How to get more people to play and get interested in golf

[zipazoid]

Originally Posted by Kapanda

It's a given that golf is a rich-man's sport.

I don't know about that. I think it is perceived by some as a rich person's sport (see Moxie Dawn's post - #21 in this thread), but in reality it is not. I started playing when I was a kid by hitting balls around a baseball field with my dad's 5-iron. He was a industrial league player & a plumber by trade. I grew up playing muni courses in the Akron area. When I was about 17 I saw/played my first country club, and that's when I saw 'the other side' if you will, of the game - the rich man's playground. But I was, and still am, a muni golfer.

So yes, it is played by the rich, but it's not their sport exclusively. Not by a long shot.

[x129]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zipazoid

I don't know about that. I think it is perceived by some as a rich person's sport (see Moxie Dawn's post - #21 in this thread), but in reality it is not. I started playing when I was a kid by hitting balls around a baseball field with my dad's 5-iron. He was a industrial league player & a plumber by trade. I grew up playing muni courses in the Akron area. When I was about 17 I saw/played my first country club, and that's when I saw 'the other side' if you will, of the game - the rich man's playground. But I was, and still am, a muni golfer.

So yes, it is played by the rich, but it's not their sport exclusively. Not by a long shot.

[bluecollar01]

I'm new to golf (about a year) and I agree with several other posters regarding that investment (time and money) are a hurdle.  Not wanting to rehash those discussions I thought I would throw out a few of my own observations.

no. 1 - The "image" projected by the PGA.  Shorts and even backwards hats (Fowler) are "forbidden" at events.  For the "everyman", the more polished dress code perpetuates the "elitist" mentality.  I'm not saying that I feel this way but many folks will perceive it this way, even though khakis and a polo aren't all that posh.  The few LPGA events I've watched seem much more "laid back/enjoyable" and I think it has to do with the shorts.  Maybe, it's just the pretty girls.

no. 2 - Us vs Them mentality.  As a new golfer, I'm always nervous playing with other folks who've played golf for years because nearly every golfer I meet talks about how the "hackers" ruin their enjoyment of the game with slow play and poor golf etiquette (despite being poor golfers themselves).  Obviously, I can't speak for every "hacker" out there but I can assure you that I don't want to slow you down or intentionally anger you in any way, but I'm learning the game and the rules - cut me a little slack :)

no. 3 - Lack of structured training.  I've taken lessons from several different PGA professionals and each time I was amazed out how different and unstructured each lesson was.  I would think that the PGA would have a step-by-step training curriculum (probably some of it classroom oriented for rules/etiquette/etc.).  To me and a few other "students" I know, the lessons came across as "snake oil".  It was flavor of the month, non-descriptive and cliche ridden "baloney" in my opinion.  For more established golfers it may be okay to go and ask for help working on distance, trajectory or what have you but I think that beginners should all follow a similar formula to start out.  Maybe, Nebraska is just full of poor instructors :)

no. 4 - The "rule" police.  I don't play tournaments, don't keep a handicap, don't play for money and likely never will.  I play to get out of the house and away from work for enjoyment.  If I hit into mud or water standing in a sand trap, I move the ball right or left and play from there.  Some folks think I'm cheating or that I'm not a real golfer — and they are right.  But, if I'm not impacting your score or your pocket book — what do you care.

Just my .02 cents and probably worth less.

[Kapanda]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

I don't know about that. I think it is perceived by some as a rich person's sport (see Moxie Dawn's post - #21 in this thread), but in reality it is not. I started playing when I was a kid by hitting balls around a baseball field with my dad's 5-iron. He was a industrial league player & a plumber by trade. I grew up playing muni courses in the Akron area. When I was about 17 I saw/played my first country club, and that's when I saw 'the other side' if you will, of the game - the rich man's playground. But I was, and still am, a muni golfer.

So yes, it is played by the rich, but it's not their sport exclusively. Not by a long shot.

In that case, the question might be whether its image as a sport only for the rich has been shed yet.

[Kapanda]

By the way, has it been decided yet whether golf is actually a sport or not?

[newtogolf]

I don't think it has.  Many posts here seem to indicate that they consider it a rich mans sport.   If you want to play the best courses and have the best equipment it can be very expensive.  It's all a matter of scaling the game to your budget.

Originally Posted by Kapanda

In that case, the question might be whether its image as a sport only for the rich has been shed yet.

[Bullitt5339]

If you want golf to be more financially bearable, you don't have to have the best clubs.  I play rounds with a guy that shoots high 80's with no-name irons, wedges and putter.  He has an R9 driver that's the only club he paid for a few years ago.  His bag looks like it's going to fall apart any day now, but he's still one of the guys at the club that everyone likes playing rounds with.  I started playing with a set of $50 clubs from a pawn shop and only bought expensive clubs because I wanted them and could finally afford them after years and years of hard work.  I would say that the majority of golfers that you run into on the course are realists and not snobs and could care less what equipment you play and only care that they enjoy playing a round with you.  How well you hit the ball has nothing to do with how enjoyable the round is.

Get a membership at a semi-private club or muni, which are typically cheaper and will let you pay by the month.  I'm a member at 3 different courses and pay around $115 a month for all three.  The semi-private club is $60 a month for the basic membership and you can walk all you want.  The only stipulation is that you can't walk before 2PM on the weekends (it's crowded on weekend mornings anyways).  The other 2 is a group deal on Fort Bragg for $55 a month, where I get access to 2 courses in the membership.  There you can walk anytime.

Either carry, or if you can't handle carrying, get a cheap push/pull cart or you can rent them at the course.  I had to rent one because my wife left for work with mine in her car and it was $1 compared to $14 or so for cart fees.  You can buy a 2 wheel pull cart for $35 or so, which pays for itself after you've played 2 rounds.

I once thought that everyone on the golf course judged you by the equipment you carry, but I couldn't have been further from the truth.  As I matured within the community at these clubs, I noticed that as I started concentrating on my game, and didn't worry about it, even I didn't pay attention to what was in other people's bags, unless it was something new and shiny and caught my eye.  I believe that most realistic golfers don't really pay attention to whether you're hitting $900 irons or the starter set from Dick's or Golf Galaxy.

I think most people think worse about themselves on the course than the people around them do, no matter how poorly you hit the ball.  At least that's been my experience.  But you don't know that at first.  You assume that if you don't have the best of everything and don't drive the ball 280 yards, everyone hates playing with you.

Just like the golf swing, perception isn't reality in most cases when you're first starting out.

Of course, there's always at least that one a-hole that proves that wrong on every course, but I think they're the minority.

[Jefferey13]

I also think turning courses into three sets of 6 instead of front 9 and back 9 would help some people to get out. I actually play 12 holes most of the time when I play.