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I think golf is changing, not dying. Change isn't always bad and golf seems to be going strong here.
There was a big expansion of golf due to the Tiger effect. That's ended and golf is returning to more "normal" levels. That's all...
There was a big expansion of golf due to the Tiger effect. That's ended and golf is returning to more "normal" levels. That's all...
The big expansion in golf course construction started well before Tiger hit the scene, starting in the mid 1980's.
I think golf is just fine. I believe most the ideology displayed that golf is in trouble is only in relation the great explosion influx which was not a norm and so nothing is really a fair comparison. I do think geography and demographics does have golf doing worse or better in different places. I do think that private CC's have taken the biggest hit. I think in part that is due to it no longer being a tax deduction for the big shots who were only big while it didn't come from their own deep pockets.
I get annoyed with the whole on going "whats wrong with golf and how can we fix it and grow the game" ideology that seems to dominate because of the descent back to normalcy after the great influx over expanded things which again is not a fair comparison. That idea is ridiculous because has been the same game for like ever. It was the same game before and the same during the influx and yet it still had a great influx so how can it be that there must be something wrong with it requiring any fixing? Nothing with that "exact same game" needed fixing then.
I also don't feel like some do that every household needs to have a golfer in it. Most people don't golf and most never did and most never will. Golf always required resources of time and money and was never the poor mans sport in that sense. Lack (be poor) in either one or both of those resources and you don't play golf.
And general interests for choices of recreation always change as well. That's just evolution of society. Golf will always change its popularity imo and will always head up or down.
similarly to the over expansion of courses, so too was all golf related things which would of course not exclude retail stores. And also just as almost anything else did the internet in general placed a hurting on brick/mortar retail including golf. As for mom/pop stores? Some of the same happened to them as well but then of course (also much like many other types of businesses) big box placed a hurting on mom/pop.Their have been a lot of golf courses closing in the Myrtle Beach area the last few years, and 15-20 have been saved by Chinese investors who've bought them. The biggest change I'm seeing though, is the GOLF RETAIL STORE business is dying. The number of stores that have closed here in Myrtle Beach the last 8 years is amazing. Golf Dimensions and Golfsmith went bankrupt closing 5 stores in the area. Countless mom and pop stores also. On Long Island, the same thing. The only 2 I can think of on the entire Island are a PGASS in Westbury and (maybe?) a Golf Galaxy. I'm assuming the slack is being picked up by online sites and a few local "fitting shops". Does anyone else notice the same?
Their have been a lot of golf courses closing in the Myrtle Beach area the last few years, and 15-20 have been saved by Chinese investors who've bought them. The biggest change I'm seeing though, is the GOLF RETAIL STORE business is dying. The number of stores that have closed here in Myrtle Beach the last 8 years is amazing. Golf Dimensions and Golfsmith went bankrupt closing 5 stores in the area. Countless mom and pop stores also. On Long Island, the same thing. The only 2 I can think of on the entire Island are a PGASS in Westbury and (maybe?) a Golf Galaxy. I'm assuming the slack is being picked up by online sites and a few local "fitting shops". Does anyone else notice the same?