The Future of Golf

[akronswitness]

Was going to post this in another thread when talking about music on golf courses but thought it might deserve some actual conversation.

 

What do you think the future of golf is? Can it be saved and reverse the trend and gain more popularity? Are you concerned about the steady decline its been on since the 2000s? How can local courses, the PGA, golfers everywhere do to generate more interest? Im not sure about you all, but in the past 5 years a TON of local public (and private) courses in my area (Ohio) closed. Courses that have been around from before I was born. Its sort of sad and now there are only a few in the area left. Its becoming more and more expensive (a $600 driver TM?) and less and less accessible to play.

 

I am of the belief golf needs to be doing everything in its power to be more inclusive and make the game more accessible/fun. What can they do to enhance this? Courses (especially CC's) already overregulated and a abundance of regulations makes the experience less enjoyable for everyone when there is a rule for everything you do. Baselines obviously need to be set for etiquette, but to go over the top seems senseless.

 

Golf as a sport has been saved 2 different times since Ive been alive. Once by Tiger Woods and another by Covid-19. Courses need to capitalize on bringing in and keeping the new golfers they got from those 2 things to avoid the sport slipping into extinction. Banning music on courses would be one of those things that would almost be like putting the gun to their own heads.

 

Here are some interesting stats:

 

The number of core American golfers (those playing eight rounds or more per year) has fallen between three and 4.5 percent every year since 2006. Since 2007, the number of golf courses closing in America has significantly outnumbered the number of new course being built.

 

Since 2003, there has been a consistent annual decline in the number of golf players. There were 6.8 million fewer golfers in 2018 compared to 2003 — a loss of 22 percent.

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by akronswitness

[mark m]

Random thoughts:

 

You should give examples of the "regulations" and rules you believe are an issue. (Besides music.)

 

When I talk to friends who are members of some very nice private clubs, they tell me lots of guys are playing music there as well. And most public courses allow it. (Tournaments are usually different.)

 

You should do an internet search. Participation in most civic organizations has been trending down for the same time period you mentioned. One big factor is screen time with the smart phone. 

 

People on Boards at all these organizations are constantly trying new things to get people involved and participating in their events. That is their duty and responsibility. For golf clubs this means trying to get new active members and to have those members participating in club events/tournaments.  Having a club of solo players would be a joke. As would having a few sandbaggers dominate your tournaments. They will wipe out participation and create a b**** fest in a nano second. So please welcome all, but we have to agree on the rules or it's just BS.

 

On the positive side, at my course, we have very good participation from our younger members in nine hole "league" play on Tuesday and Wednesday late afternoon/evenings during the week. They can play in a group with friends, ride in a cart, play music, have beers, etc. (Like softball or bowling.) But on the downside, they have had to go away from team formats due to cheating. This can happen when friends play together. (Like we like hear about in 4-man scrambles. This is a modern problem.) So now it's largely individual formats and skins.

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by mark m

[mark m]

Here is an absurd example:

 

Are you a free spirit? Looking for a golf club to join? 

A club where you can get an official WHS Handicap - but with no strings attached?

Do you like to play solo rounds? With music?

Prefer to play noncompetitive golf?

We would love to have you . . .

 

Join us at The Diogenes Golf Club

 

We have just one "tournament" - Our Club Championship

 

Must play alone - 18 holes - on Labor Day. (No attestation of scores.)

Return your 18-hole total score by text to Mycroft (Head Pro) by 9:00 pm.

As usual, no speaking is allowed inside the perimeter of the clubhouse. 

 

From a Sherlock Holmes story:

 

There are many men in London, you know, who, some from shyness, some from misanthropy, have no wish for the company of their fellows. Yet they are not averse to comfortable chairs and the latest periodicals. It is for the convenience of these that the Diogenes Club was started, and it now contains the most unsociable and unclubbable men in town. No member is permitted to take the least notice of any other one. Save in the Stranger's Room, no talking is, under any circumstances, allowed, and three offences, if brought to the notice of the committee, render the talker liable to expulsion. My brother was one of the founders, and I have myself found it a very soothing atmosphere.

 

 

[Springsteennut]

Honestly where I live courses are crazy busy the past 2 years.

[akronswitness]

2 hours ago, mark m said:

Random thoughts:

 

You should give examples of the "regulations" and rules you believe are an issue. (Besides music.)

