Young People not Playing. Golf Leagues Shrinking

[Fourputt]

My 2 cents, don't blame the kids...blame their parents. If you want kids to put down the phone and pick up a putter then it's up to the parent to expose them to the game. I have 3 young and very active childred (ages 9, 11, and 14) and its not like they suddenly woke up one morning, drove themselves to the driving range or soccer field, and suddenly fell in love with the game. Yes, the days of kids playing pick-up games after school are gone, but that doesn't mean that as a parent you can't find other ways to get your kids exposed to other sports/activities. Take them to the range with you, sign them up for lacrosse, introduce them to drums, violin, art classes, etc. If they take to one of them, great, if not, keep looking.

Kid's these days are absolutely NO different then when we were their age, they ALL want to be engaged in something fun but if we don't introduce them to those things then shame on us as parents when the only activity they're good at is texting their virtual friends.

OK, I'll get off my soap box now...lol

Actually It must have been different for you than it was for me.  I'm not sure that my parents ever introduced me to any activity.  We found/made our own fun, and not by getting into trouble either.  We played unorganized softball in a vacant lot or nearby schoolyard.  We rode bikes everywhere, even played a game on wheels we called "Ditch", sort of hide and seek on steroids.  We fished and swam in the summer and skated in the winter, sort of mandatory activities for kids growing up in Minnesota in the '50s.

I wasn't introduced to golf, I found it on my own, but not until I was in my 20's and had my own source of income.  We didn't even remotely have the money for anything as frivolous as golf when I was growing up.  So my situation was little different from what this thread is lamenting.  It seems that all such leisure pastimes have peaks and valleys as far as participation is concerned, and the trends of a game like golf is going to follow the general trend of the economy because of the expense involved.

People who are just making ends meet aren't going to take up golf, no matter how much you try to make it look attractive, and those who do play occasionally may drop the game in favor of a pastime that they would rather spend the money on (like maintaining a boat for fishing, or restoring old cars, or raising a family).  They are going to find cheaper forms of recreation (or reduce their participation to only one instead of doing two or three activities).  If the financial climate improves, then their ideas about that might change too.  I don't think that making 15" holes in greens (or any of the other proposals) is going to do anything to change that outlook.

[Strausy007]

Golf is always viewed as expensive.  Of course it can be, but in my area it can also be cheap.  A beginner doesn't need a $400 driver, or a full set of new fitted irons.  The courses around me have racks full of used clubs.  My first set was largely built from those used club racks.  While I don't by off the used racks anymore my bag is filled with discount clubs from a number of online stores.  With apps like Golf Now and Last Minute Tee Times you can find plenty of cheap courses to play.  Like I said this game can be a expensive or as cheap as you make it.

[CoachinPA]

The observation that young people are playing less, and the Golf Leagues shrinking might also be because of two separate reasons.

Kids tend to play more video games and or go on Facebook rather than play a round of golf. Many do not have as much discipline to play a full round, much less practice to become proficient enough to enjoy it. Of the kids that have the discipline have too much homework or other activities to remain academically competitive with the rest of the world. A round of golf is an eternity of time they can't afford.

I started golfing specifically to spend more time with my kids, and am enjoying it more as we all get better at it.

Golf leagues generally like to play full 18 hole rounds, and it takes a good amount of time. People who work can't really take that much time out for a leisure activity. Even though I have flexible hours and "could" step out for a round, I don't have the time. I certainly can't predict my schedule that I could take a fixed time off every week. I am guessing many people are in my predicament. Again to keep up with the global market, where any of us can be replaced with someone abroad.

Interesting opinion.  I have seen many, many 9 hole leagues.  These tend to be the after work leagues.

[Dave2512]

I haven't seen anything but 9 hole leagues here. Less about accommodating the schedules of the league members than not having to close the course to anything but league play. Both courses I play most reserve one side for league play from open to close on league days. The other side of the course is open to the public. It alternates each week. My former home courses hosts 3 leagues so 3 days a week you can only play whatever side isn't occupied by the league. I bounce around in the summer because of it. I am not opposed to playing 9, I do more often than not but league days are always the busiest. Though it can be cool if the back 9 happens to be open for play if it's a course I don't play often. I'd wager 80% of the golf I play is 9 holes so I see the front 9 of most courses more often than I like.

