We have hijacked the OP that started the slow play suggestions thread to death and I am as responsible as anybody else for that so I thought I would start a different thread. In fact it got hijacked a couple of times. This thread is only specific to one of them.
Assuming you buy the premise that participation is down and that in addition to that, the group of core participants, those that have been most responsible for generating revenue is also eroding then what can the golf industry do to turn the tide?
We were losing participants before the economy went south and before Tiger’s negative press. So the trend well precedes any of that. We lose about 3 million golfers per year and pick up some number less than that for a net loss every year. I recall the period from 1999 to 2003 was really pretty bad. I think we had a net loss something like 3.5 million participants during that period. It has been a long time since I had that set of numbers but I think I can find them again. I do not think the years since then have been that bad although every year we have had a net loss year over year.
Generally speaking for a market that is suffering some degree of erosion in its core participants it is a dead giveaway that the market dynamics that had driven that market in the past either no longer exist or have changed sufficiently such that you need new blood in order to grow. You need participants that come into the sport or hobby for a different set of reasons or based on a different set of market dynamics. I think what has been at the core of the golf market has been the traditional foursome whether guys, gals or mixed. The morning or afternoon foursome is at the heart of the business of golf. These are people interested in hitting the ball or improving their scoring or both. They are in the main died in the wool golfers and they are not much or at all out there giving much consideration to the company or the nice weather, the birds the bees the flowers or the trees, exercise or anything other than getting the ball in the hole. While participation is down generally it is also down right in the core participant group. In my view things like riding carts has helped to keep some number of traditional participants playing but has neither stemmed the tide of reduction nor accounted for any meaningful gains that can be identified.
So the premise is that participation is down and continuing to decline. Courses are closing. To some extent courses might be closing because we overbuilt courses between 1996 and 2003 (3,000 courses built in that time period). However the courses were built mainly based on the idea that aging boomers would have more leisure time and would play more golf. That just has not happened to any great degree.
If you want to argue the numbers, be my guest. I love numbers so if anybody has them and wants to toss them up here either to support the premise that numbers are down or argue that we have already turned the tide, feel free. I would suggest that we not take much time talking about growth that occurs as a consequence of the shifting tide of global economic wealth however as it is hard to accept that as real growth. So the fact that golf is on the rise in India and China for example would not seem relevant to participation in the US and it certainly only helps us here in the US tangentially at best.
I agree with those in the other thread that have suggested that cart riding is a faster way around the course. I don’t see how it could not be. I do have occasion to play with guys who ride while I use a push cart and in those instances I just about have to run just to make sure they are not waiting too long for me to catch up. In fact I have literally trotted on occasion not to have them wait nor hold up the group behind. It may or may not have a bearing in this thread. I have suggested that one possible path might be to have courses that are walk only courses since we already have courses that are ride only courses. The walk only courses might offer other features and amenities that would attract golfers to the golf course for a different set of reasons. They might be courses that are more family friendly as I for one just do not know where we are going to find more numbers in this country unless it comes from families or from groups of golfers that play for a combination of old and new reasons.
Those that like to walk might be stuck with slower play and kids on the fairways but for the right combination of features and amenities and for the added relief of not having to keep such a sharp eye out for the group ahead and the group behind that could be worthwhile, especially if you thought you were ultimately helping to bring more new blood into the game. Plus you might well be one of the families enjoying the golf outing as a family.
The cart only courses may be where many of us end up anyway if we play long enough as at some point before we are willing to give up the game we may not be physically capable of walking the course. Surely the cart only courses would allow for a faster pace and that might be more to the liking of a high percentage of the core golfing community. Also I am not suggesting that we would only have walk only or cart only courses. We would still have combination courses as well. However a different way of using a course might kill two birds with one stone. It might get more new blood into the sport and it might be a means to keep some of the overstock of courses from closing. If some of those that come to the sport through an “alternate” route eventually become more traditional golfers that would be fine. If they always liked this alternate path then that might be fine as well. Anyway that is only one idea.
So if the thread can be ideas to bring new blood into the game based on the premise that game needs more/new participants or debunk the idea that it needs new participants(i.e. our numbers are already improving enough as it is) that would be great. If you are going to argue that the numbers are already improving sufficiently then it would be nice to see that argument supported with numbers.
