quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:
It is equally likely that he swerved to miss an, or several animal (s) and lost control.

Or another which didn't stop.

Sorry that the accident happen but why are so many people putting this person and others like him on a pedalstal above others. Just because they might be some type of celeb. Sorry but why should one person be more important than any one else with all of the national/international news coverage!! ................... drill sgt.

C'mon guys - Tiger is a great guy - as long as he is winning.

quote:

Originally posted by Ripley:


I've golfed and watched golf many decades. I'll suggest golf was booming as Woods showed up on the scene. I'm sure he brought a lot to the game but it was doing fine without him.

I respectfully disagree. Tiger Woods single handedly brought back golf into the conversation. It was dying back then and it's dying now. Golf hit its peak with Tiger's career.

Sure Nike tried entering the club business but found out sweatshops and little kids don't make high quality irons which is why they stick to apparel.

quote:

Originally posted by Hildur:
I respectfully disagree. Tiger Woods single handedly brought back golf into the conversation. It was dying back then and it's dying now.

It's dying now? Wow, have you ever got that wrong. Last season golf saw increases like never before. Hit a golf forum or two. Long-time golfers are bitching up a storm about the difficulty in getting tee times and crowded courses. Manufacturers are citing two and three month lead times for new product due in part to demand.

quote:

Originally posted by Hildur:

quote:

Originally posted by Ripley:


I've golfed and watched golf many decades. I'll suggest golf was booming as Woods showed up on the scene. I'm sure he brought a lot to the game but it was doing fine without him.

I respectfully disagree. Tiger Woods single handedly brought back golf into the conversation. It was dying back then and it's dying now. Golf hit its peak with Tiger's career.

Sure Nike tried entering the club business but found out sweatshops and little kids don't make high quality irons which is why they stick to apparel.

and if it dies, who the heck cares? It's not like the USA lost economic dominance or technological prowess. Golf is a game and we could easily do without it.....

quote:

Originally posted by Ripley:

quote:

Originally posted by NavyGuy:
..spectator golf would not enjoy the popularity is has today if it weren't for Tiger.

I've golfed and watched golf many decades. I'll suggest golf was booming as Woods showed up on the scene. I'm sure he brought a lot to the game but it was doing fine without him.

Yes, he did bring a lot of money and attention to the game but along with the good was the bad. There was too much expectation, overbuilding of courses led to many future failures. Nike put a ton into equipment, whether they actually made or designed it. They now just sell golf apparel. They weren't alone in overestimating how big golf was thanks solely to Tiger Woods.

The golf industry believed too much of its own Woods hype and now pays a price.

Not having golfed in many decades, I'll bow to your wisdom in first hand, on the course knowledge. My take is, when Tiger was in the hunt at a major, people tuned in. If Tiger was out and all it was is Mickelson against whoever, cut that viewership in half. Tiger in the hunt brings a lot to the game. Red shirt charging on the final day... two strokes back with 4 holes to go... the leader is for sure looking at the leader board and cringing at the crowd cheers from the distance. Real life drama.

Golf, meh. Beating the earth with a stick, how can you miss it? Now, shooting clay targets, that's skill, but the money and women is not so good....

quote:

Originally posted by heathtx:

quote:

Originally posted by Hildur:

quote:

Originally posted by Ripley:


I've golfed and watched golf many decades. I'll suggest golf was booming as Woods showed up on the scene. I'm sure he brought a lot to the game but it was doing fine without him.

I respectfully disagree. Tiger Woods single handedly brought back golf into the conversation. It was dying back then and it's dying now. Golf hit its peak with Tiger's career.

Sure Nike tried entering the club business but found out sweatshops and little kids don't make high quality irons which is why they stick to apparel.

and if it dies, who the heck cares? It's not like the USA lost economic dominance or technological prowess. Golf is a game and we could easily do without it.....

Speak for yourself. All work and no play....

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
Golf, meh. Beating the earth with a stick, how can you miss it?

If you were trying to play golf by hitting the ground you were doing it wrong

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
Now, shooting clay targets, that's skill...

Having done both I'm here to tell ya: Breaking clays is a damn sight easier than getting that ball in the hole

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by Hildur:
I respectfully disagree. Tiger Woods single handedly brought back golf into the conversation. It was dying back then and it's dying now.

It's dying now? Wow, have you ever got that wrong. Last season golf saw increases like never before. Hit a golf forum or two. Long-time golfers are bitching up a storm about the difficulty in getting tee times and crowded courses. Manufacturers are citing two and three month lead times for new product due in part to demand.

quote:

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. This resulted in a net reduction of 1,243 18-HEQ courses between 2005 and 2018. The decline is a function of the high cost of playing, difficulty of courses, and the game’s incompatibility with contemporary lifestyles.

quote:

In a typical year, approximately 200 courses fail.

https://www.nrpa.org/parks-rec...and-decline-of-golf/



Boy, did you get that wrong.


