6
FROM THE EDITOR
Fringe sports to the
possible rescue
Topgolf, FlingGolf, FootGolf and
whatever other golf iteration is
looming in the future can only help
the game of golf.
It needs all the help it can get.
The game lost 1.3 million players
in 2013 and 2014. One million of
them were aged 7-34, including
700,000 millennials. Only the
65-and-older set gained golfers.
A total of 510 courses have
been built since 2006 and
1,503 have closed. That's a
net loss of 993 (in 18-hole
equivalents) in a decade.
Industry analysts predict
another 1,500 (net) or
so still must close to
fi nd supply-demand
equilibrium in the
current economy.
Even if that
equilibrium is attained,
golf must reverse the
net trend of losing
more players than it develops or
more courses will face closure.
About 22-million people play
golf today. The key issue for golf
is keeping that number above 20
million in the future.
Topgolf, see page 72, might help.
Beginners and millennials may
SPREAD THE
GOSPEL
Allen Thayer
