Golf is a funny sport.
It's funny in the sense that it's not like any other sport really. On one hand, we live currently in the era of eight-figure tournament purses and increasing stardom on the professional level. On the other hand, many critics of the game will tell you that golf is a dying sport on the local level.
I think it's hard to say at this moment if the game is trending upwards or downwards. What we can say for sure is that, at least in Canada, golf is certainly not in the same league as hockey, baseball or basketball in terms of popularity. Golf should be more popular though; there are many factors going for it: the aforementioned lucrative yet attractive professional level of the game, the amount of golf courses that exist (especially in the GTA), its close relationship with the professional world, just to name a few.
But why isn't this the case? Why don't more people golf? To answer this question, I've compiled a list of reasons as to why this may be, as well as proposed solutions. Let's take a look at this in more detail.
Time Constraints
One of the most common complaints I hear about golf is that it takes too long. On average, a round of 18 holes takes a foursome of mid-handicappers like myself about four and a half hours, not including a break or grabbing something to eat between nines. It is a commitment no doubt; a day off work for most people playing during the week or a good portion of people's prized weekend.
As people today continue to get busier and busier in their daily lives, asking them to commit over four hours for a single activity is tough. I personally have been finding it harder and harder to plan a foursome with friends and I'm sure most golfers have experienced the same thing in one form or another. On a side note, we can of course talk about why a round of golf takes this long, but I think I'll save that discussion for another post.
Cost
I conducted a Twitter poll recently, asking our followers the same question we are asking ourselves here. The overwhelming response was that more people aren't golfing because they can't afford it.
Historically, golf has held the stigma of being perceived as a "rich man's sport", only played by those who need not worry about money. Today, this stigma is mostly a thing of the past, however there are some parts of the golf industry that are still expensive.
Among all sports, golf equipment is without a doubt at or near the top of the list in terms of price. New golf equipment is expensive. Pay a visit to your local golf store and you'll find the latest drivers costing upwards of $600, iron sets in excess of $1000, and so on and so forth. Although that high-priced equipment isn't, for the most part, tailored to new golfers, it can be a bit intimidating. For reference, an entry level set of golf clubs will cost you about $500. But as us golfers know, golf equipment is notorious for its depreciation value. This season's newest driver will easily drop $200 before the start of the next season, once the next "newest" driver is released. It's simply not with it, from a cost perspective, to buy the latest equipment.
The costs don't stop there, as green fees and memberships add to the overall bill (although they have been decreasing over the years, for some courses). This is another feature that is unique to golf; you are required to pay simply to play the sport, no matter what level. Don't get me wrong, these are necessary fees as they go towards the preparation and maintenance of the course, but nevertheless it still adds to the bill.
Difficulty
Ask a group of people to shoot a hockey puck, kick a soccer ball or shoot a basketball and most of them will understand how to do it. Ask them to swing a golf club and strike a golf ball, however, and most of them will not succeed. The mechanics of the golf swing are inherently more difficult than most sports. Even most golfers don't have a full understanding of it. It's what attracts us to the game though, this inherent difficulty. It gives us something to strive for. What's the one thing a golfer wants to do after they've played a great round, one where everything just seemed to click? Play another.
But this difficulty should not intimidate those who are new to the game. Rick Young (@YoungerGolf) of SCOREGolf brought up a very good point when I asked him about this topic on Twitter. He said, on the topic of difficulty, that "the game is only as hard as you allow it to be." And I think Rick is absolutely right about this. Golf is a mental game, a battle between you and your mind. You push yourself as hard as you want, you set your own goals. There is absolutely no need to become a scratch golfer to enjoy the game.
How To Get More People Playing Golf
I've gone into much detail about why I think more people aren't golfing. Now let's look at some of the ways I think we can fix that.
Concerning time constraints, I think the key to overcoming this barrier is to promote the 9-hole round. Nine holes typically take about a couple of hours, which now puts it in a "reasonable" time frame for most people. In addition to this, golf courses need to have a great twilight special. In my experience, twilight rounds always have a much more relaxed feel to them; excellent for a new golfer. Plus the after-work/after-school time slot is much more accessible to the average person.
