Radix Golf

“No wonder people are quitting golf at a rapid pace.”

Says who? And the final vote on a course’s price comes from your wallet. Don’t pay.

walk up to the second tee and sneak on and you’ll be ok.

but yes mainly around that area theres heaps of rich people so recession doesnt really affect them. sure hey maybe they might lose a couple of mil but they have plenty left over.

According to Golf Digest, there are just as many people leaving golf as there are entering, with a little more towards the leaving part.

it’s also true that the average handicap hasn’t changed in decades.

what does all this mean? Golf is expensive- if you want to do it “right”. In other words, how the magazines and Golf Channel present it.

The top “teachers” (Harmon, Leadbetter, Flick, Spearman, etc.) charge between $400-$600 an hour for lessons. The “best” courses (Myrtle Beach, Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, etc.) in America charge anywhere between $150-$500 for one round of golf. Golf clubs, which every year seem to help you “hit it farther and straighter than last year” are ungodly.

Like what was said above- hit ‘em where it hurts. Their wallet. If more people stop paying for the high-end stuff and look at local munis, clone golf clubs, nearby teaching pros, etc. things might get turned around.

Everybody thinks that they have to have the new Nike wedges, or Taylormade driver, when they can get just as good equipment at a fraction of the cost at places like GigaGolf.com or Pinemeadowgolf.com.

The only reason the “top” teachers are considered “great” is because they teach famous people. Butch Harmon coached Tiger and Greg Norman, both when they were #1. Without them, who is he? A good teacher, yes, but just another name in a family of teachers… who isn’t even considered the best of the family. You can get just as good instruction with someone who can actually take the time with you at your local golf course. Again, at a fraction of the cost.

Golf courses are another “brand” name price gouging gimmick. Pebble Beach is $495, and you have to stay at the hotel. For what? The only thing an average golfer would enjoy are the views. Courses seem to want to believe they can hold a US Open or PGA Championship, so they make 7,500 yard monsters that everyday players can’t handle. They waste water trying to make the course look like emerald fields. How many in Europe do that? Not many, if at all. A little brown won’t hurt you or your score. Or playing a course that fits your yardage, for that matter. Isn’t it about having fun, anyway? How much fun is hitting a 240 yard drive on a 505 yard par four?

Read Q&A’s with foreign golfers. Almost all of them say that golf is more accessible in their homelands than it is here. Clubs, greens fees, memberships, lessons, everything. Why? Maybe because golf isn’t treated as an elitist sport like it is here in the states. H#ll, they let everyday people walk at St. Andrews, just because they want to. People would flip out here.

I love to golf, but I’m not keen on the high-endedness of it all. Golf SHOULD be accessible for all, just like soccer, baseball, basketball, etc. The more people get in line with this, the quicker it can be a reality.