How Should We Refuel The Golf Flame?
Golf is on the decline in America and according to the bleacher report:
The number of core American golfers (those playing eight rounds or more per year) has fallen between three and 4.5 percent every year since 2006.
Since 2007, the number of golf courses closing in America has significantly outnumbered the number of new course being built.This downward trend in American golf is even making its way to the professional level. In 1986, American golfers made up 60 percent of the Top 100 players in the World Golf Rankings. By the end of 2010, Americans made up only 32 percent of the Top 100.
Even the television ratings have begun to steadily drop off. This caveman did a quick report back in 2009, when I first started to notice. Since then they have continued to decline. Some may even blame the fall of Tiger, and there is evidence to support that. During the Masters, Golf Ratings declined 13% the minute Tiger’s Come back stalled out.
Don’t Fret! This caveman has come up with a few great Ideas to bring back the game!
First one is a call to action Rock Heads! Tell everyone you know about the game. If they think it looks boring, then challenge them to a round, bet them money, bribe them with beer! Do whatever you must do to spread the love of the game! I am certain that one Sunday afternoon spent out on the links is enough to get anyone addicted!
Next, I know that Golf can be an expensive game, and with the soaring gas prices and awkwardly positioned economy, finding the funds to play can be a bit tight. This is why Rock Bottom Golf Offers the best deals around! Shopping for your golfin’ gear at RBG can keep your pocket lined with cash and give you extra money to use towards actually going out and playing more often! Keep checking in to RBG for great deals!
Golf needs a superstar. Without one, who will the wee ones aspire to be? In every sports, our young champions have needed to have someone to look up to, to be as good as if not better. Right now Golf lacks a role model. Maybe the media can start hyping someone worth hyping?
With that hero, Golf also needs a good nemisis, something to argue about bring tension and excitement. Or perhaps another old John Daly, A golfer who steps up to the tee, grips it, rips it, shotguns a beer and then punches the faces of top 3 on the leaderboard. I would tune in every time he swung.
And we can take that a step further, why not make golf a full contact sport, like chess boxing. Pro Golfers enter into the Octagon, pummeling each other over and over again for a 5 minute round, then pick up their bag and entire into a round of match play. Last man standing wins.
On a slightly more serious note. NHL Introduced the Ice Girls as a brilliant marketing ploy to attract males ranging from what they say was 18-49 (but we know that the real range is probably more like 13 until they can no longer make it into the stadium). Maybe some of the more prestigious courses won’t employ this tactic, but why not Links Girls or green girls. Who has seen Basketball? The players could each hire their own personal cheerleader, or the course could hire some to remove the flag at each hole, like the round girls in boxing?
What do you think Rock Heads? What are your ideas to refuel the golfin’ flame?
As for “Links Girls”, Las Vegas has a number of courses that employ “Parmates”. A bit of eye candy that will accompany your group around the course with information. From their website: “The whole experience starts 20 minutes before tee time. Once introduced, the Parmate becomes your personal assistant. She can help you with all your course arrangements, like orientation around the facility, or introduce you to course personnel. She can also call in your food and drink orders, write down your scores or even help you pick out the perfect souvenir in the golf shop for you or your significant other. She can also repair divots, fix ball marks, clean clubs and give you a hand with yardage. She may even help you find your lost balls.”
But in my opinion, the big stumbling block is outrageous Greens fees for ‘an upscale daily fee’ experience. Really? $250+ for a round of golf on a public course? Forget the snobbery and keep prices realistic with discounts and leagues (like a Little League) for Junior golfers. Reserve a block of teetimes in the after school hours, or have what they had when I was learning- clinics to teach the basics of the game, etiquette and playing quickly. They were free clinics around 5pm, then after 6pm when the 1st tee normally closed, the students went out and played up to 9 holes (light and weather permitting) with a ‘mentor’ for each group.
You don’t need a ‘gimmick’ or a ‘hook’- the game is what it is; a challenge between yourself and the layout. Some people enjoy that and others will not ‘get it’ and do something else.
One day, some smart golf managing company is going to hire me, and I am going to bring in golfers like no other, but I can’t share my ideas, since someone would jump on them asap. I like a lot of your points, I am doing my job with Father/Daughter golf lessons instead of just getting them myself!
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