Jump to content
IGNORED

Golf is a dying. How to make it more popular!


mikeylikesgolf
Note: This thread is 3586 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

I forsee the trend of  public courses closing continuing - we've lost 4 in my area in the past few years.    Wouldn't surprise me if golf returned to being an exclusive, country club set activity like it once was.     There will always be a select few who have the means and time to play exclusive country club golf - however, I think the public courses that remain will be in demand, and be able to charge a far higher rate to stay solvent.    Golf is just going to get more expensive, any way you slice it, so enjoy Golfnow prices while you can.     Thats my doom & gloom take on it ....

John

Fav LT Quote ... "you can talk to a fade, but a hook won't listen"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

The money seems to be a common problem. I was into competitive handgun shooting sports until the price of ammo skyrocketed! Golf seems reasonably priced compared to the shooting sports, even when you lose a golf ball or two!

Same here - I didn't renew my membership at my rod & gun club because of the scarcity and rediculous cost of ammo of late - takes the fun out of shooting.     I used to shoot 3 gun bullseye competitively years ago - what course of fire were you into ?

John

Fav LT Quote ... "you can talk to a fade, but a hook won't listen"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

  • Administrator
That's not what I mean.  I'm talking about the people who say they don't have time to do some thing that they apparently would like to do (implying their day has fewer hours in it than everyone else or something?).  It's mostly just a pet peeve of mine, I would prefer it if people would simply say they choose to spend their time on other things instead of saying they don't have time to do X thing (like golf)-- because that is the reality of what is going on.  If someone is a little bit interested in golf but not interested enough to spend 4 hours on a course, that's totally fine and I'm cool with that.. but just say so, don't throw some nonsense out there like you don't have time.  It's just a bogus, meaningless excuse that has come to annoy me over the years for some reason.

I haven't had the time to play much golf this spring.

If golf took three hours, I'd have played more. The fact that it takes 4 to 5 means I haven't played much. Heck, my kid's played more golf than I have, at this point.

It's not always an "excuse" or people acting like their days have fewer hours in them. I spend 60+ hours a week on golf stuff… Replacing five of those by playing just isn't feasible many weeks.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

I haven't had the time to play much golf this spring.

If golf took three hours, I'd have played more. The fact that it takes 4 to 5 means I haven't played much. Heck, my kid's played more golf than I have, at this point.

It's not always an "excuse" or people acting like their days have fewer hours in them. I spend 60+ hours a week on golf stuff… Replacing five of those by playing just isn't feasible many weeks.

Yeah, but next time you are down by Ada you should really take the time to hit one of the courses here, and you know, give me a heads up where you are going to play :-P

On topic, time is a factor of course, having a family means I can't just go out after work every night like I would love and probably need in order to get better. Cost also factors into that though because that would be over $125 a week golfing which I couldn't justify. I had hoped to be able to buy the 5 course membership this year but that didn't come to fruition. The fact that that multi-course membership is an option says a lot about how much the courses are struggling here because that membership is significantly cheaper than even a single course membership used to be.

KICK THE FLIP!!

In the bag:
:srixon: Z355

:callaway: XR16 3 Wood
:tmade: Aeroburner 19* 3 hybrid
:ping: I e1 irons 4-PW
:vokey: SM5 50, 60
:wilsonstaff: Harmonized Sole Grind 56 and Windy City Putter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

I haven't had the time to play much golf this spring. If golf took three hours, I'd have played more. The fact that it takes 4 to 5 means I haven't played much. Heck, my kid's played more golf than I have, at this point. It's not always an "excuse" or people acting like their days have fewer hours in them. I spend 60+ hours a week on golf stuff… Replacing five of those by playing just isn't feasible many weeks.

4 to 5 hours? Yesterday I played 18 holes in 2 hours and 5 minutes at 5PM when nobody was on the course. :-P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

I shot IDPA, 3 gun and cowboy action. It was a lot of fun, but I got tired of waiting at competitions for my turn. Typical match- 60-80 rounds of ammo in 5 hours. Sort of like golf. It took most of a day. My days practicing were 500-800 rounds per day!!! Ten years ago reloading at 9cents per round it was expensive, but affordable. Now at 30 cents per round it is not possible for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


4 to 5 hours? Yesterday I played 18 holes in 2 hours and 5 minutes at 5PM when nobody was on the course.

It took you that long to do 18 on an empty course? What's wrong with you!

Ha

KICK THE FLIP!!

In the bag:
:srixon: Z355

:callaway: XR16 3 Wood
:tmade: Aeroburner 19* 3 hybrid
:ping: I e1 irons 4-PW
:vokey: SM5 50, 60
:wilsonstaff: Harmonized Sole Grind 56 and Windy City Putter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

  • Administrator
4 to 5 hours? Yesterday I played 18 holes in 2 hours and 5 minutes at 5PM when nobody was on the course.

