Why is golf still viewed as a sport for the "minority"

[Kalnoky]

19 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

most people don't see sufficient ROI on to dedicate to the sport.  

This is true. People are weighing many options for their entertainment dollar.

 

[natureboy]

5 hours ago, Vinny Cap said:

Golf use to be only for royalty and the high and powerful so that's where the old stereotypes and misguided views come from.

That's a misconception. Bowmen were not elite 'knights', though definitely skilled. Gowf was apparently taking up too much of their time when a king made a decree about it.

It was solidly middle class as a pastime and the high and mighty took it up out of curiosity and then got hooked and their participation institutionalized. Golf exploded in the U.S. when a former caddy beat the top English pros and further bolstered by new ball and shaft tech that lowered costs for the average Joe vs. expensive hand-made clubs that had be be repaired frequently.

Edited November 29, 2016 by natureboy

[Patch]

This thread got me to thinking. Conservatively thinking, I think I have spent well over $160K during my playing days. Possibly more. Maybe $65-$70 a week??? That does not include golf plane/road trips. I have been playing this game a long time. 

 

[dennyjones]

8 minutes ago, Patch said:

I think I have spent well over $160K during my playing days.

WOW! 

Edited November 29, 2016 by dennyjones

[gregsandiego]

13 hours ago, RussUK said:

 

Can golf shake off the old stereotypes and misguided views or do we just need to accept it the way it is?

I don't see this as a problem at all - mostly a benefit, unless courses start closing. 

As it is we already have people complaining ad nauseam about pace of play etc. I like that it is a buyer's market. That means i can usually play for $40 or less on a full size course every weekend.

 

[boogielicious]

20 hours ago, newtogolf said:

Stereotypes are hard to shake, golf has the stigma of a sport played mostly by old, wealthy, white men, which in todays PC society is not a favorable demographic to be associated with.   

Overall the problem is that the majority of us are aware of the stereotype, I didn't start playing golf until I was 47 because I didn't realize how challenging and fun it was, it just looks easy on television.  

As kids get exposed to the game and realize that the top pro golfers today are as much athletes as many other sports  their opinion of the game will change.  

Same here. I played maybe once every 2-3 years at most. Once I got into a league at age 48, I got addicted.

20 hours ago, jamo said:

Because it's expensive and takes a lot of time.

Time is the big factor. A pick up game of soccer, basketball, etc.is much shorter in duration.

21 hours ago, cromulent said:

When you're parked between a Range Rover and a Jaguar and you're pulling your second-hand clubs out of the boot of your 2007 Ford Focus you can't help but feel a little out of your league. But that's my problem.

 

That is my 22 year old son's car! And yes, his clubs are in the 'boot'.

He started playing when he was in high school because his friends were on the golf team. We have a local muni that is 9 holes, so they can play a round in 2 hours. The course also had a junior rate of $350 per year for unlimited golf after 2PM. We got this for him as his Christmas present for a few years. They would often go late in the day and play 5 or 6 holes. I think this approach works great.

The other benefit of golf is you don't have to be what people see as a traditional athlete to be good. You don't have to be tall or big and strong or very fast to excel. Great golfers are a different kind of elite athlete. Some were great at the other sports too, but let's not pretend that all of them were. John Daly would never be viewed as a traditional athlete, but he has won two majors.

And golf is a life sport. It is a sport you can play young or old and still get enjoyment out of it. You can win at any time with any ability because of the handicapping system. Men can compete with women.

I only wish I had gotten serious about it earlier. 

[cromulent]

27 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

That is my 22 year old son's car!

Well now I feel much worse (I'm 42). Thanks mate

 

[mcanadiens]

55 minutes ago, cromulent said:

Well now I feel much worse (I'm 42). Thanks mate

 

If it helps at all, I'm damn near 40. I've got a 2011 Ford Focus, so half way there.

[RussUK]

1 hour ago, boogielicious said:

Men can compete with women.

 

Unlike hockey......when we played hockey at high school the girls were vicous!. "Foul? what foul?... now get up and stop whining"

[mcanadiens]

2 minutes ago, RussUK said:

Unlike hockey......when we played hockey at high school the girls were vicous!. "Foul? what foul?... now get up and stop whining"

Oh. Duh. Field hockey. I see the word and it only means one thing here.

When I played rec-level ice hockey I loved playing against girl goalies. This one that always showed up was a sucker for the back-hand. Closest to competent I ever felt on the ice.

[uitar9]

I didn't start till I was 58. Had a used set of clubs for years and only "played" when forced to through work. I didn't like golf because I couldn't hit the ball. My parents didn't golf. None of my friends played. Only ended up starting because a business associate wanted my business, likes to golf, and forced me to go to the range. He showed me how to hit.

I got the bug.

I was chatting with some 20 somethings at work. Like to golf but find it to expensive. I pay $50 a round at most munis, once a week, the rest is free practice. They spend $100 a night at the bar.

Priorities

[sirsteveo55]

23 hours ago, cromulent said:

When you're parked between a Range Rover and a Jaguar and you're pulling your second-hand clubs out of the boot of your 2007 Ford Focus you can't help but feel a little out of your league. But that's my problem.

I couldn't agree with this more but I am in an old 2000 Dodge Dakota. I really don't care what people think about me. It's just weird the looks you get from people when you get out of your car at nicer golf clubs.

