Has golf gotten more or less popular in the last 10 years?

[jmorg19]

Originally Posted by Used2PlayALot

But golf is dirt cheap!

Where else can you get 5 hours of activity for $25-$30 ?

That's cheaper than a movie and McDonalds...

My thoughts exactly!! People don't look at it that way. Even a $40 round comes out to around $10 an hour

[danimal85]

I think its far more popular, but with the wrong crowd. I feel like it started with tiger, and then younger guys more recently (ie anthony kim, rickie fowler) brought in the douchey crowd, so now you go to the course and you get stuck behind 3 foursomes of guys with popped collars who have no respect for the etiquette of golf. they sit out there more worried about who slammed the most beers and updating their social networking from their phones than actually playing golf and make the game less enjoyable for the rest of us. That could just be the case in my area, but i know I will only go out in the early am or if the weather isnt favorable

[ApocG10]

Originally Posted by danimal85

I think its far more popular, but with the wrong crowd. I feel like it started with tiger, and then younger guys more recently (ie anthony kim, rickie fowler) brought in the douchey crowd, so now you go to the course and you get stuck behind 3 foursomes of guys with popped collars who have no respect for the etiquette of golf. they sit out there more worried about who slammed the most beers and updating their social networking from their phones than actually playing golf and make the game less enjoyable for the rest of us. That could just be the case in my area, but i know I will only go out in the early am or if the weather isnt favorable

OH NOES! The young people are playing my beloved game!

Give it up. Nobody brought in the 'douchey' crowd. If anything, the reason it was waning before the days af Tiger, was because in general, the douchieness of the older members acting like anyone who didn't make 6 figures and drive a luxury car didn't deserve to be there. Golf is a lot friendlier sport now than it ever was.

I see it at one course I play. When I used to show up with my truck (still a 45k vehicle), most wouldn't look twice at me, and none of them knew, or wanted to know me. One day I showed up in my Viper, and suddenly I have a bunch of 'friends' in the regular members at the course. **** them. Stuck up old bastards. I grew up with money, but my dad never hung out with 'his kind' (as many of them would call it), and neither have I. I prefer the company of real people.

[GaijinGolfer]

Less.  The great recession has taken its toll on golf and numbers have been dropping for quite a few years now.

[newtogolf]

Logic says given the poor economy, people on average have less disposable income so participation should be down.  I'm not sure how participation relates to popularity anyway.  The NFL is pretty close to all-time highs in terms of popularity but a very low percentage of NFL fans play football.

I'm not sure participation is down as much as it may be more evenly distributed throughout the country and world than it was 10 years ago.  For example, the recession hit Arizona very hard, so possibly they have seen a reduction in players there, but I've read it's grown overseas and the local courses here in NY claim revenue is up.  Overall I'd say popularity is higher and participation is about the same or slightly less, but more spread out across the world than it was.

[Used2PlayALot]

Why do people think golf is expensive?
It's cheap as hell compared to most forms of entertainment and leisure.

$30 for a round.  Walk.
$150 for a used set of clubs.
$1 for used AA+ balls

$30 for 5 hours.     $6 an hour.
That's cheaper than a movie.
That's cheaper than McDonald's for god's sake!

What do people spend on a round of shots at the bar?

$25 in under 1 minute!

vs.

$25 for a dinner out which lasts about 1 hour.

vs.

$25 for 5 hours of golfing?

People can't add and multiply.

GOLF IS DIRT CHEAP.

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by Used2PlayALot

Why do people think golf is expensive?

It's cheap as hell compared to most forms of entertainment and leisure.

$30 for a round.  Walk.

$150 for a used set of clubs.

$1 for used AA+ balls

$30 for 5 hours.     $6 an hour.

That's cheaper than a movie.

That's cheaper than McDonald's for god's sake!

What do people spend on a round of shots at the bar?

$25 in under 1 minute!

vs.

$25 for a dinner out which lasts about 1 hour.

vs.

$25 for 5 hours of golfing?

People can't add and multiply.

GOLF IS DIRT CHEAP.

Not that I disagree with you but to a lot of people, all that money to whack a little ball around a field and then chase it is expensive.  Also, at some point you are going to want a better set of clubs and to get better you will need to start playing more expensive balls.  Not to mention you will need to play more often than once a week, go to the range a couple times a week and take lessons and thats when it starts to get pricey.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Used2PlayALot

Why do people think golf is expensive?