 

When I talk to friends who are members of some very nice private clubs, they tell me lots of guys are playing music there as well. And most public courses allow it. (Tournaments are usually different.)

 

You should do an internet search. Participation in most civic organizations has been trending down for the same time period you mentioned. One big factor is screen time with the smart phone. 

 

People on Boards at all these organizations are constantly trying new things to get people involved and participating in their events. That is their duty and responsibility. For golf clubs this means trying to get new active members and to have those members participating in club events/tournaments.  Having a club of solo players would be a joke. As would having a few sandbaggers dominate your tournaments. They will wipe out participation and create a b**** fest in a nano second. So please welcome all, but we have to agree on the rules or it's just BS.

 

On the positive side, at my course, we have very good participation from our younger members in nine hole "league" play on Tuesday and Wednesday late afternoon/evenings during the week. They can play in a group with friends, ride in a cart, play music, have beers, etc. (Like softball or bowling.) But on the downside, they have had to go away from team formats due to cheating. This can happen when friends play together. (Like we like hear about in 4-man scrambles. This is a modern problem.) So now it's largely individual formats and skins.

 

 

This might be word vomit all over the place but Ill try to explain a little deeper lol

 

By regulations I simply mean a lot of the things that typically make up every golf course. Not saying they are all bad things, golf needs some sort of rulebook to follow for play and a ton of them are 'unwritten' rules. A beginner going to a course for their first few times has no idea what is going on, no idea about all of the rules, no idea about etiquette, ect and the courses dont really do a ton to help anybody out. You just get screamed at by a ranger or other players on the course if you do something wrong.

 

Courses largely do a terrible job of making anybody feel included or attracting new golfers. Tons of clubhouses have a very 'stuffy' feel to them as if they are trying to preserve a reputation that is, in fact, dying. Any of the employees, especially at nicer courses in vacation areas, have a drill sergeant type of demeanor about them like they are doing you a favor by being there. Ive played golf all over the place from $150 per round FLA courses, to dog tracks in the midwest--and the vast majority of them have this sense of.....entitlement? 'Your in my house you going to do what I say' type of feel.

 

Golf is old--I get it and most of the people who own/operate/manage courses are also old and a little bit disconnected. My point is that golf has been slowly dying for decades and NONE of the places I have been to have tried to make any sort of effort to try something new. Golf courses could really take a page out of Ski Resorts book when it comes to getting with the times and inviting new players. It almost like many courses are just trying to survive off of the boomer generation still wanting to play and have no care about attracting new players or connecting with their local communities.

 

Ideas:

- Beginners league. Have a whole weekly golf league setup strictly for beginner golfers at EVERY course one or two nights a week for people to come learn, hack around and maybe even ride with a instructor to play 9 holes on a Tuesday evening. People can make new friends, have a end of the season party, keep track of progress and get a discount on a course membership for future use.

 

-College ID day. Like a lot of other entertainment industries and ski resorts--have a college ID night where college students can come play 9 for like $15-20 bucks and socialize. Maybe change the menu at the grill/pub that day to offer unique specials that typical college students would like. $2 drafts, $1 hotdogs, $1 slices and 50c wings. 

 

-Night Golf. Take advantage of what TopGolf showed you. There IS a market for people in the evenings looking for fun/different things to do. Put a bunch of glow in the dark stuff out on the course and have fun. Play with glow balls, change the teebox markers to glow, get LED pins on each hole, put some glow in the dark stuff lining the fairways, create some mini-games people can play while out there. This fun little activity would get a whole new crowd of people who have never golfed before in the door. 

 

-Kids league. Largely discounted 1 night a week league with instructional help for kids 6-12 years old with employees who have experience working with children to connect with them. This one is kinds self explanatory on the benefits. Work with local schools to offer a golf program for elementary/middle school kids.  My school district had this for ski club, none of the 20 local golf courses were anywhere to be found.

 

I know some courses may offer one or two of these--but for as many courses as I have been to--they do a terrible job at advertising it IF they do have it. 

 

 

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by akronswitness

[tw_focus]

The data you cite is already stale. There are more golfers playing now at my local courses than any time in the recent past. Corona woke the zombie USA golf industry from the dead and now it's boom times again.