ETA: I play golf 3x a week when the weather permits. I never had a problem getting a tee time last year or any other year for that matter. What I will tell you is that clubs that had a waiting list and used to charge $25k a membership 10-15 years ago are charging $5,000 now and no waitlist.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
Golf, meh. Beating the earth with a stick, how can you miss it?

If you were trying to play golf by hitting the ground you were doing it wrong

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
Now, shooting clay targets, that's skill...

Having done both I'm here to tell ya: Breaking clays is a damn sight easier than getting that ball in the hole

Have to agree. I work hard at both and shooting has come easier.

quote:

Originally posted by Hildur:
Boy, did you get that wrong.

https://golfweek.usatoday.com/...yed-retail-increase/

https://www.anythingresearch.c...es-Country-Clubs.htm

quote:

Originally posted by Hildur:
ETA: I play golf 3x a week when the weather permits. I never had a problem getting a tee time last year ...

From what I've read on golf forums, you're more the exception than the rule.

I think what Woods did was rejuvenate the game by drawing in a much younger demographic that had always been thought of as an old mans game.

Golf, or what we call it around here, Pasture Pool.
.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by Hildur:
Boy, did you get that wrong.

https://golfweek.usatoday.com/...yed-retail-increase/

https://www.anythingresearch.c...es-Country-Clubs.htm

quote:

Originally posted by Hildur:
ETA: I play golf 3x a week when the weather permits. I never had a problem getting a tee time last year ...

From what I've read on golf forums, you're more the exception than the rule.

2020 spike due to COVID and it was a measly 13%. With Government not allowing people to do most other activities it's pathetic that golf only saw that little of an increase. After all, it only took the shutdown of all team sports for some people to find their way to a golf course because it's one of the few things Government knows best allowed people to do.

Golf was a great way to do business. Now a days everything is done via internet and over the phone. Companies are squeezing their employees to work more and they couldn't care less about building relationships on a golf course. In the last few years I've noticed fellow professionals I used to play with regularly (and referred business to one another) are no longer able to because their employers are demanding more of their time and have higher performance requirements that can't be met playing golf with clients on the regular.

Zoomers are born with a smartphone in their hand and the vast majority have no interest in spending 4 hours trying to put a little ball in 18 holes especially when a round of golf costs more than a video game that they can play for hundreds of hours. Golf is a tough game and younger generations don't like to suck at things.

When life returns to normal golf will go back to dying again. The same is true with skiing. Last year the parking lots were empty and there were no lines to get on the lift. This year I don't even bother going because I'm not paying $100 to wait in line between runs in the middle of the week.


ETA: As for your revenue stats Country Clubs are making bank on weddings and events. When I was in my 20s I bartended at a country club. Every weekend all 3 function halls were fully booked and the minimum was $30,000. It's safe to say that the functions and events brought in a lot more money than the golf did.

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
Golf, meh. Beating the earth with a stick, how can you miss it? Now, shooting clay targets, that's skill, but the money and women is not so good....

Go out and try it, and video tape it so we all can have a laugh. I have done both, golf will humble you way more then shooting clay pigeons.

I found that my son and I only watched golf if it was the only sport on TV during Covid. or If it was on vs. soccer.

Both of those could disappear tomorrow and no $h!tz would be given in my household.

quote:

Originally posted by XLT:

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
Golf, meh. Beating the earth with a stick, how can you miss it? Now, shooting clay targets, that's skill, but the money and women is not so good....

Go out and try it, and video tape it so we all can have a laugh. I have done both, golf will humble you way more then shooting clay pigeons.

Ain’t that the truth. I tried playing and learning many many years ago. All I did in the beginning was work on swing. I mean I was consumed by it. I relented when my back just didn’t agree with it. Weightlifter + golfer just didn’t work for me. That shit is for Tiger or some pro.

My only beef with golf is the pass the local golf course gets when we get into water restriction turf.

Yep, I will respectfully disagree that golf is doing well. Covid upturns are a blip. The stat that is most telling is that fewer new players start the game nowadays. Avid golfers are still avid golfers. The pipeline if players is shrinking. Neighborhoods built around golf courses are convulsing. They are shutting down GC’s much faster than new ones replace them.

I have no ill will towards a Tiger. I find it humorous the amount of rationalization people give to cover his faults. He’s been a grownup for decades and his dead has been dead for quite awhile. How long can you blame boorish behavior on daddy issues? He was the catalyst to get many many more people interested in the game. Loss if Tiger is a huge loss. To say otherwise is beyond silly.

Don’t buy on a golf course. Golf isn’t dying but it isn’t thriving either.