Are Americans Giving Up Golf?

The New York Times (NYT) is worried about golf in the United States. This may or may not be a surprise to you, but golf courses are going to have to work harder to stay afloat. Paul Vitello from NYT reported yesterday that more and more Americans are giving up golf.

• The total number of people who play has declined or remained flat each year since 2000, dropping to about 26 million from 30 million, according to the National Golf Foundation (NGF) and the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association.

• More troubling to golf boosters, the number of people who play 25 times a year or more fell to 4.6 million in 2005 from 6.9 million in 2000, a loss of about a third.

• The industry now counts its core players as those who play golf eight or more times a year. That number, too, has fallen, but more slowly: to 15 million in 2006 from 17.7 million in 2000, according to the NGF.

When Vitello questioned why golfers are on the decline, many possibilities were found: economics - too much supply and not enough demand, changing family roles, etiquette rules, and time, which seems to be the biggest factor contributing to the current decline. The problem is not a game of golf, but the game of golf itself.

Here is what some industry professionals had to say about it:

"The problem is time,” said Walter Hurney, golf course real estate developer. “Men won't spend a whole day away from their family anymore. They'll play early at weekends but have to be back by lunchtime.”

“The old adage 'once a golfer, always a golfer' no longer exists.” said Jim Kass, research director of the NGF. “No time; two jobs; real wages not going up, pensions going away, corporate cutbacks in country club memberships.”

“Years ago, men thought nothing of spending the whole day playing golf – maybe Saturday and Sunday both,” said Richard Rocchio, New York regional director of the National Golf Course Owners Association. “Today, he is driving his kids to their soccer games. Maybe he’s playing a round early in the morning. But he has to get back home in time for lunch.”

Every golf course has its rules and struggles with pace of play, but 18-holes still takes more than four hours on average. Not to mention the time involved booking a tee time (unless you’re smart and book one online rather than waiting on the phone with the pro shop while he searches for tee time availabilities in between his or her customer service responsibilities and retail sales), preparation to go to the course (because how many of us are lucky enough to live right on a golf course?), getting golf gear together, socializing, warm-up, etc. A game of golf really takes a full day.

So what can be done about all this? Perhaps that is why golf is often closely associated with business networking and corporate success? When people have jobs to do, would they rather do them on the fairway than in an office? I know I would.

Check out what the New York Times has to say.