[CoachinPA]

I haven't seen anything but 9 hole leagues here. Less about accommodating the schedules of the league members than not having to close the course to anything but league play. Both courses I play most reserve one side for league play from open to close on league days. The other side of the course is open to the public. It alternates each week. My former home courses hosts 3 leagues so 3 days a week you can only play whatever side isn't occupied by the league. I bounce around in the summer because of it. I am not opposed to playing 9, I do more often than not but league days are always the busiest. Though it can be cool if the back 9 happens to be open for play if it's a course I don't play often. I'd wager 80% of the golf I play is 9 holes so I see the front 9 of most courses more often than I like.

My Golf course does the same.

[islandgolfer82]

I think that if you love the game of golf you'll find a way.  I do think that memberships are going down though and there is a lack of participation by the younger crowds.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

The observation that young people are playing less, and the Golf Leagues shrinking might also be because of two separate reasons.

Kids tend to play more video games and or go on Facebook rather than play a round of golf. Many do not have as much discipline to play a full round, much less practice to become proficient enough to enjoy it. Of the kids that have the discipline have too much homework or other activities to remain academically competitive with the rest of the world. A round of golf is an eternity of time they can't afford.

I started golfing specifically to spend more time with my kids, and am enjoying it more as we all get better at it.

Golf leagues generally like to play full 18 hole rounds, and it takes a good amount of time. People who work can't really take that much time out for a leisure activity. Even though I have flexible hours and "could" step out for a round, I don't have the time. I certainly can't predict my schedule that I could take a fixed time off every week. I am guessing many people are in my predicament. Again to keep up with the global market, where any of us can be replaced with someone abroad.

Interesting opinion.  I have seen many, many 9 hole leagues.  These tend to be the after work leagues.

I agree.  The only 18 hole league on my home course was a Thursday morning women's league.  There was a working women's league that played the Executive 9 on Saturday mornings, and several 9 hole after work leagues on weekday evenings.  The men's club I was in was a tournament club, not a league, and we played both 18 and 36 hole tournaments, with a 54 hole Club Championship once a year.  Our tournaments were not played weekly like a league, but were played on weekends scattered throughout the summer, scheduled in January each year in a meeting with the course staff.

[jshots]

I'm 24 and honestly just can't really afford to play. I love the game and as I get more of a stable career joining a league and buying a course membership will be one of the first things I do. I imagine there are quite a few others in the same boat.

[Strandly]

Maybe you need more dependable employees?

That or they're so afraid of the wrath of the owner they don't dare do anything without running it by him first.

[14ledo81]

[QUOTE name="Fourputt" url="/t/73808/young-people-not-playing-golf-leagues-shrinking/18#post_975187"]   Maybe you need more dependable employees? :smartass: [/QUOTE] That or they're so afraid of the wrath of the owner they don't dare do anything without running it by him first.

Really? If I did whatever I wanted at work, I would not have a job for long. Doesn't have anything to do with "fearing the wrath".

[Dave2512]

Since we're talking about my employees I will toss in my two cents. They lack confidence and there are certain CS situations they simply don't have experience to resolve. It is the unavoidable dynamic of small business. Until you can hire your equal everyone under you lacks the ability to cover for you. But unless you chain yourself to the office impossible to be there all the time. My last real vacation was in 05. The only full day off I've taken since was to attend my father's funeral.

[David in FL]

Since we're talking about my employees I will toss in my two cents. They lack confidence and there are certain CS situations they simply don't have experience to resolve. It is the unavoidable dynamic of small business. Until you can hire your equal everyone under you lacks the ability to cover for you. But unless you chain yourself to the office impossible to be there all the time. My last real vacation was in 05. The only full day off I've taken since was to attend my father's funeral.

Or you can train and develop your people...... ....just a thought, from someone who likes to take vacations, and not have to clean up a mess when he returns. :-)

[Lihu]

Really? If I did whatever I wanted at work, I would not have a job for long. Doesn't have anything to do with "fearing the wrath".

We are hired for our jobs for a reason. ;-)

[Strandly]

Really? If I did whatever I wanted at work, I would not have a job for long. Doesn't have anything to do with "fearing the wrath".

That's a pretty ridiculous exaggeration.  It sounds to me like these people can't even do the most basic thing without checking in.

Since we're talking about my employees I will toss in my two cents. They lack confidence and there are certain CS situations they simply don't have experience to resolve. It is the unavoidable dynamic of small business. Until you can hire your equal everyone under you lacks the ability to cover for you. But unless you chain yourself to the office impossible to be there all the time. My last real vacation was in 05. The only full day off I've taken since was to attend my father's funeral.

