Dead or alive?
Is golf in trouble?
My dad and I have been talking about it because one of the courses he plays once in awhile — the Conklin outside of Binghamton, NY — used to have long lines to tee off, but now is often considerably more quiet.
It opened in 1991.
Its weekend rate is $54 plus $10 if you want a cart.
So I spent a bit of time on Google and came across this post in a Golf Digest blog. The main point of the post is that slow play is a deterrent to would-be golfers — people have too many claims on their time to give up 5 hours of discretionary time for golf.
Could be. On the other hand, the alternative sport/pasttimes people cite, like kayaking or whatever, can be pretty time-consuming too.
A couple other takeaways — the data available on number of golfers doesn’t necessarily pass the sniff test. Click the link to see what I mean, but as an example, there have been changes in methodology in the National Golf Foundation studies the post cites, including what age groups they’re including in their samples. That creates an apples-to-oranges situation that makes it hard to know if anything they’re finding today can be used to suggest a “trend.”
But if you accept that the distortions, if there are distortions, are at least internally consistent, then this is kind of interesting: the NGF says the number of “core golfers” — people who play more than 8 rounds a year — is up from 12.5 million a year ago to 15 million now. The drop, then, is in golfers who don’t play very much.
Good information or bad?
Who knows.
But if it’s even an approximation of the truth, then courses need to make it easier for beginning golfers to fall in love with the game — to the point where a commitment to improve (which takes practice, and therefore requires more than eight rounds a year) becomes the golfer’s idea of fun.
Which is why this is even more silly: more courses now require golfers to rent carts, claiming it’s to speed up the pace of play (via Golfgal, who linked to a news article about this trend a few days ago).
As Golfgal says in the post comments — carts don’t necessarily speed play. But being ready to hit the ball when it’s your turn sure does. Also not spending a lot of time hunting for lost balls. Etc.
So rather than make golf more expensive and simultaneously removing a possible incentive to play (i.e. the exercise of walking) maybe courses should help educate golfers on etiquette — something beyond the scolding little lists printed on their scorecards.
Educate the core players on how to play more quickly and you’ll not only make it easier for other core players to play, you’ll make it more likely that occasional players come back — because they’ll see a round doesn’t have to eat up five hours every time.
September 17th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Ms Licious,
You have made some very interesting observations. To answer your question, no, golf is not dieing, but it needs a blood transfusion. You are correct slow play being a major problem. I have written an entire series of articles on the subject. Slow pace of play is pulling down the interest in golf my most people. And as far as the NGF, yes, their figures contradict real world observations, but for now it is the best figures out there.
Is there a solution? Yes, however any movement to solving pace of play is going to have to involve a skills validation test so golf courses can manage the tees a player should play from. It seems harsh, but it is a logical process of making sure everyone plays the course to their skill level and not to the skill level of their friends. I am sure the validation of golf skills would seem ridiculous by some, but if there is to be any incentive for a golfer to improve there game then there needs to be a vehicle that drives the need to improve. Testing would require golfers to take lessons of go to golf school to test out to play the next tees back.
If testing returns a round of golf back to a less than 4 hour then I am for carrying a validation card…even if it approves I am to play the forward tees only…at least I can prove to someone that I have tested out to finally get off the driving range.
Let me know how I can help.
September 17th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Hmmmm . . . I don’t know if I could come on board with that solution. It’s like telling people they have to have a license to play golf. I really think it could be done with education — teach people how to play ready golf, basically.
September 29th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Kirsten,
A few thoughts. First, did you catch the few pictures I posted of some holes on a Georgia State Park golf course? Link: http://cherishauthor.blogspot.com/2007/09/one-misty-moisty-morning.html#comments
Next: Slow play. With respect for Mr. Business Golf’s opinion (above), I beg to disagree! Both on my home course and during our travels, slow play is rarely caused by low skill level. In my experiences slow play is almost always caused by habits and attitudes.
What habits? Not playing ready golf. Waiting until after the other player(s) have hit to BEGIN club selection, practice swings, checking wind, etc., ad nauseum. Standing in place AFTER a shot until the ball has stopped rolling, you’ve told your golf buddies why it was a good or bad shot, you’ve put on the head cover, carefully replaced the club, taken another long look at where the ball is, and THEN walking (to the cart or towards the hole). Hit the damn ball and start walking — you can watch its flight and roll on the move! Jump in the cart with your club still in your hand — you can clean it and replace it while your partner is taking his/her next shot. Walk at a reasonable pace — don’t jog, but don’t saunter either. You’re supposed to be getting a LITTLE exercise, remember?
Sorry. I’m getting carried away. It’s just that Carol and I play with people of all skill levels, including beginners; and taking ten or twelve shots to reach the green doesn’t take that long if you just go to your ball, select a club, and hit it again. But some very good players take so long to execute each shot that it spoils the pace for everyone else on the course. And of course they will rarely let anyone play through (ESPECIALLY if there’s a WOMAN in the group that’s waiting behind them!) because they claim it slows down play! AARRGGHH!!
Carol plays to a handicap of 14 or 15. Mine is 18-20, whether from the tips or the forward men’s tees. If we’re by ourselves, walking, with no one ahead slowing us down, a normal round is under three (3!) hours. And that’s not hurrying, just playing ready golf! Riding in a cart doesn’t really speed things up much unless the course has long walks between greens and the next tees.
So, I would advocate discounts at courses for people who undergo training for pace of play habits. Many people we get paired up with ask how we get around so fast, and we tell them to just watch us for a few holes. I’ll tell them what I’m doing to keep the pace up, and they’ll marvel that it is so simple yet effective.
John
February 21st, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Golf is slowing down from the time it takes to get around to the actual number of rounds being played. Our golf green business is benefiting because we offer the opportunity to hit right in the backyard and not have to sneak away for 6 hours.
The way developers are constructing golf courses is so absurd. I live in Atlanta. One course opened here a couple of years ago that was routed by developers then the golf architects had to do with what was left. The holes they built are incredible, but from green to the next tee totals about 2 miles. Who is going to want to walk an extra 2 miles? Not for $50,000.
The need to put as many lots on the course as possible is great for real estate sales, but horrible for golf long term.
One of my biggest pet peeves is on a beautiful hole where a house has a fence that is littered with no trespassing and keep out signs. Why did they move to the golf course?
These types of situations kill golf courses. Around the country there are many courses closing and the land is being developed into new streets and lots.
Golf should be built in the valley where the houses are above with views of the course. I spoke to one golf neighborhood homeowner that never met the backyard neighbor in 30 years. Why? A fairway was between them.
I receive the European superintendents’ association publication and they recently had an article about the new regulations for building golf courses in some parts of Europe. The course is built on the flat terrain and the neighborhoods are in clusters around the course. Some are single family homes, some town homes while others are high-rises giving many price points and options while creating communities.
The golf course runs amongst itself and is very walkable and easy to maintain.
If developers in America don’t take this approach, many courses that cannot be walked or see the neighborhoods experience property value losses will go under.