Is golf devolving into a recreational activity for the wealthy, leisured class?

[Frank Giordano]

In my just posted "In My Opinion" piece, I begin assessing the current decline in the American golf industry by referring to Jack Nicklaus, who  has recently claimed that golf is too expensive, too hard, and takes too much time.  As a result, Jack is spending most of his time designing golf courses in Asia.  Many of his peers in the golf course development and design business are finding themselves less active here or are joining him in seeking work in the developing markets of Asia and South America.  Golf course architecture can no longer be considered  a vigorous profession here, if we look at the very small amount of new building.  Over the past several years since the economic meltdown of 2007-2008, we've been opening about 1 new course for every 10 that close down.  Those numbers are very distressing -- low teens being built, hundreds being closed annually -- and only suggest the agony of an industry in which many course operations are struggling to survive by instituting unsustainable business practices. 
 
"Growing the game" seems an illusion these days, as the businesses and organizations that service and manage the game have painted themselves into corners where most Americans can only infrequently venture.  Much of the industry's decline has to do with the many very difficult courses built in the past half-century, "championship" courses that were so focused on challenging the pros that everyday Joe Member gets little enjoyment, but plenty of pain and humiliation, out of a round.  The great expense of maintaining such courses has rendered many of them unsustainable.  Millions of golfers are  playing fewer rounds in recent years, while many are actually quitting the game altogether, as their clubs close down, their bodies age and break down, and country club memberships are so costly as to be expendable or converted into social or sports memberships, rather than full club memberships.  Even daily fee courses throughout the nation must charge players amounts that resemble the car payments they made when they first took up the game.
 
Moreover, the reasons Jack Nicklaus cites are not going away.  The costs of learning and equipping oneself for golf are beyond the means of many retirees and older players, whose retirement incomes have been rocked by the tumult in the stock markets this century.  Despite all the advances in technology and all the extra yards club manufacturers promise annually, even semi-annually, the game remains as hard for most players today as it was over the past several decades.  Paying big bucks to take a beating on golf courses designed for "championship" play seems less enticing for mature players who've gained some control over their egos and illusions.  For younger folks, the  generally stagnant wage scales during this time have made "disposable income" seem an anachronistic curiosity.  Paying off college loans and saving for a down payment  have been recurrent themes -- not to say thorns in the flesh -- in the lives of the young, educated demographic the industry has usually counted on to become regular golfers.  Family duties in the homes of two working parents leave far less time for golf, especially when American life is filled with recreational opportunities that are cheaper, easier, and take far less time than a round of golf during a day at the country club.
 
So, tune in to my "In My Opinion" article and join the discussion.  Have the trends of the past several years and the foreseeable global economic and environmental conditions begun to turn golf once again into a recreational activity that only the wealthy and the leisure classes in America can enjoy?  Or are there credible forces in golf that can indeed manage to make the game accessible to the many? Will golf become once again like polo and yacht racing?  Or will the promise that Tiger seemed to create just a couple of decades ago, of introducing newer and younger players to the game, still be realized?  And is the devolution -- a game for the C.B. MacDonald Millionaires clubs -- a healthy or an unhealthy development?  What role can golf course architecture play in reversing this trend?  Do you know of efforts to preserve, if not necessarily grow, the game that you can identify and share on this thread?  I'm eagerly listening!

[Garland Bayley]

If it is cost, then why did bowling "devolve" too?

[Tom_Doak]

Bowling became a game for millionaires??

I'll have to read the whole essay before I can offer much feedback, but I disagree with the premise that "the costs of learning and equipping oneself for golf are beyond the reach" of most Americans.  You can obtain older equipment for cheap, and you don't have to take lessons to learn how to play. 

It's the cost of maintaining courses to such high standards that makes the game unaffordable for the many.  If we don't change those standards, the number of people who play golf will continue to decline.

[Ulrich Mayring]

I would like to question that "growing the game" has to mean "more players, more rounds, more courses, more revenue". I think instead of "more" it should mean "better", "accessible" and "sustainable".

