Quote:
Originally Posted by GPK
Condensed version:
#1 Too many, high end, daily fee golf courses. Very few private clubs closing and not too many lower end public courses closing either.
#2 Golf club market is beyond saturated, thanks to 2 companies in particular. I could rant forever about one of them, but I will refrain. Assholes...
#3 Too costly. A great deal of that reverts back to #1. All these high end daily fee courses trying to maintain lush playing conditions have to pass on that cost to the consumer. Hopefully the movement that ClubCorp and Pinehurst resorts started this year during the US Opens will take hold. Less grass, less water, less fertilzer=LESS COST  If courses can do that, and cut $75-$100k in expenses, that's a good size nut not being passed on.
I refuse to buy the excuse "the game is too hard." What a crock of sh*t. The game is as easy to play as it has ever been. I would have hated to see some of these people take up the game back when the game was really hard. 
I think (and hope) that golf makes a comeback. Some of the things that aren't working and haven't been working will be weeded out. Not sure if the game will return to the heights that it once enjoyed, but I'm convinced that's probably a good thing. |
Kev-
Interesting comment regarding equipment. My guess is Swoosh and TM make your "hole" list. I find TM to be a company who has successfully pulled the wool over a lot of golfers eyes. Swoosh presence in amateur golf is almost nonexistent. But their apparel is crap.
TM uses paint and glitter to force feed the market with latest and greatest and almost prides itself in doing so. And it's hard to imagine what their PGA Tour spend must be. I feel like their products are average at best, and the technology at this time must be at the upper reach of compliance anyhow. Any surviving manufacturer today makes a decent product, so TM's days of milking the public cow are coming to an end. Just my view.