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If you consider yourself a Millennial you might feel Triggered (LOL) by the following ----

 

Last night I was watching the golf channel and listening to a rather long discussion about the state of the game so to speak. Meaning golf in general. I know, we keep hearing this all the time. And, it's getting a little worn-out if you ask me. So basically last night the talkers were all worried about... get this; Millennials! I'm serious. Everyone seemed to agree except Chamblee somewhat that golf needs to change because Millennials are so unique and different. My goodness. I had no idea. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. It was as if a new species have settled on the planet and we must now accommodate them, change our ways, and perhaps most importantly change golf for them. What a bunch of horse$hit. Wikipedia defines this "cohort" as generally being born somewhere in the early 80's up to early 2000's. And again according to Wikipedia Millennials have increased familiarity with communications, media?, and digital technologies. Big Whoop. I could unravel those items easily but I'll save it. Still I suppose the Mills have quite a burden to bare and therefore they are special I guess.

 

From my narrow point of view I don't see the need to change golf to accommodate any group. Let alone Millennials. Or the elderly or baby boomers or some other X or Y generation. If you want to play and participate in the game welcome aboard. If not... have a nice day. You are not special or unique. The world doesn't revolve around you, me or anyone else.

Have a nice day. :)

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 For fear of being lumped into the ...."errrr Get off my lawn" demographic....I say preach on brother!!    Having worked in a past company that was so in-tuned into pleasing the millennials, they seemed to forget about the other 3,000 employees and pretty soon there was a bunch of infighting, and a Major exodus of a lot of mid level and senior personnel that left the EXEC committee scratching their head.   

 

I hate to lump everyone in that age group into an all encompassing group, but there are a lot of people in the 25 to 30 age range that seem to think, they deserve certain treatment or benefits that others have worked years for.   Just as there are some who I have met who come in and show a great amount of respect, appreciate learning from someone with experience, and don't laugh at the old foggy when you ask them to show you how to do something with new current technology..i.e Snapchat  :D

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As a millennial, I can definitely see merit in what you are saying about changing to accommodate the millennial generation's "consuming habits" for lack of a better term. Probably not the best idea.

 

However, golf does need to change. Specifically, we need to do a much better job of catering to children, and teens. We need to make the game so incredibly accessible to them. The industry is in decline. We need a new generation of golfers to come up behind us to rebuild the game if we want a bright future. No golfers leads to fewer courses/ranges, which leads to the eventual demise of golf.

 

It's too late to capture millennials. That ship has sailed. Let's get after the 7-17 year olds right now. Grow the game from the bottom up.

 

 

 

 

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It's too late to capture millennials. That ship has sailed. Let's get after the 7-17 year olds right now. Grow the game from the bottom up.

 

This is a really good idea. How can it be accomplished? LOTS of junior camps in my area. Is that enough, or are there other avenues that need to be looked into.

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This is a really good idea. How can it be accomplished? LOTS of junior camps in my area. Is that enough, or are there other avenues that need to be looked into.

I think cost is a huge factor. I know the only reason I played as a teen was because I worked at a course and it was free to practice and play.

 

I think we need to drastically reduce the cost to lower the barrier to entry for kids, especially kids of lower to middle class families who don't have a ton of disposable income.

 

I'm not going to pretend to know how to get that accomplished, but it's something I would love to see happen.

 

Maybe free range balls for juniors on a certain day or days of the week. Monthly free clinics for juniors. Maybe give kids a chance to get up early a day a week in the summer, pick range balls from the range, then to play nine holes for free with an assistant pro walking with them to lend some advice.

 

Lots of options, I just think we need the PGA or USGA to do a better job at backing junior golf outside of The First Tee.

 

Just my two cents as a 26 year old that would love to be able to play for the next 50 years.

 

 

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I think golf (and golfers like us) need to continue to reach out, to try to attract more people to the game, especially young people.  But the game itself does not need to be changed at all.  Of course, I'm an old curmudgeon too, and most curmudgeons seem to resist certain changes.  Resistance to changes has been going on for a long time.  For instance, in 1960 Richard Tufts, then on the USGA Rules Committee, questioned whether the rules were getting "too soft" as a response to populer demand for change.  He apparently didn't like rules changes that allowed you to repair ball marks!  And why was the stymie abolished??  We all managed to survive those changes just fine, along with countless other changes over the past 57 years.

