NY Times - More Americans are Giving Up Golf

[nevets88]

Sacrebleu!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/ny...rssnyt&emc;=rss

The weird thing about this article is the end. What does noise pollution have to do with losing golfers?

[lamebums]

Noise pollution - it's annoying when you're about to tee off and some moron in a pickup decides to lay into his horn for no particular reason except to mess up your swing.

Economy's down - that means discretionary spending is down across the board. Working class wages have declined since 2000 (especially after being adjusted for inflation). And the only way golf courses can break even after losing members is to raise prices further, pricing more people out of the game. It's going to be a pinch for me to get the money necessary for a 2008 membership.

The course is too long - in an attempt to Tiger-proof the course, new ones are 7500+ yards long, with 500 yard par 4's. With how far people like JB Holmes, Tiger, Daly, etc. are hitting the ball, they still get home with driver, 9 iron. However, take most average joe's back to those tees, and he's going to need a 3 wood for his second shot, followed by a pitch shot into a green that stimps at 12 and slopes away, with sand traps in front so you have to carry it all the way.

Or there's long forced carries over mush, water, whatever. Sometimes it's unavoidable because of the terrain, but 9 times out of 10 I don't see why a straight shot should be penalized. The more I play with seniors, the more I empathize with their problems with the game. The guy that hit the ball straight shouldn't be hitting out of the same gunk as some guy who just hit a titanic slice off the tee.

[tm22721]

I am not surprised by the high dropout rate.

Many are frustrated by the slowness of play.

I am in favor of longer and more difficult courses if it keeps the inconsiderate, slower traffic away.

Even when I change my mind, I am still right.

[TourSpoon]

The club that I worked at 15 years ago is charging the same rates that it did back then. I actually bought golf equipment for the same price that it was going for in 2000. Golf is not as popular as it once was, but it was almost fadish in the late 1990s.

In my area the public venues that are priced to the market are doing well while some of the semi-privates have closed. At one point I saw a time where the owners where creating the product that they wanted to create, not the product that the average golfer necessarily wanted. It's all about supply and demand and right now the clubs that I see doing well are the municipals and the exclusives where money is never an issue. The ones in between need to find their niche.

[ganjagolfer]

Noise pollution - it's annoying when you're about to tee off and some moron in a pickup decides to lay into his horn for no particular reason except to mess up your swing.

i've never done it but for a few years when didn't get out and play, was so tempted to do this to people who were having the fun

hard to think honking happens so often to discourage people from playing, golf is too much fun the meat of the article is golf is a time commitment and if you aren't spending time on your game, its not fun when you get out there

[SubPar]

It is a hard game in which to see improvement and a round of golf takes at least a half-day commitment and it usually calls for social coordination with friends to get a game together, so it is not surprising a lot of people would give it up.

If I were the kind of person who would only play if I could get a friend to play with me or had anyone putting pressure on me to not play (wife), I would not play golf. I am free to work on my game any time I wish and I play as a single several times a month so I stick with it.

Noise pollution, what noise?

SubPar

[DiverDown]

I really think the main cause is probably economics. Golf will probably always have a fairly high dropout rate because it's a hard game to learn, and even tougher to get good at. You will always have people taking up the game, but due to the slow plunge our economy has taken over the last 8 years less people are inclined to start the game I would imagine. I play the game rather cheaply, going to muni's and looking for avenue's for cheap golf, and even with that it's a pretty expensive hobby.

Regardless of all that, I love golf and don't ever see quitting the game. It's one of the only sports you can do for life, and with your children, etc...... and I think there is great value in that.

[crawf061]

I think that golf is always going to be one of the first things to be touched when the economy slumps. It is a luxury that people really enjoy. However, when the money gets tight, putting the clubs down can save a ton of money ($50-$100+ per month for many people).

Personally, I would never give up the game, but I would definitely cut back to playing once a month if my wallet was aching.

[jowlar]

I think that golf is always going to be one of the first things to be touched when the economy slumps. It is a luxury that people really enjoy. However, when the money gets tight, putting the clubs down can save a ton of money ($50-$100+ per month for many people).

Where do you play in T Town? I love Ol' Colony, Hidden Meadows and the Capstone Club.