In that context it is very clear what golf architecture can contribute: more engaging and greener (in the ecological sense) courses.

The role of clubs is also very clear: they need to deal with accessibility. Perhaps with some "encouragement" by lawmakers.

The role of governing bodies is to provide and foster the "better" (not in the sense of lower scoring) players.

I also think that the American perspective on golf is unique, i. e. the challenges the game is facing there are different from those in the rest of the world. It is the biggest market for golf, but in some ways what happens in the US is not very relevant to golf in other countries.

Ulrich

[Garland Bayley]

"devolve" is in quotes, because bowling has lost clientele while not being very costly for the casual "player". It may not have gone to the rich, but it has gone.

It seems to me that there is a factor of equipment being too costly. It is the cost of the  "premium" clubs that get all the hype. By having such a prominent position in the market place they discourage would be golfers, even though suitable clubs can be had for a fraction of the cost. Furthermore, no one wants to buy a half set, as they think they will be handicapping themselves. But, who cares, because they will be competing with a course handicap obtained with their half set, which evens things out for them. But, they don't know (or perhaps realize) that.

[Garland Bayley]

A case in point on the equipment cost.

I have a friend who's clubs were stolen from his car. He asked me for suggestions on buy new clubs. Knowing his income is in the top 10% (if not 5%) I suggested my dream, which would be to go to a Tom Wishon clubfitter and get a set of Wishon clubs fit and built. (This suggestion had worked for an M.D. friend of mine.) My friend didn't get clubs, and although he always expressed the desire to obtain clubs and play regularly again, he never followed through on getting new clubs. Finally, I figured out that he was not the Veblen goods type of guy, I offered him a used set of mine for $100, which he jumped at the chance and bought them, and began to play regularly again.

Not everyone wants the Veblen goods that pass as the norm for equipment at many clubs and courses.

[Tom_Doak]

I also think that the American perspective on golf is unique, i. e. the challenges the game is facing there are different from those in the rest of the world. It is the biggest market for golf, but in some ways what happens in the US is not very relevant to golf in other countries.

Ulrich:

This is the only part of your post I disagreed with.  The American perspective seems to be having more and more influence everywhere else, because the unemployed American architects and consultants are going overseas to keep busy, as Frank posits in his piece.  Golf buggy use is on the rise in Scotland, even.  And American consultants are everywhere in Asia, building courses to the same standards that have caused the game to stall and fail in the U.S.

[Tom_Doak]

Having now read Frank's article in full, I was surprised [but pleased] that his focus was on the need to keep the game FUN.

It is certainly true that participation in golf [like most sports, but even more] rises and falls with the general trend in the economy.  When more people are out of work, they can't afford to play; when retirees are feeling pinched, they don't spend so much on entertainment.  For that matter, one difference today is that a lot of people spend a lot of their time online, which is essentially free, but which competes with other recreational possibilities for people's time.

However I think the death of the game is greatly over-reported.  There are lots of people who love golf, and the appeal of it has proven sticky over hundreds of years.  It's only going away if we screw it up.

[Bill_McBride]

During occasional trips to the Midwest during my career, and the side trip to public courses to  sneak in a round, I was always delighted to see the nine hole league golf after work being played.   I'll bet that has not declined in popularity, and brings those folks out for weekend rounds.

I think Mike Young's mom and pop courses are going to be fine in their niche, and higher end private clubs in their niche, but I see real problems ahead for lower end privates and less attractive CCFADs.   It's the maintenance costs and big clubhouses that will eventually be trouble unless there is a significant turnaround of the economy in general and middle class incomes specifically.  

[Ulrich Mayring]

Tom,

you are absolutely correct, which is why I said "in some ways" the challenges of golf in the US are not relevant in other countries. Of course that means in some other ways the US developments are relevant. I did not go into detail which is which, as that would merit an entire IMHO piece. But cart usage is a good example, it is not on the rise in many places (surprised to hear it apparently is in Scotland), as is "golf takes too much time" - certainly not a problem in Italy!

