The economy’s impact on golf

HAL LENOBEL
Contributing Columnist
golf@lbknews.com

Many clubs have rules prohibiting the use of cell phones and BlackBerrys on the golf course, and these days that might be the only way to get away from the seemingly constant barrage of bad news emanating from Wall Street. We have heard too much about the financial crisis — derivatives, the credit freeze, home values, mortgage-backed securities, credit default swaps and on and on. I truly hope that many of my readers are using a round of golf to escape the turmoil and volatility. After all, isn’t this why we join a club or get out to the golf course, to relax with friends or family, get away from the pressures of the job and just take a break from the pace of life as we know it, all too well, in 2008?
I wish the golf clubs in the Sarasota area and its courses could escape the layoffs and pain that are spreading. Unfortunately, the economic downturn will affect golf across the country, and its consequences will be felt even more acutely here in Florida, where ties to the stock market are so close. Thus far, rounds have held up pretty well at most clubs and courses…lots of players have stayed home to play and the challenges remain near home.
Nevertheless, golf is already feeling the impact of the downturn. Overall club usage, including outside outing business, is already down at most clubs. Given recent conditions, the ripple effects will grow, and the major impacts on club memberships and discretionary spending won’t be felt until 2009.
What can clubs and courses do to deal with these issues? The first thing we should recognize is pretty basic: golf is a wonderful game and the Sarasota area has the finest courses anywhere. We offer a great variety from the most expensive private venues to a wonderful range of quality public courses. As a result, we have a great game and the best places to play…something we should never lose sight of.
In the not too distant past, most private clubs enjoyed lengthy waiting lists and steadily increasing initiation fees, and public courses had waiting lines for peak tee times. To just sit back and hope things work out and return to those times would be, for most clubs and courses, a big mistake. Wall Street learned some painful lessons by waiting too long to react to problems, and golf can’t afford to make the same mistake.
Clubs should expect and plan for more membership attrition than normal and focus now on creative ways to ensure the pipeline of new members for 2009 will be as strong as possible. Public courses have to recognize that while they might offer great value, there is more competition than ever before and their customers will be shopping around. And like many households and small businesses, clubs and courses are just going to have to do some old-fashioned belt tightening on the expense side of the operation. Effectively anticipating and addressing these issues will not be easy, and in some cases will require being open to approaches that are different, even significantly different, than in the past.
There is one thing we can count on: Better days are ahead for America, our economy and for the business of golf. However, we need to work hard to get through this difficult period and ensure our fine clubs and courses emerge stronger than ever.
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The following question came to me and is worthy of an answer: “Why is a second ball used only in stroke play? If a Rules disagreement occurred in match play, why couldn’t the competitor play a second ball as well?”
The reason that a second ball (Rule 3-3) is not permitted in match play is that your opponent often bases his or her strategy based on how you are playing the hole, so it would be impractical for two balls to be played and have the Rules Committee decide later on. In stroke play, you are playing against the course, and it should not matter what score your fellow competitor makes. If there is a Rules disagreement in match play, a “timely claim” should be made and play should continue.
Hal Lenobel was a member of the United States Golf Association Rules and Tournament Committee for 25 years. He officiated at more than 150 tournaments during his tenure.