Waving The White Flag ?
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Golf is putting the mantra "what goes up, must come down" to the test and it has little to do with the dimpled ball.
It's a test that golf is currently failing, despite a sport still considered somewhat popular, numbers of those participating are falling down and look to be in a downward spiral.
However, all is not lost on a pastime whose booming presence was at its height in the early 2000s. Taking into consideration a weak economy and keeping in mind that golf is essentially a leisure activity and is often one of the first items to be trimmed from a budget, those directly involved have good reason to be concerned.
According to the National Golf Foundation, the number of golfers have fallen from 30 million in 2000 to 26 million in 2010. The number of people playing 25 rounds or more per year has dropped 30 percent in the same timeframe.
At it's apex - with the number of golfers going up - the number of investments in golf courses also went up from about 13,000 to 16,000 during that same timeframe.
Rend Lake Golf Course, one of the premiere golf resorts in southern Illinois, can stand up and be accounted for when asked if numbers have declined at their facility.
Head coach professional Craig Zinzilieta said an "overbuilt golf market" is likely to blame for the demise.
"The total number of courses went up, while the total number of golfers and rounds went down. Most of it's due to a declining economy, but also an overbuilt golf market and less rounds to spread around," Zinzilieta said.
"Also, it is not as common now for the man of the house to take an entire Saturday and/or Sunday away from the house to play. The family dynamic has shifted during this timespan. Combine that with a slower - at best - economy and higher fuel prices and pretty much everyone has fewer rounds."
Will Snodgrass, director of golf at Miller Memorial Golf Course in Murray, Ky., says that keeping golf fees as affordable as possible is just one way to keep the general public enticed to continue playing.
"In the same breath, it's tough to reduce fees, knowing we have so many fixed expenses, but we have to try," Snodgrass said. "I think more importantly though, we need to work on the factors that improve a golfer's playing experience. While course conditioning is always at a premium, it is becoming more important to provide above and beyond customer service."
Zinzilieta wholeheartedly agrees that customer service is and should be priority Number one.
"I think everybody is going to have to be creative in marketing their product over the next couple of years and also become more flexible or dynamic in pricing."
Snodgrass concludes that there is also a sense of respect that not only goes into the game, but the golfer itself.
"This is a golfer's leisure time and we have to respect that and treat every golfer in a special way. Pace of play is very important, while use of rangers, along with shorter and more player-friendly courses can help with this. We can't be happy with providing a five hour round of golf knowing that the golfer's time is so valuable."