GolfStinks

A Golf Blog for the Rest of Us!

Golf Growth & Diversity

These posts focus on growing the game of golf beyond its current demographics and for the enjoyment of future generations.

How Many Female Golfers Are There Anyway?

| By | 10 Comments

Female golfers
Are women few and far between on the golf course?

In the spirit of Mother’s Day, I began looking into some statistics regarding female golfers.  I’m not really sure how I connected the two though.  My mother doesn’t golf.  Neither do my sisters.

Although growing up, I remember my mother owning a set of clubs, but I never actually saw her use them.  Much like my father, I think she gave the game a try only to find that it wasn’t for her.  But nevertheless, I somehow connected Mother’s Day to golf anyway.

Did you know, depending upon where you look and what stats you find, it’s reported that anywhere between 20-25% of amateur golfers are women?  So one out of every four or five golfers out on the course are female?  I don’t know about you, but those numbers seem a bit inflated to me.  I don’t know why they would be inflated because I don’t think there’s any reason to inflate them.  But either way, it seems a little high to me.

See, the thing is, I use my own experiences to compare to these numbers.  On the small scale of my personal experience, I have played golf exactly one time so far this season.  And in that one round, I saw one female golfer out on the course.  She was in a threesome, two groups behind me.  Certainly not anywhere near the 20-25% claimed.

But that’s only one round.  So it’s not fair to judge off of that.  But it seems like this situation occurs anywhere I play.  It’s very rare that I see women out on the golf course anywhere or anytime I play.  I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been paired up with women when I’ve shown up to the course with less than a foursome.  As a matter of fact, I can think of only three times off the top of my head – all three times I showed up as a twosome, and two of those three we were paired up with a husband and wife.  Only once were we paired up with two women.

What’s my point?  I have no idea.  It’s just a stat I found to seem inflated for some reason.  As mentioned, none of the women in my family are golfers, and I have no female friends who have done any more than try the sport once or twice and never took it any further.

But I guess now that I’ve seen it and used my golf experiences for comparison, it does dishearten me a bit.  What I mean is, one of the great things about golf is that it’s a sport that can be played pretty much equally by men and women.  Sure, for the most part, men hit the ball farther.  But that’s only one facet of the game, and certainly not always an important one.  Otherwise, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between male and female golfers.  There’s still a technique and a certain level of discipline and judgment required to play the game – and those things have nothing to do with physical strength or how far you can hit the ball.

I, for one, would like to see more women out on the golf course.  I would like to see the 20-25% as stated out there.  Heck, I’d like it to be higher!  Why not?  As I stated earlier, this sport has little to do with physical strength and much more to do with things that make the playing field much more level between men and women.  So I think the real issue here is, why is it that women only represent 20-25% of golfers and not closer to 50%?  Maybe that’s something I should look further into…

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Could The Future of Golf Rely On Video Games?

| By | 1 Comment

Can video games about golf drum-up interest?
Can video games drum-up interest in golf?

I grew up playing video games.  I distinctly remember me and my friends from the neighborhood gathering at each others houses to play Atari, Intellivision and Coleco as soon as one of us got a new game.  I remember the craze when Nintendo first hit stores, and I remember being the first of my friends to have it.  It was like Christmas for everyone in my neighborhood!

All these years later, things aren’t so different.  I still play games myself sometimes, although my Playstation 3 is used equally as much by me for Netflix and Blu-Ray movies.  But my kids…that’s another story.

They love the video games just as much as I did when I was a kid.  I have three different gaming systems in my house right now, not including anything portable.  Seems silly, right?  Well, not really.  Each of them serves a bit of a different purpose.  Besides a game system, my PS3, as mentioned earlier, is a Blu-Ray player and Netflix streamer.  The Wii is for the more “active” games and is probably the most fun of the three systems.  The XBox 360 is pretty much strictly for gaming.  But I’ll tell you what else the games are – the Wii specifically, was used as a tool to get my boys interested in the game of golf.

People freak out and think that video games have a negative effect on kids.  Many people feel if kids see violence in a game, they’re going to think violence is OK in real life.  Well, I’m not saying these people are wrong, but if your kids play Grand Theft Auto for a few hours, then go out and steal a car and beat up a hooker…sorry, but it’s not the game.  You’re failing as a parent.  You’ve got bigger problems than video games.

Me, I’ve used my Wii to influence my kids.  No, I didn’t buy Call of Duty so I can get them to buy guns…although, it seems to have influenced me a bit.  Rather, it started out with Wii Sports (a “sampler” game that comes with the Wii).  Included in this game is a cartoon-like 9-hole golf course.  But the idea that you use the controller as a club is what intrigued my kids, as well as myself which is why I bought the system to begin with.  And guess what…it helped!

My boys had no interest at all in watching golf on TV.  And even though I play golf, they didn’t really seem to share my interest.  That is, until they swung the controller on the Wii.  Somehow, that seemed to open the door.  Next thing you know, they want to go to a real driving range.  Soon after, my oldest uses his birthday money to buy a starter set of clubs.  The next season, we’re out on the course.  Now, my youngest boy is interested in buying his own set of clubs!  And I have to say, a golf video game is partially responsible for this.

