Why have so many left this great game?

[NiftyNiblick]

Sailing, like owning one of those gilded age mansions in Newport, looks really cool to me.

The Mega Millions and Power Ball Lotteries are both really up there, but they,

even if I won them back to back,

wouldn't get me to the Newport level.   Damn.

What does a 12 meter racing yacht go for these days?

That's even cooler than polo which is regarded even cooler than golf.

Poker, though, is probably the most physically demanding sport that I'm up to right now..

And that's only for as long as I can stay awake.

 

[deejaid]

Why have so many left? Death.

 

The guys that were playing during the 70’s and 80’s are now in their 70’s or 80’s or in the ground.

 

But, shouldn’t the next generation of middle age men have taken their place? Theoretically yes, but men of my generation spend much more time with their families, probably because many of us were latchkey kids while dad was out golfing.

 

Now you older fathers out there please don’t take offense, but the fatherhood role has evolved over the last 40 years. How many men were members of men’s clubs like Rotary or some sort of lodge 40 years ago? Now, how many 40 year old men are joining those same organizations today?

 

I play a hell of a lot less golf than my father did at my age. I’m hoping because of that my relationship with my daughters will be strong when they are adults, and not the twice a year phone calls my dad and I have.

 

 

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[Big money]

There is such a large age gap on golf courses.The majority of golfers are age 60 and up.The twenty -thirty five  age is almost non existent.My theory is they just aren’t interested anymore.The growth  of golf will really rely on the development of junior golf.Just not sure if it is considered ‘cool enough for this new generation.

And just maybe closing courses and condensing golfers might be good for the game.I think there are still an over excess of courses.Close them up and use the land for developing business and grow the economy.Hate seeing empty courses on prime real estate land.Utilize this asset.If I had the land and was given a choice of golf course or housing development.Would choose housing development hands down.Return on investments wouldn’t even be debatable 

[GregB135]

The time dedication is certainly a factor. A lot of that has to do with goals and what a player wants from the game. 'I wanna be a scratch golfer guy' has to dedicate hours to practice and play to build up to and maintain that skill level. 'I just wanna have fun with my buddies guy' - not so much.

The affordability factor is probably what drives more people away or discourages them from playing more. Playing with the best equipment and on the best courses comes at a cost premium that many are no longer willing to make. The OEMs will adjust when demand drops enough and price increases will slow down. The per round price at he course is what I would wager is the one cost driving people away, and it is because of how it affects the overall experience. 

When you choose to play the fully public or muni course because it's more affordable, most likely at least one factor of course conditions will be somewhat poor - simply because the course cant afford to maintain pristine conditions at the price point that attracts players. Those types of courses also attract more inexperienced/younger/budget conscious players - often meaning slow pace of play and lack of etiquette. Semi-private or private clubs typically have better course conditions, but the cost to the public is higher, and at a few I've had the opportunity to play the membership is not welcoming to 'unaccompanied' guests. In either case, when it becomes a negative experience people won't come back.

[BIG STU]

I have read through this thread with interest. I have came to the conclusion it all has to do with the demographics of a area. I know here we are a tourist and retiree area so golf is good here. It is still thriving as I am sure it is in Rev and Fozzies area in Florida. Even some 180 miles North of me in the Charlotte NC and Piedmont area of North Carolina it is still thriving. But from reading on here and other golf sites it can be dying in some areas. Like I said it depends on the demographics of an area

[BIG STU]

2 hours ago, deejaid said:

Why have so many left? Death.

 

The guys that were playing during the 70’s and 80’s are now in their 70’s or 80’s or in the ground.

 

But, shouldn’t the next generation of middle age men have taken their place? Theoretically yes, but men of my generation spend much more time with their families, probably because many of us were latchkey kids while dad was out golfing.

 

Now you older fathers out there please don’t take offense, but the fatherhood role has evolved over the last 40 years. How many men were members of men’s clubs like Rotary or some sort of lodge 40 years ago? Now, how many 40 year old men are joining those same organizations today?