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I think cost is a huge factor. I know the only reason I played as a teen was because I worked at a course and it was free to practice and play.

 

I think we need to drastically reduce the cost to lower the barrier to entry for kids, especially kids of lower to middle class families who don't have a ton of disposable income.

 

I'm not going to pretend to know how to get that accomplished, but it's something I would love to see happen.

 

Maybe free range balls for juniors on a certain day or days of the week. Monthly free clinics for juniors. I know the maybe give kids a chance to get up early a day a week in the summer, pick range balls from the range, then to play nine holes for free with an assistant pro walking with them to lend some advice.

 

Lots of options, I just think we need the PGA or USGA to do a better job and backing junior golf outside of The First Tee.

 

Just my two cents as a 26 year old that would love to be able to play for the next 50 years.

 

 

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I know that the local First Tee program around here gives young players some of these perks on local courses. $5 to walk 9 holes kind of thing.

 

The other thing that came to mind is that the older players also need to be welcoming, and nurturing when we see kids on the course playing. Too often it's easy to get pissed that they are slowing down play, not following the rules, or whatever. The term "teachable moment" needs to be the norm.

 

This is true for new golfers in general. I had a twosome in a cart behind me yesterday. I was walking solo and just hitting balls from different areas, as well as testing the new Bridgestone balls. Aka going nowhere fast.

 

So I wave the two through on the par 3, and the one guy proceeds to shoot about a 10 on the hole. I made sure to be vocal about knowing that they didn't need to rush, and commiserating on how golf is a game we love to hate. Had I been a dick (I let you play through and you play like this?) we could have lost a player from the game. It only takes that much to turn someone off.

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Sounds like someone triggered himself  :P

 

Lets look some sports that have changed:

 

Football- forward pass, helmets, quarters, etc,

Basketball- dunks, 3 point shots, Flagrant fouls

I could go on, but lets keep it short.

 

Don't know what aspects they were trying to say needed to change (didn't watch), but I'd like the addition of a shot clock.

Or maybe allowing people to play through, seems to be most  folks at every course i got to, don't like to let people play through.

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As what would be considered an "old" Millennial (I don't really put myself into that category as basically none of the stereotypes of this generation fit me) I agree with you Plaid. Golf's history and charm are what make it what it is.

 

I would also agree that golf needs to do a better job of SOMEHOW becoming more accessible to younger kids. I was lucky that my dad belonged to a country club and I could play/practice as much as I desired. With that said - many of my friends today don't play and a lot of that can be chalked up to never having the CHANCE to play. I've been able to get a few of them out there and they have almost all taken a liking to the game.

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I'm going to say this and hope I don't get pelted with golf balls, but golf can be downright boring, especially watching it on tv. Younger kids just dont have the patience of the kids 20-30 years ago had. Blame it on technology and the instant gratification that it has fostered or the 1000 channel line up on cable. I liked what the European tour did this past tourney with a shot clock, fireworks during the introduction and shortened format. That's a step in the right direction to get kids interested in the game.

 

 

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There is a happy medium somewhere.  The game doesn't need to change, but it needs to adapt - and the "get off my lawn" people need to understand that it's how the game is going to survive long term - long after the old timers are buried in the ground

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From my narrow point of view I don't see the need to change golf to accommodate any group. Let alone Millennials. Or the elderly or baby boomers or some other X or Y generation. If you want to play and participate in the game welcome aboard. If not... have a nice day. You are not special or unique. The world doesn't revolve around you, me or anyone else.

Have a nice day. 

 

 

Plaid, you are a good poster, but this is one of the most short-sighted things I've read on MGS (and it seems you are aware of that, as you started the paragraph with "from my narrow point of view")

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As I mentioned the other day. Watching golf on tv without shot tracer is like watching them take 70ish practice swings.

 

I think things like WM Open, and The Players are good events to get some people interested. But when they play at 8000 yards with rough that's knee deep... why would some kid want to endure that kind of punishment?

