What we won't be able to find on a golf course on January 1, 2040.

[Mark Bourgeois]

John,

Regarding a couple of your posts: I will bet you twenty somethings of bitcoins Burning Tree survives. Second, and building on Jeff's point, I could see walking making a big comeback. Here's the scenario: you mention smoking. Some call sitting the new smoking and health insurance starts to punish those - wait, scratch that - starts to reward those who log a minimum number of steps per day or week, as recorded by a wearable device.

[Matt MacIver]

If ANGC and the R&A can do a 180 in just five years then the odds are against Burning Tree - but I have no tooting interest.

After 20 years of fighting anything other than traditionally push carts my old club this year started offering electric-follow-behind drone caddies, or east ever they're called. So far mostly positive comments though too early to tell if walking rounds have increased, pace of play has improved, budgets have been balanced or more calories have been burned.

[James Brown]

I think walking will become more popular over the next 25 years, not less.  Golf is becoming a more athletic game at the same time a large portion of society is becoming more health conscious. 

[Philip Hensley]

I agree. I think walking is something that is being rediscovered. Speaking anecdotally I have converted many of my normal sunday group golfers to walkers. Some do the push cart, others do like me  and only use 10 clubs.

Other things we (hopefully) won't see:

Carts
Cart paths
Cart barns
Cart "revenue"
Practice swings
Pre shot routines
Guys buried in their cell phones while on the course, either texting or recording their "stats"

[Joel Zuckerman]

To piggyback on Mark's post, number 25, Google the phrase: sitting is the new smoking. I always walk and when I am with golfers in carts I am continuously thinking that they are doing themselves a disservice by sitting for those 3 1/2 or four hours when they could be upright and mobile.

Anyway I am cautiously optimistic that walking will continue to gain popularity as people realize that wearing their fit bit devices, taking their 10,000 steps a day etc. is a natural fit with golf

[Duncan Cheslett]

I don't think we'll be seeing too many golfers under the age of fifty in 25 years.

Today's youngsters are completely wrapped up with computer games - participation in all sports is taking a massive hit and I don't see this changing. The last thing young single men will want to do is play golf.

More and more, golf will become a game for middle-aged men (and women) to take up when they finally have the time and money to devote to it and feel the need for some physical exercise. Younger family men will find it utterly impossible to justify the cost of golf both in terms of money and time to their increasingly assertive spouses.

Far from growing the game, I fear the battle will be to save it. Large numbers of below average clubs will disappear.

[Doug Siebert]

No one talking about maintenance at all?

Automated mowing, bunker maintenance, "hand" watering...  Whether that's a good thing for what we love in GCA or a disaster, and whether it is a good thing for maintenance budgets or a disaster depends on whether they are sold to replace low wage guys driving the mowers or to replicate ANGC conditions without a small army of people.

[Tony_Muldoon]

No one talking about maintenance at all?

Automated mowing, bunker maintenance, "hand" watering...  Whether that's a good thing for what we love in GCA or a disaster, and whether it is a good thing for maintenance budgets or a disaster depends on whether they are sold to replace low wage guys driving the mowers or to replicate ANGC conditions without a small army of people.

Doug if/when we get to the stage that maintenance can be 95% automated -

- Rich/High End clubs wil have no trouble secruring the loan to enable the equipment installation.
- Mom and Pop's will have to work even harder.

Bifurcation at last.

[John Kavanaugh]

Maybe it is because I live in a rural area but I have noticed a large uptick in high school girls golf teams. By 2040 we may rarely see a foresome of men only. As an 80 year old sipping scotch from the observation pod this may be the one thing that keeps me paying dues.

[Nigel Islam]

Maybe it is because I live in a rural area but I have noticed a large uptick in high school girls golf teams. By 2040 we may rarely see a foresome of men only. As an 80 year old sipping scotch from the observation pod this may be the one thing that keeps me paying dues.

Agreed. Golf for both young boys and girls is big here in Evansville.

[Greg Tallman]

Maybe it is because I live in a rural area but I have noticed a large uptick in high school girls golf teams. By 2040 we may rarely see a foresome of men only. As an 80 year old sipping scotch from the observation pod this may be the one thing that keeps me paying dues.

Gracias. My first laugh of the day.

[Carl Rogers]

It is hard for me to see a drone or AI being utilized as a caddie or fore-caddie, except by the offspring of (by then) trillionaires.

My own rather naive-idealistic vision of the future is that we will sort out what people will do and what machines will do ... a selective and healthy backlash against arbitrary "progress".  I am not sure of the details.

[John Kavanaugh]

It is hard for me to see a drone or AI being utilized as a caddie or fore-caddie, except by the offspring of (by then) trillionaires.

My own rather naive-idealistic vision of the future is that we will sort out what people will do and what machines will do ... a selective and healthy backlash against arbitrary "progress".  I am not sure of the details.

The progress civilian drones have made just in the last year is incredible.  I don't know if you are old enough to have taken a caddie both in 1990 and the recent past.  The degradation of service coupled with increased costs demands change.  I hate to imagine what a human caddie will demand in 25 more years.  Self levitating silent frictionless "push carts" will be available by 2040 with the ability to give you any information that you and your playing partners agree upon.  The won't want tips, they won't need to be trained and they will cost no more than a cart.  Best if all they can be recycled and used again rather than becoming ex-caddies with a "story".

