The Golf Industry is Alive and Well

As the 2014 season winds down, there seems to be a lot of dismal buzz in the press about the state of golf and its future. But is it really all doom and gloom?

Golf courses had been closing at an average rate of 100 per year (157 in 2011) and others are being sold for ridiculously low amounts of money. Since around 2000, shortly after Tiger came on the scene, more golfers began leaving the sport than those who were taking it up. The number of frequent golfers (golfers that play more than 12 times a year) has dropped by one third in recent years. Why, you ask?

Some people chalk it up to the decline in the economy versus the cost to play the game. Others point to the amount of time it takes to play, that they are too busy, that they have less leisure time due to their jobs. family commitments and more work needed to get done around the house. While others just feel it is too difficult a game to play. They get frustrated and quit. This was something I felt was far reaching until I recently played with someone who just returned to the game after a five year hiatus having quit playing because he was too frustrated.

First of all, this “sky is falling” attitude toward the game of golf is precipitated by the golf equipment industry. Sales are down and they’re in a panic. Secondly, the industry is going through a correction, one they’d prefer not to admit. Tiger Woods created a golf frenzy which resulted in an over satuation of golf courses being built. According the the National Golf Foundation, 4,500 courses opened between 1986 and 2005. Since, 2006, 643 courses have closed. That equates to less than 5 percent of the 14,564 golf courses in the U.S.

Mark King, President of Adidas Group North America, which owns TaylorMade, Adams, Reebok, among others, wants to grow the game by enlarging the cup size to 15 inches. He thinks it will be more fun for those entering the game. Please! It’s programs like the USGA’s Drive, Pitch and Putt competition, that was debuted at The Masters this year, that will get young people excited about the game. The golf industry has to accept that not every person will take up the game of golf just as not everyone plays soccer. The sky is not falling, it’s just a little cloudy.

Filed under: Welcome

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!