 

Nobody is building courses anymore in urban areas due to land costs (you will never, never see "Harding Park II" open in San Francisco, not in a million years), but new courses are still going up in the hills / countryside. You will see a significant number of new courses opening in the next five years.

[jordan2240]

As long as there are old white guys, golf's not going anywhere.  But it can certainly be a tough sport to break into, as it's not particularly kind to the beginner.  I imagine a lot of people play once then figure it's not worth putting up with the rudeness.  It may be the only sport where lack of skill has such a negative impact on other players.  If you suck at bowling, it doesn't impact anyone else, as you only get two balls per frame no matter what.  If you stink at tennis, the games actually move along faster.  If you can't ski, well, you stay on the bunny slope with all the other beginners.  Probably what golf needs, but what most courses cannot afford, is a dedicated track for beginners, where you get so many shots, then you go place your ball on the green and take no more than two putts - or if not dedicated tracks, then perhaps some dedicated blocks of tee times on specific days of the week.  Anyone could play, but as long as they understood there were beginners on the course, they should have a bit more patience.

[klebs01]

Haven’t noticed any of the things you’ve mentioned. More courses have opened than closed around here in the past 10 or 20 years. Clubs all have waiting lists with lots of millennials and the tee sheets at public courses are full. 
 

Plenty of munis from par threes to ones that have hosted tour events. There are all kinds of options for beginners and players that aren’t ready for a “championship” course. 
 

Every clubhouse I’ve been in has cold beer and generally someone having one after a round. What exactly do you want? Is a cold beer and chair in a/c or the shade not enough? 
 

From my experience (both myself and hosting guests) the sense of stuffiness is mostly due to the guests preconceived notions and not actual experience at the club. 

[Gohigh]

Golf is not dying. Quite the opposite. Ohio is not a great barometer for how the golf industry is doing as a whole, and with all the relocation happening all around US, I would expect that while certain states suffer losses, other states thrive. 

 

The data you are referring to could also be influenced by generational shift as well. 

 

But the tradition of golf as you knew it is probably dead or dying, and I am all for it. All things evolve and golf shouldn't be immune to it. I know golf is a serious "sport" to some but simple a "game" to others. I think the rules of golf allows for individuals to decide what they wish to get out of the game, whether its weekend outing at the muni or club champ at your club, I think the game should be enjoyed by anyone and everyone. 

 

I know people have issues with how relaxed the game is becoming, but I dont think thats going to lead to decline in the growth of the game, but the other way around. 

[akronswitness]

15 hours ago, Gohigh said:

Golf is not dying. Quite the opposite. Ohio is not a great barometer for how the golf industry is doing as a whole, and with all the relocation happening all around US, I would expect that while certain states suffer losses, other states thrive. 

 

The data you are referring to could also be influenced by generational shift as well. 

 

But the tradition of golf as you knew it is probably dead or dying, and I am all for it. All things evolve and golf shouldn't be immune to it. I know golf is a serious "sport" to some but simple a "game" to others. I think the rules of golf allows for individuals to decide what they wish to get out of the game, whether its weekend outing at the muni or club champ at your club, I think the game should be enjoyed by anyone and everyone. 

 

I know people have issues with how relaxed the game is becoming, but I dont think thats going to lead to decline in the growth of the game, but the other way around. 

 

Covid saved peoples interest in golf, but do you really expect those people to stick around the sport when this pandemic is over? I view its resurgence in the past 2 years as a band aid--not permanent fix. I mean if we just go off of the past 20 years as a barometer of what golf will do, I wouldnt be hitching my wagon to Covid saving golf for the long term.

 

If Ohio is a great barometer of how golf is doing then we are screwed. Just in my area alone 3 courses including 1 CC closed in the past 2 years. The CC got bulldozed and turned into a condo complex and I know another public course was bought by the park system and was left to overgrow back into nature. Not to mention they removed Firestone from the PGA tour event list.

Edited February 7, 2022 by akronswitness

[akronswitness]

15 hours ago, tw_focus said:

The data you cite is already stale. There are more golfers playing now at my local courses than any time in the recent past. Corona woke the zombie USA golf industry from the dead and now it's boom times again.

 

Nobody is building courses anymore in urban areas due to land costs (you will never, never see "Harding Park II" open in San Francisco, not in a million years), but new courses are still going up in the hills / countryside. You will see a significant number of new courses opening in the next five years.