Yeah, I don't have the chance to play when "nobody's on the course" unless I want to try to play in a downpour.

I've played plenty of rounds in 1:30 when I can zip around the course. I used to drop my daughter off at school at a few minutes to 9, play 18 holes, and be back at home and logging in to The Sand Trap and look at the clock on my computer and it would say 11:02.

But that was early spring or late fall, when conditions were pretty bad. And those were in years when I might only "work" 50 hours a week.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

It takes me around and hour and a half to do just nine holes...and I thought that was fast.

We must harness the crystiles.

:tmade: Nubbins B7 Putter

:tmade: r7 460 Graphite Driver

Link to comment
Share on other sites


It comes down to the demographics of the country. People under 40 are either underemployed and therefore don't have the money to play or are fully employed and don't have the time to play more than maybe one round a week. And this doesn't come down to pace of play. Of my 10 or so friends who golf, I'm the ONLY one who has any possibility of playing golf during the week; their jobs just don't allow them to get away before 6. Like the rest of the economy, baby boomers are keeping the golf world alive but as they continue to age and go more into a preservation of wealth mode as they retire (i.e. spend less money on golf), I really worry about the future of the game because my generation just doesn't have the time and/or money to pick up the slack any time soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


It's not dying.  It's just regressing to it's own mean.

This. ^^

The game is simply backing off until it finds a new balancing point.  And even then, it's much more noticeable in some regions than in others.  I haven't noticed much decline in Colorado.  What little I did notice before moving out of state for a couple of years was that there were slightly fewer people playing on weekdays.  Weekends are just as nuts as they've ever been.

It's a logical situation.  The economy has been depressed - many people have been forced to make different decisions as to how they spend their discretionary dollars.  For some that means reducing the number of rounds they play, or changing to a different, less costly and time consuming pastime.  If the game tries to change just to accommodate those people, it's never going to win the war.  Golf has not been supported for 400 years by those players who hang on around the edges, playing once a month or less.  They are too easily distracted or lured off to fad activities, or they simple took up golf as part of a search for a pastime which suits them.  If they find an activity that is more in line with their lifestyle, they drop golf.

Not everyone develops the passion for the game that we have.   Real golfers thrive on frustration and adversity.  You simply can't force that kind of devotion on anyone.  Creating artificial modifications to prop up the game isn't going to make a significant difference.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

I the most successful clubs around my area are the ones that offer reduced memberships to anyone in education including university (a whole year is <£150) and also to any adults under 30 (roughly half a full adult membership). This encouges young people into the game for whom money is more a factor than time IMO. And the half price for under 30s helps people who are likely to be on low income but also have children. This cycle means more kids in the clubs who stay members as adult prices are low and then by the time they have stable jobs they graduate into a full membership

Henry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Though I agree that golf is on the decline, more so in some areas than others I'm sure, I think what you're seeing is more a return to balance after the game experienced a growth bubble that I believe closely mirrored the housing bubble we are all familiar with here in the U.S.  During that housing bubble (which was largely brought on by misguided efforts of our government to tinker with the free market and make housing 'affordable' by BOTH of the major parties) there were a lot of new subdivisions carved out of cow pastures that had few if any natural attractions of their own.  To enhance the value of these properties the developers put in golf courses and as people move into those developments non-golfers found themselves with an opportunity to play and took up the game.  Sadly, the housing bubble burst and many of those folks found their 'affordable' loans coming due on homes that had declined in value because the speculators were out of the market and there were plenty of similar homes for sale at fire sale prices.  At the same time the economy tanked for other areas and bingo, the new golfers suddenly didn't have the money to continue playing and courses that were still run by suddenly struggling developers as well as some that had been turned over to now cash strapped home owners associations started to close their doors.

Unfortunately, I think that the decline will continue until such time as the economy is allowed to begin to flourish again, and even then I wouldn't ever count on seeing growth like we had ten years ago.

Driver: Titleist 913 D2 10.5*, Aldila RIP Phenom 50

Fairway 1: Titleist 913F, 17*, Titleist Bassara W55

Fairway 2: Titleist 913F, 21*, Titleist Bassara W55

Irons: Titleist AP1 714 5-PW, Aerotech Steelfiber i95

Wedges: SCOR 4161 48/52/56/60, Genius 9

Grips: GolfPride New Decade Red Mid-size on all of the above.

Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 - Super Stroke Slim 3.0

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Quote:

Originally Posted by inthehole

rediculous

Absolutely rediculous. REDICULOUS.

care to 'splain  ?      With fewer golfers, public courses will close (I've seen too much of this already).     Those public courses that remain, will be higher end clubs that charge more.    There will always be high end private courses - like there always have been since the inception of the game.    Tell me what is so rediculous about that if you can muster more than a 3 word response ?

