Golf-Mores And The Recession

With over 1500 posts here there are only a handful that relate to this game. There may be more or there might be less but there's going to be one now because as like in most media people receive there is more to the linked story that is just as important as the reasons given. I want to attempt to draw a correlation between these three things. The recession,golf and mores.

I've been at this business for damn near 25 years. I can tell you it is very expensive on the maintenance side. I have strong opinions on a number of issues and will do my best not to stray.

The picture at the top looks nice doesn't it. It just didn't get like that by accident. The way golf courses are maintained has changed in dramatic ways since I've been involved.

There is a lot of grass cut on a daily basis and I think it's around 90 acres possibly more with numerous different types of mowers.

Take a look at the top picture again and you will see three sand traps that are huge. Maybe 73 on this course but many newer courses can have hundreds. This course is 30 years old. Get this-maintaining the bunkers is the biggest number in our maintenance budget.

This is important too-what you see here and what you see on TV are two different things. No one sees what goes on behind the scenes and I've never seen it myself and never really wanted to participate at tournament level. But what you can take to the bank is that it is several levels up from what you see here accomplished by literally an army of volunteer golf course people operating dozens and dozens of the same pieces of donated equipment from one of the three major players in the equipment business swarming over every hole. That is how the conditions are achieved so the big boys can make sure they can hit a good shot out of the rough unlike some of the majors where they cry if conditions are too hard. Sorry I wasn't going to stray.

Time to get to the meat of this. The linked to article has numbers and they are real bad about the downhill slide this game has taken and  reasons why which I don't dispute but dammit you need to give the rest of the story. It's worth glancing at.

"It's definitely connected to the economic conditions and the ability of potential private club members to pay the fairly significant initiation fees and annual dues," said Jay Mottola, executive director of the Metropolitan Golf Association, representing 120,000 golfers and 500 golf courses in the New York region.

What was not mentioned.

1. A number of tour players decided to become architects and each one tried to out do the others in difficulty of design and locations where built. What you have is a maintenance nightmare that becomes outrageously expensive.

2. Most golfers are hacks. Only maybe 10-12% can break a hundred. I can do it if I play a bit and get my mind right but trust me I am a shitty golfer. We are not going to stray here except to say you can give the average golfer tournament conditions and it won't make shit bit of difference in how he plays. He'll still chunk the ball around for 18 holes no matter where he or she plays.

3. Because of what is seen on TV the norm has become to expect the same. In many cases it has become unrealistic to attain because of the cost factor and these are just as big of reasons as stated in the article.

A change in maintenance practices that can significantly lower the cost of operation and a lot of courses would still be viable.

And for the average hack it will not make shit bit of difference in his game or mine either.

I have never worked my ass off here for 20 years to give the most optimum conditions possible with what we have for those 90% never!! I do it for the rest who realize and appreciate what it took to give them these playing conditions on the part of not that many people who work very hard.

Get out there - be sure and look up and swing as hard as you can and take a giant chunk of turf each time and not put it back. Sorry -strayed again.

And please -give me the courtesy of not being insulting about how bad golf courses are for this or for that. Thanks in advance. Down south they sure as hell can be but not around these parts.