I've been in the golf biz for over a decade now, and I see a misconception about the sport that pops up frequently. Here's a recent example:
[...] part of the appeal of golf is the fact that courses are so purposefully pretty. This, however, holds the major appeal of golf - the civilized appreciation of privilege. Golf is not a poor person's sport, nor is it a simple game to set up. You can drive or putt simply enough, but it takes an investment of at least hundreds of thousands of dollars to set up a single game (building the course and all that). It's a game that's a social event, coupled with displays of power and finesse that are impressive, if mechanically aided. It involves competition and targeting, yes, but the simple fact of the matter is that golf isn't popular just because it's played on pretty courses. It's popular because of what a fixation on golf entails - the money, time and privilege to be able to have that fixation.
That's a view that's outdated by a couple of generations or so.
Here's a little primer on golf courses, not that you need it, but apparently many other people do. Broadly catagorized, there are three types of golf courses; private, resort, and daily fee courses.
Private courses are available usually only to members and their guests. Often these memberships are quite expensive, costing tens of thousands of dollars. Naturally, only rich folks can afford membership, and this is where the snobbery occurs. Think Caddyshack. (There are some reasonably priced private courses, usually in small towns, where membership might run only a few hundred dollars annually.)
Resort courses are the ones you see in Vegas and other popular destinations, like the courses around Vail here in Colorado. The fee to play is often over $100, sometimes more than $200, just for a single round. Although pricey, many golfers do splurge once in a while, so middle class people make up the bulk of the play in this category.
Most of the tournaments on TV are played on courses in those first two categories, so a casual sports fan might get the impression that they represent the majority of the golf industry. Not true. The vast majority of golfers and rounds of golf played are at the daily fee courses. Many of these courses cost less than $25 to play, even less for an avid golfer with a season pass. A nine hole round in the evening might be closer to $10, and that compares pretty well to a movie ticket.
That golf isn't a poor people's sport is true, if you assume that only a tiny portion of the US population is poor, say something less than 10 %. By that measure, other activities outside of the reach of the poor include dinners at restaurants, surfing, camping, and owning a reliable car. Makes everyone else an elitist, no?
This is a particular sore spot to me because golf has become an access point for minorities into American society. Over the years I've been a regular player or employee at courses that are played primarily by hispanics, or, like the muni courses here in Denver, reflect the ethnic diversity in the City pretty accurately. If you want to see interaction between various ethnicities and income levels the golf course is the place to be.
While we're on the subject, Golf Views magazine has a feature on my friend Tom Woodard, one of the first African-Americans on the PGA tour, and now the most important golf executive in Colorado. (Sorry, no permanent link. Look for the Aug. issue.)
Posted by Walter at August 24, 2005 03:32 PM