Is Golf Fading?

[alaskanpiper]

I have played since I was 12. Had a 6 handicap when I was in my late teens. Played every day during summers. When I became an adult and had to start paying my own green fees I dropped down to a few rounds a year. Now I usually shoot low to mid 80s. Sure is fun though, and pipe friendly!

Unfortunately for us Alaska folks, the courses have some pretty furry greens, out of bounds = ball gone forever, and the season only runs late may to september.

Honestly I think part of the decline is that a more money/retirement conscious younger generation is just not willing to buy in to such an expensive hobby. To be good enough at golf to really enjoy it, you have to play regularly. It is both difficult to learn and expensive, both of which seem to be turn offs for a lot of younger folks with tremendous student loan debt, housing costs, health care costs, and short attention spans.

I sure hope it can make a comeback though. Once you “get it” it sure is a lot of fun.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

After a 7 year hiatus, got back into this summer. Loved it. I don't see signs of golf fading.

 

[hobie1dog]

Still seems to be a lot of young kids still getting into it.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I'm the only one who smokes a pipe at my home course, and very little cigar and virtually no cigarettes.

And I have no idea how popularity is best measured. There are numbers out there, I am sure, but if payout to pros for winning up to 50 places is a good measure, golf is on fire!

 

[weezell]

I'm supposing it must be a very ingrained part of the golf culture that isn't so easily removed.

Anything related to smoking is easily removed any more. It won't be long you can smoke a joint on the golf course but a pipe/cigar/cigarette will get you booted...

 

[brian64]

Anything related to smoking is easily removed any more. It won't be long you can smoke a joint on the golf course but a pipe/cigar/cigarette will get you booted...

No doubt. But the fact that it has not already been banned on golf courses surprises me.

 

[warren]

As

Anything related to smoking is easily removed any more. It won't be long you can smoke a joint on the golf course but a pipe/cigar/cigarette will get you booted...

long as you keep your membership up and women aren't allowed in the clubhouse there is very little danger of that. Now you poor public links players ... well your club/on course smoking may be in jeopardy. Too bad!

 

[weezell]

long as you keep your membership up and women aren't allowed in the clubhouse

You sexist pig ! (but true)...

 

[danimalia]

I haven't played in a couple of years and I'm awful at it, but I enjoy it when I play and generally consider it a good thing. My brother is pretty good and plays regularly. As for the poor use of land, well, kinda, but it's also one of the few open, fairly natural spaces in many areas. The courses around here have all kinds of wildlife which is part of the fun of playing for me. And recreation facilities should be a part of any area, IMO. I only play public/muni courses.

As for its elitist and racist past, golf is probably more accessible and diverse now than many adult gathering places. At the public courses in the East Bay, you see all kinds of different people, and from different income groups as well. Because they link individuals and small groups together to try to create foursomes, I've ended up meeting some really interesting and diverse people playing golf. From old hippies talking about how they lost their shit watching Caddyshack in the theaters on acid, to Taiwanese guys visiting on business to a couple of ex-NFL players, you never know who you'll run into and get matched up with. So in a lot of ways, golf courses are some of the more integrated spaces where I live.

Smoking is banned at some of the courses here, but nobody seems to give a shit or follow the laws/rules.. Lord knows I don't.

 

[sablebrush52]

My father was an enthusiastic golfer, playing a couple of times a month, or watching and/or attending tournaments. He once tried to teach me, but had no patience and about the only thing that came out of that one disastrous session was that he accidentally crushed the tip of my left pinkie in the car door.

I like a round of miniature golf once every few years.

 

[brian64]

The comments regarding poor use of land and elitist issues reminded me of this lol:

 

[TinCup]

I am passionate about golf and play as much as I can (allowing for time/costs etc) I don’t see golf as fading, rather its settling down after an unsustainable (almost unnatural) expansion/growth period

The Tiger effect was/is a once in several lifetimes phenomenon and both directly & indirectly resulted in a spike in interest that totally outstripped the capacity and suitability of available courses

Not only were there not enough courses, many of the ‘traditional’ types of courses were unsuited & unwilling to welcome this influx in interest from joe/janet public

To be fair (like most things) interest is cyclical anyway and interest in golf was on the rise in the 90’s already, throw in Tiger and it was a ‘perfect storm’ that led to the construction of (what would transpire as) too many golf courses, meaning once the cycle continued its natural curve we’re left with an excess that not sustainable so the closures etc make ‘bad press’ for the game and an appearance of decline… but they need to go

The Tours round the globe are enjoying unparalleled success/exposure, the prize money is higher than ever, junior golf programmes are more popular than ever, the sexist approach is disappearing (although not fast enough) Many of the stuffy traditions are being changed

I also think how we use golf courses is changing & drifting away from the traditional membership model (which is what has usually been used to measure how many people play golf) so while this may suggest a drop in participation etc it merely means a drop in members not the number of people playing golf, many of whom have changed in favour of a more nomadic/social/pay as you play approach

Golf like anything else cannot permanently been on an incline. (we’ve been tee’ing it up for 500 years, it would be dominating the planet by now) So never fear, golf’s not going anywhere anytime soon and is plenty healthy

 

[alaskanpiper]

I played last night....half pissed on a date with my wife. I shot something over par. But more importantly I was a few beers under.

 

[leafsmoker]

DIsc golf is free to play almost at every course, you can buy everything you need for less than $20, used way less land, and its approachable, does have the classist history attached to it, and doesn't take hours to play.
It does have a well earned reputation of attracting stoners, lol.

Disc golf every week here, when I have the time. I prefer disc golfing as I love going on walks in the woods. I enjoy it so much better than regular golf.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Disc golf every week here, when I have the time. I prefer disc golfing as I love going on walks in the woods. I enjoy it so much better than regular golf.

Frolf is also really damn fun. Ive had more moose encounters frolfing here than I have moose hunting haha.

 

[trubka2]

Now you poor public links players ... well your club/on course smoking may be in jeopardy.

Not worried about it, not around here anyway. Milwaukee County still sells cigars at county courses. That's right, a government concession sells tobacco products. Pretty good selection, too. Even if they did ban smoking, nobody would pay any attention. +1 to what Danimalia said about public courses - it's the same way here. It's a great public space, and it brings in a little dough for the county.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Golf courses here are in no danger of being smoke free, regardless of what any rules say. I’ve helped the course marshall push his cart out of the woods with a doobie hanging out of his mouth. He told me he was taking an “off road shortcut.” There were skidmarks on the cart path.

I tried the same shortcut next round. A nice kid helped me push my cart out of the woods. But I’m pretty sure I was airborne, goddamnit. Totally worth it.

 

[cfreud]

Love golf. A pipe smoker usually, I generally have cigars on the golf course. Golfed in San Francisco, not exactly known for its tolerance for smoking, and no problems.

 

[mso489]

Apparently it is more addictive than it looks. Once a person has broken for bag of clubs, they are usually in it for life. My dad had an old leather bag and about eight clubs, and he never bought another. Vintage golf from the nineteen-teens inherited from his dad I think.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

A bit of a Yogiism, but... golf is probably dying out, because the courses are so damned crowded, ha ha!!