[Wisco-Kid]

I don't think that golf has dropped off that much. I think it maybe leveled off. It was kind of a "fad" in the late 90's and early 2000 and that is because Tiger brought the game to a whole new audience. Tiger made golf cool. Many of the people that took up the game because it was cool have given up now and the numbers are reflecting a more honest reflection of how many "true" golfers there are. In my area within 20 miles of where I live there are probably at least 20 courses, and it seems every weekend it is hard to get a tee-time....

[ChiChiIsMe]

This is AWESOME news! More tee times for those of us who love the game!

[tbjohnston]

But what do y'all think? Why is there a mis-match between supply and demand? It's not just that supply has grown - demand has shrunk. The author says that demand has shrunk for other outdoor activities as well, and the answer for golf is economic.

My $.02 is that it's about the time it takes to play. When I can get on the local muni first thing, my friends and I can play (walking) in a bit over 3 hours. If we get an afternoon tee time, we're looking at 5+ hours. If you factor in drive time and letting the losers buy the winners a cold frosty, that's more time than we have on a typical week-end.

Course architecture may have something to do with it, but I've gotten pretty good at persuading folks not to play from the tips, so things aren't so bad...

Other thoughts??

[jowlar]

But what do y'all think?

Wives......

[immts007]

I think Golf, in general is far too expensive for the average American, esp. given that if you really want to enjoy it, you need to improve your game - which means playing a lot of rounds.

Then there's lessons, equipment, and yeah - time away from your family, unless you can bring them into the game - but that means even more expense.

As someone else said... average incomes have been stagnate for almost a decade (or more) and costs are steadily rising... so something's got to give. Usually it's things considered 'luxuries'.

[TourSpoon]

I still think that some of the developers of the past few years could learn the lesson that there is a golf market out there that is looking for a "no frills" environment. It seems like many of the courses go out of their way to provide this luxury daily fee experience. It's one that I don't have the time nor the money for. My ideal experience doesn't need a 5 star restaurant, valet parking, full time locker attendent or water falls. I am more interested in playing golf in under 4 hours, having a place to grab a sandwich or a drink, and having an adequate place to practice.

I actually have a friend that has such a place in Orlando. He has a modest club house, a small bar restaurant, restroom/locker room, and a proshop. There is no pool, health club, etc. Too bad it is so far away.

[allin]

I still think that some of the developers of the past few years could learn the lesson that there is a golf market out there that is looking for a "no frills" environment. It seems like many of the courses go out of their way to provide this luxury daily fee experience. It's one that I don't have the time nor the money for. My ideal experience doesn't need a 5 star restaurant, valet parking, full time locker attendent or water falls. I am more interested in playing golf in under 4 hours, having a place to grab a sandwich or a drink, and having an adequate place to practice.

I agree with both of your posts on this issue. More focus on affordable easily maintained courses leads to longer term success. Combination of a golf course with some other type of venue that provides off season revenue, for cold weather areas, if the capital can be found makes sense also. I think something like a movie theatre, indoor tennis, health club, maybe even a bowling alley would all seem to make sense. Anything that peaks at a different time of year or day.

[lamebums]

I think Golf, in general is far too expensive for the average American, esp. given that if you really want to enjoy it, you need to improve your game - which means playing a lot of rounds.

Agreed. My problem is with courses getting more and more expensive, which leaves me to play at muni's and low-end public courses. Even then, the cost is prohibitive (it can be $40 to play 18 holes with a cart at a muni) and I'm stuck looking for special deals, tee times that are cheaper, etc. As a broke student, I don't have many options when it comes to expensive courses - $80 round or three tanks of gas? Not a difficult choice, since without the gas I don't have much chance of even getting to the course...

My golf in 2008 will definitely be scaled back because of cost - I'm not entirely sure my tax return will cover the cost of membership.

[Big_M]

I really think the main cause is probably economics. Golf will probably always have a fairly high dropout rate because it's a hard game to learn, and even tougher to get good at. You will always have people taking up the game, but due to the slow plunge our economy has taken over the last 8 years less people are inclined to start the game I would imagine. I play the game rather cheaply, going to muni's and looking for avenue's for cheap golf, and even with that it's a pretty expensive hobby.

yeah... what you said... I completely agree (thanks for saving me some typing).

I am looking at an annual fee at some courses between $500-$1500 when I move... plus a little extra to add the wife... I will play 1-2 times a month at another course, just to satisfy my urge to stray... I am choosing quantity over quality... the fee doesn't include carts, but I walk anyway... have no kids yet, so don't have to deal with family issues, but that won't last long.