So what could this mean for the future of this sport?  Could golf video games help influence kids to pick up a real driver rather than just a virtual one?  Should the USGA or PGA take this into consideration and do more to work these games into the sports promotion?  I don’t have any real proof or statistics to show that a video game can influence this behavior, but I do know of two instances when it has.

Now it remains to be seen if golf does continue to hold my boys interest.  For now, basketball is still first on the list for both, as well as baseball for one and soccer for the other.  But the golf seed has been planted.  And if it’s true that video games do have this “effect” on kids, then why not use it to your advantage rather than just complain about it?  Get them influenced by something positive rather than some “shoot ’em up” game.  You never know, you may end up with a future playing partner for years to come!

Swing ’til you’re happy, even if it’s with a virtual club!

Variations on the Game of Golf – Project Flogton

| By | Leave a Comment

alt golf project flogton
The Alternative Golf Association created Project Flogton. But can it help golf?

I think we are all in agreement by now that the game of golf needs help. We all know that fewer and fewer people play the game every year, and even less take up the game. Private courses are going public and public courses are closing their clubhouse doors. TV ratings aren’t all that great and even worse if Tiger isn’t playing.

So what can be done? How do we get more people out on the golf course? How can we get more people interested in the game? In my search to find the answers to the above questions, I’ve stumbled across an organization who is looking to get more people out on the course by using one simple idea…make the game of golf easier.

The Alternative Golf Association, or Project Flogton (Flogton being “not golf” backward) has come up with several ideas aimed at making the game easier, and therefore attracting more players. Now I’m all for getting more people out on the course and more people learning the game, but I have a few issues with some of the ideas here. Let’s take a look at a few:

1. In flogton, a player can put some type of lubricant or shield on the face of their driver, therefore allowing the ball to spin less and fly straighter. I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds like the golf equivalent to either corking your bat or a pitcher rubbing something on the ball. That’s not making the game easier…that’s cheating.

2. Mulligans are legal. OK, I really don’t care all that much about this one. Every once in a while, everyone takes a mulligan. But in flogton, it’s one per hole. One per hole?! Again, in comparison to other sports, that’s like a do-over on strike three! Or a do-over after throwing an interception! That doesn’t make the game easier, it just helps lower your score!

3. How about the “bump” rule? That’s where you can move your ball to anywhere else on the course as long as it’s not closer to the hole. Talk about not playing the ball as it lies! Let’s do the comparison thing again. So a ball is hit to left field for a single. But you think it would be better if the ball landed in the gap so you have a better chance at scoring on the next hit. OK, just move the ball to the gap and take second. What??!!

4. Bump rule not enough? How about the hazard bump rule? Yup. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Ball in a trap? No problem! Just move it out!

5. “Tee up the ball on any shot except on the green.” That’s literally what it says in the “guidelines.” Not rules…guidelines. Does that mean you can tee it up in a trap? Can you tee it up if you’re in the woods? How about if you’re out of bounds? Oh wait…

6. There is no out of bounds! Look, I can appreciate what they’re trying to do here. Is this going to get more people to play golf? Maybe. But if they’re not actually playing golf, but altering the rules instead, then what are they really learning?

For me, I’m not sure this is helping popularize the game of golf. While some of the ideas they have in their guidlelines are things that are somewhat done anyway in a casual game (mulligans, gimmes, etc…) or temporarliy while someone is learning the game, I wouldn’t base an alternate game’s existence on them.

Look, either you’re going to play the game or you’re not. You don’t change the rules of the game because it’s too tough for you. Is that the right thing to do? Do you want your kid to cheat on his tests at school because it’s too hard or do you want your kid to work harder? Do you want your kid to play little league baseball where they allow four strikes? Or a do-over if you drop the ball? What’s next, bigger holes? Moving up the tee-boxes?

Now, all that being said, I think something like this sounds like a lot of fun! I think it would be fun for outings and tournaments! Hell, if I had the chance to play in one of these, count me in! As much as I don’t like the idea of, what one could consider to be, pansying the game down…it sure does sound like it would be fun to try out. I read on the website that they had one tournament where the players were “not allowed, required” to throw the ball rather than swing at it at least once per hole. Now that’s funny stuff! Myself, I feel like the game of golf could benefit by relaxing the rules.

However, I don’t necessarily believe that has to be done on the professional level. I think more along the lines of just you and your golf buddies bending, not breaking, the rules a bit. I play by the rules for the most part, but I bend them once in a while also. We all do. I believe part of the issue with the declining participation in the sport has to do with the rules and the people who are sticklers for them.

