We've had golf club numbers drop before. Some clubs survived and adjusted with the times and others, poorly managed and stuck in the past didn't and went bust. No doubt the same will happen again.
Golf Participation
- Thread starter Tongo
- Start date
Tongo
Journeyman Pro
Good to see that someone else has realised that finances may be a reason and that the sport isnt in "terminal decline" as the media like to claim.
Tongo
Journeyman Pro
There is an irony here in Southampton that the muni course is tough layout with ome long holes but it attracts plenty of beginners and people only intent on hammering the ball as hard as they can.
Tongo
Journeyman Pro
Likewise. I started with a 50 quid set of clubs and a cheap putter from Argos! Had them for a few years but learnt how to play the game, the nuances etc. People who want to start playing dont need to splash out 100's and 1000's to get started.
Even now my clubs are fairly archaic.
Hacker Khan
Yurt Dwelling, Yoghurt Knitter
If you watch any young kids playing sports they mimic what the superstars do. Watch any under 10s football game ans they all have their brightly coloured boots as worn by Ronaldo et al. It's what kids do as in a advert based society where they are bombarded with adverts from practically when they are born. That is how they are brought up to think. They are used to instant gratification and will not wait around several months or even years to be able to do something. It's mostly pointless a bunch of middle/old aged men bemoaning the fact that this has happened then blathering on about the good old days and living in old water tanks on rubbish tips in a non ironic way. And golf should recognise this and make allowances, instead of trying to mostly ignore it and then wondering why hardly any young people are taking up the game.
And also ever considered why people new to the game may feel they need that they need to fit in, need to look good, need to have the right gear? Ever considered that is the exact image most golf clubs like to exude, the fact you need to dress correctly, behave correctly etc etc.
Tongo
Journeyman Pro
And yet one of the reasons listed by the beeb for the apparent drop in participation is that golf is expensive, so we're advocating that it should be expensive to attract more people then are we?
Tongo
Journeyman Pro
The reality is that golf is a slow sport without that instant gratification that people seem to need these days. I cant see how that's gonna change without such a radical change of the sport's DNA that it is no longer really golf.
Cycling is also a slow sport but its fashionable and shiny at the moment so everyone's getting into it. Sometimes its a case of the general public's attitude to certain sports.
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Qwerty
Tour Winner
That pretty much nails it for me.
The North West is peppered with golf Courses, I'm not going to loose any sleep if a few close down.
Maybe I'm just a bad person though for not recognising the needs of would be Golfers who might possibly want to wear Flip Flops in the clubhouse
Hacker Khan
Yurt Dwelling, Yoghurt Knitter
Some cycling races are over in 2 minutes, you can learn the basics using a very cheap bike almost anywhere, the sport in general has been marketed very well (something golf is awful at most of the time) and there are very few barriers to entry. Is 20/20 cricket still cricket or has that no longer in the DNA of cricket?
You don't need a radical change but you can have different forms of the game coexisting. So if you want the traditional long form is it there. And if you want something different that may well appeal more to newcomers that is also there. There seems to be a huge amount of resistance to doing anything that will mean the game is no longer exclusively a 4 to 5 hour experience hitting a ball into a very small hole using clubs that are governed very precisely by the R&A.
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Hacker Khan
Yurt Dwelling, Yoghurt Knitter
That pretty much nails it for me.
The North West is peppered with golf Courses, I'm not going to loose any sleep if a few close down.
Maybe I'm just a bad person though for not recognising the needs of would be Golfers who might possibly want to wear Flip Flops in the clubhouse
No but you seem to be stereotying to a massive extent those who would like to see a more inclusive and welcoming game with a strong future as people who want to wear flip flops in the club house. There is a middle ground which is where progress will be made. Lunatics shouting from both extremes of a spectrum make for good phone in shows on Radio 5 but ultimately get the game nowhere.
Jimaroid
Journeyman Pro
According to people I've spoken to at the SGU, overall participation in golf isn't really decreasing in Scotland. Club memberships are definitely going down but the number of visiting and nomadic golfers has been growing. To me this suggests the problem is the economic squeeze where people have less time and money to justify membership. There is still a strong desire to play golf, albeit less of it through memberships.
Related to all this I think that clubs need to modernise how their membership income is taken to attract more members. I know a few people that would play more golf through a club membership if they had more flexible payment options. People today are more comfortable with a monthly payment system than paying a lump sum membership. I think clubs need to adapt to keep people interested and the case studies I've seen from the SGU support this view. If golf clubs don't adapt to the market that is growing, club membership numbers will only get worse.
Related to all this I think that clubs need to modernise how their membership income is taken to attract more members. I know a few people that would play more golf through a club membership if they had more flexible payment options. People today are more comfortable with a monthly payment system than paying a lump sum membership. I think clubs need to adapt to keep people interested and the case studies I've seen from the SGU support this view. If golf clubs don't adapt to the market that is growing, club membership numbers will only get worse.
GB72
Money List Winner
I think that is an interesting point that participation remains stable whilst membership declines. That could, as you say, purely be down to economics and that with better economic prospects, membership will recover. The point about up front cost is also a good one but credit schemes are more widely available now. That said, if you are new to the sport it does not clear the commitment hurdle. As with gyms or anywhere else where you commit to a full year in your contract, there is often doubt about how much you will use the membership, enjoy the place etc. Maybe shorter memberships may be an option with higher prices for peak times of year and lower costs for a short, winter membership.
It may also be that the clubs are simply not offering what some people are looking for. Whether it be facilities, events, atmosphere or any one of a number of reasons beyond merely being a place to play golf, it may be that clubs are just not keeping up with what people want. It is partly for that reason that I am thinking of going nomad, the clubs around me are great places to play golf but the atmosphere and events that make it a club instead of just a place to play golf are too stuffy and too geared towards those of more advancing age than me (and I am not spring chicken at 42).
Qwerty
Tour Winner
Maybe I should of Stereotyped those Nasty Werthers sucking cardigan wearing Daily mail reading established elderly club Golfers who don't like change.
Because that's ok isn't it so long as you don't do it more than once a day.
Mark_Aged_42
Assistant Pro
Its not so much the money that stops people playing, after all, 2nd hand kit is cheap, Sports Direct and Primark supply clothing.
Its the lack of time for most people, especially those with children.
I would play a lot more IF 9 holes was an option. I could easily find the 2 hours to play 9 holes, but 4 hours is essentially an entire afternoon or morning. Not going to happen very often.
Also, if 9 holes costs approx half of 18 holes, then the cost is automatically reduced. Over a year I bet I would actually play and spend more on golf.
And as the children get older, they would maybe want to play 9 holes. That would suit their boredom threshold and physical capabilities.
Its the lack of time for most people, especially those with children.
I would play a lot more IF 9 holes was an option. I could easily find the 2 hours to play 9 holes, but 4 hours is essentially an entire afternoon or morning. Not going to happen very often.
Also, if 9 holes costs approx half of 18 holes, then the cost is automatically reduced. Over a year I bet I would actually play and spend more on golf.
And as the children get older, they would maybe want to play 9 holes. That would suit their boredom threshold and physical capabilities.
gdc
Head Pro
Nail hit firmly on the head - these are the years of mates, booze and girls.
Badly run courses will close in tight economic time and if demand dwindles especially as the land is always sought after for housing. No bad thing if a few go in my opinion
