.

[ChronicSlicer]

The memberships are completely sold-out at my friend's private country club in SoCal...$850/mo dues, plus $100 F&B min....tennis, gym...giant pool...events, etc. He says it's the best investment he's made because the entire family has a place to hang out...and in the afternoons the club lets him take his kids out to practice on the course. Sure, that's expensive, but he can play almost whenever he wants...and 9 holes takes no longer than 2 hours...and 18 holes is often under 4 hours. After golf he jumps in the pool with the kids and orders a round of Margarita's. Everybody's happy.

 

$850 is a mortgage payment around here. The rest goes to food, gas, bills,cloths..

Ya see, not everyone is the upper crust. The correct answer is cash, followed by time.

 

$850 is an American Express bill in Socal. I said it's not cheap, but then again there's plenty of private clubs all around the country that likely cost what the area can support.

 

Understood, all I`m saying is golf is pricey. For some people life comes first, then fun time. When fun time becomes to expensive, well I suppose hot water or electricity take top priority.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

The memberships are completely sold-out at my friend's private country club in SoCal...$850/mo dues, plus $100 F&B min....tennis, gym...giant pool...events, etc. He says it's the best investment he's made because the entire family has a place to hang out...and in the afternoons the club lets him take his kids out to practice on the course. Sure, that's expensive, but he can play almost whenever he wants...and 9 holes takes no longer than 2 hours...and 18 holes is often under 4 hours. After golf he jumps in the pool with the kids and orders a round of Margarita's. Everybody's happy.

 

$850 is a mortgage payment around here. The rest goes to food, gas, bills,cloths..

Ya see, not everyone is the upper crust. The correct answer is cash, followed by time.

 

$850 is an American Express bill in Socal. I said it's not cheap, but then again there's plenty of private clubs all around the country that likely cost what the area can support.

 

Understood, all I`m saying is golf is pricey. For some people life comes first, then fun time. When fun time becomes to expensive, well I suppose hot water or electricity take top priority.

Move to where golf is less expensive, western NY a huge portion of the Midwest for starters :)

[FourTops]

The memberships are completely sold-out at my friend's private country club in SoCal...$850/mo dues, plus $100 F&B min....tennis, gym...giant pool...events, etc. He says it's the best investment he's made because the entire family has a place to hang out...and in the afternoons the club lets him take his kids out to practice on the course. Sure, that's expensive, but he can play almost whenever he wants...and 9 holes takes no longer than 2 hours...and 18 holes is often under 4 hours. After golf he jumps in the pool with the kids and orders a round of Margarita's. Everybody's happy.

 

$850 is a mortgage payment around here. The rest goes to food, gas, bills,cloths..

Ya see, not everyone is the upper crust. The correct answer is cash, followed by time.

 

$850 is an American Express bill in Socal. I said it's not cheap, but then again there's plenty of private clubs all around the country that likely cost what the area can support.

 

Understood, all I`m saying is golf is pricey. For some people life comes first, then fun time. When fun time becomes to expensive, well I suppose hot water or electricity take top priority.

 

If you're in Western PA...the fees should be much lower than SoCal. That said, some clubs back there are expensive. All I'm suggesting is to look around because you might find a deal for you and the entire family.

[FSUMark]

TBH, would be tough to play if me and my wife had kids. As it is I play max 2 weekends times a month with 1-2 range sessions a month. Hard to find time....and if you don't whatever gains you're making on your game go away. At least I'm lucky to live in FL where we can play year round.

[FourTops]

Time to close down this thread. Nobody is walking away from golf. Courses are as crowded as ever...clubs cost more than ever...even to the point PXG's outrageous pricing (see other threads) is capturing folks to pay $2500+ per set...golf balls almost $50 per dozen. If anything, I wish people would "walk away" to free up courses...but they aren't.

