Why isn't golf more popular?

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robert.redmile

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Playing with me pals yesterday, we got talking about golf, and how good it is, and why isn't the game more popular? What really hit home was that our club only has 7 junior members. When we were lads, it had 60......

we all love it so much, yet it still doesn't seem to connect with most people, and the young appear to be abandoning the game. Any ideas why?

we came up with

- time it takes to play
- time it takes to learn
- its too hard
- perception that it's expensive (it isn't. Its cheaper now than it was 20 yrs ago. 12 quid to play forest pines? Full set of clubs for hundred quid etc)
- seen as elitist
- seen as cliquey

Seems to me that golf needs a shake up and moving into the modern world, as it's missing some clear open goals in my view....
 
robert.redmile said:
Playing with me pals yesterday, we got talking about golf, and how good it is, and why isn't the game more popular? What really hit home was that our club only has 7 junior members. When we were lads, it had 60......

we all love it so much, yet it still doesn't seem to connect with most people, and the young appear to be abandoning the game. Any ideas why?

we came up with

- time it takes to play
- time it takes to learn
- its too hard
- perception that it's expensive (it isn't. Its cheaper now than it was 20 yrs ago. 12 quid to play forest pines? Full set of clubs for hundred quid etc)
- seen as elitist
- seen as cliquey

Seems to me that golf needs a shake up and moving into the modern world, as it's missing some clear open goals in my view....
Click to expand...
Yes, all of the above. Plus, at least in the outer London area, many cheaper pay and play courses, where people might start playing golf, are being closed down for redevelopment into yuppy housing estates! :angry:
 
Last edited:
delc said:
Yes, all of the above. Plus, at least in the outer London area, many cheaper pay and play courses, where people might start playing golf, are being closed down for redevelopment into yuppy housing estates! :angry:
Click to expand...

Which courses? We have several pay and play courses in north herts that are doing well.
 
Like a number of sports in this country it possesses a pejorative reputation that it either cant or doesnt want to shake off.

Thus:

Golf is seen as expensive and played by old men in daft clothes living in the 50's
Tennis is played by the privileged, stuffy elite (probably not far from the truth to be fair!)
Hockey still has the "jolly hockey sticks" thing
Even Rugby Union and cricket struggle to shake off the images from the past.

These are the images portrayed by certain sections of the media, rightly or wrongly, and therefore believed by much of the uninitiated public at large. And, of course, Football is still portrayed as the great, honest game of the working classes! :eek:
 
Plenty of stuff being done at grass roots level by EGU, and various organistations http://www.ukkidsgolf.co.uk/getting-started andhttp://www.ymg-golf.com/

My own club has developed a junior academy and numbers have grown significantly http://www.royalascotgolfclub.co.uk/membership/junior-membership.html and so I think there's plenty of good stuff being done and would suggest in the OP at least, the issue is more with the club not trying to support and encourage juniors to get involved. Many local ranges and clubs around here are doing group lessons, including Downshire, a pay and play which then gets the smaller ones playing their 9 hole pitch and putt and the older ones go for 9 on the big course with the pro.

How is golf different to cricket as an example to learn technique and time taken to play (even a limited over game). Of course golf is difficult and thats part of the allure but with a decent introduction at least kids get a basic understanding of fundamentals. Many places have kids clubs for hire and there are deals to be had so I don't necessarily it needs to be expensive (compare that with a cost of footie boots even for a kid) and I really don't think as juniors there are really too many cliques.

Of course more could be done. It always could but the future at least from what I've observed at various places isn't as bleak as the OP may perhaps indicate
 
My top explanation of why it's not so big is that's its not forced down your throats like footy of rugby. Football is shown on standard telly and also has many follow up shows like motd etc, like today I Been dying to watch a bit of golf today but sadly can't fork out the £60 a month for a sky package.

When I tell people I play golf they can't belive it ( I'm 29 but look 18 ) they think I must of started playing as a young child as not many 20 something's take up the game.

I think golf needs someone like Eddie herne to bring the game to life similar to what his done with darts and poker.
 
golfdub said:
My top explanation of why it's not so big is that's its not forced down your throats like footy of rugby. Football is shown on standard telly and also has many follow up shows like motd etc, like today I Been dying to watch a bit of golf today but sadly can't fork out the £60 a month for a sky package.

When I tell people I play golf they can't belive it ( I'm 29 but look 18 ) they think I must of started playing as a young child as not many 20 something's take up the game.

I think golf needs someone like Eddie herne to bring the game to life similar to what his done with darts and poker.
Click to expand...

Maybe, but i'd rather it be someone else than the Hearns. I used to follow darts prodigiously and loved what Barry Hearn has done for the PDC. But in the last year or two the whole tour has started to become too much of a pantomime and a circus for me.
 
