The sport of golf is shooting a triple bogie these days

Over the last eight years, the enthusiasm and family activity surrounding golf has greatly waned. In fact, according to today’s New York Times, this popular leisure sport has actually gone through recessionary conditions. Just look at the statistics – the total number of people who play has declined each year since 2000, dropping to about 26 million from 30 million (according to the National Golf Foundation). More troubling to the sport is that 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. This is a loss of about one third.

Golf experts blame this steady decline on the lack of time and money that is clearly needed to play this game at least once a week each year. While I don’t doubt that this is an important truth (it takes an often agonizing 4-5 hours to typically play a full 18 hole round), I disagree that this is the sole (or most critical) reason behind golf’s decaying popularity.

I believe that golf is one of many “trend activities” that have come and gone over the last 50 years (or more). Much like its rival tennis and even non-sports activities like cigar smoking and martini bars, golf became immensely popular and shot up to never seen before heights of popularity because a public spark ignited interest. This created a ground swell of attention, which led to unbridled excitement and enthusiasm for playing or being a part of that trend.  For golf, this public spark was Tiger Woods in 1997. For tennis, it was all about the hugely popular American players in the 80s who dominated tennis like never before. And scores of attractive celebrities packing their own humidors and favorite martinis, created all of those aficionados a few years back as well.

Before Tiger, golf was a game watched and played by die-hard golfers. It was very popular with this country club, white collar, male audience. Then Tiger came along with all of the other great competitors and the game exploded across main stream America. Millions who had never played the game before (including this weak performer) spent gobs of money on lessons, course play and devoted obscene amounts of time trying to get better.  And, this interest lasted a good 5+ years until, like most trend activities, the excitement wore out and the sport was left desperate to breathe new excitement into mainstream supporters who are now long gone. This same conclusion came true for tennis, cigars and countless other “trend activities.”

With golf it also doesn’t help that it is one of the hardest sports to remain good at, unless played consistently. This factor has clearly played a role in pushing those mainstream Americans away (as the article reports). But, let’s be clear. Trends don’t come and go because of time and money. Those are simply factors that help to escalate an already deteriorating situation. No, by their very nature, “trend activities” experience meteoric rise and then drop from the sky because they were never created to be a permanent mainstream activity.

Comments

[Steve Cody]

I don't see golf as a 'trend' activity as you do. For whatever reason, golf seems to get into the DNA of people who play it. Instead, I think golf's demise can be blamed on some of the factors cited in the Times article: the simple lack of time in a 24x7 world, the financial costs associated with green's fees and the rise of so many other participatory sports. That said, I can't see golf's role as THE 'sport' of business ever waning. Aside from a bar, where else can aging, fat white guys spend so much time shooting the breeze and deciding the fate of millions?

[Ed Moed]

The DNA issue is all about those limited audiences who have always loved and played the game (businessmen, country club members, etc.). I think that millions of others, played it for a while and are now done with it. The game is on a downward spin, going back to the same limited popularity it had pre-Tiger with mainstream audiences.

[Matt]

I tend to agree with Ed on this one. While median household income hasn't moved up much in the last five years or so, it's way up over the last 10 years. So there is money out there. And with today's mobile technology, it's easier than ever to conduct business on the move--including the 12th hole.

I would like to think that Americans are moving away from this sedentary sport and toward more active pursuits. Anecdotally, I can tell you that sports like triathlon and bicycle riding/racing have become insanely popular over the past five years. Events that used to take months to fill up now fill up in hours.

[Bubbles]

Matt's right... Golf is the sport of the Go-Go 60s "Cocktail Generation" which didn't include a lot of sweaty personal sports. Now a days it's all about running, climbing, jumping, kick-boxing, pole-dancing exercise and showing off the body that goes along with being fit. The classic business golfer has a martini in one hand and the golf-cart steering wheel in the other.

[Gaetano Le Poer]

I think the Times article may have missed a potentially under reported segment of the golf community. While private clubs in the metropolitan area may have taken a hit. Try getting a weekend tee time at a Public/ Municipal course in the New York Metropolitan area. The Asian community (Japanese and Korean) where golf is an important part of their culture dominate the tees times at these area muni's. When I started playing muni's many years ago this was not the case. Has the lack of available tee times caused many former die hard golfers to give up? I know a few. Where do the Asians who dominate the driving ranges and muni course's factor into these stats? They may not participate in all these "polls".

[Golf]

nice !