It's cheap as hell compared to most forms of entertainment and leisure.

A.) $30 for a round.  Walk.

B.) $150 for a used set of clubs.

C.) $1 for used AA+ balls

D.) $30 for 5 hours.     $6 an hour.

E.) That's cheaper than a movie.

That's cheaper than McDonald's for god's sake!

What do people spend on a round of shots at the bar?

$25 in under 1 minute!

vs.

$25 for a dinner out which lasts about 1 hour.

vs.

$25 for 5 hours of golfing?

People can't add and multiply.

GOLF IS DIRT CHEAP.

We could play a $30 course with $12 of used balls and a $150 set of clubs once to prove a point that golf is expensive (almost $200 for one round), or we could assume that $30 is spent a couple times a week, and maybe twice that if the spouse plays golf too and it's not so expensive, but what if a couple's alternative is hiking?

A.) A 4-5 hour walk without golfing is usually $0

B.) Not buying golf clubs - $0

C.) No golf balls - $0

D.) $0 for 5 hours is $0 per hour.

Not purchasing any food or beverages (not allowed to bring from off the course) during the 5 hours or after the round - $0.

E.) A $30 movie? A play or concert maybe, but not a movie.

[newtogolf]

You can make a case for or against any activity based on costs.  My cousin is into hiking, he has $200 boots, $190 hydration pack, and all the other gear that drawfs what I spend on golf equipment annually.  People don't mind spending money on their hobbies, whether it's golf, tennis, hiking, running, cars, model building, photography, etc.

[Topper]

From USA Today, Jan 16 2012

Quote:

•Fewer people play golf, and Baby Boomers don't have the time, money or interest in the game their parents did. The number of golfers in the U.S. has fallen by 13% in the past five years, according to National Golf Foundation statistics. The number of golf rounds played nationwide last year through November was down 3.5% from the previous year, according to the foundation.

•Nationally, golf memberships have dropped by a million since the early 1990s, and of the 3,400 courses built across the country in the past decade, 93% are daily fee courses, according to industry associations.

From cgmaterials.com, " Golf Participation in America 2010-2020 "

Quote:

From the mid 1980s to the turn of the century, the number of golfers grew by about 50% – from 20 million to 30 million golfers. That is very substantial growth – a compound annual growth rate of around 3%. But since the year 2000, the number of golfers plateaued and has been slowly declining, raising concerns about the future.

The above study forecasted that the golfing population would increase at about 1% per year which mirrors the projected U.S. population growth.  Not stellar but the game is certainly not going to stay in a decline.  However, a small decline in courses is anticipated which will increase the average # of rounds per 18 holes during the same time period.  In short, I think this study shows that the U.S. is a mature market.  Real growth will probably be outside the U.S. which this study did not look at.

In my opinion, the study also suggests that Tiger Woods has had negligible impact on golf participation (as opposed to viewers of tournament broadcasts).  And by similar analogy, newer golf icons (like Rickie and Bubba) may impact golf viewers but not necessarily golf participation.  After all, how many of us like to watch other professional sports without necessarily having a desire to play them.  I don't see myself putting [American] football pads and taking the field any time soon.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

We could play a $30 course with $12 of used balls and a $150 set of clubs once to prove a point that golf is expensive (almost $200 for one round), or we could assume that $30 is spent a couple times a week, and maybe twice that if the spouse plays golf too and it's not so expensive, but what if a couple's alternative is hiking?

A.) A 4-5 hour walk without golfing is usually $0

B.) Not buying golf clubs - $0

C.) No golf balls - $0

D.) $0 for 5 hours is $0 per hour.

Not purchasing any food or beverages (not allowed to bring from off the course) during the 5 hours or after the round - $0.

E.) A $30 movie? A play or concert maybe, but not a movie.

+1  This was my first thought too.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

You can make a case for or against any activity based on costs.  My cousin is into hiking, he has $200 boots, $190 hydration pack, and all the other gear that drawfs what I spend on golf equipment annually.  People don't mind spending money on their hobbies, whether it's golf, tennis, hiking, running, cars, model building, photography, etc.