[FSUMark]

Time to close down this thread. Nobody is walking away from golf. Courses are as crowded as ever...clubs cost more than ever...even to the point PXG's outrageous pricing (see other threads) is capturing folks to pay $2500+ per set...golf balls almost $50 per dozen. If anything, I wish people would "walk away" to free up courses...but they aren't.

 

Are crowded courses a product of more people playing, or poor management, or just trying to get as many people on as possible? I played a course in Orlando not too long ago where they had groups teeing off every 7 minutes on a Sunday. Also no ranger keeping pace out there. When a course is so busy it takes 5-6 hours to play a round it's ridiculous. Then I played today, no one on the course, took me 2 hours for 18.

[FourTops]

Time to close down this thread. Nobody is walking away from golf. Courses are as crowded as ever...clubs cost more than ever...even to the point PXG's outrageous pricing (see other threads) is capturing folks to pay $2500+ per set...golf balls almost $50 per dozen. If anything, I wish people would "walk away" to free up courses...but they aren't.

 

Are crowded courses a product of more people playing, or poor management, or just trying to get as many people on as possible? I played a course in Orlando not too long ago where they had groups teeing off every 7 minutes on a Sunday. Also no ranger keeping pace out there. When a course is so busy it takes 5-6 hours to play a round it's ridiculous. Then I played today, no one on the course, took me 2 hours for 18.

 

Every 7 minutes tells me there's tons of golfers, and nobody is "walking away". Imagine if 80% walked away? Courses would be wide open with 30 minute tee times.

[thug the bunny]

Y'all should take up tennis. $130 for a really good racket, $6 for a couple cans of balls, and $60 for a pair of decent shoes, and you're good to go.

[wrmiller]

Time to close down this thread. Nobody is walking away from golf. Courses are as crowded as ever...clubs cost more than ever...even to the point PXG's outrageous pricing (see other threads) is capturing folks to pay $2500+ per set...golf balls almost $50 per dozen. If anything, I wish people would "walk away" to free up courses...but they aren't.

 

Are crowded courses a product of more people playing, or poor management, or just trying to get as many people on as possible? I played a course in Orlando not too long ago where they had groups teeing off every 7 minutes on a Sunday. Also no ranger keeping pace out there. When a course is so busy it takes 5-6 hours to play a round it's ridiculous. Then I played today, no one on the course, took me 2 hours for 18.

 

Every 7 minutes tells me there's tons of golfers, and nobody is "walking away". Imagine if 80% walked away? Courses would be wide open with 30 minute tee times.

 

Every time I visit this thread I think to myself 'how can we get more people to walk away?'. Then, maybe the 'it takes too long to play a round of golf' crowd would quiet down a bit. Probably not though. ;)

[thug the bunny]

Time to close down this thread. Nobody is walking away from golf. Courses are as crowded as ever...clubs cost more than ever...even to the point PXG's outrageous pricing (see other threads) is capturing folks to pay $2500+ per set...golf balls almost $50 per dozen. If anything, I wish people would "walk away" to free up courses...but they aren't.

 

Are crowded courses a product of more people playing, or poor management, or just trying to get as many people on as possible? I played a course in Orlando not too long ago where they had groups teeing off every 7 minutes on a Sunday. Also no ranger keeping pace out there. When a course is so busy it takes 5-6 hours to play a round it's ridiculous. Then I played today, no one on the course, took me 2 hours for 18.

 

Every 7 minutes tells me there's tons of golfers, and nobody is "walking away". Imagine if 80% walked away? Courses would be wide open with 30 minute tee times.

 

Every time I visit this thread I think to myself 'how can we get more people to walk away?'. Then, maybe the 'it takes too long to play a round of golf' crowd would quiet down a bit. Probably not though. ;)

 

They would still find something to complain about.

[csmithvt]

Time to close down this thread. Nobody is walking away from golf. Courses are as crowded as ever...clubs cost more than ever...even to the point PXG's outrageous pricing (see other threads) is capturing folks to pay $2500+ per set...golf balls almost $50 per dozen. If anything, I wish people would "walk away" to free up courses...but they aren't.

