golf participation Stories - Waggle Room
What Got Me Into Golf in the First Place
Every golfer has their story of how they came to play the game. When I was twelve or fourteen, or whatever age made me the youngest person in 99% of golf groups, older folks would always tell me, "I wish I took up the game when I was your age." After a while, it turned into a cliche for me or any...
You Had Way Too Much Time to Play Golf Last Month
Golf Course Industry Magazine happily reported that the number of "playable hours" on golf courses across the United States was up 36% for the month of November over this time last year. And thanks to all of that extra time, the total number of "playable hours" year-to-date is up 1% over last...
Going Rogue: A Slew of Illegal Golf Courses Are in China
This Associated Press story caught my eye last night because it is in such stark contrast to the explosion of golf courses in the United States. The Chinese government is currently surveying the country to identify golf courses that have been constructed illegally on land that is intended for...
The Aging of Golf, Part 1: The Next Generation of Golfers
Golf is a sport that has always had a fairly negative stereotype. It has been long viewed as a sport (by some, not even as a sport) that is played by rich, older, white men. The stereotype of the sport has held the game down in many ways. The data that the golf industry has today, though, seems...
The 19th Hole Golf Show - 4/30/09 - PGA Pro Greg Rowly & Wall St. Journal's John Paul Newport
On this week's show: Ryan kicks off the show by talking about Quail Hollow this weekend and the LPGA Tour in Mexico last weekend. We're joined by PGA professional Greg Rowley, author of Golf, Naked, to talk about the things that beginners need to know when starting the game. Finally, Wall St....
TANG Golfing: More Than a Drink, It's a Movement
We have been talking for months about ways to grow the game in a grassroots way. Heather Jones from Real Women Golf came up with the great idea of TANG Golfing (Take a Non Golfer Golfing). It would be an organization of golfers that worked together to provide a support network for people just...
Golf Isn't Just for Rich People
Jaime Diaz has a piece that highlights a program in northern California called Youth on Course. Started in 2006 by the NCGA, it takes donations and purchases tee times for youth at off-peak times. Those times are then made available to golfers under 18, generally for $2 a round. At facilities...
US Golf Rounds Drop Most in Six Years
Golf Inc. has the story about the biggest decline in golf rounds played in the USA since the 2002 recession directly after 9/11. From Golf Datatech: Golf rounds in the United States fell 1.8 percent in 2008 compared to the previous year, according to the year-end National Golf Rounds Played...
It's Time to Grow Golf Again
I have been talking about golf participation issues for the past two or three years. In the last 12 months, though, we have seen a number of stories and studies come down the pipe that indicate that golf participation is weakening. News about fewer rounds played, more course closures than...
US Golf Course Closures Continue
The National Golf Foundation reported on the trending of course openings and closings, with projections through the end of the year. As might be expected given what we know about the real estate sector and the economy on the whole, course starts are outpaced by course closures. Measured in...
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