Is Golf Dying?
 

According to The National Golf Foundation, a Jupiter, Fla. consulting firm, Generation Y (18-34 year olds) played 6.4 million rounds of golf in 2014. This is one-third less than 20 years ago.

Does this mean that golf is "dying" in America? It sure sounds like it.

Not really. They'll take up the game in 21-37 years when they move to TV.

Golf may not be their activity choice in the future. They don't like walking slowly and prefer more aggressive action. Some think that "cycling is the new golf." Bicycling is favored by younger people. It is a fast growing sport. Maybe in the future they could convert some of the golf cart trails to bicycle paths!

I suspect it will ebb and flow over time. There is some evidence to support the idea that too many golf courses have been built in the US. This will sort itself out over time via the law of supply and demand. Golf Course communities (except for The Villages) may be the big losers over time as aging players stop playing and less younger players are available to pay the bills.

Anything's possible, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Did golf die when it was outlawed by the Scottish Parliament in 1457? (and again in 1471 and 1491)
Did golf die when Bobby Jones retired? Sports fads come and go, (remember ultimate Frisbee?), but golf has been around for 700 years, possibly 2000 years dating back to the Romans in "Britannia" I think generation Y will gravitate to a sport like golf as they age. Besides, if you read the cart path striping thread, it looks like all the cyclists will be killed off by the road hogs anyway.:1rotfl:

I don't know what to think.
Arnold Palmer tried to change the characteristics of the golf ball so the courses didn't need to be so long. That failed.
In South Jersey, the Philly area it's expensive to play. My sons are ambitious engineers in that age group. They enjoy the game but don't have time to play.
I wonder if exec courses would be profitable elsewhere. We had two but they were poorly maintained and not well designed.
Golf is mostly for the wealthy and may fade.

This place, for exec golf is like a free buffet to me. I'm going to miss the twilight rates too.

For many young people, golf is just too expensive. They can't afford houses, rents in major cities are out of sight and they've got student loans to pay off. Not every municipality offers public courses, and golf club memberships often require a hefty bond. I think it's really a matter of economics. Maybe when they reach their late 40s early 50s, it will be different.

I wonder if a lot of the younger people who aren't playing golf because it's too slow will take up pickle ball when they retire. There's a lot less down time, and they seem to need to be moving constantly when engaged in a sport.

applesoffth: That too is my opinion. the golf industry loved guys like TigerWoods and Phil Mickelson because parents all had a potential Tiger or Phil and so lessons, clothes, golf equipment membership to golf course followed until the recession hit one that to this day has not fully recovered let alone expanded. So while it is a difficult game and time consuming cost is the bigger factor.

Will it may a come back? Don't know but if it doesn't even places like The Villages could be affected because of direct competition for whatever sport/activity draws young generations

Look at it this way. The popularity of golf is quite regional as well as economic. In our hometown, as you may know, Highland is always crowded, and Auburn CC is crowded with tournaments. It's also their bars that are the most crowded. Owasco CC is pretty empty, even on Saturday AM. We're down to about 108 golfing memberships. Maybe because it is double the cost, maybe because it's 9 holes.
Even if golf contracts nationally, I think a place like TV will continue to draw the golfers from all over, We're certainly at a competitive advantage for golf, if not real estate

Less than 10% of the population plays golf. I don't know what percent actually plays regularly. I believe the number is about 30% in golf communities.

The face of America is changing, less golfers for the foreseeable future.

I saw 60 minutes a year or so ago to say that they are thinking of new games that can be played on golf courses as the younger people aren't playing as much golf because it takes so much time and is expensive.

Nationally golf is contracting a bit. About 100-150 private clubs close each year, perhaps because they are the most expensive golfing options. At the other end of the spectrum, I played a state park course in beautiful condition 4 weeks ago for $24 with cart, regular rate, not a special. The time factor needs to be addressed. There is no reason why a foursome cannot play 18 holes in 4 hours and an exec in 1 1/2 hrs playing ready golf and still enjoy the round. We, as golfers, need to change the "emulate the pros" mentality
I still think golfing communities will do well, they draw the golfers, perhaps at the expense of courses elsewhere. On the other hand, I have a friend who spends about 6-8 weeks a year at his home in Naples. He joined the CC of Naples---$20,000 initiation fee, $10,000 per year dues and a $2500 per year assessment to build a new clubhouse. And there was a waiting list!
In TV, "free golf for life" is a strong selling point, even though we all know there is no such thing as free, we just pay for it in other ways. I just don't see our courses being empty anytime soon