If they lack confidence then that makes me think that they think you don't have their back.

I'll tell you a story along these lines.  When I first moved to Colorado Springs in 2006 I got a job with a geotech engineering company doing testing inspection work on construction sites.  I wasn't new to working around contractors but I was new to this particular type of work.  Anyway, my job involved driving to jobsites and dealing with contractors on behalf of my company, and the engineers at my company in particular because they signed off on the reports I turned in.  While learning the job the project managers and engineers went out of their way to assure me they would back me up 200% of the time, every time.  At first it seemed a little weird because I always assumed people higher up the food chain would do this at all of my previous jobs eventhough nobody actually told me so.  So I figured yeah OK that's cool now let's get to work.

I very quickly learned why they did this-- contractors really don't like failing tests and inspections, and being the male dominated industry that it is there's usually plenty of bullshit intimidation flying around.  For someone who was new to this type of work and working alone I think it wouldn't be very hard to make a situation uncomfortable and maybe get the result they want.  However, knowing the guys at my office would back up my decisions (as well as seeing them do it) ended up being a great tool, the ultimate tool really, that helped me do my job.  Now, after getting more experience under my belt I became completely immune to contractor drama, they saw that I was immune and that they weren't going to win by going over my head so they just stopped dicking around and started doing what I said.

I did this work for several years and like to think I got very good at it.  My project managers had the confidence to send me to any project, general contractors were confident that I wouldn't let subs get away with shady shit, and the subs themselves might not like that I made them do stuff over 20 times but they respected my ability to do the job.

The point of this wall of text is that this all started largely from the vote of confidence from the people in my office.  If you're employees lack confidence then yeah I would guess they either think they're poorly equipped to handle things that would pop up or they think they'll get fired for making a mistake or something along these lines.  Either way it seems like the sort of thing that would be completely fixable if you took the time.

[MS256]

That's a pretty ridiculous exaggeration.  It sounds to me like these people can't even do the most basic thing without checking in.

If they lack confidence then that makes me think that they think you don't have their back.

A lot of people only think their employees can't competently fill their shoes. Sometimes that's reality and sometimes it's not.

I know several business owners right now that talk about either "retiring" or "cutting back" but they simply can't let go. The people they have chosen to "take over" (which in these cases are family members) are every bit as competent to run the business as the owner but the owner can't (or more accurately won't) see it.

I suppose we all like to think we are irreplaceable in our jobs and like to think that nobody can do our job as well as we can.

Fact is that in almost every case the world keeps turning just fine when we are gone.

[newtogolf]

A lot of people only think their employees can't competently fill their shoes. Sometimes that's reality and sometimes it's not.

I know several business owners right now that talk about either "retiring" or "cutting back" but they simply can't let go. The people they have chosen to "take over" (which in these cases are family members) are every bit as competent to run the business as the owner but the owner can't (or more accurately won't) see it.

I suppose we all like to think we are irreplaceable in our jobs and like to think that nobody can do our job as well as we can.

Fact is that in almost every case the world keeps turning just fine when we are gone.

This is off topic so maybe we should create a thread in the Grill Room to discuss further.

As a business owner you have all the risk, if it fails you risk losing everything where as employees can find another job.  For that reason you manage the business, financials and customers much differently.  Most of my employees are very good, but they don't have the desire and passion to work as hard as I do to run the business and service the customers.  It's not a matter of filling my shoes, it's a matter of having as much on the line to lose if they don't.

[Dave2512]

There is also a salary issue. You simply can't expect employees to be capable of fulfilling the responsibility of stand in owner unless you pay enough to hire that caliber of employee. I expect to be bothered away from the office. Which is why taking off to golf in a league doesn't work for me. We have 5 employees and the one manning phones when I leave makes 16 an hour. Even if she could do my job she wouldn't take on the headache for that kind of money and I don't blame her. We can't afford to bring on a manager that can handle those duties so I can't justify golfing in a league during biz hours.

[Strandly]

This is off topic so maybe we should create a thread in the Grill Room to discuss further.

As a business owner you have all the risk, if it fails you risk losing everything where as employees can find another job.  For that reason you manage the business, financials and customers much differently.  Most of my employees are very good, but they don't have the desire and passion to work as hard as I do to run the business and service the customers.  It's not a matter of filling my shoes, it's a matter of having as much on the line to lose if they don't.

I bet they would if they were collecting your paycheck.

You can't realistically expect someone to work as hard as the owner for less money and fewer perks, if they were willing to do that they would be a business owner themselves.