Golf
radar’ in journalistic terms. It may be something to do with the nature of these developments why they are not reported on.
Need for investment
Many UK courses, be they private, proprietary or municipal, are in need of investment. With the state of the seasonal weather we have now become used to - wet summers and long cold winters - golf courses are less attractive places to play. There are so many other outdoor sporting options for active people today and, in relation to this, the golf industry needs to buck up its ideas to make changes for the better. Troon Golf - one of the largest golf operators in the world - has recently stated that they would like more 9-hole courses developed to make the game more attractive and less time-consuming. In 2012, HSBC produced a report entitled, Golf’s 2020 Vision - in which it states the need for golf to be made more attractive for non-golfers, for families,
for women and schoolchildren. It also says that 9-hole facilities are the future of golf - quicker rounds and more family- focused.
Everyone in the industry - including many other golf operators, the R&A, USGA, PGA, European Tour and big pro names such as Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player - has been talking (moaning) about the scourge of slow play for years. However, as long as the professionals continue to play six hour televised rounds of golf, and the governing authorities continue to do nothing to deal with it, then the average golfer will follow suit in the Saturday morning medal, lining up his fourth putt for an eight on a par 3.
I’ve written articles about it, too. I’m still waiting for someone to take notice of my suggestion to make the golf hole bigger (6”/150mm) - this would transform the game overnight. These are all great ideas, but where does a private members’ club in the wilds of, say, the Derbyshire Peak District, go
to find investment, and new members and green fees? The banks don’t lend money any more, especially if the business has the word ‘golf ’ associated with it.
Revolution is required
What the industry needs is a revolution, and this could be the start - build fewer 18-hole courses and more 9-hole courses with state of the art practice facilities and full-length driving ranges. Make golf safer by eradicating narrow fairways, insufficient safety margins, crossing holes, parallel holes, etc. In the UK, there are hundreds of 18- hole courses built on sites that are only 40 hectares (100 acres) or less, with poor quality practice facilities. Many of these courses are short by modern standards, at around 5,500 to 6,500 yards from the back tees, with narrow or insubstantial safety margins that would make an insurance consultant or health and safety officer cringe. Given recent claims for damages and compensation, this puts
sporting options for active people today and, in relation to this, the golf industry needs to buck up its ideas to make changes for the better”
“There are so many other outdoor
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