Too many golfers are so fixated on the rules of the game that they forget it’s just a game. All they are doing is justifying the stereotype. Put fun first. Play the game for the fun of it. If you don’t take the game so seriously, you’ll have a hell of a lot more fun playing it! It seems that the people at Project Flogton and Golfstinks do in fact have the same idea in mind.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

The Breaking of Golf’s Color Barrier

| By | Leave a Comment

Charlie Sifford

Breaking down racial barriers. Isn’t that what it was all about for Martin Luther King? So in celebration of Martin Luther King Day, why not take a look at the PGA Tour’s breaker of the color barrier?

Contrary to what many believe, know, or understand, the PGA color barrier was broken long before Tiger Woods ever hit the scene. Over 35 years earlier to be a bit more specific.

In 1961, Charlie Sifford became the first African-American to receive full PGA Tour status (In 1928, Dewy Brown was the first African-American to play in PGA Tour events, but was not given full status until the mid 1960’s). But it wasn’t until after nine years of playing in qualifiers and non-PGA Tour events, even winning one, that he was given full status. Sifford went on to win two events in his career, plus a Senior Tour victory.

But here we are, 50 years later, and almost no progress has been made on the tour, especially when compared to the other major sports in the United States.

Since the most famous sports color barrier of all was broken by Jackie Robinson in 1947, the result is that currently 1 in every 10 MLB players is African-American. The NFL color barrier was broken in the 1940’s, and currently 65% of the NFL’s players are African-American. In 1950, the NBA’s color barrier was broken and currently 82% of the league is African-American. Even in the NHL, whose color barrier was broken (albeit incredibly briefly) in 1958, about 5% of the league is African-American.

But the PGA continues to lag. Of all current PGA Tour players, only one, Tiger Woods, is African-American…and he is actually bi-racial. So where is the breakdown? Why has no progress been made? Has it actually taken a step backward? These are all questions for another time. But I will say, it’s tough to blame the PGA. Between organizations like The First Tee, among others, the PGA has certainly attempted to expand their brand, as well as the sport itself, among the African-American community.

But with February almost upon us, Black History Month would likely be a good time to spread the name of the PGA’s first man to break the color barrier. If not to help promote the game and the tour, then to help more people learn about one of the most important historical figures in golf’s modern era – Charlie Sifford.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

The Golf Channel’s Newest Offering is Really Nothing New

| By | 3 Comments

Should Donald Trump have his own golf show? (photo by Michael Vadon / CC BY-SA 3.0)
Should Donald Trump have his own golf show? (photo by
Michael Vadon / CC BY-SA 2.0)

It can be argued in many different ways, but the simple fact is, golf is NOT a growing sport. The statistics show it. Even though there are currently about 450 more courses in the U.S. than existed in the year 2000, over the past several years, more courses have closed than opened. What’s more alarming is, despite these additional 450 courses, fewer rounds are being played every year.

According to reports from the National Golf Foundation, 2009 marked the fourth consecutive year in which total rounds of golf decreased from the previous year. As a matter of fact, it was the eighth year out of the past nine in which a decrease was shown. In 2000, roughly 518.4 million rounds of golf were played in the U.S. But by 2009, that number had dropped to 481.5. That’s almost 37 million fewer rounds (a little over 7%) per year. So where is this growth?

Yeah, you can blame some of it on the economy. But that’s really only that past two years. What about the seven years previous? That is another topic which can be debated. But I have my opinions – several of them (greens fees continuing to rise, cost of equipment, etc…). But right at the top of the list is simply the old golf stereotype – it’s a rich man’s game. For too many golfers in the new generation, as well as your average weekend hack, this decreases their overall interest. They see the game as too expensive and too serious. What they don’t see, and are sometimes never introduced to, is simply the fun of the game. But what is the golf industry in general doing to fix this? Apparently, nothing.

Example, The Golf Channel’s latest offering – Donald Trump’s Fabulous World of Golf. In a time where interest in the sport continues to decrease, the belief in the stereotype continues to rise, the biggest star in the game has lost some of his shine, golf courses are closing and people aren’t playing because they can’t afford to play…The Golf Channel gives us…Donald Trump.

As if we haven’t seen enough already, this show gives us more celebrities, more excess and more outrageously priced and/or private courses. Yeah, just what the sport needs right now. Fuel the stereotype why don’t ya? Do the good people at The Golf Channel think this is helping? Are they in the dark and don’t understand this is not what the sport needs? Maybe they don’t care and they’re just hoping for ratings.

Speaking of ratings, one of the funniest things I had seen and heard was on a promo video on the show’s website. If you can find it, there was a clip of The Donald sarcastically stating this show was going to raise The Golf Channel’s ratings. Isn’t that great? Even The Donald knows this channel needs help!

See, we’ve said it before, and we’ll continue to say it. This sport needs a shot in the arm. It needs a change. It needs to make itself relate to the average guy and girl who play the sport for no reason other than the fun of the game. It does NOT need more celebrities. It does NOT need to promote more private courses. It does NOT need to promote more rich guys playing the game in a place 99.9% of us (if not more) will never see.

As entertaining as I occasionally find him to be….the sport does NOT need Donald Trump right now.

Questions / Advertise

info@golfstinks.com

Disclaimers

See here

Privacy Policy

See here