GolfStinks

A Golf Blog for the Rest of Us!

The Push For 9 Hole Rounds

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USGA_Play9Many golf purists see 9 holes as an incomplete round. I kind of get their point. After all, does playing 2 quarters constitute as a basketball or football game? If we played 4.5 innings, is that a baseball game? No, but there are factors involved.

If we break it down and look at this from a participatory view, we must include the elements that are important to us; the participants. When we think about heading out to the golf course for a round, the two main concerns for most are time and money. It’s no secret golf costs a few bucks to play and takes the most time out of any other recreational sport activity.

A recent report by NGF (National Golf Foundation) shows a decline over the past two years in returning or former golfers with a surprising gain in the beginners category. NGF has also done some research into the whole 9-hole thing. Their findings were that the shorter rounds appeal to many beginners and those that don’t have the time or money to play 18. This seems pretty obvious but should not be overlooked.

As with anything, we must adapt in order to survive. That being said, golf’s governing bodies see this trend and have already instituted plans to address this. The biggest being USGA’s Play 9 Campaign. Granted their Play 9 day has already passed (July 23), but the residual effects should hopefully ripple through the golf community and get dormant golfers out there, even if it’s a trip to the driving range.

As always, our sentiment is to just get to out there and play, whatever it may be. 18 holes, 9 holes, driving range or putting in your living room – enjoy the game!

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

The Current State of Golf Suggests Now’s the Time for Deals!

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golf saleLooking at some recent research results by NGF (National Golf Foundation) and paying attention to sports media or media in general, there has been a downward trend in golf participation as well as media coverage. I’m pretty sure anyone involved in or a fan of golf has probably noticed (especially with our own most recent posts, including the Dick’s layoffs and pondering if golf is a dying sport in general). The bottom line is golf is in a slump.

So the question is how do we get out of this slump? I’m pretty sure it’s cyclical just like everything else. I also believe it is a multi-faceted equation. The factors that make golf rise in popularity could be a young new superstar that sweeps the nation. It could be Hollywood lending a hand or perhaps even a political figure.

All of these factors do help but it also comes down to money. Has the game gotten too expensive to stink at it? Obviously as the popularity goes up so do the prices and vice versa. Considering golf seems to be in a lull at the moment. Now is the time to buy!

Checking online there are some amazing deals out there. Sites such as BigDgolf.com show some super deals. This is what golf needs. A good ol’ sale to kick-start the passion. Hey, if I got a super deal on some golf stuff, I’d want to use it ASAP. So, go get out there, find a deal, and hit the course!

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

5 Signs Your Private Course is now Public

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tennis shoe crowdRecently, ngf.org (National Golf Foundation) conducted research surrounding private country clubs in the U.S. – what they found is a drop in nearly 400 private courses over the past 5 years – but rather than closing their doors, the majority of these clubs are simply converting over to public facilities.

In light of this new phenomenon, it might be prudent to provide a way for private club members to recognize they no longer belong to a top-drawer establishment. Below are 5 signs your private course has recently been downgraded converted to a daily fee facility:

#1 – You notice the dress code is slipping a bit.
First, you realize people are wearing collared shirts from brands you’ve never heard of – like Faded Glory and Sonoma. And strangely, no one seems to tuck in anymore. As for the pants, you wonder whatever happened to that style of little whales or ducks embroidered all over them – now it seems everyone is wearing shorts…yuck. Finally, wearing an ascot around your neck or sweater across your shoulders seems to be eliciting strange looks and/or nasty glances.

#2 – Your playing partner is a member of the Tennis Shoe Crowd
The fellow you’re paired up with isn’t even wearing a collared shirt! His clubs are of the yard sale variety and his shoes are more suitable for the tennis courts than the golf course. Furthermore, his course etiquette is atrocious and on nearly every hole you must help him find his ball in the woods. By the back nine, you have to take over the cart driving duties due to his inebriation from cheap domestic beer. Thankfully, he sleeps through the last 3 holes.

#3 – There are waits on the tee-boxes
For some reason, a few tees are backed-up two and three foursomes deep (especially the first tee). In these situations, it is important to remain calm (breath into a paper bag if necessary). Eventually you’ll get to tee off, but don’t be surprised if it takes several minutes. Unfortunately, waiting on the tee box is a tell-tale sign the iron gates at the entrance have been thrust open to the general public.

