The State of Golf

Well I hope you had a wonderful golfing weekend! The weather has been out of this world for being out on the course. I got my usual Saturday round in with my regular group of buddies. I wish I could say the score was as exciting as the day. 

As we were moving our way around the course I noticed there were very few golfers on the course.   I suppose it had a lot to do with the Iowa – Iowa State game but it got me to think about something I read on the state of the golfing business.  I was reading that the National Golf Foundation said there were 24 million fewer rounds played in the United States in 2010 than just 5 years ago.  I wondered why? 

Obviously the recent economy has had a big impact, but are there other reasons? Some say we have way too many courses. If that’s so you’d think it would be easier than ever to get on a course.  Is it the rising cost of the green fees?  Most 18-hole courses are charging $45 and up for 18 holes and a cart.

Maybe it has become too time consuming with the pace of play taking four and a half hours or more?  This can be really compounded when the course holds special outings in the middle of regular tee times. 

Let’s face it – except for the golfing purist, golf for the general golfing public is perceived as a leisure-time activity, and golf courses are entertainment complexes. The vast majority of golfers really aren’t playing it as a competitive sport. We’re there to have a good time, enjoy those one or two unbelievable shots, socialize and be entertained for our money.  

Let me know your thoughts on how we can keep golfing fun and continue to support our courses?