 

Golf is already hard enough. Making courses longer, keeping the rough too deep... the list goes on makes a hard game harder. And the rules... yup.

 

And yes all the private courses that have their members/guests play. How full are these courses compared to public?

 

And the cost to play the game doesn't help either. $700-1000+ for clubs (new) $20-$50+ for a box of balls. $20 - $600 to play the game. So just to get started to play one round IF you buy clubs your looking at around $800 on the cheap end just to play once. I know there are cheaper clubs and whatnot but that's still a lot of cash for these kids to fork over and they might hate the game. Yeah yeah, rentals..

 

 

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I'm going to say this and hope I don't get pelted with golf balls, but golf can be downright boring, especially watching it on tv. Younger kids just dont have the patience of the kids 20-30 years ago had. Blame it on technology and the instant gratification that it has fostered or the 1000 channel line up on cable. I liked what the European tour did this past tourney with a shot clock, fireworks during the introduction and shortened format. That's a step in the right direction to get kids interested in the game.

 

 

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I loved severtheties phrase of an "old millenial" so I am going to steal that because I fit into the same category. I think the era of instant gratification has a lot to do with kids losing interest in the game. Golf is "boring, too long and not exciting" so they don't get into it. They are the youtube generation, who would rather spend all afternoon trying to make a stupid video of one skateboard jump than they would enjoying the sport or trying to improve their skills. Think of the waterbottle flip and how popular it was. 

 

Another aspect that I have noticed in teenagers lately (as their teacher/coach and #1 enemy) that they don't like to try things they won't succeed at right away. They have a huge fear of failure, which has a lot to do with parents and schools not allowing them small failures while they are younger. As a result, they don't like golf, because it's hard and they'll shoot 100 and they don't want to. 

 

That being said, the saying golf needs to change is nonsensical to me. Change what? Equipment? Courses? I don't think either of those are the answer. I think the move to increased technology use on courses (products like arccos and game golf come to mind) as well as professional success of a guy like Wesley Bryan (who also makes trickshot videos) might encourage more of that type of person to try golf. Saying a change is needed without knowing what that change is would be silly. 

 

The inclusion of JR golfers is great, as are forward tee blocks for beginners (we have some at the beginning of the fairway at one local course) and these things will continue to grow the game. But don't cater to the millenial (19-25 year old) because that generation is a bunch of morons who will probably leave their parents basement. Turning golf into something they like would make me hate it.

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The team events help too. I think it brings a good element to the game.

 

How much is a ticket to go to an event? $100 or more? Never been, don't know.

 

 

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Again, to help grow the game from the junior level, the Manulife LPGA that is played in our area gives free tickets to anyone under 18 accompanied by a paying adult, just to get kids in the door. The LPGA I think is ahead of the curve engaging young people, autograph sessions, etc. They do a great job in our area every year. The Canadian Open is about an hour down the road, and it is poorly attended by big players, most of whom couldn't be bothered to interact with fans. JR tickets aren't free either. A little help at the pro level goes a long way.

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Again, to help grow the game from the junior level, the Manulife LPGA that is played in our area gives free tickets to anyone under 18 accompanied by a paying adult, just to get kids in the door. The LPGA I think is ahead of the curve engaging young people, autograph sessions, etc. They do a great job in our area every year. The Canadian Open is about an hour down the road, and it is poorly attended by big players, most of whom couldn't be bothered to interact with fans. JR tickets aren't free either. A little help at the pro level goes a long way.

actually, I think most LPGA events are that way, kids get in free w/ paying adult....i might be wrong though

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As a millenial I will jump in here. I have a couple different thoughts on this.

 

First off the phrase millenial has come to be a wide spectrum of people from 14-30 which simply doesnt work. I think there is a distinct cut off right around the HS Class of 2009. I am a class of 2007 kid. The biggest thing that influences how you act was your age at 9/11. I was in 7th grade and vividly remember life before and life after 9/11. I remember the change in the country. We became more fearful. Kids who were 5th grade and younger at the time dont really remember life before 9/11. They remember always having a cautious attitude towards people and things.

 

Second. Your generation raised us. We didnt demand trophies for participation. You guys gave them to us. Dont forget who raised Millenials. We didnt come out of the womb entitled.