We had innovations like Powerplay golf which even had pro events (until the main sponsor went bust) and it died a death but apart from a bit of fun it did little to change perceptions or speed the game up. We have the European Tour, Golf England (and the other bodies) and a raft of organisations all doing stuff at grass roots and the last thing it needs is some all powerful mogul changing the game to make it a ratings winner. What next, players walking to the first tee to intro music?
 
robert.redmile said:
we came up with

- time it takes to play
- time it takes to learn
- its too hard
- perception that it's expensive (it isn't. Its cheaper now than it was 20 yrs ago. 12 quid to play forest pines? Full set of clubs for hundred quid etc)
- seen as elitist
- seen as cliquey

Seems to me that golf needs a shake up and moving into the modern world, as it's missing some clear open goals in my view....
Click to expand...

Its always taken pretty much the same time to play
There's better access to practice facilities, and better teaching pro's than there's ever been.
"Too hard" = too lazy to learn.
Golf may be cheaper than it used to be but living isn't. i'd hate to have to be starting from scratch buying a house or decent car.
I'm not sure it's elitist, but I would say golf can be very unwelcoming. We all say that we don't mind taking a new starter out , but with so little time to play, especially fitting in comps and practice, just how much do we really commit to a new starter?
Cliquey...? It can be. But I'll answer that by asking a question. How welcoming is a club to a low handicapper compared to a new starter? How often have you heard, "you'll be out there for hours looking for balls if you play with....."
 
I feel that getting started for a young person is quite costly compared with other sports, football is just a ball and you can play anywhere,most schools have tennis courts but golf is a whole different thing.
I am a member of Knowle golf club in Brsitol and the junior section ran by a guy called Dave Owen went round the local schools and offered a free coaching session for all children who wanted to try golf out and after ran group lessons for a low fee of £2 and would loan the children a set of clubs, both of my younger kids (8 and 5 yrs) tried it and enjoyed it and are now both members and have been doing the golf passport program which they have both passed the second stage and all in the last 6 months ( this is what got me back into golf after a long break) They are going to a junior disco tonight held at the club and collect their awards.
Sometimes on the putting green there could be 20 juniors and it is accepted that the youth of today are the players of tomorrow.
I am certain that there must be a lot of Golf clubs that offer the same programs for juniors it is just not advertised as well.
 
delc said:
Blue Mountain in Bracknell, Ruislip and Harefield Place (under threat from HS2 and redevelopment), Bearwood and possibly others!
Click to expand...

Bearwood wasn't closed for housing - it has become Reading Football club's training ground! Of the others, only Harefield Place has actually closed! Though there is certainly a likelihood that courses on Council owned land will be affected by the Government imposed requirement for more development. In the Hillingdon area (that covers Harefield and Ruislip) there are actually a couple of new courses that have been/are being built, at least 1 of which provides excellent facilities for new golfers - and is marketed to that section too.

It's pretty understandable that councils look at Golf courses that are on their land for use as housing demands. With significantly improved transport, the 150-200 acres of land a loss-making (for them) Golf course takes up can provide something around 1500-2000 homes! They can also legitimately say that there is plenty of spare capacity in commercial/member clubs in their areas.
 
Why does golf need to be more popular ?

Is there around 6-7 million golfers in the UK with around 60 million in the world

Though in terms of participation levels it's only football and running that has more ?

So why the recent spate of demands to make golf more popular ?
 
One difference is that cricket, rugby and football all have organised clubs with age group sections where coaching and equipment is free and the kids are encouraged to get out and play. If golf were free on on a weekend morning with free coaching and equipment to borrow then I am sure that more kids would play. Make the clubhouse more welcoming so parents could have breakfast whilst the kids had a lesson and you have a start. One thing I have noticed from rugby is that the clubhouse is a social center for the parents who stay and chat whilst the kids play. How many golf clubhouses Do that.

You then have the problem of when kids play. How many frowns would you get if there was a large group of kids taking up the course at the weekend so as they can play a hole or 2 with the pro.

And that is the next point, the pro. They have to be approachable, good with kids and willing to give up their time. Some are, some are not.

Then you have the members. How many use the club as an escape for a few hours from the stresses of family and kids and begrudge kids near the club unless they are seen and not heard.

Lastly, many kids are pointed towards the sport their parents played, they play at school or they see on tv. With next to no golf in schools, in the press or on normal tv, only kids with golfer parents are likely to be pushed towards a golf club.

If you want kids to play golf then clubs need a massive culture change that most do not want and many do not need. I just wish the golfing fraternity would be less hypocritical by professing a desire to expand the game when really most are perfectly happy with everything the way it is and really do not want any form of change at all
 
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