Human caddies will be for your trillionaires or run of the mill philanthropic millionaire.

[Charlie Ray]

1.  Fewer 18 hole courses. 
2. Shoes that look like golf shoes;  wait, we already have those.
3. 'Women's Tees'
4. 19 holes that make a real cocktail
5. Cabretta leather gloves
6. Calling the pro-shop for tee times.
7. Stimpmeters;  I can't understand why we don't have some kind of electronic/laser gadget now.   (somebody is missing out on those golfer that order all the made-for-TV junk.  Just imagine a talking putter that reads the line and has some kind of digital gauge that tells you how hard to hit it)

[Carl Rogers]

It is hard for me to see a drone or AI being utilized as a caddie or fore-caddie, except by the offspring of (by then) trillionaires.

My own rather naive-idealistic vision of the future is that we will sort out what people will do and what machines will do ... a selective and healthy backlash against arbitrary "progress".  I am not sure of the details.

The progress civilian drones have made just in the last year is incredible.  I don't know if you are old enough to have taken a caddie both in 1990 and the recent past.  The degradation of service coupled with increased costs demands change.  I hate to imagine what a human caddie will demand in 25 more years.  Self levitating silent frictionless "push carts" will be available by 2040 with the ability to give you any information that you and your playing partners agree upon.  The won't want tips, they won't need to be trained and they will cost no more than a cart.  Best if all they can be recycled and used again rather than becoming ex-caddies with a "story".

Human caddies will be for your trillionaires or run of the mill philanthropic millionaire.

I'm way old enough to have taken a caddie, but never have because I am way too cheap.
Most respectfully, but isn't the levitating golf cart kind of like StarTrek??

[Jay Mickle]

If you are currently middle class you may find no courses available for you as your job will likely have been replaced by AI and robots. If you are a top 10 per center you may belong to a club designed by one of the more recent ODGs like Coore, Crenshaw, Doak etc. where all of the above mentioned amenities will be available except that ball tracking, GPS, course management and other necessary information will all contained in your personal  imbedded chip.  For those nostalgic purists whose leg muscles have not completely atrophied some of the really old ODG courses will be available with turn of century technology with walking permitted.

[Mike Hendren]

Maybe it is because I live in a rural area but I have noticed a large uptick in high school girls golf teams. By 2040 we may rarely see a foresome of men only. As an 80 year old sipping scotch from the observation pod this may be the one thing that keeps me paying dues.

A new twist on Wodehouse's "Oldest Member."

[John Kavanaugh]

Maybe it is because I live in a rural area but I have noticed a large uptick in high school girls golf teams. By 2040 we may rarely see a foresome of men only. As an 80 year old sipping scotch from the observation pod this may be the one thing that keeps me paying dues.

A new twist on Wodehouse's "Oldest Member."

Think back to 1990 and recall what constituted "golf hot", a pulse in a skirt.  Today "golf hot" is off the charts. Golf has a beautiful future in store. With advances in the treatments of obesity and alcoholism I just may live to see it.

[Jason Thurman]

Forecaddies should definitely be gone. Tracking-chip enabled golf balls will make them obsolete.

[John Kavanaugh]

Forecaddies should definitely be gone. Tracking-chip enabled golf balls will make them obsolete.

Forecaddies are babysitters, that is why they are required of unaccompanied guests. Surveillance technology will be their demise. In 2040 you better be careful where you piss.

[Josh Tarble]

Forecaddies should definitely be gone. Tracking-chip enabled golf balls will make them obsolete.

Forecaddies are the bane of my cheapskate existence.

[jeffwarne]

Forecaddies should definitely be gone. Tracking-chip enabled golf balls will make them obsolete.

Forecaddies are the bane of my cheapskate existence.

No worries.
Given that most don't actually forecaddie, but stay on the tee and advise a la bones,and encourage you to take a cart (that don't worry-they'll drive)
They'll find a way to justify their existence and raise their fees even with unloseable balls.
My personal favorites are the ones who wet and wipe with your towel rather than dirty their own, or carry your putter(because you can't) and make you walk across the green to get it to putt-every hole.

[Joe Bausch]

Spike cleaners, ball washers, and yardage printed on sprinkler heads.

[MClutterbuck]

I don't think we'll be seeing too many golfers under the age of fifty in 25 years.

Today's youngsters are completely wrapped up with computer games - participation in all sports is taking a massive hit and I don't see this changing. The last thing young single men will want to do is play golf.

More and more, golf will become a game for middle-aged men (and women) to take up when they finally have the time and money to devote to it and feel the need for some physical exercise. Younger family men will find it utterly impossible to justify the cost of golf both in terms of money and time to their increasingly assertive spouses.

On the other hand, they might look at who Rickie Fowler and Rory are dating, and at who Jason Dufner married and might realize it is cooler than they thought... this is true of even the #300 ranked golfer.

It is also possible people start working less hours and still play golf and manage to dedicate good time to their families.

[Adam Clayman]

Curmudgeons will be history.