 

Third in regards to golf. Golf changes. If it didnt we would all be playing hickory shafts wearing vests and ties on the course. They change golf for every generation. If it didnt golf wouldnt survive. Do I think you must change the basics of the sport? No. The cup shouldnt be bigger etc. But I think if a kid likes to listen to music on the course so be it. If its the difference between him wanting to play or not let him. The biggest a**holes I see on the course are not "millenials" they are usually a bunch of middle age guys 

 

Sorry if that rant means I was "triggered"

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Another aspect that I have noticed in teenagers lately (as their teacher/coach and #1 enemy) that they don't like to try things they won't succeed at right away. They have a huge fear of failure, which has a lot to do with parents and schools not allowing them small failures while they are younger. As a result, they don't like golf, because it's hard and they'll shoot 100 and they don't want to.

This! I coach high school bowling and over the years I've noticed this as well. So many kids are closed off to help its crazy. They try out, join the team, but then seem to catch attitudes or get down on themselves if they don't like a change I've made with their game. I know that if they practice it that it'll make a positive difference in the long run but all they can see is that for the past 10 shots they've struggled and they basically give up.

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So I'm a gen X  and grew up with the game since 8 years old. I'm all for change to help grow a game in changing times. This is not the same world as it was 30 years ago. If we're going to grow the game we need to do it without destroying the core values and traditions. There needs to be a happy medium where the game evolves accepting this new world and the kids we've all raised in it, all the while still encompassing and maintaining the core values of golf.

 

Most millennial's I encounter just want to be apart of something cool without disturbing what's come before them. Why shouldn't we accept them and there ways with open arms? I've noticed a growing issue however, with the 45+ age group that almost doesn't want a new generation in some fear of losing their baby.

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So I'm a gen X and grew up with the game since 8 years old. I'm all for change to help grow a game in changing times. This is not the same world as it was 30 years ago. If we're going to grow the game we need to do it without destroying the core values and traditions. There needs to be a happy medium where the game evolves accepting this new world and the kids we've all raised in it, all the while still encompassing and maintaining the core values of golf.

 

Most millennial's I encounter just want to be apart of something cool without disturbing what's come before them. Why shouldn't we accept them and there ways with open arms? I've noticed a growing issue however, with the 45+ age group that almost doesn't want a new generation in some fear of losing their baby.

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Most millennial's I encounter just want to be apart of something cool without disturbing what's come before them. Why shouldn't we accept them and there ways with open arms? I've noticed a growing issue however, with the 45+ age group that almost doesn't want a new generation in some fear of losing their baby.

As another Gen X'er you may want to bump that 45 number or you'll get kicked out of the group... (Born 1965-1984 is Gen X) ;)

 

People who resist change are likely destined to be disappointed. Changes don't need to be major, but those of us who have been around a bit know that nothing ever really stays the same. Typically, change is for the better, or it doesn't last long. aka New Coke and Crystal Pepsi.

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As a millenial I will jump in here. I have a couple different thoughts on this.

 

First off the phrase millenial has come to be a wide spectrum of people from 14-30 which simply doesnt work. I think there is a distinct cut off right around the HS Class of 2009. I am a class of 2007 kid. The biggest thing that influences how you act was your age at 9/11. I was in 7th grade and vividly remember life before and life after 9/11. I remember the change in the country. We became more fearful. Kids who were 5th grade and younger at the time dont really remember life before 9/11. They remember always having a cautious attitude towards people and things.

 

Second. Your generation raised us. We didnt demand trophies for participation. You guys gave them to us. Dont forget who raised Millenials. We didnt come out of the womb entitled.

 

Third in regards to golf. Golf changes. If it didnt we would all be playing hickory shafts wearing vests and ties on the course. They change golf for every generation. If it didnt golf wouldnt survive. Do I think you must change the basics of the sport? No. The cup shouldnt be bigger etc. But I think if a kid likes to listen to music on the course so be it. If its the difference between him wanting to play or not let him. The biggest a**holes I see on the course are not "millenials" they are usually a bunch of middle age guys

 

Sorry if that rant means I was "triggered"

I agree with the above. I'm certain every generation has made similar comments to the OP about their proceeding generations. I've heard many from the "greatest generation" complain about their baby boomer kids and generation x grandchildren.