 

I think its silly to think that this pandemic will have long lasting positive impact on the sport. Golf is 'thriving' because its one of the very few outdoor activities to do safely, it was one of the only options to do. Its not thriving because the industry changed for the better. Once this pandemic is over (whenever that is) those same 25M people who fled to golf courses will slowly drop off again once their world opens back up.

 

What the sport needs to do is take this moment they were given and capitalize on it for the long term. However, all I see courses doing is either 1) closing or 2) raising prices

 

Nothing fundamentally has changed with how the sport operates and thats the problem Im referring to. It was just given a golden ticket during the pandemic that many other indoor industries didnt get.

 

 

[Soloman1]

We’ve been reading and writing about the demise and “future of golf” for decades. There’s not a single new idea so far, but it must be snowing and cold outside. 🙂

[amace04]

Golf is not dying.  In fact, the last 2 years are generally the most popular it's ever been

 

What needs to change?

- Get rid of the "Tradition" of golf.  There's always room for one-off events like the Masters or the odd ultra high-end club, but the vast majority of golfers want nothing to do with the perceived image of "Golf" as most have always known it.
- Nobody cares what you wear (within reason of course).  Wanna wear flip flops?  Go for it.   Wanna golf in jeans?  Sure.  (men's jeans stretch now, in case you didn't know)  What's that, you don't have a collared shirt?  I couldn't care less.

- Play music if you like, but be respectful.  If your group agrees to it, then go ahead, but don't be blaring it down the fairway disrupting all the groups around you

- Get rid of stupid traditional rules such as taking your hat off to shake hands.  The fewer unofficial "rules", the better.

 

What will golf look like in 10 years?  Not much different, but a little bit better.
- Tour driving average will be over 315.  Maybe more.

- Kids will be coached from an early age that speed is important.  You can fine tune all the other things, but if you learn speed from early on, you'll do very well.  The next generation of tour pro will all be bombers

- Affordable technology (I'm not talking about clubs) is key for high schools and colleges to outfit their teams with the best training facilities.  If you can get a $2000 launch monitor that would have previously cost $15,000, that's huge for schools and clubs to improve.

- Shorts will be allowed on tour

- Top Golf/Night Golf/other less serious types of golf will become even more popular and the norm.   Younger generations want to golf at night.   If I could go play 18 at 7pm in September, I would.

- Drivers will average $750USD, and that's OK because of a thing called inflation.

 

[soregongolfer]

Shortly, I'll be joining our CC to get away from the modern golfers.  To each his own.  

[klebs01]

24 minutes ago, amace04 said:

Golf is not dying.  In fact, the last 2 years are generally the most popular it's ever been

 

What needs to change?

- Get rid of the "Tradition" of golf.  There's always room for one-off events like the Masters or the odd ultra high-end club, but the vast majority of golfers want nothing to do with the perceived image of "Golf" as most have always known it.
- Nobody cares what you wear (within reason of course).  Wanna wear flip flops?  Go for it.   Wanna golf in jeans?  Sure.  (men's jeans stretch now, in case you didn't know)  What's that, you don't have a collared shirt?  I couldn't care less.

- Play music if you like, but be respectful.  If your group agrees to it, then go ahead, but don't be blaring it down the fairway disrupting all the groups around you

- Get rid of stupid traditional rules such as taking your hat off to shake hands.  The fewer unofficial "rules", the better.

 

What will golf look like in 10 years?  Not much different, but a little bit better.
- Tour driving average will be over 315.  Maybe more.

- Kids will be coached from an early age that speed is important.  You can fine tune all the other things, but if you learn speed from early on, you'll do very well.  The next generation of tour pro will all be bombers

- Affordable technology (I'm not talking about clubs) is key for high schools and colleges to outfit their teams with the best training facilities.  If you can get a $2000 launch monitor that would have previously cost $15,000, that's huge for schools and clubs to improve.

- Shorts will be allowed on tour

- Top Golf/Night Golf/other less serious types of golf will become even more popular and the norm.   Younger generations want to golf at night.   If I could go play 18 at 7pm in September, I would.

- Drivers will average $750USD, and that's OK because of a thing called inflation.

