The Challenge of Value
Something hit me the other day as I drove down the road. I drove past a local golf course, and granted it was one of the first beautiful days here in the midwest, and the driving range/practice area was packed. I drove past a few hours later, still packed.
While glancing quickly as I drove by, I spotted golfers born in at least 6 different decades, likely handicaps ranging from never had one, never will to low single digits, and everything in between.
I thought golf had a popularity problem. I’ve been told people aren’t golfing as much as they used to. That driving range begs to differ.
Since 2003, there has been a consistent annual decline in the number of golf players. There were 6.8 million fewer golfers in 2018 compared to 2003 — a loss of 22 percent.
https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2020/july/implications-of-the-rise-and-decline-of-golf/#:~:text=Since%202003%2C%20there%20has%20been,courses%20between%202005%20and%202018.
The issue is Value.
Don’t get me wrong, buying balls to hit at this particular course aren’t cheap. A single bag costs almost $10. You know what else almost costs $10? An entire month of Netflix. If golf has a popularity issue, why are hundreds of people paying an entire month’s worth of Netflix for an hour or less of golf?
The issue is Value.
Golf doesn’t have a popularity problem, it has a value problem. It’s been said over and over that people don’t want to spend 5 hours and spend $75 for a single round of golf, and that’s certainly valid, but the reason is because they aren’t getting the value they want out of that transaction. A single ticket to a NFL game can run in the multiples of a round of golf and take up the same, if not more time, yet NFL games haven’t ever been more popular. The key? You got it. Value.
NFL games are fun. NFL games are welcoming. NFL games don’t make you feel out of place when you show up.
In a world so uniquely focused on value and maximizing value, its odd Golf hasn’t caught up to the world’s value equation.
If the golf industry is interested in self-reflecting, it would be a useful exercise to study participants at a local driving range in a run-of-the-mill midwestern town. That’s where golf’s future lives. That’s where hundreds of smiles, high-fives, and laughs are created, using unique ability to excite just about anyone. That’s where the game can grow.
How about a 6-hole course, that takes an hour to get through, and costs $10 -15? I bet you could convince some of the life-long driving range-only golfers to actually get on the course. And hell, as a self-proclaimed golf-obsessive, that sure sounds like the type of golf I could get behind.
Fun Stuff
- Season 3 of Netflix’ Formula 1: Drive to Survive was released last week, and if you haven’t seen the show, it’s a must. Coming into the show knowing nothing about motorsport or F1, it caught me from episode one. It’s personalities and drama are captivating for those less sport-inclined, and the competition and high-stakes will capture those interested in the sporting side. Detailed enough for hardcore F1 fans, yet welcoming and inclusive enough for those just getting in. A true treat.
- Album: Linkin Park – Live in Texas
- A throwback to the early 2000’s, but LP sounds just as good live as they do in their studio albums. A great album to throw on in the background and crush the workday.
- Favorite Tracks: Closer to the Edge, Faint, Numb
Two Off the First 