PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE:  This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

What can golf do to sustain interest in the sport as the pandemic eases?

That is a good question as the industry considers this reality:  The pandemic has boosted interest in golf to the highest levels in years, but one of the main reasons, if not the major one, is the pandemic.  As it eases, it will be important to find ways to sustain the momentum.

This is a question that, among other things, will be a topic for the Oregon Golf Association Board of Directors Executive Committee of which I am a member.

In many ways, the challenges are the same ones that have existed for years.  It takes too long to play.  It can be too expensive.  It can appear to be a snooty sport.  Golf rules can be too complicated.  And, many of those who run the sport have not listened well to customers. 

Appearing to ignore customers is a death knell for many businesses.  Or, to put it positively, those who listen well have a better chance to do well.

The Wall Street Journal dealt with this issue in a major story this morning.  Here are selected excerpts under this headline:

People flocked to socially distanced golf courses over the past year. Now the courses are looking for ways to make sure they stay.

“Golf has had a resurgence during the pandemic, with about half a million more players picking up clubs than did in 2019.

“Can it hold on to the growth in a post-pandemic world?

“Golf-course operators are scrambling to make sure it does, as they look for ways to keep the newbies coming back once the country gets closer to normalcy.  They’re aiming to make the game more informal and responsive to newcomers by loosening the dress code, easing some rules of play, and offering shortened rounds.

“They’re also trying to play up the idea of golf as a social occasion or opportunity for exercise rather than just a sport.  And they have to implement all these changes without driving away the longtime golfers they already have.”

The increase in golf interest and playing came at a good time.

The housing collapse and the financial crisis in 2006 adversely affected golf, so much so that the number of rounds played dropped for 13 straight years.

Then came the pandemic.  What the Wall Street Journal calls “cabin fever” prompted many people to consider golf, if only because it involved being outside without many virus restrictions.

More from the Wall Street Journal:

“According to a report put together by the National Golf Foundation, golfers played 502 million rounds last year, the most since 2007. Research firm U.S. Golf Datatech reported a 13.9 per cent increase in rounds played, the largest increase since the company began tracking in 1998.

“Many of new golfers were either new to the game or pulled a dusty old set of clubs out of the closet to start up again.  And the number of non-golfers who say they’re very interested in playing golf has risen to 17 million, up 1.5 million from 2019, the National Golf Foundation says.”

The current question is how to sustain the momentum.  The most important commitment is for industry leaders to pay closer attention than in the past to what customers want.   That has often been a missing ingredient as many veteran leaders come across as if ”they always know best.”

Other options:

• Offer such events as “Nine and Wine,” which means playing a small number of holes, then gathering for wine after the shorter round.

The course where I play most of the time, Illahe Hills Golf and Country Club in Salem, Oregon, has offered a deal where, with friends, you play nine holes, stopping every third hole for food and drink. 

• Give new or returning golfers an informal and friendly chance to get golf instruction, such as, in one case, according to the Wall Street Journal, some new golfers learned half-swings with wedges early on — which naturally pops the ball into the air — so they can succeed at getting the ball off the ground when they play.

More from the Wall Street Journal: 

Tim Schantz, president and CEO of Troon Golf, which manages more than 500 golf properties world-wide, says this:

“We’ve been trying to break down the barriers to entry.  Dress codes, things that come across as more formal or stilted, can be relaxed in a way that’s better for all involved.  At the same time, you don’t want to push people away. There’s a medium in between there, and we want to take the right kinds of steps.”

“For instance, he says, ‘there’s nothing wrong with someone playing six holes carrying their bag and throwing the ball out of the trap instead of hitting it, rather than a traditional style of play, or playing rounds with just one club instead of a whole bagful.”

• Speeding up the game and not making a round take half of a day could also entice more golfers, especially when people are going back to work in their offices and don’t have as much leisure time.
• Another strategy that some courses are adopting:  Appealing to golfers who want exercise,  but don’t want to be encumbered by a heavy bag of clubs.  In some cases, they’re using technology to help implement the idea. During the pandemic, the Tempo Walk, a Roomba-like device that follows along behind golfers and carries their clubs and other gear, has gained popularity.

As with any industry challenge these days, there is no magic answer.  One way to put it:  Find the right balance that keeps the new and returning golfers, while, at the same time, not turning away the established veterans.

To achieve that right balance, it will probably be trial and error for a time.  But the effort is worth it.