Golf still struggling in Washington

I couldn’t believe how easy it was to find a tee-time
during the first week of the 70-degree weather we had.

I expected the courses to be slammed. Cabin fever, 9-iron
style. Instead, I found popular courses with plenty of
times available. I walked right out as a single and
played 18 in under 4 hours.

Where did everybody go?

Troy Andrew is the CEO and Executive Director of the Washington State Golf Association.
He said the state of golf in Washington is pretty rough.
“Rounds are going down,” he said. “Private clubs are
losing membership. Not as many people are playing golf.”

Andrew said greens fees are being slashed, and courses are
offering great deals to entice players. Country clubs
have gutted their initiation and monthly fees, making now
the perfect time to join, if you have the cash.

So why the deep decline? The economy is the easy answer.
People just don’t have the money to spend. The wet years,
at least in the Northwest, have kept play down too. The
other is a cultural shift.

People don’t have time to spend six hours on the weekend to
play a round. They have kids sports and other family
activities that are more important than digging for their
balls in the rough.

So Andrew said courses and private clubs are reinventing
themselves to stay relevant and attractive.

“There are a
lot of things that golf courses are doing now to make it
more accessible, make the game more fun and attract more
people to the course so it’s not so difficult,” Andrew said.

Courses are cutting down rough and widening fairways.
They’re offering four-hole rounds that you can knock out
in an hour. They are moving up tees so the courses aren’t
so long.

Clubs are appealing to families by beefing up their non-
golfing amenities, like gyms and pools. And they’re
reaching out to women to make the game and the experience
less intimidating. Women make up only 20 percent of the
golfing population nationwide.

In 2010, two golf courses closed for every one that opened
in America. And Andrew knows the keepers of the game need
to do something to grow the game and keep it alive.

“It’s a wake up call, like many things are in this
economy,” Andrew said. “We have to be innovative and
still stay excited and positive about the game of golf.
It’s a great game, and we think it presents a lot of
values for people.”

But as golf’s leaders try to keep the game fresh and
attract new players, now is a great time for regular
hackers like me to get in a lot of rounds. It’s cheaper
and easier to get on than it’s been in a decade.