#4 – Your round is getting longer…a lot longer
Partly attributed to numbers 2 and 3, that speedy round you’re used to is now a thing of the past. It used to be you could finish 18 in a mere 2.5 – 3 hours if you made haste, but now 4- and even [gasp] 5-hour rounds are the norm. All this time out on the course is cutting into your after-round fraternizing in the clubhouse. But the good news is…

#5 – No one really lingers in the clubhouse anymore
Gone are the blissful days of debating the subtle performance differences between an Audi S5 and a BMW M5, while enjoying a game of Gin Rummy in your favorite smoking jacket (in fact – cigar-smoking indoors has been banned altogether). Meanwhile, the mahogany wood lockers sit unused and collecting dust, while you’ve overheard plans to convert most of the clubhouse space into a senior bingo hall on Thursday nights.

Alas, if any of these signs are recognizable at your club, there is a distinct possibility you now belong to a public facility (or worse even a muni). Our advice is to try to adapt as gracefully as possible. Perhaps begin by removing the ascot – hey, every little bit helps!

Course Closures Today For A Better Tomorrow

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Closed

Every year around this time, the National Golf Foundation (NGF) releases its Golf Course Openings and Closures Update. And every year for the past eight years, the number of course closures in the U.S. has significantly outpaced the number of openings – 2013 being no exception.

For example, in 2013, 157.5 golf courses closed their doors, while only 14 opened. Many of you might know one of those 157.5 courses that are now defunct. In fact, some of you may have frequented one of them. But you shouldn’t let it get you down for long, because there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

Obviously the courses that closed were struggling – most likely a direct result of the 20-year golf course boon between 1986 and 2006, where more than 200 courses were built per year on average. When the real estate market crashed in 2007, something had to give – and that has translated into a reverse of what we saw from ’86 to ’06 (and according to the NGF, we’ll probably continue to see for at least the next few more years).

This is what we call “market correction.” For over twenty years, golf courses sprang up like weeds across the U.S. landscape. And while we golfers might have indulged in the gluttonous pleasures for a time, course owners and developers were pushing beyond the logical limits of market demand.

So now the market has taken things into its own proverbial hands. We are witnessing almost the exact opposite of what we saw during the boon on a year-over-year basis – golf courses are closing so the market can readjust to actual demand. And, according to the NGF report, the majority (66%) of the closures were courses that were public and had sub-$40 greens fees. This is reminiscent of a thinning of the herd.

In nature, a thinning of the herd is a good thing – it supports survival of the fittest and those remaining are typically of higher quality. From an economic standpoint, these closures are positive for golf in general – especially in the long-term.

So while your local muni closing may have you worried that the golf industry is at the precipice, fear not. When the dust settles (and it will), the industry will be stronger than ever – with higher quality courses at more competitive prices. And that bodes well for all golfers – especially those who haven’t even swung a club yet.

Research Shows “Frustration” Contributes to Quitting Golf

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golfstinks-frustrationWe’ve written before about why people quit the game of golf – from the obvious time and money to suffering an injury to simply hating the game, there are plenty of reasons.

But now, a study conducted by the National Golf Foundation (NGF) has put some primary research behind it. Atop the list were the aforementioned time and money. But for one particular group of golfers (those NGF identifies as “never-committed”), “frustration” ranks near the top.

According to NGF, “never-committed” golfers are people who play golf, but either don’t consider themselves golfers or typically have more fun doing other recreational activities. These folks also comprise around two-thirds of the 21 million golfers who quit the game within the last two years. So the question then becomes; Why aren’t these people having any fun playing golf?

Well, frustration seems to be one big answer. It’s interesting that research would reveal “frustration” as a key reason for quitting golf. The GolfStinks slogan (“taking the frustration out of golf”) implies that most golfers are frustrated with their game. But now, it seems, we have empirical evidence to support this notion!

And NGF’s analysis makes a good point:

“Improving retention will help golf’s participation problem tremendously.  Making golfers feel more comfortable on the course is paramount to retention, as is helping beginners feel good enough about their skills to lessen frustrations and eliminate embarrassment.  All of this will contribute to making golf more FUN, and build a larger base of committed players.”

So how do we do this? Do we, as some have proposed, change the rules to make the game easier? Use illegal equipment to hit balls straighter and farther? Maybe we triple the size of the hole!

Or perhaps we don’t change anything with golf – perhaps we just change our attitudes instead? Instead of the bottom line always being about what you write down on your scorecard, maybe we can take a different approach to teaching golf? Sure, teach them the fundamentals of the grip and swing and the basic rules and etiquette. But we need to also keep in mind that the main point is to not create the next tour member (raw talent will always dictate that). But rather, the focus should be on providing someone with an activity they can enjoy for the rest of their lives.

With this in mind, we should focus our teaching efforts on the other aspects of the game – like camaraderie and being out in nature. And let’s not overlook the importance of challenging themselves to play better (rather than just competing against their golf buddies).

We need to show new golfers that this game is so much more than just how good you can play. And if we can be successful in doing that, we can also be successful in creating new, lifetime golfers…with less frustration.

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