 

None of the things you mention are rules of golf or things the ruling bodies control (other than the distance comment). Plenty of places to play where people can play as you described. 

[tw_focus]

5 hours ago, akronswitness said:

 

I think its silly to think that this pandemic will have long lasting positive impact on the sport. Golf is 'thriving' because its one of the very few outdoor activities to do safely, it was one of the only options to do. Its not thriving because the industry changed for the better. Once this pandemic is over (whenever that is) those same 25M people who fled to golf courses will slowly drop off again once their world opens back up.

 

What the sport needs to do is take this moment they were given and capitalize on it for the long term. However, all I see courses doing is either 1) closing or 2) raising prices

 

Nothing fundamentally has changed with how the sport operates and thats the problem Im referring to. It was just given a golden ticket during the pandemic that many other indoor industries didnt get.

 

 

The way the sport operates is that courses charge money for tee times and use that money to fund operations. Judging by the fact that I can't get a weekend tee time before 2pm anywhere within 30 miles, I'd say things are going pretty well for the industry right now. It sounds to me like you're trying to push a doom and gloom narrative that goes counter opposite to reality. I don't know whether the golf "pandemic boom" will last, but neither do you, and times are good in the present.

[Wooley12]

IMO, golf is circling  back in the direction of what it was when my dad chose a job as a caddy instead of picking berries and learned the game in 1932 or so.  Arnie made a game  appealing to the working class and the working class was doing very well then. 1950-80.  I was fortunate to learn how to play with cut down clubs and cheap golf at a municipal public course. It's RTJ design and is today it's $17 for 18 and $32 if you ride. In the 70's I was working at a XEROX factory and if I needed to leave early on league night it was no problem. I doubt that is how it works today. So there is the time issue for people with jobs. I'll get off my soap box now. 

 

WWII  and golf story. When a German mortar dropped on my dad's infantry platoon, 3 died and 20 were wounded including my dad. As the doc pulled the shrapnel out of pop's butt they talked and he found out that my dad played golf. Very, very rare for an enlisted man to play golf back then. According to my dad, when the doc learned he played golf he said "You're a golfer!!? Me too!!. You aren't going back the front you are my new driver."  Pop drove for the medical unit for the duration. I researched the doc. Dr. Sommers. Learned to play on the 9 hole course on the family estate he lived on. 

[bfisher410]

The worst is when someone plays music during a real tournament. 

[amace04]

7 hours ago, klebs01 said:

None of the things you mention are rules of golf or things the ruling bodies control (other than the distance comment). Plenty of places to play where people can play as you described. 

Who said anything about the ruling bodies of golf? Certainly not i

[Soloman1]

Most people hate two things: the way things are and change.

[Ferguson]

 

19 hours ago, akronswitness said:

 

Covid saved peoples interest in golf, but do you really expect those people to stick around the sport when this pandemic is over? I view its resurgence in the past 2 years as a band aid--not permanent fix. I mean if we just go off of the past 20 years as a barometer of what golf will do, I wouldnt be hitching my wagon to Covid saving golf for the long term.

 

If Ohio is a great barometer of how golf is doing then we are screwed. Just in my area alone 3 courses including 1 CC closed in the past 2 years. The CC got bulldozed and turned into a condo complex and I know another public course was bought by the park system and was left to overgrow back into nature. Not to mention they removed Firestone from the PGA tour event list.

 

 

You sound bitter, like an old steel and iron worker or a woman scorned. 

You got family that worked in the foundries?   

 

There was a guy here that posted on the forum for a while.  He worked six days a week in a foundry to put food on the table and support his kids.  He loved golf and spoke highly of the courses in Ohio and Pennsylvania.  He told us he didn't have money to burn like the office workers and corporate magnates that posted here, and often complained about the cost of golf.  The difference between that guy and you is that he had a basis to his argument.  You're just pointing fingers and making outrageous claims. 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

[Abh159]

Why is everyone always assuming that golf needs to be saved or that it is a dying sport exclusive to rich, old people? Contrary to what everyone seems to think, golf is and has been growing (and not just because of Covid).

