Money, Money, Money--Part 2

     I am a little late with this post.  I know that I said that I would write a companion post the day after I wrote Money, Money, Money Part 1, but things got a little hectic around here. Let's just say I went a little off task.  I didn't get to play golf either. As a golfer/writer I thought that that would be the key to playing more golf, but what happens is that you become a writer first and golfer second. At any rate, I continue with my thoughts on the game and money as it applies to the decline in players.
     In the 90's and early 2000's, golf and the economy was booming. The number of golf courses and the number of new players to the game rose in meteoric fashion. Players were there and money was not an object.  New courses were built and the equipment business took off like a rocket. Demand was high, both for places to play and for the new equipment that the manufacturers were developing and marketing.  A $350 driver was something every golfer wanted to have because it straightened out a slice or generated ten extra yards on the drive.  New balls came out, each with a hefty price tag per ball or dozen.  After all, we did want to play the ball the pros play on tour.  Never mind that it didn't fit our game. Golf marketing was running amok, and as with equipment "If they built it, We would come". Green fees went through the roof as well, because there were not enough courses and money was plentiful. Golfers would pay, and they had money. They spent money on golf like drunken sailors.
     We said hello to 2008.  In essence, we went backward. The financial boon that had brought a huge growth in the world economy went bust and with it the expansion in players of golf came to an abrupt halt.  There just weren't the financial resources. Let's see, if you have to make a choice between living in a house and paying rent as well as eating or playing golf, what responsible choice do you make.  Golf suffered as the result. The money was no longer there. People just didn't have the money for a luxury like golf and left the game. As far as courses and golf real estate, "They did build it, and they didn't come.". They couldn't afford it.
     One more thing that is true about this. The 30 something generation seems not to have time for a four and a half round of golf. My opinion of this is simple, I am not exactly sure of the validity of that argument but I'm not going to cover that here. I may talk about that in another post, we will see.
     What are the solutions to this?  We will talk about this in the next post. The industry is already taking the steps to change this.
     My friends at The Club at Crazy Horse Ranch would really like to share their course with you. The course is in great shape and they would like you to stop by and try the course out. It is a lot of fun to play. You can see a lot of it on my YouTube Video which you will find on my website http://the-golf-course-travel-bag.com or go directly to YouTube at http://youtu.be/ZAF3Ve9VH_A to see it.  The course is very green and the greens play fast and true. With its hills and valleys, it is a great layout and challenging to all levels of golfers.
     Hit 'em long and straight, don't leave that birdie putt short.

Crazy Horse Ranch's Signature Fifth Hole. Par Three and downhill, make sure you don't overclub.

     










 

Changes--Three Great Courses, Three Great Changes

     Vacation is over, sort of.  I really wasn't on vacation per se.  I have just been so busy with other things that I just haven't taken the time to sit down and write. My golf U-Tube and website business is starting to take off, so I have had to devote a lot of time to it. I do miss sharing with you and will be more consistent posting.  The bottom line is that I really enjoy doing this.
     Changes are hard in golf. Let's face it, we play a very conservative game that is slow to initiate and embrace change. There have been some evolutions in the game such as changes in the ball, different club heads, and putters but the basic game has not changed much.  The idea is simple. Take a ball on a large patch of ground and try to get that ball in a hole several yards away in the least number of strokes possible.
Changes have been made nevertheless.
    Three courses that I have played recently have entered the waters of change. All three courses have made some significant changes in different ways for the good of the game in this time of a slight decline in play. I think that the changes they have made are wise and help preserve the game. In the coming weeks, I will feature these courses in detail here on my blog but today I just wanted to mention the changes they are making. I congratulate them for their forward thinking and the changes they are making.

Stevinson Ranch

     Stevinson Ranch outside of Merced, California has installed the TaylorMade 15 inch cup. Their greens are large and will accommodate two pin locations. At first, I was not a fan of the 15 inch pin, but I played in a tournament there July 4th and it was a kick.  Let's face it folks, you still have to get the ball to the hole. In fact, your brain sort of overcompensates for that bigger hole. You have a tendency to leave the ball short of the hole.  I know this very well as I missed three birdie putts short of the hole. You can see more of this on my U-Tube Video that I produced called Stevinson 15 (here's the URL http://youtu.be/_Kx3Qrv18IE). Take a look and I hope you enjoy it. I enjoyed the tournament and believe it or not playing the 15 inch hole. I wouldn't want a steady diet of it as I am a bit of a golf snob and purist, but it was fun.

DeLaveaga

     DeLaveaga is located in the hills above Santa Cruz, California. Being on the coast of California it does get a lot of rain and for the most part is very lush and green. With this year's California drought, some decisions had to be made as to the amount of irrigation water to be put on the course and where best that water could be used given the limited supply. Yes, there are brown areas that are not being watered, but these areas for the most part don't come into play--or at least shouldn't-- and the course is in great shape.  The landing areas and greens are still lush and green. Overall, they are doing a very good job of water management on a great course.  Take a look on the U-Tube video I just did on DeLaveaga to explore more about the course (here's the URL http://youtu.be/pUzEB0tmzMQ).
     Just east of Monterey lies the sleepy town of Salinas.  My daughter used to live in Salinas and I used to play the public course there called Salinas Fairways. Outside of town was a private country club which I had always heard great things about but was unable to play. Why? Because it was private. I had heard that Salinas Country Club was one of the finest courses in the area.  It was kind of the forbidden fruit and I longed to play it some day.

The Club At Crazy Horse Ranch

     My how things change.  Just recently I discovered that Salinas Country Club had opened to the public and had changed their name to The Club at Crazy Horse Ranch.  This was done to increase outside play and as such to increase revenues to the course. I finally got to play it last week and what a gem it is. It took a lot of courage from the membership to open this beautiful course up to outside play, but it was a good decision for the good of the game and for the course. I congratulate them for this difficult decision and sharing this course with the public. Crazy horse has some magnificent views of the rolling hills  and area around the course. You get a feel about how beautiful the course is on the U-Tube video I did for the course (here's the URL for that video (http://youtu.be/ZAF3Ve9VH_A).  
     If you are playing golf today, think of me.  I am laid up here at home with a bad back, so it will be a while before I can play again.  I look forward to that, but until then hit 'em long and straight.  Don't leave that birdie putt short and don't forget to visit my website at http://the-golf-course-travel-bag.com.