Or, on a larger scale: there are more courses opening than closing in many countries!

Ulrich

[Dave McCollum]

You wouldn’t think golf has devolved into an activity for the wealthy, leisured class if you came to our club.  Granted it is a local course in a rural area with rather minimal conditioning and maintenance.  I hate to reduce our golfers to stereotypes, but there is a pretty wide diversity of players from tradesmen to retirees and everything in between.  Golf is not as cheap as jogging or walking.  If golf is your passion, you can still manage it at courses like ours and, I suspect, throughout Middle America.  We have many working stiffs, farmers, business owners and managers, some limited and well-off retirees, and all kinds of middle class golfers.  In fact, the most under-represented class of golfer here is “wealthy.”  We must have a few mere “millionaires,” but I don’t think we have many regulars who are that rich.  For example, I played the other day with a couple of G-5 pilots who flew their boss from Hawaii (hurricane avoidance) to his home in Sun Valley.  The pilots play here.  Their boss does not.  I found out what it costs to park his G-5 in a hanger for one night would buy you a season pass here.  The boss does like golf which does make it a good gig for the avid golf-loving pilots.  They get to some great places.

[Adam Clayman]

The date on this article will surprise you.





Thanks Melvyn

[Wayne_Kozun]

A few comments:

Perhaps in the title "devolving into" should be replaced with "returning to" because, as you mentioned, golf was originally a game for the very wealthy.  Maybe golf for the middle class was the aberration?

If golf is too expensive, takes too long, is too hard, etc in the US then it is this^2 in China.

What Jack (and others) are building in China is not munis or low end semi-private courses. It is my understanding that they are building resorts in real estate developments or resorts that are emulating what was built in the US from 1990-2005. Some Chinese are taking up golf to emulate wealthy Americans and because that is what they, as nouveau riche, should be are doing. They are not trying to emulate the American middle class.

Equipment doesn't have to be expensive, you can buy clubs that are just a few years old for very reasonable prices on eBay.

Golf isn't going to get cheaper as the cost of land near major cities is not going to go down as societies everywhere continue to urbanize. And it is much more expensive to develop courses now given the stricter environmental rules, zoning approvals, water rights, etc.

Just because you are playing a "Championship" course doesn't mean you have to play the back tees. In most instances you can play a set of tees that are commensurate with your length and skill level and won't have a frustrating experience.

But most of all, golf is still fun. And you can play golf with your wife, child, parent, friend, etc. that can't be said for many other sports. You can play alone or you can play with a large group. You can play when you are 5 and, if you are lucky, you can still play when you are 100!

[Michael Moore]

Not everyone wants the Veblen goods that pass as the norm for equipment at many clubs and courses.

Here we go again. Titleist equipment is not a "Veblen good". I resent the implication that because I want gorgeous equipment with fantastic lines and typography that I am somehow deluding myself into thinking that it must be desirable because it is expensive. My blades look like fine art when compared to the hobbyist components, which resemble Legos. Everyone knows there is value in that.

[Jaeger Kovich]

If golf is too expensive, takes too long, is too hard, etc in the US then it is this^2 in China.

What Jack (and others) are building in China is not munis or low end semi-private courses. It is my understanding that they are building resorts in real estate developments or resorts that are emulating what was built in the US from 1990-2005.

In some of the cases I saw, its even worse over there... Ever see that 60 minutes segment on the Ghost Cities? That is kinda what it feels like.

