I have seen headlines from around the country about golf club communities and golf courses that are in financial trouble these days. It is difficult to get an accurate reading of how many courses close and open each year,
but the latest National Golf Foundation figures (from 2008) estimated that more courses closed than opened last year.
Experts have been warning for years that there is a
national glut of golf courses.
The financial woes are affecting some country club communities especially hard. Poynter's
St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times said that "
while some country club communities are holding steady, others are grappling with foreclosure and bankruptcy, onerous budgets and lush courses that the homeowners can barely afford to play."
The financial hit comes at a time when there are actually fewer golfers playing, according to the
National Golf Foundation's most recent report:
"The slight downward trend in the number of golfers in the U.S. continued in 2008, falling 3 percent, from 29.5 million in 2007 to 28.6 million in 2008, according to NGF's annual golf participation study. For research purposes, a golfer is defined as a person age 6 or above who plays at least one round of golf in a given year. The study of 42,000 Americans was fielded by Synovate, a global market research firm in Chicago, Ill.
"Decreases were seen in both Core and Occasional golfer categories. Core golfers (age 6+, eight or more rounds a year) dropped 4.5 percent, from 17.3 million to 16.6 million. And Occasional golfers (age 6+, one to seven rounds a year) dropped 1.5 percent, from 12.2 million to 12.0 million.
"Nevertheless, 4.0 million golfers either approached the game for the first time (1.7 million) or returned after a hiatus (2.3 million.) These were offset by 4.9 million 'lost golfers' who played in 2007 but not in 2008."
Here is some related coverage from various parts of the country:
Illinois: "
Future of Lake County Golf Course Looking Dimmer"
Florida: "
TwinEagles Golf Club Closed by Financially Strapped Bonita Bay Group"
Nevada: "
Another Golf Course to Close at Struggling Lake Las Vegas"
Indiana: "
A 'Difficult Decision': Hamilton Golf Course Closing"
I was recently on vacation in the Brunswick Beaches area...