Concerning equipment costs, golf equipment manufacturers as well as retailers should be promoting more entry-level, less expensive equipment to attract new golfers. This is the best case scenario, but I understand that it isn't the most feasible option. In lieu of this, the new golfer can take things into their own hands and there is much help for this. Many deals on golf equipment are available, whether its in the form of used clubs or clubs on clearance. And new golfers please, speaking from experience here, do not feel the need to have the latest equipment! In my golf bag currently, I have a Ping G15 Fairway Wood and a 56 degree Paradise sand wedge, both outdated and cheap even when I bought them a few years ago. But they are hands down my favourite clubs in my bag; clubs that I have confidence with and clubs that are reliable. What's important to remember here is that buying golf equipment is a slippery slope that can get out of hand quickly. And for those who are concerned about high green fees, I encourage everyone to sign up for as many golf course newsletters and e-clubs as possible. Many times courses offer unique deals that may appeal to you. In essence, let the deals come to you.
Concerning difficulty, for those who are completely new to the game, a few introductions lessons wouldn't hurt, just to learn the basics. In fact, many courses in the GTA (and most likely all over Canada) have great lesson programs and are staffed by PGA of Canada members. On a more personal level, going out to your local driving range for a few hours can do wonders. Golfers need to figure out what works for them; each golf swing is different from the next. The driving range is where a golfer can test things out, without feeling the pressures that course-play brings.
One thing that I haven't talked about yet are the health benefits of golf. This was something that was also brought up by Rick Young and frankly, something that I was not fully aware of. According to Rick, walking 18 holes while carrying your clubs will burn about 1800-2000 calories, riding for 18 holes about 1200-1300 calories; impressive numbers considering the fact that it is "low impact" exercise. There's also the social side of the game. Meeting new people, being outside, spending time with friends; some of my best memories with my friends have been on the course. We need to be promoting this aspect of the sport.
I'll end on this statement. If you are reading this post and you are new to golf or have some interest in it but have never played, here's my advice to you. Golf is the only true individual sport in my opinion. It's one of the only sports that you can just go out and play; just you, your clubs, a ball and a course. I believe also that it is one of the most satisfying sports, on both a physical and mental level. So try it out, go to your local driving range, rent some clubs and give it a shot (no pun intended). You may like the game or you may not, but what I can guarantee you is that it'll be like nothing you've ever tried before.
-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews
The discussion doesn't end here. What are your thoughts on why more people don't golf? Do you agree or disagree with anything I wrote? Let us know in the comments below.
As people today continue to get busier and busier in their daily lives, asking them to commit over four hours for a single activity is tough. I personally have been finding it harder and harder to plan a foursome with friends and I'm sure most golfers have experienced the same thing in one form or another. On a side note, we can of course talk about why a round of golf takes this long, but I think I'll save that discussion for another post.
Cost
I conducted a Twitter poll recently, asking our followers the same question we are asking ourselves here. The overwhelming response was that more people aren't golfing because they can't afford it.
Historically, golf has held the stigma of being perceived as a "rich man's sport", only played by those who need not worry about money. Today, this stigma is mostly a thing of the past, however there are some parts of the golf industry that are still expensive.
Among all sports, golf equipment is without a doubt at or near the top of the list in terms of price. New golf equipment is expensive. Pay a visit to your local golf store and you'll find the latest drivers costing upwards of $600, iron sets in excess of $1000, and so on and so forth. Although that high-priced equipment isn't, for the most part, tailored to new golfers, it can be a bit intimidating. For reference, an entry level set of golf clubs will cost you about $500. But as us golfers know, golf equipment is notorious for its depreciation value. This season's newest driver will easily drop $200 before the start of the next season, once the next "newest" driver is released. It's simply not with it, from a cost perspective, to buy the latest equipment.
The costs don't stop there, as green fees and memberships add to the overall bill (although they have been decreasing over the years, for some courses). This is another feature that is unique to golf; you are required to pay simply to play the sport, no matter what level. Don't get me wrong, these are necessary fees as they go towards the preparation and maintenance of the course, but nevertheless it still adds to the bill.