 

Here are a few statistics (from 2019 aka before the "Covid boom") regarding the growth of the game:

 

• The number of people who played on a golf course for the first time in 2019: 2.5 Million.
• The industry has had six straight years with more than 2 million beginners. By comparison, there were 1.5 million beginners in 2011.
  • Prior to the past three years, the previous recorded-high of 2.4 million was set in 2000, when Tiger Woods was at the height of his popularity.
• The number of youth golfers (ages 6 to 17) grew 20 percent between 2010 and 2015, from 2.5 million to 3 million.
• 36% of today's juniors are girls compared to 15% in 2000.
• More than one-quarter of juniors are non-Caucasian while just 6% were minority participants 20 years ago.

 

Moral of my story? Golf will be fine...

[Kmagnuss]

IMO, the biggest barrier for most people is the cost.  I really enjoyed golf as a kid and played quite a bit until I moved out of my Dad's house.  Then I didn't play because I couldn't afford it.  Even with a good job and a wife with a good job... $40 was just too much to spend at the time.  Heck, even today with no debt and a decent net worth I still have a limit, and mine is $60 a round.  Others have their reasons but that's mine.

 

With all that said I can 100% guarantee that there are more golfers playing this year than 3 years ago.  A LOT more!

 

-Mag

[soregongolfer]

12 minutes ago, Kmagnuss said:

IMO, the biggest barrier for most people is the cost.  I really enjoyed golf as a kid and played quite a bit until I moved out of my Dad's house.  Then I didn't play because I couldn't afford it.  Even with a good job and a wife with a good job... $40 was just too much to spend at the time.  Heck, even today with no debt and a decent net worth I still have a limit, and mine is $60 a round.  Others have their reasons but that's mine.

 

With all that said I can 100% guarantee that there are more golfers playing this year than 3 years ago.  A LOT more!

 

-Mag

Folks can walk nine holes.  They can use golfnow.  There are ways to play "cheap" golf.  Our local muni charges $16 for 9 holes.  I've seen homeless people play golf there.  The driving range is a huge earner for the course.  There are a lot of non-golfers who go to the range to drink a few beers and whack balls while visiting with friends.  

[Kmagnuss]

double post

Edited February 8, 2022 by Kmagnuss

[Kmagnuss]

7 minutes ago, soregongolfer said:

Folks can walk nine holes.  They can use golfnow.  There are ways to play "cheap" golf.  Our local muni charges $16 for 9 holes.  I've seen homeless people play golf there.  The driving range is a huge earner for the course.  There are a lot of non-golfers who go to the range to drink a few beers and whack balls while visiting with friends.  

You've obviously not grown up in a household that didn't have food to put on the table.  I'll break it down:  If you don't have $3 for a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread you sure as heck aren't going to give your kid $16 to walk 9, much less money for a set of clubs, some balls, etc...

 

You want to get more kids involved to grow the game, start offering summer memberships for school aged kids at a deeply discounted rate with loaner clubs included.  I've been trying to get my local courses on board with this, even offering to 'sponsor' some kids' fees... but it hasn't gained any traction... YET.

[bobfoster]

20 hours ago, akronswitness said:

 

I think its silly to think that this pandemic will have long lasting positive impact on the sport. Golf is 'thriving' because its one of the very few outdoor activities to do safely, it was one of the only options to do. Its not thriving because the industry changed for the better. Once this pandemic is over (whenever that is) those same 25M people who fled to golf courses will slowly drop off again once their world opens back up.

 

What the sport needs to do is take this moment they were given and capitalize on it for the long term. However, all I see courses doing is either 1) closing or 2) raising prices

 

Nothing fundamentally has changed with how the sport operates and thats the problem Im referring to. It was just given a golden ticket during the pandemic that many other indoor industries didnt get.

 

 

Respectfully disagree. During the first year of the pandemic, yes. A lot of places were in lockdown, and many people were self-isolating. Golf was a great "social distancing" sport. But this past (2021) golf season? In a lot of the country life was mostly back to normal (albeit, a new normal). In part because of vaccinations, in part because of "Covid fatigue". Grocery stores were as crowded as ever. Bars and restaurants and social activities partially resumed. People weren't playing golf simply because it was a "safe" sport. 

 

In 2020, yes - that was a big factor. But I think what happened was that many people discovered golf for the first time, and others that maybe hadn't played in years took up the sport again. And a lot of these people are staying with the game even as the need to isolate declines.

