Shrink the Game?

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     Golf is in a unique spot, and a lot of people are up in the air on what should happen next. 5 years ago, the game was dying, courses were closing, and golf was becoming more and more of a white-collar activity. Fast forward to the Covid pandemic, and golf is one of the few activities that you can do while still being six feet apart. Like a shot of adrenaline in the arm, golf was back, and golf courses were doubling the number of rounds played. Many would argue that Covid saved golf and I will be first in line to agree with this statement. Growing the game was always the big push, whether it be to just play nine, bring your spouse or kids along, join a league, or one of the other many large pushes to get more into the game. We no longer see these ads and pushes, as golf courses are full now.

    The golfers who played prior to covid had it made, and they didn’t even know it at the time. Empty courses, nobody to bother you or disrupt your round, and everybody always respected the course and equipment. Fast forward to today, and this is simply not what you see anymore. Twilight times in the afternoon are booked solid, people are playing music from carts as loud as they can, drinking whatever they can, and driving the carts wherever they can. The new population of golfers act different, dress different, and play different. The respect for the course and the game isn’t there yet for them, which creates frustration among the veterans and course owners alike.

    This is a problem that will correct itself eventually, as with time, people will learn and grow to love and respect the game as we all do. We were so fortunate for so long, we forgot what it was like to have to teach people the etiquette aspect of the game. One of the trends I continue to see on social media is people saying to #shrinkthegame. I think this is wrong on all levels, sure it sucks to have some bad apples, but not too long ago, we would have taken any kind of golfer we could have if it meant they could support payroll for that month. I think the proper solution to this issue is to continue to educate and show why we have the rules that we have so that they can understand where we are coming from. Just telling somebody not to drive the cart by the green does nothing, explaining why we don’t want tire tracks by the greens so we get better lies when the golf ball lands there helps to understand why they can’t just drive anywhere even though all the grass is the same.

    Let me know what you guys think, should we actively try to shrink the game so that some of the disruptions go away in our industry? Leave a comment below and let me hear your opinion.

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