The state of Golf down worldwide

[Heels1989]

Agree with both Tom and Kevin above on all points. When I lived in the DC area, to play a reasonably priced public course usually meant a 30 to 60 min drive outside the beltway. The drive combined with a 5+ hr round essentially meant a full day commitment. And many of these courses were still charging in excess of $75 on the weekend.

Two other points I think are factors:
1. The Tiger effect. When Tiger was at the top, even if you were not a fan, you still would watch golf because you would likely see something amazing. He also had cool commercials which appealed to a wide variety of people which brought greater interest and attention to golf. I believe there is a direct correlation between the down turn in golf interest and his fall from grace off the course and dominance on the course. I know I do not watch golf like I once did and that includes majors which would be must see TV for me in the past

2. Smart phones. There was a time not too long ago you could go to the course to get away from the outside world. Now you hit a shot and likely check your phone for messages, tweets, sports scores, race results etc before you hit your next shot. A lot can happen in the outside world during a 5 hr round. Twitter, Facebook, social media outlets have conditioned us for immediate info updates. Not saying its a bad thing, just the way it is. A modern day element adding to a good walk spoiled.