[Vinny Cap]

13 hours ago, natureboy said:

That's a misconception. Bowmen were not elite 'knights', though definitely skilled. Gowf was apparently taking up too much of their time when a king made a decree about it.

Not my wording... quoted the OP.

1 hour ago, uitar9 said:

I was chatting with some 20 somethings at work. Like to golf but find it to expensive. I pay $50 a round at most munis, once a week, the rest is free practice. They spend $100 a night at the bar.

Priorities

Good point here.  It is more like over 100 at the bar.  Go to the movies and how much do you spend?  If you take $60 for a round @ 4 hours long, it averages out to $15 an hour for fun.  Not bad for the bang per buck scale.  Unless you play at a really high price course, you can golf once a week and still pay the bills.

[cromulent]

28 minutes ago, sirsteveo55 said:

I couldn't agree with this more but I am in an old 2000 Dodge Dakota. I really don't care what people think about me. It's just weird the looks you get from people when you get out of your car at nicer golf clubs.

The irony is that while I don't care about the 'status' part of golf (and let's face it, membership of some clubs is not dissimilar to driving an Aston Martin- it's a display of wealth) I do want to play on those courses. Once you've sampled golf at that high end of the quality spectrum, you do slightly resent the bumpier, slower greens of the local public course or non-prestige club.

I live practically over the wall from Carton House, and drive past the K-Club here in Kildare every day on my way to work, and i've not played in either of them for two reasons a) they are pricey and b) I don't feel like I'm a good enough golfer- yet.

For me the 'minority issue' is probably both of those things, the potential snobbery around exclusive clubs - and the fact that high handicappers like me might feel that we're too poor a player to play and enjoy a championship standard course.

Disclaimer: I am currently looking at upgrading my crappy focus to a 2012 Volvo V50: loads of room for golf stuff in the back!!

[RussUK]

2 hours ago, mcanadiens said:

Oh. Duh. Field hockey. I see the word and it only means one thing here.

When I played rec-level ice hockey I loved playing against girl goalies. This one that always showed up was a sucker for the back-hand. Closest to competent I ever felt on the ice.

 didnt even occur to me! Could be worse, and this is a little  , but we once went to watch our home soccer team play Milton Keynes Dons at their old ground, the National Hockey Stadium, and my wife asked where they put the ice when the football team is at home!

[Kalnoky]

1 hour ago, cromulent said:

Once you've sampled golf at that high end of the quality spectrum, you do slightly resent the bumpier, slower greens of the local public course or non-prestige club.

The first couple times I played a really nice course it felt like I had somehow scammed or cheated the system and was now sitting in first class.  I could not believe the giant luxuriant greens. When I was putting out on the 9th green a trio of old guys in windbreakers was sitting on the veranda watching me. Blatant staring - no attempt to conceal it. I smiled and waved/acknowledged them when I finished, but they remained expressionless. They just stared straight at me, as if I had pooped my pants in public. To my way of thinking, this was their way of bullying me, i.e., letting me know I was a stranger at their club. For the record, I wasn't golfing in blue jeans, wearing sandals, or doing anything out of the ordinary. They were just being a*holes, because they could.

 

[RussUK]

8 minutes ago, Kalnoky said:

The first couple times I played a really nice course it felt like I had somehow scammed or cheated the system and was now sitting in first class.  I could not believe the giant luxuriant greens. When I was putting out on the 9th green a trio of old guys in windbreakers was sitting on the veranda watching me. Blatant staring - no attempt to conceal it. I smiled and waved/acknowledged them when I finished, but they remained expressionless. They just stared straight at me, as if I had pooped my pants in public. To my way of thinking, this was their way of bullying me, i.e., letting me know I was a stranger at their club. For the record, I wasn't golfing in blue jeans, wearing sandals, or doing anything out of the ordinary. They were just being a*holes, because they could.

 

There is a club up the road from my parents like this. They still have a rule that members must wear the club tie and blazer when in the clubhouse. My Uncle was one a member there a good few years ago and he left because he felt he was looked down on.

most of the members were ex public school boys and would only call people by the surnames!

[sirsteveo55]

1 hour ago, cromulent said:

The irony is that while I don't care about the 'status' part of golf (and let's face it, membership of some clubs is not dissimilar to driving an Aston Martin- it's a display of wealth) I do want to play on those courses. Once you've sampled golf at that high end of the quality spectrum, you do slightly resent the bumpier, slower greens of the local public course or non-prestige club.

I live practically over the wall from Carton House, and drive past the K-Club here in Kildare every day on my way to work, and i've not played in either of them for two reasons a) they are pricey and b) I don't feel like I'm a good enough golfer- yet.

For me the 'minority issue' is probably both of those things, the potential snobbery around exclusive clubs - and the fact that high handicappers like me might feel that we're too poor a player to play and enjoy a championship standard course.

Disclaimer: I am currently looking at upgrading my crappy focus to a 2012 Volvo V50: loads of room for golf stuff in the back!!

I agree to disagree with this. I think that everyone likes to play at a better course. Who wouldn't want to play at a better course? The problem is the things that you have to do to play at a better course, are not worth playing at a better course. I do not believe that playing at a better course will help your score that much more (maybe a few strokes) compared to the everyday good courses. 

I do think you can play and enjoy a championship course, play the foreword tees I bet you will enjoy it more, than once you get better move back.