Slightly OT - Golf's Second biggest issue

[Chris Moore]

It seems like I cannot read an article about a golf course, a golf tournament, or a golfer without some reference to the distance issue.  What is the 2d most important topic in golf these days?

[Tim Pitner]

Michelle Wie.  

[George Pazin]

Slow play.

Maybe cost.

[Jonathan McCord]

   I will go with George on this one.  Slow play and the TIME issue is probably the biggest obstacle golf course managers face.  People simply don't have the time, or don't want to make the time to play a 5 hour round of golf.  Its to bad.

   I can't see this happening, but 9-hole and executive courses that are designed to be interesting and not just occupy space could play a large role in the future.

[Garland Bayley]

Video games.

Kids (like my son) can get very good a the golf video games. Then when you take them too the course, it is total frustration for them.

[David Kelly]

An issue that seems to be coming up more and more is the issue of golf courses being closed and the land sold for other types of development.

[Mark_F]

The reluctance of bigger name players to travel around the world.

The length of the US PGA tour season.

The regularity with which avaricious manufacturers keep bringing out new equipment.

[Jim Sweeney]

Cost. No doubt about it. It's what is killing the goose. Equipment, green fees, dues, whatever, cost is what is causing people to leave the game or not get started at all. Ask yourself the question: why should I pay all this money so that every golf pro and college golfer can get free equipment, greens fees, travel, etc., and even a second rate tour pro can earn $1,000,000 per year?

Expectations drive up costs, expectations about course conditions particularly.

The tour is killing the game by promoting its members as celebrities. The regular golfer can't relate anymore- not like they could in years past. And by the way, these "celebrities" don't even try to relate to the fans. Who was the last guy onm the PGA tour thagt really made an effort to relate? Peter Jacobson, maybe?

Slow play is a close second, but I'll tell you that lots of people will enjoy a five hour round for thiry bucks, but not for $75 or more.

I know what the media says and its effect on people's opinions, but in my humble opinion, based on their effect on the health of the game, I'd rank distance far behind cost, inability of the regualr golfer to identify with or relate to golf "celebrities," and pace of play as the most important issue.

[Jordan Wall]

Video games.

Kids (like my son) can get very good a the golf video games. Then when you take them too the course, it is total frustration for them.

Aye aye Garland.

It is really annoying when my friend shoots 50 on a video game and thinks he can do it in real life.  Then he shoots 85 and get's ticced.  For kids it is big.

[E. Jean-Marc Monrad]

For me its the opposite...cant break 80 on a golf game.  Frustrates the hell out of me.

[Paul_Daley]

* Golf numbers being flat-lined (and reducing in some key markets) in spite of Tiger Woods' presence/appeal;

* Ongoing lack of attraction to the younger generation;

* Affordability to the masses is questionable;

* Cost of running golf clubs has escalated beyond belief;

* Costs of building golf courses; and

* Too few shorter, compact courses, which is odd, given the increased premium on land and permit difficulties. The need for more Par-3 and "Exec" type courses.

[Paul_Daley]

E. Jean-Marc Monrad:

It is a corny old line, but your issue can be easily solved: just quit at the 16th green. You'll be well under 80.  

[Dan Herrmann]

Two that I'm seeing:
1.  Cost
2.  Time to play - with today's "Soccer Mom and Dad" culture, families aren't spending time at a local club or muni.  Their kids are playing soccer, football, basketball - or doing dancing, music, etc..  

Our US culture has significantly changed in the last 20 years.  When I was a kid, we played in the neighborhood.  My mom didn't even have a drivers license.

Today, kids are shuttled from activity to activity, people are routinely working 60-80 hour work weeks, and folks are tired.

No time for a round at your local golf course.

----------------
As far as cost goes, as long as people over-extend themselves to buy the newest McMansion, they won't be able to afford the local golf club.  I work with a guy that has a McMansion, and he can't even afford to golf at the local daily fee more than a couple of times per month.  And he makes a really good buck!

[Pat Jones]

I think Dan's hit the nail on the head with #2.  The whole "soccer dad" thing and the cultural shift in parenting that's occurred over the past 20 years really hurts the business.

The funny thing is that despite the economy, slow play, cost, time, etc., the market hasn't declined substantially.  I Look at what happened to the tennis boom of the '70s and think, "There but for the grace of god go we."  

The bottom line is that golf is surprisingly economic resilient despite being classified as a luxury for those with disposable income and time.  Go figure.

[jeffwarne]

Expectations and egos are the second biggest problem in golf.

Developers naturally want attention for themselves and their project.
High slope and course ratings and good looking pictures are an easy way to get that attention. Golf writers are suckers for this as they simply provide what they think the public demands.
Unfortuneately what looks good in photos is beautiful long fescue, dramatic bunkering, lakes and water features, and striped fairways. Additionally, many architects can't resist multiple elevated views (tees) which adds to time and energy required to play.
  Maintaining playability with such features is difficult at best and contributes to the 5+ hour round. Add in the high length and slope #'s and you're out there a long time whether you're the culprit or not.
Former 8 handicappers don't respond well to shooting 106.

Sadly the costs of all this must be passed on to the customer who can only afford a few of these boondoggles and gradually loses his ADDICTION to the game due to the infrequency of play, the cost, and the fact that his own rustiness brought on by the infrequency,time spent, and scoring difficulty make the game an incredibly frustrating experience.(It's very hard to justify such an experience, particulary to one's spouse who doesn't want to hear how "bad" your day was on the course-)

[redanman]

Pace of play, pace of play, pace of play.  Getting enough time to play is key to many.