 

I play a hell of a lot less golf than my father did at my age. I’m hoping because of that my relationship with my daughters will be strong when they are adults, and not the twice a year phone calls my dad and I have.

 

 

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Funny you mentioned the Elks club because a fellow asked me the other day if I would be interested in joining the Rotary Club up in Conway SC. Told him politely thanks but no thanks. That sorta thing is not my cup of tea. Nothing wrong with it but just not for me. This is just me but the time spent there I can do stuff at my Church which I do any way. But having no kids or grand kids I work , do stuff with the wife, go to church and do stuff there, Play some golf and piddle in the shop. I like it like that trust me some days when I am off work I may just sit on my Fat Francis at the house. 

[THEZIPR23]

9 minutes ago, BIG STU said:

I have read through this thread with interest. I have came to the conclusion it all has to do with the demographics of a area. I know here we are a tourist and retiree area so golf is good here. It is still thriving as I am sure it is in Rev and Fozzies area in Florida. Even some 180 miles North of me in the Charlotte NC and Piedmont area of North Carolina it is still thriving. But from reading on here and other golf sites it can be dying in some areas. Like I said it depends on the demographics of an area

I would agree for the most part. I live in the Central Valley of California, Ag Ag AG and more AG. It has a very diverse population and there are more than normal that are at or below the poverty level. Within 50 miles of my house there are 24 golf courses. 10 private, 12 public full size and 2 driving ranges with 9 hole par 3's. 3 were established between 1995 & 1998 all others have been open for much longer. All have sustained the ups and downs and none have closed (although there were plans to add at least 2 more before 2008, both went bankrupt during construction), I know one of the privates has a waiting list to get in. $5000 to get in and just over $500/month and people are in line to get in! There have been changes in the last 10 years for sure, you can get almost any tee time you want and there are very few periods that you will see a packed course. 15 years ago they were all full most of the time. So it has changed and I am sure that it will continue to do so. Some of the biggest changes have been the green fee prices. Many if not all of the public have either not raised or lowered their fees in the last 10 years, but on average you still pay $50 with cart for 18 holes. Adaptation is the only way anything survives.

So decline...maybe...but I believe that it is more of a correction than a decline. 

 

Also I don't believe anyone has said that the reason many people have left is because this is a hard a$$ game. It's not one for the faint of heart. It's not something you pick up and become good at right away and it is a game that is impossible to master. If you play this game, even for just the social aspect, you will be humbled, humiliated, exhilarated and bursting with excitement, a lot of times all within the same round. It takes a little while to get used to the first two of those. The ego plays a big factor and once that is put in check you still have to invest time and energy constantly to improve even just a stroke. 

[Kenny B]

6 hours ago, Edveed said:

There is such a large age gap on golf courses.The majority of golfers are age 60 and up.The twenty -thirty five  age is almost non existent.My theory is they just aren’t interested anymore.The growth  of golf will really rely on the development of junior golf.Just not sure if it is considered ‘cool enough for this new generation.

And just maybe closing courses and condensing golfers might be good for the game.I think there are still an over excess of courses.Close them up and use the land for developing business and grow the economy.Hate seeing empty courses on prime real estate land.Utilize this asset.If I had the land and was given a choice of golf course or housing development.Would choose housing development hands down.Return on investments wouldn’t even be debatable 

Again, I think it depends on where you live.  At the muni where I am a member, there are certainly a group old people, both men and women.  My regular group during the week averages 75 years old, and I'm the youngest at 71.  The women's club averages about 55 years old.  The men's club average is probably closer to 50 years old.  However, when I play on the weekend, my wife and I are nearly always paired with 20 or 30-somethings.  Generally, us old guys play during the week, but except for the Men's club, the majority of the golfers on weekends are a lot younger.  But then again, we haven't seen a decline in the number of golfers like other areas of the country.

[revkev]

Area clearly matters - there are certainly golfers in the 20-35 age range on our courses. There are guys in that age range in both leagues that I play in as well as women in that age range in one of my leagues.

I’m not nieve, I know that the number of golfers have reduced since the early 2,000ths but it has been extremely stable here for the past five years plus.


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