Is Golf Dying in the USA?

[cshelton]

Golf is getting more expensive. Land values at Myrtle Beach have killed some pretty nice courses for condos. And with that happening other courses are starting to raise rates killing out the golfer who only plays a few rounds a year. Just my opinion.

[RickK]

Golf is getting more expensive. Land values at Myrtle Beach have killed some pretty nice courses for condos. And with that happening other courses are starting to raise rates killing out the golfer who only plays a few rounds a year. Just my opinion.

Has anything ever developed where the Bay Tree complex used to be? I know in the last years it was never in great shape but a couple of the layouts were not bad. Always hate to see a golf course disappear.

[jasongst]

“The problem is time,” offered Walter Hurney, a real estate developer. “There just isn’t enough time. Men won’t spend a whole day away from their family anymore.”

Whatever! What evidence is he using to back this up? Most men I know of spend hours upon hours doing recreational activities, whether that be spending time in bars, playing video games, hunting, biking, you name it.

What I find amusing is that anyone would look anywhere other than price. Golf, even practicing golf, is amazingly expensive. A large portion of this is inherent in maintaining the grounds, but in most cases it's largely a conscious decision to cater to more affluent people. I'm fortunate to live near a club with affordable membership rates that include access to a range. I know this situation is not always easy to come by though. For instance, the local muni has one of the most reasonable green fees around--between $15 and $40 depending on the time. Unfortunately, they offer no monthly "all-you-can-play" rates, so you are forced to go ala carte. Considering how I play about 5 times a week, that would cost me, oh, somewhere between $300 and $800 a month. For a while I was using their range almost daily. Even when I bought in bulk, it was still costing me about $80 a month just to use the range. Weekend golfers face their own problems. First, if you are golfing, say, once a month then your commitment isn't extremely high to begin with. Then you are faced with a weekend green fee that usually starts around $50 and goes up from there. That's quite a punch in the gut when you compare it to many other leisure activities. This is not exactly a growth situation! Golf participation may have small growth spurts in the future, but it is never going to boom until something gives with the price. When I look around I see too many clubs catering to retirees with fairly deep pockets, and not enough clubs targeting avid golfers of more typical means. I think of it this way. As a public course you could charge $50 in green fees and have people show up twice a year to play your course, spending $100 annually, or you could charge $50 a month for twilight golf and have many of the same people spend $600 annually, or more. And you're only using off-peak hours to do it. Choosing the second option brings some compromises. There will be more people on the course, and you'll have more divots and ball marks than you might like. But that is exactly the path we need if we want the sport to grow. We need more avid golfers, so we need to provide opportunities for them to play frequently instead of occasionally.

[ganjagolfer]

am currently vacationing out on cape cod and think its silly how these courses try to rake in the dough cuz they are only in it for the money. if i am not riding in a golf cart (cuz i think they should be for folks with a medical condition) why do i pay the same greens fees as a cart rider?

am from the peace love and 60's and see the evil in trying to make a buck from everything. go communism!!!... or at least socialism

[jasongst]

I get emails almost ever week offering play on the weekend for less than $55 including cart and they give you free breakfast and free lunch plus free afternoon replays (space available). That is not a hefty price. You can play during the week for under $30 (same deal...cart/breakfast/lunch). Believe me, these courses are not making obscene profits. They are barely breaking even. You run a business to make money...not break even.

Rick, this begs the question, how did they get it done back in the day? How did they manage to break even with such low green fees? Let me quote an article from Golf Digest in 2006:

Green fees/memberships 1981 ... 2006 Colonial C.C., Cordova, Tenn. $4,000/ ... $7,500/ ...initiation fee/annual dues $1,200 ... $5,880 Cog Hill G.&C.C.; (No. 4), Lemont, Ill. $20 ... $135 Olympic Club, San Francisco initiation $12,000/ ... $49,800/ ...fee/annual dues (including Athletic Club) $1,200 ... $4,800 Otter Creek G.C., Columbus, Ind. $10 ... $65 Pebble Beach G.L. $50 ... $450

Pay special attention to Otter Creek, since that's about the budget most of us are dealing with. Otter Creek's fees, along with the fees of most things on this list, have risen at a rate this is MORE THAN DOUBLE INFLATION. That does not indicate rising costs, Rick, that indicates a conscious decision to increase margins and/or raise maintenance standards at a course. If you get enough golf courses doing this, you end up with the situation we are in today, where you can't get on most courses without $40 in your pocket. (Does golf have new insurance liabilities I am not aware of?) This is hurting the game of golf. It's supposed to be a game that everyone can enjoy, yet it's driving away anyone who doesn't have above average means.

Like I said, for whatever reason, golf courses in previous years had no problem charging what we now would consider a pittance to play their course. My guess is they spent a little less here and there and didn't worry about living up to the Augusta standard. That is what we need. Link to the article Inflation calculator

[FlopShotArtist]

I posted this in another thread, but thought it was a discussion all its own.

Golf is a frustrating sport.