Difficulty
Ask a group of people to shoot a hockey puck, kick a soccer ball or shoot a basketball and most of them will understand how to do it. Ask them to swing a golf club and strike a golf ball, however, and most of them will not succeed. The mechanics of the golf swing are inherently more difficult than most sports. Even most golfers don't have a full understanding of it. It's what attracts us to the game though, this inherent difficulty. It gives us something to strive for. What's the one thing a golfer wants to do after they've played a great round, one where everything just seemed to click? Play another.
But this difficulty should not intimidate those who are new to the game. Rick Young (@YoungerGolf) of SCOREGolf brought up a very good point when I asked him about this topic on Twitter. He said, on the topic of difficulty, that "the game is only as hard as you allow it to be." And I think Rick is absolutely right about this. Golf is a mental game, a battle between you and your mind. You push yourself as hard as you want, you set your own goals. There is absolutely no need to become a scratch golfer to enjoy the game.
"The game is only as hard as you allow it to be."
-Rick Young on the difficulty of golf
How To Get More People Playing Golf
I've gone into much detail about why I think more people aren't golfing. Now let's look at some of the ways I think we can fix that.
Concerning time constraints, I think the key to overcoming this barrier is to promote the 9-hole round. Nine holes typically take about a couple of hours, which now puts it in a "reasonable" time frame for most people. In addition to this, golf courses need to have a great twilight special. In my experience, twilight rounds always have a much more relaxed feel to them; excellent for a new golfer. Plus the after-work/after-school time slot is much more accessible to the average person.
Concerning equipment costs, golf equipment manufacturers as well as retailers should be promoting more entry-level, less expensive equipment to attract new golfers. This is the best case scenario, but I understand that it isn't the most feasible option. In lieu of this, the new golfer can take things into their own hands and there is much help for this. Many deals on golf equipment are available, whether its in the form of used clubs or clubs on clearance. And new golfers please, speaking from experience here, do not feel the need to have the latest equipment! In my golf bag currently, I have a Ping G15 Fairway Wood and a 56 degree Paradise sand wedge, both outdated and cheap even when I bought them a few years ago. But they are hands down my favourite clubs in my bag; clubs that I have confidence with and clubs that are reliable. What's important to remember here is that buying golf equipment is a slippery slope that can get out of hand quickly. And for those who are concerned about high green fees, I encourage everyone to sign up for as many golf course newsletters and e-clubs as possible. Many times courses offer unique deals that may appeal to you. In essence, let the deals come to you.
Concerning difficulty, for those who are completely new to the game, a few introductions lessons wouldn't hurt, just to learn the basics. In fact, many courses in the GTA (and most likely all over Canada) have great lesson programs and are staffed by PGA of Canada members. On a more personal level, going out to your local driving range for a few hours can do wonders. Golfers need to figure out what works for them; each golf swing is different from the next. The driving range is where a golfer can test things out, without feeling the pressures that course-play brings.
One thing that I haven't talked about yet are the health benefits of golf. This was something that was also brought up by Rick Young and frankly, something that I was not fully aware of. According to Rick, walking 18 holes while carrying your clubs will burn about 1800-2000 calories, riding for 18 holes about 1200-1300 calories; impressive numbers considering the fact that it is "low impact" exercise. There's also the social side of the game. Meeting new people, being outside, spending time with friends; some of my best memories with my friends have been on the course. We need to be promoting this aspect of the sport.
I'll end on this statement. If you are reading this post and you are new to golf or have some interest in it but have never played, here's my advice to you. Golf is the only true individual sport in my opinion. It's one of the only sports that you can just go out and play; just you, your clubs, a ball and a course. I believe also that it is one of the most satisfying sports, on both a physical and mental level. So try it out, go to your local driving range, rent some clubs and give it a shot (no pun intended). You may like the game or you may not, but what I can guarantee you is that it'll be like nothing you've ever tried before.
-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews
The discussion doesn't end here. What are your thoughts on why more people don't golf? Do you agree or disagree with anything I wrote? Let us know in the comments below.
With professional golf becoming more and more lucrative, why aren't more people golfing at the local level?
(Butch Dill/USA TODAY Sports)
(Butch Dill/USA TODAY Sports)
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