[Mike_Young]

NO....golf will be fine. 
Remember there are two different types of golf being played in the USA.  The private club golf is a model which works just like the government and decides what services the club desires and defines the dues accordingly.  This type of club garners most of the national attention of the golf business because it purchases the new maintenance equipment, it stocks the larger green grass shops with new equipment and it leases the new carts every three years.  The other golf is profit based and it says I need to sell this many rounds at X dollars to make a profit.  It garners no hype or doesn't spend money to hype itself outside of 20 miles. 
The Taylormade debacle of the last week is just the beginning for so many of these companies that have thrived on the larger clubs and pant the dire picture.  Another example is to speak to some of the Toro and Jake distributors.   They have all developed larger and larger used equipment departments because they can make much more money on end of lease equipment being refurbished and sold to the later clubs mentioned above.  For example the latest and greatest triplex preensmower may be $45,000 new and the distributor may make 3-4 thousand on the purchase while depending on the parts business to keep things in line.  Yet they can sell a club a three or four year old used greensmower for 18,000 and make $8000. 
I'm betting many of the big golf companies figure a way to be privately held companies again soon.  Just ask PING.  I think they seem ok with the golf industry as it stands today. 

[Tom_Doak]

Golf isn't going to get cheaper as the cost of land near major cities is not going to go down as societies everywhere continue to urbanize. And it is much more expensive to develop courses now given the stricter environmental rules, zoning approvals, water rights, etc.

Wayne:

Your second sentence here is not quite right.  Permits do not cost millions of dollars, the costs are generally quite reasonable, unless you get into a big legal battle with unreasonable local opponents who demand things you can't concede.  The real problem is THE RISK that one's permits will never be approved and all the costs you do incur will go to waste.

Water rights are a whole different story ... in some places, water is the whole enchilada in regard to the maintenance budget, and a rise in the price of city water could put you out of business; in others, it's a negligible cost.

[Bill_McBride]

Golf isn't going to get cheaper as the cost of land near major cities is not going to go down as societies everywhere continue to urbanize. And it is much more expensive to develop courses now given the stricter environmental rules, zoning approvals, water rights, etc.

Wayne:

Your second sentence here is not quite right.  Permits do not cost millions of dollars, the costs are generally quite reasonable, unless you get into a big legal battle with unreasonable local opponents who demand things you can't concede.  The real problem is THE RISK that one's permits will never be approved and all the costs you do incur will go to waste.

Water rights are a whole different story ... in some places, water is the whole enchilada in regard to the maintenance budget, and a rise in the price of city water could put you out of business; in others, it's a negligible cost.

How many new projects today can drill private wells?   I guess it's location location location.   I wonder what's happening to courses in the San Joaquin Valley these days.    Can't be good.   

[John Kavanaugh]

Golf is being urbanized?  I'm wearing a  Norwood Hills shirt tonight where I used to be a member, btw...Michael Brown was executed less than a mile from the 13th green. The only thing deader than urban golf is our constitution.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Your second sentence here is not quite right.  Permits do not cost millions of dollars, the costs are generally quite reasonable, unless you get into a big legal battle with unreasonable local opponents who demand things you can't concede.  The real problem is THE RISK that one's permits will never be approved and all the costs you do incur will go to waste.

I will defer to you as you are more knowledgeable in this area but my point was that the planning process can slow down your course construction by a year or two (or more) and cause expensive changes to be made.  Delaying a project like that adds to the overall cost since the already sunk costs, like buying the land, has to be carried for more years which hurts the economics of the project.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Golf is being urbanized?

Societies are urbanizing, not necessarily golf courses, and the concentration of wealth is increasingly going to those in urban areas, both in traditional golfing countries like the US and UK and in the newly rich places like China.  Certainly no courses are being built in major cities but they have to be accessible to those that live in the cities or suburbs.

[Kris Shreiner]

Sorry, but Jack was a HUGE part of the escalating costs to build courses. His extortionate fees, along with other greedy folks helped set in motion the whole unsustainable path we are ...sadly still on. Need proof? Well , the #1 club company, Taylor Made, just shuttered Adams Golf in Plano, and cut a fair amount of staff. Their tie-in with Dick's also cratered and those pros are out hitting the pavement looking for work.

The shake-out, long overdue, will continue. IT SHOULD. Too many B actors in the golf landscape, from drone PGA types to clueless facilities that don't know where they fit in the arena.