Assuming you buy the premise that participation is down and that in addition to that, the group of core participants, those that have been most responsible for generating revenue is also eroding then what can the golf industry do to turn the tide?
We were losing participants before the economy went south and before Tiger’s negative press. So the trend well precedes any of that. We lose about 3 million golfers per year and pick up some number less than that for a net loss every year. I recall the period from 1999 to 2003 was really pretty bad. I think we had a net loss something like 3.5 million participants during that period. It has been a long time since I had that set of numbers but I think I can find them again. I do not think the years since then have been that bad although every year we have had a net loss year over year.
Generally speaking for a market that is suffering some degree of erosion in its core participants it is a dead giveaway that the market dynamics that had driven that market in the past either no longer exist or have changed sufficiently such that you need new blood in order to grow. You need participants that come into the sport or hobby for a different set of reasons or based on a different set of market dynamics. I think what has been at the core of the golf market has been the traditional foursome whether guys, gals or mixed. The morning or afternoon foursome is at the heart of the business of golf. These are people interested in hitting the ball or improving their scoring or both. They are in the main died in the wool golfers and they are not much or at all out there giving much consideration to the company or the nice weather, the birds the bees the flowers or the trees, exercise or anything other than getting the ball in the hole. While participation is down generally it is also down right in the core participant group. In my view things like riding carts has helped to keep some number of traditional participants playing but has neither stemmed the tide of reduction nor accounted for any meaningful gains that can be identified.
So the premise is that participation is down and continuing to decline. Courses are closing. To some extent courses might be closing because we overbuilt courses between 1996 and 2003 (3,000 courses built in that time period). However the courses were built mainly based on the idea that aging boomers would have more leisure time and would play more golf. That just has not happened to any great degree.
If you want to argue the numbers, be my guest. I love numbers so if anybody has them and wants to toss them up here either to support the premise that numbers are down or argue that we have already turned the tide, feel free. I would suggest that we not take much time talking about growth that occurs as a consequence of the shifting tide of global economic wealth however as it is hard to accept that as real growth. So the fact that golf is on the rise in India and China for example would not seem relevant to participation in the US and it certainly only helps us here in the US tangentially at best.
I agree with those in the other thread that have suggested that cart riding is a faster way around the course. I don’t see how it could not be. I do have occasion to play with guys who ride while I use a push cart and in those instances I just about have to run just to make sure they are not waiting too long for me to catch up. In fact I have literally trotted on occasion not to have them wait nor hold up the group behind. It may or may not have a bearing in this thread. I have suggested that one possible path might be to have courses that are walk only courses since we already have courses that are ride only courses. The walk only courses might offer other features and amenities that would attract golfers to the golf course for a different set of reasons. They might be courses that are more family friendly as I for one just do not know where we are going to find more numbers in this country unless it comes from families or from groups of golfers that play for a combination of old and new reasons.
Those that like to walk might be stuck with slower play and kids on the fairways but for the right combination of features and amenities and for the added relief of not having to keep such a sharp eye out for the group ahead and the group behind that could be worthwhile, especially if you thought you were ultimately helping to bring more new blood into the game. Plus you might well be one of the families enjoying the golf outing as a family.
The cart only courses may be where many of us end up anyway if we play long enough as at some point before we are willing to give up the game we may not be physically capable of walking the course. Surely the cart only courses would allow for a faster pace and that might be more to the liking of a high percentage of the core golfing community. Also I am not suggesting that we would only have walk only or cart only courses. We would still have combination courses as well. However a different way of using a course might kill two birds with one stone. It might get more new blood into the sport and it might be a means to keep some of the overstock of courses from closing. If some of those that come to the sport through an “alternate” route eventually become more traditional golfers that would be fine. If they always liked this alternate path then that might be fine as well. Anyway that is only one idea.
So if the thread can be ideas to bring new blood into the game based on the premise that game needs more/new participants or debunk the idea that it needs new participants(i.e. our numbers are already improving enough as it is) that would be great. If you are going to argue that the numbers are already improving sufficiently then it would be nice to see that argument supported with numbers.
