Most Recent National Golf Rounds Played Report

This week we all were able to look at the the most recent report of rounds played in the United States.  This two-page summary report can be found by clicking on National Golf Rounds Played Report.  This report compares rounds played this against rounds played in the same time period last year.  Knowing that overall rounds played decreased by 10% in the last decade, this report paints a mostly bleak picture of state of the industry for the first 2/3's of 2010. 

We are being told that the country is out of the most recent recession, yet we are still feeling the pain of this recession in most areas of business. The overwhelming majority of industries are affected by recessions.  Only a few, such as discount retailers and core food suppliers, tend to remain stable.  The experts say "(w)hile golf is not entirely recession-proof, the golf industry does appear to be one of the last to fall during a recession and one of the first to rise after a recession.  The golf industry tends to be buoyed, in all likelihood, by consumers at the upper end of income brackets."  I guess this means that we should not forget that circumstances can always be worse.

On a more positive note, let's remain optimistic that the results of upcoming elections will bring some control and moderation to growth of government, growth of taxes and hopefully an effort to create circumstances where American  business can begin to use accumulated cash to re-energize the economy.  By next spring all of us in the golf industry could be looking at tremendous opportunity to reverse the trends of the last decade recapture revenue and profit that evaporated in the fist decade of this century. 

Now is the time to prepare for next season.  This might be a good time to look at earlier posts to this blog: Growing a Business in Tough Times, Text Messages & Twitter, Electronic & Social Media Marketing Options and Closing the Loop.

Let's start today to build the momentum for a great 2011 season. 

New Federal Government Golf Rules

I don't know the source of this joke but given current events in our nation it should garner a chuckle and may be a valid commentary on the over-reaching of the Federal Government.  Thank you to my friend Mike LaFuze for sending me this email:

"President Obama has recently appointed a Golf Czar and major rule changes in the game of golf will become effective in August 2010.  This is only a preview as the complete rule book (expect 2000 pages) is being rewritten as we speak. Here are a few of the changes.
Golfers with handicaps:  

• below 10 will have their green fees increased by 35%.
• between 11 and 18 will see no increase in green fees.
• above 18 will get a $20 check each time they play.

The term "gimme" will be changed to "entitlement" and will be used as follows:
-handicaps  below 10, no entitlements.
-handicaps from 11 to 17, entitlements for putter length putts.
-handicaps above 18, if your ball is on green, no need to putt, just pick it up.
 
These entitlements are intended to bring about fairness and, most importantly, equality in scoring. In addition, a Player will be limited to a maximum of one birdie or six pars in any given 18-hole round. Any excess must be given to those fellow players who have not yet scored a birdie or par. Only after all players have received a birdie or par from the player actually making the birdie or par, can that player begin to count his pars and birdies again. The current USGA handicap system will be used for the above purposes, but the term 'net score' will be available only for scoring those players with handicaps of 18 and above. 
 
This is intended to 'redistribute' the success of winning by making sure that in every competition, the above 18 handicap players will post only 'net score' against every other player's gross score. These new Rules are intended to CHANGE the game of golf.
 
Golf must be about Fairness.   It should have nothing to do with ability, hard work, practice, and responsibility. This is the "Right thing to do". "

NOT!