If there’s one constant fact that’s not relented it’s the slow but ever steady decline in the total number of people playing golf in the USA and the courses that service them. In 2001 nearly 30 million Americans identified themselves as golfers. Fast forward to 2013 and the number is now approximately 24 million. No question the Great Recession—which started in ‘07 and lasted thru a good portion of ’09—played a major role in pushing players away from the game. Since 2006 almost 650 18-hole courses have closed and since 2005 course closing have outnumbered openings. In 2013 alone 158 courses closed and just 14 opened. Between 130 and 160 courses are closing every 12 months and that trend is likely to stay in place for the short term but could go beyond that. Golf as a sport is clearly changing and those associated with the golf course business—ruling bodies, affiliated associations, owners, builders, architects—had best realize the deep-seated challenges ahead.
The reasons are varied but essentially boil down to this: the baby boomer generation is near the end of the active golf shelf-life. The replacement millennial generation—those born in 1980 and beyond—have not embraced golf as readily. In fact, they’ve distanced themselves from it. In today’s go-go-go world the very definition of quality leisure time is being shaped and defined differently than from years ago.
For many millennials the thought of playing a game that can take several hours to play is not warmly embraced. We live in a Twitter world of brevity and quickness. Golf’s key benefit is “smelling the flowers” —allowing the day to unfold. That past necessity is today’s dinosaur for many. There’s also the escalating cost of equipment which makes it un-affordable for all but those with the deepest of pockets. There’s also the overall difficulty of the game and the companion failure for quality instruction that helps speed along the process. Despite all the gains made through technology for clubs and balls, the net improvement in golf handicaps over the last 25-30 years has been negligible for men and women.
Golf was supposed to flourish when former world number one Tiger Woods came onto the professional scene in late 1996. Minorities were thought to be excited enough to take up the game with Woods serving as the new ambassador for the game. That did not happen. In fact, the game is even whiter now than when Tiger first entered the scene.
When the Great Recession happened golf course construction in America halted. It has not fundamentally changed since. The key golf groups—United States Golf Association (USGA), Professional Golfers of America (PGA), National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), to name the most prominent—have all admitted the present landscape of golf must evolve to maintain its relevance in the 21st century. The denial phase is over but the prognosis is still uncertain.
What’s been realized is many of the courses built during the ‘80’s and 90’s were extremely difficult to play and as a result required more time to negotiate all 18 holes. Fun golf has become the moniker in attempting to show how golf can be an attractive way to spend leisure time and indulge in what golf does better than just about any other activity—networking with friends and business associates.
In 2015, I had the pleasure in playing a wide variety of courses within America—a number of them were either just opening or had been overhauled in recent times to provide an even better product than what was there previously. Those in the business in building or renovating pre-existing courses realize golf has to provide a clear fun element to keep people interested in the game. The six courses mentioned below are clear examples that more will be needed, but the facilities mentioned indeed show a brighter future for the game is certainly doable. Golf can only be relevant to a newer generation of prospective players if the product provided strikes a real chord that fosters fun as the primary connection. Like the movie industry, today’s consumers are savvy and will not be fooled into providing ongoing financial contributing to cinema that has no characters or storyline. Golf is in the entertainment business. The six facilities below demonstrate how getting back in touch with the fun side of things can propel the game with new core players and a far brighter future.
Rams Hill Golf Course: Borrego Springs, California
