Golf is in decline, but can we fix it?

Post by Sports Writer, Derek Clements

EVERYBODY, it seems, has a view about what is wrong with the game of golf. In fact, lots of us agree about many of the things that need to be done, but still we are talking and nobody is acting.

And is there really anything wrong, anyway?

Golf club membership peaked in 2004 and has been steadily falling ever since then, with some courses closing, many up for sale and councils considering turning municipal courses into country parks and arboretums.

Ever since the decline began, people who care about the game of golf have been wringing their hands and asking what is to be done to get it back on track.

The first thing we need to consider is that the world has been gripped by the worst recession in living memory - recessions mean that people lose their jobs, that the money in our pockets is worth less and pay rises dry up. All of those things have happened.

And what are we doing to address them? A big fat nothing, that's what. Do you know of any golf clubs that have actually decreased their annual subscriptions? Yes, they have frozen fees. Yes, many have done away with joining fees.

Think about it for a minute. If you are in your 20s, married with a couple of children and haven't had a pay rise for five years, it stands to reason that one of the first things you would do is cancel your golf club membership.

As golfers in this age bracket walk away from the game, golf club membership falls along with income. So here's a radical view - why not cut fees for the under-thirties by 50 per cent? At least it would keep this age group in the game and bring in some sort of income. The harsh truth is that the average age of almost every golf club in Britain now stands at well over 50, and that is not good for the future.

If you are a council and you are considering closing one of your courses, reduce the green fees and then advertise the fact in your local paper. Arrange group tuition for children to get them involved in the game.

And that brings me to another key problem, probably the biggest of the lot. Youngsters aren't coming into the game. Should we be surprised? Most golf clubs don't make them feel welcome and make them adhere to draconian rules.

Why not let teenagers wear jeans? Why not tell them it's all right to wear their baseball hats back to front? And, shock, horror, let them use their mobile phones on the course. Well, why on earth not? They may even call their friends and tell them they are missing out on something special.

I would also go further - let every boy and girl under the age of, say, 14 join our clubs for nothing. This could and should be coupled with deals that gets their mothers involved. Think about it for a minute - it is usually Mum who drops junior off at the course, then drives off and returns four hours later to pick up him or her. So here's another radical idea that will have the game's boring old farts choking into their gin and tonic -create Mother and Child memberships which give the kids free access to the course and gives Mum membership for half price. Throw in a few lessons that also include telling them about the game's etiquette.

Less than 14 per cent of the people who play golf in Britain are women - that is a disgraceful statistic. Since the Royal and Ancient has only recently decided to lift its ban on women, we really shouldn't be surprised, should we?

There is a view that one of golf's greatest problems is that it takes too long to play. Personally, I don't buy into that. Look at the length of time it takes to play a game of American football, yet the crowds still flock to games in their hundreds of thousands. Most US franchises fill their stadiums for every single match. Look at football - you will argue that each game only lasts 90 minutes, but what about the time taken getting to and from matches? What about having to get there half an hour early (at least) to make sure you are not late? What about training sessions?

If you follow a football team and go to away games, you are out of the house for a lot more than four hours. And if four hours really is too long, why not just play nine holes.

Golf club manufacturers also have much to answer for. A golfer goes out and buys a set of golf clubs, and has no sooner done so than the manufacturer brings out a new model, leaving the player feeling that he has been cheated. And, of course, as new models are introduced, professional's shops and golf club retailers are left with outdated stock that nobody wants -this has led to thousands of staff being laid off around the world.

It hardly seems credible that, barely 30 years ago, there were not enough golf courses in this country to satisfy demand and that almost every private club in the land had a waiting list. Then farmers realised the potential that existed by selling much of their land or indeed taking matters into their own hands and turning that land into a golf course. It led to courses springing up at an alarming rate, many run by men and women who knew nothing about the game.

"If you build it, they will come," they were told. What they should have been told was: "If you build it and run it properly they might come."

Apart from a sport being awash with administrators who don't understand or even play the game, most of them are completely out of touch with anybody under the age of 50.

Let's get something straight. Golf is a wonderful outdoor game that brings together like-minded people. You make friends for life playing golf and most courses provide its exponents with stunning views, sharing their experience with an abundance of wildlife. It teaches you about competition, it teaches you how to win and how to lose.

We know what's wrong. Let's fix it.

It is not all doom and gloom though! Read Derek's take on what makes our game great - Click here

Derek Clements is a sports journalist with a particular passion for golf with over 12 years of experience covering golf and other sports including Chief Sub-Editor on the sports desk of The Sunday Times. To contact Derek email direct via [email protected]