 

Are crowded courses a product of more people playing, or poor management, or just trying to get as many people on as possible? I played a course in Orlando not too long ago where they had groups teeing off every 7 minutes on a Sunday. Also no ranger keeping pace out there. When a course is so busy it takes 5-6 hours to play a round it's ridiculous. Then I played today, no one on the course, took me 2 hours for 18.

 

I think it's a combination of both dependent upon the course. That said, they're too crowded and too expensive where I live to not have better conditions for what we're paying. I get that it's expensive to maintain and property taxes are a B, but course quality around the Northern Virginia area took a massive hit this year and weather as an excuse only goes so far. At some point it's putting profits above quality and it's going to make it worse in future seasons. THAT'S where poor management comes into play for me.

 

Also, if you're in Florida then right now isn't peak season. When groups were teeing off every 7 minutes I'd assume it was prior to the dog days of summer. I'm playing in Vegas in a few months and it's the same thing. Rates right now are the cheapest you can get, but in 2 months (and about 4+ months ago) the rates were through the roof.

[davep043]

[but course quality around the Northern Virginia area took a massive hit this year and weather as an excuse only goes so far.

A significant number of private courses in Northern Virginia suffered significantly from the weather this summer, and I guarantee that most of those courses weren't skimping on dollars. Its not an excuse, its a legitimate cause, at least in this case.

[Shakester]

I had "it" when I first started. I'm a pretty athletic guy but more than anything, I have excellent hand-eye coordination. I excelled in pretty much every sport I played. The first time I played 18 holes, I shot a 95. Not bad for never having played on a actual course before. By the end of my first year, I was an 8, constantly shooting in the low 80's and a few high 70's. By my second year, I was a 5 and in my third, I got as low as a 1.2 with with a low round of 66. I never took lessons before either. Then I started to actually think about the game and started to struggle. The following year, I was back up to a 6 and then 8. After that, I just took a break which ended up to be nearly 6 years and never got back into form and am hovering around a 7 to a 9 right now. I'd get that one good round where I'll shot a 73 then the following week, I could shot a 90 on the same course. Its frustrating as hell to say the least. When I first started, it was just grab a club and let it rip. Felt very natural to me and I have always been a good putter. Now I'm thinking about the grip, the take back, this and that. I'm just all screwed up now. LOL. I've lost "it" now.

[Pepperturbo]

Y'all should take up tennis. $130 for a really good racket, $6 for a couple cans of balls, and $60 for a pair of decent shoes, and you're good to go.

 

Yes its inexpensive. We've found to get a court in our area its best to join a tennis club or better yet Country Club with golf and tennis. Public courts are few and hard to get on. :beach:

[FourTops]

Y'all should take up tennis. $130 for a really good racket, $6 for a couple cans of balls, and $60 for a pair of decent shoes, and you're good to go.

 

Decent private tennis clubs can easily cost $250/mo. It's a great game and added exercise to boot...unless it's stand-and-swat old folks doubles.

[thug the bunny]

There's plenty of public courts in my area, and I can play year round except maybe Feb and March. I actually enjoy winter tennis more than nasty humid summer tennis.

[Interpol]

I don't think equipment cost is the issue, it's unrealistic expectations that result from marketing/advertising and the fact that the pros make it look so easy. Combine that with the fact that most people don't have the time or determination to practice or take lessons, let alone take 3-5 hours to play a round, and reality sets in very quickly. Plus, for novices, it can be a very intimidating experience.

 

As many people have said in this thread, golf is hard.

[FourTops]

Nobody is walking away...it's getting worse. I talked to a newbie today who is all excited about buying a complete set of PXGs and getting into the game because his boss is into golf.

