I just received the draw for the first event of the year for the Scottish Seniors Gofling Society, a semi-formal body which is dedicated to building a senior amateur tour in Scotland. It was formed last year and I played in one of their events, and while there were a small number of true quality players involved, the average/mean handicap was probably something like 5 or 6, ranging from scratch to 12. Well........this year, for the first tournament the mean handicap is 2.6 for a field of 108. Currently playing off 6.5 I am well into the skinny left hand side of the bell curve.
I wonder, where did all these guys come from? The answer is (obviously, at least to me)--build a a platform for serious older golfers to congregate and compete and they will come. But, therefore, Mr. Goodale, what?
1. Don't think of all seniors as the Mr. Haversham's of the world. Haversham was a hacker when he was plucking the darling buds of May, and he will always be. He is what he is, but he is at the very far left end of the bell curve, as it exists today.
2. One of the greatest attributes of the game of golf is that it CAN be played at relatively high levels well into "old" age. If you are in the industry and trying to increase particiaption from younger people, sell this, but don't talk about the Haversham's, talk about the growing number of serious senior golfers who can still move the ball around the course with skill and passion.
3. Pamper your skilled and experienced seniors. If the Pat Muccis and Tom Pauls and Bob Huntleys of the world can be persuaded to spend more time trying to build the ethos of golf with the younger generations, at their clubs and elsewhere, the game can have an exciting future. If not, and the image of the game amongst most yougner people is of Mr. and Mrs. Haversham hacking their way up a fairway in "Caddyshack," well, the game is doomed to continue to stagnate, at least the the USA and the rest of the "Old World."
MHO, of course.
Rich