I agree with Jerry's comments. I find the time I spend playing golf with my children to be hours of uninterrupted time that is of incredible value to me, and the kids love it too. I remember a recent thread started by Jordan Wall where he talked about missing the ability to golf with his dad, and it renewed my dedication to getting out as much as possible with my own children this coming summer and into the future.
But a full season of soccer costs about the same as two rounds of golf in my area. This is because there are no older municipal courses in the area, just fairly new daily fee courses (as well as private clubs) that are not cheap and which do not provide any family discount or youth discounts. We do what we can, with less-frequent play, trips to the range instead of the course (although there's no doubt which they prefer, and 8 bucks a bucket isn't cheap, either), and nine-hole play. If the future of golf is to appeal exclusively to the well-heeled, then the plan is working, despite our attempts to foil it. I don't mean to seem like I'm blaming anyone, because I'm not. It's just reality. This plays into the architectural discussion regarding business models, etc. Designers apparently don't want to attach their names to benign designs appropriate for the beginning golfer, and golfers apparently don't want to play them, even though their game might be best suited to that type of venue. And this type of course is apparently a crap business. That said, I'd still love it if there was one of them in my neck of the woods. Some private clubs, like one in my area, have a par-3 course for beginner play. Perhaps someday...
I can relate, however, to those who would rather not have their valuable time on the golf course inundated with kids running around. When I'm at the course with my children, I'm pretty strict about their behaviour and decorum.