[Bonneville85308]

Y'all should take up tennis. $130 for a really good racket, $6 for a couple cans of balls, and $60 for a pair of decent shoes, and you're good to go.

The bad thing about tennis is you not only need another person to play with, but they need to be of roughly equal skill, otherwise it's enjoyable for neither person. I'm awful at tennis, but have enjoyed it the few times I've convinced another beginner to play.

 

Where I live, there are city-owned courts in decent condition that don't get much use and can be played for free. I bought a new racquet on sale at Dicks for $25. Tennis balls are pretty cheap. I can wear an old golf shirt, gym shorts, and running shoes that I already own. Real cheap sport.

[BB28403]

The memberships are completely sold-out at my friend's private country club in SoCal...$850/mo dues, plus $100 F&B min....tennis, gym...giant pool...events, etc. He says it's the best investment he's made because the entire family has a place to hang out...and in the afternoons the club lets him take his kids out to practice on the course. Sure, that's expensive, but he can play almost whenever he wants...and 9 holes takes no longer than 2 hours...and 18 holes is often under 4 hours. After golf he jumps in the pool with the kids and orders a round of Margarita's. Everybody's happy.

 

$850 is a mortgage payment around here. The rest goes to food, gas, bills,cloths..

Ya see, not everyone is the upper crust. The correct answer is cash, followed by time.

 

You know, that would make an excellent project! A PGA coach could offer lessons to 4 golfnow studenst. 14-49 years old. And see how far 50 dollars a week can get your score down. Lessons would cost whatever they could pay and play once a week at a hot deal.

[thug the bunny]

Y'all should take up tennis. $130 for a really good racket, $6 for a couple cans of balls, and $60 for a pair of decent shoes, and you're good to go.

The bad thing about tennis is you not only need another person to play with, but they need to be of roughly equal skill, otherwise it's enjoyable for neither person. I'm awful at tennis, but have enjoyed it the few times I've convinced another beginner to play.

 

Where I live, there are city-owned courts in decent condition that don't get much use and can be played for free. I bought a new racquet on sale at Dicks for $25. Tennis balls are pretty cheap. I can wear an old golf shirt, gym shorts, and running shoes that I already own. Real cheap sport.

 

If skill levels are significantly different, the better player can teach the lesser player and do drills with them. I brought a newb onto the courts about a year and a half ago and did that and now he beats me about 50% of the time (I will brag that he is 25 and I'm 58 though). Tennis is not like golf where people will scoff at you if you teach someone even though you are not a certified 'pro'.

[uitar9]

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.

[FourTops]

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.

[wrmiller]

I wouldn't say golf is dying. More like it is on a diet and needs to loose a few pounds. At least I can hope anyway.

 

I always thought that building some mediocre track and then surround it with houses was just stupid from a golfers perspective. But from a greed perspective, it probably worked rather well for the home builders.

 

Nothing would please me more than to see these weekend hacks that don't bother to become proficient enough to play at a reasonable (4-4.5 hrs IMO) pace, or learn and use golf etiquette properly, leave golf courses in droves.

 

I for one would love to see golfers have to pass a licensing requirement (proficiency and knowledge) to get on a course in this country. Won't happen of course, as the course owners would just scream bloody murder. ;)

[wrmiller]

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...

[NoTalentLefty]

I think it’s the fact people have too much responsibilities driving the family around to sporting events for their kids. I am a baby boomer and you didn’t even have to go out of my village of 800+ to play baseball from 8 to 12 . Your pony and colt league traveled a couple evenings a week. Parents rarely went.

Currently this may happen but additionally weekends have become traveling leagues as well. No time for golf anymore for these families. Busy.

 

 

[FourTops]

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.

[NoTalentLefty]

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.

 

Glad I’m not a snow bird.

[BB28403]

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.

 

I’ve been to Coachella the festival and area a few times. Love that area. Those mountains in the distance are so therapeutic to see while there. Did you guys have any wildfire issues?