The professional game has a negative impact there, otherwise it is merely entertainment.

[Walt Cutshall]

Slow play, IMO. Time is the most valuable resource people have these days, and recreational time is highly prized by most families. Golf takes way too long to play these days.

[Tim_Cronin]

In semi-particular order:
1. Slow play, which leads to...
2. Finding enough time to play, especially on weekends, more especially when family duties come first.
3. The cost of playing, from green fees to equipment.
Frustration with the first and second often results in more frustration when someone doesn't believe they've gotten their money's worth on a particular day.
Finally...
4. Poor service and/or conditions. Shouldn't players, especially public players who don't have the benefit of club communications, whether official or via the grapevine, be apprised of course work (aeration, temporaty greens, etc.) before they pay their money?
Failure of the course to be forthright creates a dissatisfied player, and is poor business to boot.

[Jay Flemma]

I remember trying to teach Nancy the game.  The first question she asked me was "now what do you usually shoot?  3 or 4 under?"

[ed_getka]

Shivas,
    Nice job. What is your take on the immigration issue? Nobody is going to be around here today to talk architecture anyway.

[mikes1160]

Shivas,

To your point, dontcha think ClubCorp has known this for some time? 189 courses for sale, with a majority being "middle-to-upper" class courses you speak of........I know, I belong to one.

[Tim Gavrich]

Garland Bayley's post was very interesting to me, in that the second and third lines presented something different to what I was thinking.  It's a great point that people who play well on the screen probably aren't that good at the real thing.

I think that while this is a valid problem, it belongs to a relative few.  In terms of video games, I think we can blame all video games on keeping people away from the golf course.  I am saddened at how many of my peers actually think that video games are on the same level with conventional sports in terms of.  XBox and PlayStation are hurting the numbers of kids who get into golf, because their parents see no harm in letting them sit in front of the screen for hours at a time.

It's most unfortunate.

[Chris Kane]

Golf is elitist and it is too expensive.

I remember when Tiger turned professional, he was proclaimed as the answer - millions of kids would start playing golf because golf was now 'cool'.  It hasn't quite happened like we thought it would.  

While there are public courses, which allow anyone to play for a reasonable price, the majority of courses are too expensive for many people to play.  This creates a huge class divide in golf, which only perpetuates the outside perception that golf is a sport of the rich.  From the moment someone of limited means take up the game, they know that they are unlikely to have the opportunity to experience the best of our game, because the very best clubs and courses are extremely expensive and usually exclusive.

Friar's Head is held up by many on this site as the embodiment of what golf should be - exemplifying the best aspects of the game.  I'm told it costs $330k to join, and has yearly subs which are not much less than the average wage in America!  Now I'm sure that this is a wonderful club - by all accounts playing there is a wonderful experience - yet should it be held up as a role model?  By virtue of its cost and access policy, Friar's Head is the exact opposite of the kind of club that should be built if golf is to grow and gain wider acceptance.  

We can defend Augusta National's right as a private club to choose their membership, but lets face it, the 'scandal' a couple of years ago didn't make golf look good.  Membership in (what is perceived to be) America's premier golf club is limited to very rich, mostly white, old men.  Furthermore, the traditions and customs which we so love about the Masters appear downright bizarre to many 'outsiders' who don't play the game.  I  remember my Mum laughing at caddies on television this year, dressed in those horrific white jump suits!

Golf is a sport where the "proper" way to play involves having a servant at your side.  Caddies are an anachronism in the 21st century, a remnant of the game's origins which are the very thing we need to get away from if it is the thrive.

Despite all this, I love the game (1100 posts here tells a story!), which is very easy when I come from a middle-class family and belong to one of the better clubs in Australia.  If I wasn't so fortunate, I know I'd look at golf differently.  I don't have the answers either.

[Mark_F]

Chris,

Many if not most sports are elitist and too expensive.

Football in the UK is horrifically priced to go to, assuming you can get into a game at the top flight clubs, and the gear isn't priced very competetively either.  I would bet it comes out around the same price as a set of golf clubs over the years, assuming someone isn't an equipment clown who buys something new every year whether they need it or not.

Even jogging is expensive, once you take into account the price of quality footwear, possibly orthotics, training gear, physiotherapy for the inevitable injuries. Elitist it is not though.

Golf will not gain 'wider' acceptance because it takes so much time - unless you are talking about one of the classic 6300 yard courses in the UK that can be done in 2 1/2 hours. Add in the journey, and it takes even longer to play. It is also seen as daggy, whereas football is seen as cool, even though a great many top flight players are brainless clots.  

It has always been an outsider type of sport to me.  It is not played in primary or secondary school, like the more popular sports are, and tennis, you can't just go and hit a ball down your local school after hours.

The logistics of golf are different.  That is it's problem.

Given that we are a more materialistic society than at any point in human evolution, elitist would be a selling point, not a negative.

[Chris Kane]

Mark, I presume its not difficult or expensive to join and play for a football club in the UK - it must certainly be easier than joining a golf club.  

The problem with the high cost isn't just the barrier to entry that it creates; its the perception that goes with it.  Golf is perceived as an upper-class sport, which is understandable when the price of playing at good courses and using good equipment is considered.  Football in the UK (and Aussie rules here) doesn't suffer that problem.