Declining Growth - Good for the Game?

[Dan King]

I look forward to playing the game without all of hoi polloi running loose.

Cheers,
Grandan King

There are now more golf clubs in the world than Gideon bibles, more golf balls than missionaries, and, if every golfer in the world, male and female, were laid end to end, I, for one, would leave them there.
 --Michael Parkinson (presdient of the Anti-Golf Society)

[J Sadowsky]

I look forward to playing the game without all of hoi polloi running loose.

Cheers,
Grandan King

There are now more golf clubs in the world than Gideon bibles, more golf balls than missionaries, and, if every golfer in the world, male and female, were laid end to end, I, for one, would leave them there.
 --Michael Parkinson (presdient of the Anti-Golf Society)

Watch out Dan, when the revolution happens, you're going to be hung for this

[W.H. Cosgrove]

Beware the industry that cuts itself off from its market.  

While there has always been strong growth in golf from higher earners and the blue bloods, golf since the 50's has depended on the masses learning the game at their local course and then taking that knowledge with them on vacations, to higher levels of earning and eventually to membership in at the least the vast number of mid level clubs.  Some may aspire even higher than that.  

The low end of the market should be supported by municipalities who can build interesting and yet affordable tracks with public money on degraded land.  Make sure there is a good practice area and,as Tiger already knows with his first tee programs, make golf fun and affordable for children.  

Leave the high end market to developers, resorts and the dreamers to build the Ballyneal's, Dismal Rivers and Sand Hills.  

I don't mind if growth slows, but I hope we can come up with some ideas on how to keep the game healthy!

[Adrian_Stiff]

Sean- by leaving your club you have just put the price up for everyone else if there is no new member to replace you. Maybe 10 tears ago there was a waiting list at many clubs, now not so many, also clubs do deals and the joining fees are often waived, all less income.
The decline in growth = more expensive golf. I think it needs more golfers to fill those gaps at the courses, those gaps can only really be filled by beginners and probably the younger element.
There will be courses you are not intrested in but you are a minority in that you look for much deeper things than the norm, entry level golf is the breeding ground and those will be the courses you and I wont want to play. The course that may close are likely to be the older member courses that are either very badly managed or cant move forward to sustain a modern membership because of restrictions.
Growth in golf or numbers of rounds or new players needs to grow in order to merely fill the underused courses.