Growing the Game

For those who are passionate about the game, the hard reality is that the golf industry is in decline. Here are the facts:
• Beginning with the year 2000, the number of golfers declined from 30 million to 26 million (National Golf Foundation)
• Between the years 2000 and 2005, the number of people who play at least 25 times per year fell from 6.9 million to 4.6 million (New York Times, 2/21/08)
• From its high of 16,052 golf facilities in the United States in 2004 (Price, 2008), the industry has witnessed a number of courses closed or for sale (New York Times, 2/21/08).

There are many reasons for this decline. Certainly, economic slowdowns play a role. But there are other reasons as well. In a survey entitled Why Don’t You Play More Golf? (Royal Canadian Golf Association, Woolsey, 2008)
• 49% cited the expense
• 45% cited lack of time because of work
• 26% cited lack of time because of family
• 17% simply stated that it takes too long to play.
We’ll leave fixing the economy to the politicians. There is clearly a need for radical thinking to grow this magnificent game. Beidel Design Associates has innovative programs to meet this challenge.
• The Variable Links Program
• Putter A Round