Golf is one of the greatest games in the world. One that takes extreme mental patience and creates more stress on the body over hockey, football, soccer, baseball, and the list goes on. But my question is... where is the sport heading?....
I recently had a chat with one of the directors of a local junior golf tour that just celebrated it's 27th season of existence. He explained to me that participation of their annual qualifier has decreased from 120 competitors to an average of 70 over the last couple seasons. I have seen Invitationals fold, club championships failing to fill fields, and professionals neglecting their provincial tournaments or tours. I get the feeling that competition and camaraderie are not important to many players anymore. If it is, than they just can't afford it financially or commit the time to play.
I think in a perfect world, most golfer's would like to see the average tournament entry fee of $50-$75, played on a Saturday morning at a top facility, with caddies and power cart, a 16 oz prime rib dinner with entertainment, and prize table that makes Golf Town look understocked. However, we all know this is never going to happen during the months of the Canadian golf season. I talked to a fellow professional the other day, and he told me "I'm sick of dealing with coupons." Which now leads me to believe, that competitive golf is failing because amateurs and professionals are seeking value added events or casual cheap golf.
Competitive golf teaches us the etiquette, rules, and great camaraderie. I have played some golf courses leading up to tournaments this year, and have found the conditions of the course ridiculous. But the conditions aren't because of poor maintenance, rather they are the inability of public players abiding by the rules of etiquette. We are having to play lift, clean, and place in professional tournaments because public players do not replace divots. We came across bunkers left in such poor conditions, with foot prints and poor rake jobs, that we had to make a local rule to rake and place in the bunker. Greens were so littered with ball marks, some putts had little to no chance of going in.
These poor conditions and lack of competitive interest are not because of the golf course or their management. These problems are a result of players not doing their part or lacking knowledge of the proper rules and etiquette. I hear many complaints that a golf course is not worth the money due to conditions. But just remember, from what I've seen, we only have ourselves to blame. Seeing this over the last couple years, has spurred me on to become a better professional and help golfers gain the proper knowledge. Golfer's have stopped playing unless the deal is good or the conditions are outstanding. They have stopped playing competitively because they feel it's over priced and there's no value added. If we don't lead by example our juniors will have no events in their lives to look forward to each year. It was those event's that gave me my closest friends, my fondest memories, and my passion for the game. So make it a point to always learn the finer points of golf, and play in a local tournament to test your knowledge.
To learn more about playing in competition please visit these sites:
For juniors and amateurs:
gao.ca
golftownnationalamateurseries.com
For professionals:
greatlakestour.com
cantour.com
cpga.com
For rules of golf
rcga.org
I think in a perfect world, most golfer's would like to see the average tournament entry fee of $50-$75, played on a Saturday morning at a top facility, with caddies and power cart, a 16 oz prime rib dinner with entertainment, and prize table that makes Golf Town look understocked. However, we all know this is never going to happen during the months of the Canadian golf season. I talked to a fellow professional the other day, and he told me "I'm sick of dealing with coupons." Which now leads me to believe, that competitive golf is failing because amateurs and professionals are seeking value added events or casual cheap golf.
Competitive golf teaches us the etiquette, rules, and great camaraderie. I have played some golf courses leading up to tournaments this year, and have found the conditions of the course ridiculous. But the conditions aren't because of poor maintenance, rather they are the inability of public players abiding by the rules of etiquette. We are having to play lift, clean, and place in professional tournaments because public players do not replace divots. We came across bunkers left in such poor conditions, with foot prints and poor rake jobs, that we had to make a local rule to rake and place in the bunker. Greens were so littered with ball marks, some putts had little to no chance of going in.
These poor conditions and lack of competitive interest are not because of the golf course or their management. These problems are a result of players not doing their part or lacking knowledge of the proper rules and etiquette. I hear many complaints that a golf course is not worth the money due to conditions. But just remember, from what I've seen, we only have ourselves to blame. Seeing this over the last couple years, has spurred me on to become a better professional and help golfers gain the proper knowledge. Golfer's have stopped playing unless the deal is good or the conditions are outstanding. They have stopped playing competitively because they feel it's over priced and there's no value added. If we don't lead by example our juniors will have no events in their lives to look forward to each year. It was those event's that gave me my closest friends, my fondest memories, and my passion for the game. So make it a point to always learn the finer points of golf, and play in a local tournament to test your knowledge.
To learn more about playing in competition please visit these sites:
For juniors and amateurs:
gao.ca
golftownnationalamateurseries.com
For professionals:
greatlakestour.com
cantour.com
cpga.com
For rules of golf
rcga.org
