This summer is a landmark in golfing history as for the first time in over a 100 years it returns to the Olympics. The reason for the return is that apparently the game needs help in becoming more global and of course the Olympics could not possibly be a more global stage to showcase a sport. I for one find this very difficult to accept and it seems that there are quite a few at the top of the professional game who tend to agree, which has at least in part led to some of the recent withdrawals.
Does golf really need help in marketing itself?
Well actually it does, but I can't see that it's in the ways the Olympics can help with. Firstly, how global do you think a game can get? The European Tour now visits countries all across the European continent but then also several in Africa and the Far East. It has affiliated tournaments in Australasia. We have players on the European Tour from all the continents including South America, Central America and the Far East. The PGA Tour goes to almost every state and is one of the richest sporting circuses in the world with up to $10,000,000 up for grabs every week.
And yet the game is in trouble in some ways...
There are fewer rounds being played year on year and fewer players becoming full members of golf clubs. (If you hadn't already realised Chestfield is one of the few clubs in the region doing very well with membership and visitor numbers up generally). I happen to agree with the idea that the real problem is time. A round of golf is not just 3.5 hours (or sometimes a lot more). It is the time to prepare beforehand, which even if you don't do a full warm-up will usually consist of meeting for at least a coffee, and then the time after in the 19th and that might not include showering etc. So a round is actually at least five hours and more normally seven. We just don't have that kind of time now and the rise in activities that don't need this kind of time seems to confirm it.
So what should we do?
Personally, my stomach turns at the thought of FootGolf but it is doing very well where it's been tried and 9-hole courses are doing very well in comparison with their 18-hole neighbours. Time seems to be the problem and not, as is the common thought, money. You can understand the confusion when more and more people use the word 'justify' when talking about the cost of golf. It's not that they can't afford it - it's more that the amount of rounds they'll play due to time constraints makes it unjustifiable to them.
We at Chestfield have made some great membership options open to people and that has definitely helped things. Flexi membership and social plus mean we have gained occasional players and also players from other clubs who can then afford to have several memberships. So we seem to be doing well and the investment we are now putting into the facilities of the club will definitely help to make us one of the clubs in the area to be at the top of people's lists. I can see some clubs struggling and eventually closing as the trend seems to be only one way but this just makes it doubly important for Chestfield to improve itself wherever possible to ensure its longevity.
I hope you will all back the committee in its efforts to bring the club's facilities up to date and to improve them.
There is work to be done but it is very necessary and we will all be very thankful in the long run. I do believe golf has a difficult future in the long term and I don't believe the Olympics is the answer. It will always have an elitist edge because of the money involved in courses and equipment but I believe that clubs like Chestfield are the beacons that the full game will survive for a long time to come.
What ball are you using?
So, you want to hit the ball higher, straighter and longer; what do you do? There are various options:
Get custom fitted for a new set of clubs in the shop
Have a course of lessons with one of our PGA professionals
Make sure you're using the correct ball for your game
I've spoken to you before about the importance of coaching and custom fitting, so I'm not going to go over this again (yet!). But it is the last of the aforementioned points that I want to briefly focus on this week.
The golf ball is the only piece of equipment that you use for every single shot (duh!), so why do so many of you neglect to consider whether the one you're using is best for your game?
It's exactly the same principle as club fitting. Jon will see different results from Greg, and Greg will see different results from Alex. It's all about finding the right equipment to benefit your game. Just because your playing partner reckons that Tour Balatas are the best balls since sliced bread, doesn't mean that they're going to give you results.
We've got plenty of different options available for you in the shop
So stop getting any old ball out of your bag, or using those scuffed ones you found in the bushes; instead, come and speak to a member of the team about which ball would best suit your game. If you're someone who wants to see the numbers by trying out each ball, then get in touch here to request a fitting.
Playing the correct ball is a cost-effective way of you improving your handicap!
Why wouldn't you want to help yourself?