John

Fav LT Quote ... "you can talk to a fade, but a hook won't listen"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

I agree that cost is the major factor in fewer people playing golf.  I also am surprised to hear some say that public courses are feeling the biggest impact, which is not the case in Northern NJ.  Some of the more expensive private clubs are struggling to attract members because of cost - it is hard to justify $10,000 - $20,000/year for golf when things are tight.  However, I do not suspect that these former private club members are giving up golf, but are playing many of the top and mid-tier golf courses available in the NY Metro area.  For $5000, you can play some great resort golf courses for $100/round and some fine mid-tier public courses for $50/round - 30 high level rounds at $100 and 40 rounds at mid-tier courses.  That's 70 rounds, and I have never played more than 35 in a season.  You can also forget the high level rounds and play 40 good rounds for $2000, etc.  There are also some decent executive courses you can play for $20 for 18 holes walking.

So I believe that some good private clubs will have to adjust and turn semi-private and allow "club guests" at certain times to generate some additional revenue - exclusive clubs will probably not have this problem since the exclusion factor is mostly based on wealth.  Not the end of the world, since most of us acknowledge that there was some overbuilding of courses in the last 20 years.   I also see more young people playing golf than ever in my area - many of them playing the same Golf Now deals that I do.

Club manufacturers have a different problem and are in more trouble.  For example drivers, many of them 460cc, are good for years and people do not believe the hype that you will drive the ball 15 yards longer every 2 years when their new models come out.  The next selling approach was to offer adjustable drivers, which may be innovative, but for myself and many other golfers the fewer moving parts on a club the better.  I played a PING G5 driver for years until the face recently developed a crack.   I was able to purchase a brand new G15 driver for $125, which was the club I wanted, not an adjustable for $300 - $400.  And the G15 is every bit as good as the G5 - basically the same club.

There is some correction in the industry and trying to add "Hack Golf" or some other variaition is not going to save many of the facilities.  "Green" or youth/novice tees would help but there is no panacea.  However, since there are still many millions of us, and if we keep the integrity of the game alone, the game will be fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

care to 'splain  ?      With fewer golfers, public courses will close (I've seen too much of this already).     Those public courses that remain, will be higher end clubs that charge more.    There will always be high end private courses - like there always have been since the inception of the game.    Tell me what is so rediculous about that if you can muster more than a 3 word response ?

I thought @jakepalm was just having some fun with the misspelled "ridiculous".

That's not what I mean.  I'm talking about the people who say they don't have time to do some thing that they apparently would like to do (implying their day has fewer hours in it than everyone else or something?).  It's mostly just a pet peeve of mine, I would prefer it if people would simply say they choose to spend their time on other things instead of saying they don't have time to do X thing (like golf)-- because that is the reality of what is going on.  If someone is a little bit interested in golf but not interested enough to spend 4 hours on a course, that's totally fine and I'm cool with that.. but just say so, don't throw some nonsense out there like you don't have time.  It's just a bogus, meaningless excuse that has come to annoy me over the years for some reason.

Anyway, carry on!


Hmmm. I know plenty of people that have no time for golf because they are working 12 or more hours a day. When I was in my 20s and 30s I almost always worked double shifts and always worked 7 days a week. Not a chance in the world I could have played golf back then.

Even my wife has no chance to play golf from May to September because she goes to work at 5:00 in the morning and gets home at 7:30 at night (7 days a week) during those months.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Note: This thread is 3586 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • TST Partners

    TourStriker PlaneMate
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-15%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope.
  • Popular Now

  • Posts

    • First one. Drinks on me! Wordle 1,013 1/6 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
    • This is pretty much how I look at it.  I understand there are times when the piece of mind has value. I think over the long haul I'm money ahead by never buying the extended warrantee. Hell, What do I know? I went to Ch!cago PubIic SchooIs. 
    • Wordle 1,013 4/6 🟩⬜🟨⬜🟨 🟩⬜🟩🟩⬜ 🟩⬜🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
    • Wordle 1,013 3/6* 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩⬜🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
    • On my car I got the extended power train warranty. I do read the fine print most of the time. Though at now 37, my eyes aren’t what they were 10 years ago.    The problem with most of these extended warranties on electronics and appliances is you don’t register the warranty with the place you buy the warranty from, which I’ve always found strange. Unless it’s GameStop then you know Alina drops her Switch in the next two years and the screen cracks they’ll replace it. No questions asked.    You buy a slow cooker at Walmart for $50 and the extended warranty is say $6, you have to go through a third party to register your product for the warranty, and it’s pretty damn annoying. Target is the same way. Anything you buy the extended protection on you have to go through a third party.    Why do retailers go through a “broker” for warranties? Because they don’t wanna deal with it? They make me talk to someone from another country, that I can barely understand, when I need my warranty fulfilled.   Sorry for the rant.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...