In the latest poll question 'What Do You Think Is The Biggest Problem Facing the Game of Golf Right Now?', the results were as follows:
Slow Pace of Play: 19 votes (31%)
Lack of Quality Instruction: 18 votes (29%)
Memberships Too Expensive: 16 votes (26%)
Equipment Too Expensive: 3 votes (4%)
Overestimation of 'Tiger-Mania': 3 votes (4%)
Not Enough Exciting Players On Tour: 2 votes (3%)
Interesting results. Slow Pace of Play is probably more annoying to other people as I'm not married nor do I have children. I can't stand slow play, but it's not as big of a factor in my golfing life as it is for most people. The people have spoken when it comes to the lack of quality instruction. It's really a situation where you guess if some top teacher will work out for you and when they don't or their instruction only brings small improvement in your game, you wonder how these guys get top 100 teacher credentials. I'd really like to take a poll of Golf Digest's Top 50 instructors and ask them what causes the initial direction and curvature of ball flight. I'm willing to guess that less than 10% get it right. In fact, in the latest edition of Golf Digest, Jim Flick (ranked #5 instructor in the world), claimed that at impact you should emulate your address position. Not only do we know this to be horrendously incorrect, but here's a look at Nicklaus' address and impact positions, a guy that Flick used to teach.
(Thanks to Somax Sports for the pics)
The others are pretty self-explanatory for the most part. I thought the expense of equipment would've been a problem, but the major OEM's have done a good job of reducing their prices in order to suit the golfer in this company.
I put in the 'Overestimation of Tiger-Mania.' What basically happened is that corporations thought 'Tiger Mania' would cause the golf market to boom. This generated more equipment companies, jacked up the price of equipment, more courses were built, prices of golf went up and all that happened was more people would watch golf, if and only if Tiger was in contention on Sunday (believe me, I did a study on this during college). My golf membership is such where I get to be a member at 23 courses in the Atlanta area. Basically the corporation that owns these companies came up with a smart business model where they bought up all these distressed properties that were built in the late 90's.
And having gone to college in the Myrtle Beach area, I've seen up close and personal how destructive the overestimation of 'Tiger Mania' can help kill a city's economy.
Anyway, I'll have a new poll up. I'd appreciate it if you can give your feedback.
3JACK
I think it was a pretty good poll. I just came back from the AMF teaching summit and they showed some data about golf instruction. Very telling. Most people don't take because of cost and time but not much fear of lessons hurting the player except from the group that took lessons before but not in the last two years. Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeleteI think the lack of exciting players who win consistantly is a big detriment to the game today. And the fact that the high profile players don't play every event. Tiger Woods has been a pro for 12 years and has NEVER played the New Orleans event; not even after Hurricane Katrina.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind slow play either. Except when guys are eye-balling their putts from all four angles to make double bogey.
By the way, it sounds like you have a dream job.