REGARDLESS of price point or niche, if you have a strong gameplan for success, do a solid job, and bring a superior effort or presentation that is valued, you"ll make it.

Cheers,

Kris

[John McCarthy]

I see the decline in golf more through the Bowling Alone prism.  There are fewer clubs of any sort nowadays that meet in real life.  Elks, Kiwanis, etc. People don't drink as much and fear the consequences of drinking and driving...those Wednesday night golf, bowling or softball leagues have all taken a hit.  Women nowadays don't like their husbands being gone three nights a week especially when she works as much or more than her husband.

[Eric Strulowitz]

I see the decline in golf more through the Bowling Alone prism.  There are fewer clubs of any sort nowadays that meet in real life.  Elks, Kiwanis, etc. People don't drink as much and fear the consequences of drinking and driving...those Wednesday night golf, bowling or softball leagues have all taken a hit.  Women nowadays don't like their husbands being gone three nights a week especially when she works as much or more than her husband.

Very good points John

I am an Elk and a member of the American Legion, and I can tell you that membership is hurting bad.  Very few young faces, at many functions I attend, the average age at times  seems in the 70's.   We are all in an aggressive recruiting mode right now, but I see little results.

Yes, women work just as much as their husbands, and I work with many personally where 50+ hours a week is common.  Housework and raising family becomes a shared responsibility, leaving little time for something as time consuming as a golf game.  It is very difficult to get a game without a lot of advance notice with any of my married, working friends, most of the rounds I play these days are with guys 10-20 years older.  It is my opinion that without the men's group at my club, which plays several mornings a week, my club would have substantially less rounds and income.    And the average age of these guys is probably upper 60's and 70's, with a scattering of 80+.  I see very few young faces these days, I am in my mid 50's, and I feel like a baby most of the time.  I don't take meds, don't have no health problems, and that is all a lot of these guys seem to talk about.  Nothing in common with younger players, nothing to draw them in.

I used to have many buddy trips each year, 36 hole days at great places like MB, Pinehurst, Orlando, etc.  We had as many as 20 guys at times.    These trips are dead.  Because of not only economic reasons, but how can you justify leaving your family for a week to play golf and all the cost involved, and leaving your kids behind,  when your spouse equally works as hard and maybe harder.  It becomes a tough sell.  I am probably the luckiest man in the world in that respect.  The wife loves golf and she will not even consider at trip without bringing the clubs along!

There are massive sociological shifts occurring, how we utilize our leisure time is being redefined.

[Carl Johnson]

A couple of comments.

The nominal subject of this discussion, starting with Frank's "Opinion" piece title, "The Fun's Gone out of Golf," would seem to be how to make golf fun again so that more people would take it up and continue playing.  Yet, the discussion here seems to focus on issues like time, expense and difficulty of the game.  Not that those issues aren't valid, but in my opinion they are only tangentially related to "fun."  My take is that those who are interested in "growing the game" need to focus on the fun element of playing the game.  Among other things, forget the TV ads that try to make golf appear fun, but are actually based on the "Caddyshack" model, which is not real life.  Teach people how to play matches - forget medal play and playing the course for a score.  Do away with the TV ads that suggest the main objective of golf is to hit the ball miles.  No matter the clubs, no matter the lessons, if golf appears to be a game for the bombers, then it's sunk.  And, I've said this before, and been dumped on, so I expect that will happen again - but get away from the "what's your/my handicap" mentality as a measure of success in golf.  The measure of success should be how much fun you're having.

Changing the subject a bit, a number of posters have mentioned golf course development in China.  Earlier in the summer I learned on GCA of a book called The Forbidden Game: Golf and the Chinese Dream, by Dan Washburn.  I've read it and recommend it.  It's really more about doing business in China and the lives of some average Chinese citizens, but golf is tie that binds the stories together.  One of the three stories is about Martin Moore and his experiences an American golf course builder in China, which is why I mention the book here.  It's nothing profound, but I found the third-person memoirs, which is what I call the stories, instructive at many levels.