As bad news pours out of Wall Street... and the so-called financial wizards finally acknowledge that they have no idea what's going on with the economy... the future health of our sport seems more vulnerable than ever. The next couple of years, will undoubtedly bring major changes to the landscape of both recreational and professional golf, and anyone who is passionate about the game... not to mention those who make their living from the golf industry...should be
concerned and paying close attention.
As with many situations that have been described as abysmal... or grim... or even catastrophic, there could be a silver lining here. One that could arguably make golf a better game; more accessible to more people... and frankly, just more sustainable.
Bill Bales, CEO of aboutGolf offers up an analysis of the current situation as well as some solutions. What I liked most about his piece was his description of BEASTS. BEASTS being an acronym for the elements we need to slay in order to make golf more relevant. It's all laid out on BunkerShot.com so I won't
I say, let's slay the beasts, and lets start right now.
Spot on!
ReplyDeleteI still can't figure out where these guys are coming from with these cute little acronyms and their dreams of a sporting world dominated by golf. It just ain't gonna happen.
ReplyDeleteYou can't break down the inherent limitations of the game. It is a VERY difficult game to get good at - and all the technology in the world isn't going to change that.
It takes a lot of time to play. Even if Americans would stop playing 5 and 6 hour rounds and get it down to 3.5-4.5 hours max, it is still a half day affair with travel and warm up and post-round socializing.
We have an abundance of courses these days that have tee times going to waste every day. One very nice, very popular course here in Atlanta is practically empty during home games in football season.
Land where people live is getting scarce and very expensive. Building a course where no one lives is silly. It takes a lot of land to build a course, and a lot of money to keep it up - making a "cheap" round of golf more difficult.
I understand that these people have golf related businesses and they want to make more money - but come on - golf IS a niche sport - it always has been and it always will be.
I don't think anyone's saying golf will ever become as mainstream as football or basketball are ...or soccer is in "the rest of the world", but with some good will and some creative, innovative ideas it can grow...even in these hard times...because up to now it's still been hesitant to open up to new players. A different mindset could change that.
ReplyDelete"up to now it's (golf) still been hesitant to open up to new players."
ReplyDeleteWhat does that mean ? "Hesitant" ? This elitist idea came from a bunch of people who didn't play golf and just wanted to sound "cool" by taking shots at older people or people they perceived as being "rich" because they hit golf balls for recreation.
Have you not noticed all the marketing for golf that goes on trying to expand the game ? These people don't care about skin color or age or gender or family background - they want to get into your WALLET.
Golf clubs that limit the kind of people they want to play their course are pretty much all private (though I'm sure there are a small handful of backwater courses that try to keep some people out) - and who really cares what they want to do behind their closed doors ?
"hesitant to open up to new players." nonsense. millions of people have picked up clubs since Tiger hit the scene -- and guess what -- millions of people have quit the game because it was too hard, too costly, or too time consuming - and you'll never change any of those things. If you can't afford a couple of hundred dollars for a used set of clubs, $15 for a dozen balls (which you will likely lose in short order), and $10-$45 for a "cheap" round of golf - then you just won't play - and that is fine - there are all kinds of other things to do.
I keep reading silly statements like that - but I don't see people coming up with rational ideas on how to do what they want to do.
I think "less is more" will be the future of golf. The days of playing 18 holes with your buddies is seldom in our busy lives. Picking up play could help but i think that 9 holes is the real future of golf and it will need to be marketed as such. If you play 9 today and your buddies play 18, you walk away feeling as if you didn't finish but if everyone is done after 9, you're complete.
ReplyDeleteLove the Wordle! LOL
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect Court, I think you've got to admit that there's a perception of golf as an elitist sport...an exclusionary sport. It may not actually be elitist and exclusionary, but it's perceived that way (rightly or wrongly) by many. That's a fact. And I think that perception can discourage participation by new players.
ReplyDeleteI think some of the ideas in that "cute little acronym" are actually quite good.
I think there are some lessons from Japan here. My wife was born in the '70s and came of age as the bubble economy burst, so her perception of golf is "ojin ksai" (roughly translatable as "stinks like old people"--feel free to add nuance to that). And yet in the last several years, as very popular teenage and twenty-something female golfers have burst onto the JLPGA, the game has been growing by leaps and bounds, particularly among girls.
ReplyDeleteOne nice side of effect of the post-bubble economy there is that it's become in courses' interest to encourage more play from a greater variety of golfers. While the "take a whole day, eating a big lunch after the 9th hole and having a drinking party after the 18th" thing is still big among middle-aged guys, it seems that more/different people are willing/able to take their games off the driving ranges and onto the course when they aren't bound by this tradition.
Personally, I don't have time anymore to do more than 3-hour 18s or hour-ish 9s (walking), but at least the public course I play is empty enough when I can get out to allow me to do it.
Why not get innovative with pricing? Offer lower greens fees to faster and better players. Offer dramatically-reduced family memberships to encourage parents to get their kids involved in the game. Offer cheap group lessons for beginners.
More loss leaders, please!
Marco - we're not disagreeing - I didn't say that there wasn't a perception - I said that the perception is wrong.
ReplyDeleteThere is also a "perception" that life ends after 30. How right were we on that one ? Youth and ignorance can do a lot of damage to clear thinking. Look at Con's wife - I doubt she thinks that he "stinks of old people".
I didn't touch a golf club until my late 20's when a friend took me to a dog track golf course and made me play - and I was hooked. Before then, golf was a "lazy" game, not on the same level as "REAL" sports. My perception was wrong.
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