 

While clearly anecdotal and not statistical, my personal perception is this. There are over a dozen courses within an hours drive of where I spent last year. Almost all the private courses had waiting lists to get in, and the public courses were positively jammed. Even further, I was surprised at how many teenagers and 20-somethings I saw. I often walk on as a single (I have an erratic schedule, so I sneak out whenever an afternoon opens up). So I've been put with a lot of twosomes and threesomes. Its a delight to play with these kids. On the whole, they are polite, and some of them were seriously into the game. 

 

Golf has gone through ebbs and flows, peaks and valleys - any sport that is over two centuries old is going to do that. I've been playing for over five decades, and have personally seen a few mini-booms and mini-busts. I'm not at all worried about the future of golf. It doesn't need to be "changed", it is always changing, and will continue to evolve organically on its own, as course owners adapt to the sensibilities of new generations and try new things. 

 

Looking back at when I first started, and comparing it to today, the evolution has been quite positive. Golf has broadened its appeal. In the 60s when I started it was probably 90%+ white dudes in funny pants. There are now a lot more women and minorities on courses. 

 

Golf is hard to play at first, has higher "barriers to entrance" than most other sports because it is just difficult to play very well. First time you pick up a basketball you'll likely sink a few. First time you swing a driver, it is quite unlikely to be a pretty thing to watch. But its difficulty is precisely what soon makes you fall in love with it. Its is addictive to play.

 

I'm not at all worried about its future.

[david.c.w]

13 minutes ago, Kmagnuss said:

You've obviously not grown up in a household that didn't have food to put on the table.  I'll break it down:  If you don't have $3 for a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread you sure as heck aren't going to give your kid $16 to walk 9, much less money for a set of clubs, some balls, etc...

 

You want to get more kids involved to grow the game, start offering summer memberships for school aged kids at a deeply discounted rate with loaner clubs included.  I've been trying to get my local courses on board with this, even offering to 'sponsor' some kids' fees... but it hasn't gained any traction... YET.

 

I understand what you are saying, but your comment is not just golf related, is is any sport related.  Muni par 3's are $15 ($18 on the weekends).  You are looking at a max of $75 a month to play once a week.  Cheap/used balls can be found.  Equipment can be found at goodwill or play-it-again sports.  You may need to keeps looking, but it can be found.  These costs are similar, if not cheaper, than football, baseball, soccer, volleyball, tennis.

 

So while agree that if you don't have $3 for milk or bread, you are not playing golf, but you are also not playing any other organized sport.

[soregongolfer]

28 minutes ago, Kmagnuss said:

You've obviously not grown up in a household that didn't have food to put on the table.  I'll break it down:  If you don't have $3 for a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread you sure as heck aren't going to give your kid $16 to walk 9, much less money for a set of clubs, some balls, etc...

 

You want to get more kids involved to grow the game, start offering summer memberships for school aged kids at a deeply discounted rate with loaner clubs included.  I've been trying to get my local courses on board with this, even offering to 'sponsor' some kids' fees... but it hasn't gained any traction... YET.

Thank you for speaking for me.  My parents came to America with less than $3 combined.  I know exactly what it is like to live poor, and I certainly didn't play golf in those days.  We're speaking of people generally here.  Not the poorest of the poor.  

[MtlJeff]

I think your data doesn't go back far enough. It cherry picks the number of golfers right after the "Tiger Boom" and then paints it as a massive decline. In reality , Tiger made the sport more popular for a while and then the numbers returned back to where they were before him. I think golf is right where it was in the 80's and 90's in terms of popularity. It probably shouldn't ever get more popular than this as there isn't enough land near big cities

 

I do agree that golf was probably over-developed for a while and many courses have closed / been bought for the land.

 

Golf IS changing and has changed a lot. I think a lot of the "stuffiness" and "exclusive" rep it gets is mostly fictional at this point--But it is a great thing for guys like Malcolm Gladwell or the NY times or whoever to focus on because it always plays nicely to their audience. At least around here there's no more boards to get into clubs, no stuffy dress codes anymore etc etc etc. And golf is less expensive than other sports including arguably soccer, to get kids into

 

Things like Top Golf also help people get into it, it's a good gateway.

 

Golf is stable, which is probably what it should be. It's always gonna struggle with 30yr olds because no one with 2yr old kids is gonna play 75 rounds a year