Gee.  I spent days and days hiking in the Colorado mountains with $100 or less shoes and a $5 nalgene water bottle.  Even add my First Need water filter to it and my "hydration system" was under $50.  I still have my Kelty internal frame day and a half backpack which I used for one and two day hikes.  I bought it for about $25 some 30 years ago and it still works fine.  I no longer have my expedition backpack (no longer any need for it), but even that was less than $80 when I bought it.  My sleeping bag and tent were by far the most expensive items I had for backpacking - I could have spent a lot more on that hobby, but I never saw the need.......

On the other hand,  I take golf just as seriously, and the expenditures even back in the same time frame were immensely greater.  My first full set of clubs bought in 1975 cost $247, a fortune for someone making less than $7 per hour.

[Used2PlayALot]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

My cousin is into hiking, he has $200 boots, $190 hydration pack, and all the other gear that drawfs what I spend on golf equipment annually.

LOL?  How about a $10 backpack and a few water bottles.   DUH

Sucker born every minute !

[Spyder]

Originally Posted by Used2PlayALot

LOL?  How about a $10 backpack and a few water bottles.   DUH

Sucker born every minute !

Hell, why not a Bush's Baked Beans can and a match-book. You can just boil your own river water at that rate for less than $2.00!

Just kidding, of course.

To me, golf is not that expensive as I typically play at a course that my friend manages for $10.00 per 18 w/cart. I do that once or twice a week and occasionally throw in a nice $50-60 round at a nicer course once a month maybe. My golf equipment is good for the next 3 years or so by my standards, so I'm looking at no more than $150 a month in golf at maximum.

I used to play those $40-50 rounds twice a week and that became way too expensive. I now appreciate the nicer course where you pay $50+ for a round as I do it less often and spend more time enjoying the atmosphere and my surroundings.

[newtogolf]

Exactly what I told him and then got a lesson on how his hydration pack had multiple chambers to keep the weight equally distributed and the water cold.  Point is people spend money on their hobbies regardless of what they are.

Originally Posted by Used2PlayALot

LOL?  How about a $10 backpack and a few water bottles.   DUH

Sucker born every minute !

[lumpuckeroo]

Not like I have any numbers to back this up, but I would say over the last 3-4 years there are less rounds being played.  That's not so say golf has gotten less popular, it might be as popular as ever, just not as many rounds being played due to the lack of disposable income. However, if the price is right I think golf courses are busy.

I just joined a "country club" in my area, $50 initial fee, $50 a month for unlimited golf, carts are extra.  It's a course I can walk and do most of the time, just not when I play in the evenings and the temperature is 106, like it has been all during the month of July.  When I called for a tee time last Sunday, the course was full, they had tee times from 8am to 11am booked solid and only a few times available between 6am and 8am.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

Exactly what I told him and then got a lesson on how his hydration pack had multiple chambers to keep the weight equally distributed and the water cold.  Point is people spend money on their hobbies regardless of what they are.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Used2PlayALot

LOL?  How about a $10 backpack and a few water bottles.   DUH

Sucker born every minute !

Has he ever tried filling a plastic water bottle half way and laying it on its side in the freezer? The water stays cold and the shape of the ice doesn't block the opening as it melts. He could fill two in order to stay balanced.

[inthehole]

4 established golf courses have closed within 30 miles of me within the last 2 years.     That can't be normal.     I think most non-golfers still consider golf to be an elitist sport, and have no interest in trying it.     THAT was me ... I never had any interest in trying it until I was 45 years old for that very reason.    Figured it was just not my crowd.    Well, f the crowd - golf is an individual sport and I wish more people would look at it that way.

Of course Golfnow.com has opened the door for dirt cheap bottomfeeder golf which I take full advantage of ... and EVERY SINGLE one of these 4 courses that closed would NEVER advertise discounted tee times on golfnow.com & never got a penny of my money on principle alone.     It always seemed to me they were trying to keep people off the course who didn't want to pay their top dollar tee times.   It seems blindingly obvious that it would be a better business decision to fill the course offering $18 tee times, than have it practically empty by mandating $40 minimum tee times.    Personally, I think they were trying to maintain an elitist status by charging those tee time rates and not advertising discount rates ... and weeds are now growing up through what were once greens - coinscidence, or something more ?!?!??!?