 

I'm fine with storied courses maintaining traditions, but I think in general, most munis could afford to ease up on dress codes, allow music on the course, offer more 9 hole options, etc.

 

I think things like PGA Jr. League are steps in the right direction. It's in golf's best interest for more people to remain interested and engaged in the sport. Trying to alienate any generation would ultimately hurt the sport that we all love.

 

 

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I see an effort being made, at least local to me, to get some of the younger kids involved with golf camps, first tee, etc.  I think it is great.  There is a par 3 course close to my house that has a reputation of being a good place to take your kids to the golf course, whether on the course or at the driving range.  Everyone that goes there is really cool with being ok that the range might be a little louder than they are used to.  I think this is great, I realize not all courses can or should be like this but it is good to have some in the mix to help grow the game.

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... Many if you are just spoiled by the Tiger era. When I was in high school in Greensboro NC NOBODY played golf, Especially athletes. I think there were 4 Country Clubs and 2 public courses. This is only 1971 so not that long ago in the history of the game. Tiger made golf popular and all of a sudden courses were popping up everywhere. There is no way that growth was going to be maintained. As many others have stated, it is a very difficult game and takes a certain kind of person to make it a lifelong endeavor. 

...  I have no idea about the future of the game. Things have changed so much already, and all for the good. Casual clothes allowed most places, relaxed rules, range finders, etc. This is not the old Country Club stuffed shirt game the seniors in my high school class played in long white cuffed pants, a long sleeve white button down shirt and a tie. A TIE! I am certainly not saying we need to go back to an ancient era, but the current era is unsustainable because it was built on a bubble of new people coming to the game that never were going to stick with it. Courses will close, demand will decrease and only those really interested in playing will remain. So as long as the difficulty of the game remains and the courses are generally the same, I am all for any changes that make it more attractive to a younger generation. 

Driver:     :taylormade-small:  Qi10 10.5* ... Ventus Red Velocore 5R
Fairway:  :cobra-small: Aerojet 3/5 ... Kai'li Blue 60R
Hybrids:  :ping-small:      430 Hybrid 22*... Steelfiber 780Hy 
                  :taylormade-small:  DHy #4 ... Diamana LTD 65r 
Irons:       :titleist-small:         '23 T200 5-Pw ... Steelfiber i95r
Wedges:  :taylormade-small: Vokey 50*/54*/58* ... Steelfiber i95r
Putter:     :cobra-small:  Sport-60 33" 
Ball:           Maxfli     Maxfli Tour

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I think cost is a huge factor. I know the only reason I played as a teen was because I worked at a course and it was free to practice and play.

 

I think we need to drastically reduce the cost to lower the barrier to entry for kids, especially kids of lower to middle class families who don't have a ton of disposable income.

 

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And the cost to play the game doesn't help either. $700-1000+ for clubs (new) $20-$50+ for a box of balls. $20 - $600 to play the game. So just to get started to play one round IF you buy clubs your looking at around $800 on the cheap end just to play once. I know there are cheaper clubs and whatnot but that's still a lot of cash for these kids to fork over and they might hate the game. Yeah yeah, rentals..

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

Cost is one factor but there are a few other popular activities that seem to grab the Millennials interest that are just as expensive--snowboarding/skiing comes to mind. So maybe only part of the story.

 

While speaking of cost though, we also need to keep in mind that there was a lot of millennials entering the workforce during the recession that had a hard time getting jobs.  So some of this generation is just starting to get into a more stable income right now.  They may start taking up the game in their thirties or forties.  So let's not count them out yet!

:cleveland-small: Launcher HB Driver 10.5* | :cleveland-small: Launcher HB 5W | :cleveland-small: Launcher HB 3H and 4H | :cleveland-small: Launcher CBX Irons 5-PW | :cleveland-small: CBX Wedges 50*, 54*, 58* | :cleveland-small: TFI 2135 Cero Putter | :srixon-small: Q Star Balls
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I like how so many people comment as if millennials are visitors from another planet.

 

News flash, tons of people on this forum didn't graduate high school before 2000 (which is the official cutoff for a millennial).

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