freddielong
Tour Winner
I don't mean it in that sense but when golf club membership was something people aspired to rather than the take it or leave it attitude there is at the moment.
I don't mean it in that sense but when golf club membership was something people aspired to rather than the take it or leave it attitude there is at the moment.
Capella
Journeyman Pro
Del_Boy
Head Pro
Maybe that's because golf club membership hasn't moved along with what people now expect from membership. I think in all aspects of life people expect more than they did before and if you can't deliver that 'extra' people will just take it or leave it because there are many alternatives
S
Snelly
Guest
I think shorts for the pros should be allowed. Seems silly that they cannot wear them in my view.
As for the decline of golf, I think the point that membership of a golf club is no longer seen as something aspirational has some validity. However, unlike the Corbynistas of the forum, I don't believe that this has anything to do with opening golf club doors to the proles.
Much more likely is that golf, like most sports, has peaks and troughs of participation - squash is another good example. Both huge 25 years ago and dwindling participation today.
For golf, I also believe that as the pace of life has increased in the UK, leisure time has become more precious and the time it takes to play a round is now a prohibitive factor. Logically, this also points to slow play being the biggest problem that golf currently faces. It is killing the game.
As for the decline of golf, I think the point that membership of a golf club is no longer seen as something aspirational has some validity. However, unlike the Corbynistas of the forum, I don't believe that this has anything to do with opening golf club doors to the proles.
Much more likely is that golf, like most sports, has peaks and troughs of participation - squash is another good example. Both huge 25 years ago and dwindling participation today.
For golf, I also believe that as the pace of life has increased in the UK, leisure time has become more precious and the time it takes to play a round is now a prohibitive factor. Logically, this also points to slow play being the biggest problem that golf currently faces. It is killing the game.
Hacker Khan
Yurt Dwelling, Yoghurt Knitter
But could one not argue that if you say make the average time a round takes 3.5 hours instead of 4 or whatever it is, the extra half an hour in reality won't make that much difference? As if you are out golfing then once you have got there, possibly had a pint afterwards, may be even a quick warm up, you are talking what 5 plus hours door to door? So is being able to do it in 4.5 plus hours going to make that much difference?
I do agree that the perception of slow play is a problem and everything should be done to speed it up. But instead of just looking at getting people round 18 holes a bit quicker there has to also be attractive opportunities to play quicker golf other than 18 holes. IMHO.
Hacker Khan
Yurt Dwelling, Yoghurt Knitter
And whose fault would you say the fact that it is not longer aspirational and there is a 'take it or leave it' attitude is then? Societies or the golf clubs themselves?
S
Snelly
Guest
I think an extra hour does make a difference. Certainly for me. If I could turn up to play on a Saturday at 8am, have a bacon sarnie and a coffee then play 18 holes in 3 hours, shower, couple of pints and home, then I would be back by the middle of the day, leaving ample time to do something significant in the afternoon with the family: lunch, hiking, list of jobs at home, another sport etc. Add on another 90 minutes and it starts to eat into the day too much plus I will be in a worse mood as I will have had to wait for ages on the course as PGA Tour impersonators take five minutes to chunk it 70 yards every verse end.
In essence, I am saying that golf needs to fit in to half a day, not three quarters of one. Muppets playing slower and slower over the past 20 years has meant the former is a rare occasion and the latter is the unfortunate, annoying norm.
Lambchops
Assistant Pro
That's exactly what I do - tee off at 8am on Sat or Sunday is no comp on, get round and I'm home for lunch then the afternoon is spent with the missus and little'un or watching the football
Spear-Chucker
Tour Rookie
Another sensible piece from James Corrigan of the Torygraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/go...-resist-the-knee-jerk-reaction-to-shorts.html
may have been the case in England in the past, but not in Scotland, here it has always been a game for everyone
Capella
Journeyman Pro
This is going slightly off the shorts topic now
, but what bothers me most about slow play (in social golf on the course, not in pro golf) is not the overall time needed for the round, but that having to stand on the fairway waiting for the group in front to clear the green sometimes really messes up the flow of my game. My muscles get cold, I have way too much time to worry about the next shot, my concentration goes out of the window ... Plus, at this time of the year, daylight is a concern. Half an hour more can mean having to end your round two or three holes early because it gets too dark.
I don't think that stuffy old rich people play any faster than hip less fortunate young ones, though, so I doubt the slower rounds are due to a degrade of social standards in golfers.
freddielong
Tour Winner
I don't know there are golfers on here that love the game enough to talk about it on a forum, who are choosing not to renew their membership, at one time people wouldn't dream of giving up their membership for fear of not getting back in.
UlyssesSky
Head Pro
And you actually feel like those times were better?
freddielong
Tour Winner
It was for the golf courses.
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
How was it ? By restricting who plays to just the privileged ?
freddielong
Tour Winner
Are you really asking why having a waiting list to join is better for a club than not having enough members.
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
All depends on the numbers in the club and why they are on a waiting list and how some clubs allow certain people to jump waiting lists
For years golf clubs made people jump through hoops to join - the "exclusiveness" of golf clubs put people off and that's why golf participation plus the costs dropped - opening up golf clubs to more people allowed the sport and golf clubs to move forward with current society needs - flexible memberships , removal of joining fees , removal of formal interviews , relaxation of dress codes etc etc - golf clubs needed to do that or they would die away.
freddielong
Tour Winner
Then why is it that the more exclusive golf clubs are thriving and more of the ones that have opened up are struggling.
You just think that is what is needed because that is what you want, there is nothing to back it up.
We have joining fees, formal interviews, dress codes etc etc and our membership is very healthy, if the course is good enough I believe the membership will always be good, and well mixed.
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
That doesn't make it a sport thriving if there are a number of clubs that are out of reach for most still have their multi millionaire members.
Is that not the exact image the golf suffers with and numbers drop because whilst a few of the rich clubs plod along - the rest don't.
I think it's clear that your attitude it exactly fitting in with the old image of exclusive sport - that goes against everything the sport wants to be.
