The Direction of Golf in the US
Ponderings on the Golf Economy and Current Development
A couple of weeks ago, I was mindlessly scrolling X and noticed a press release for a new private golf club being built in Florida. Another destination club with limited membership, the release boasted a sand-based property, two courses, a high profile architect, luxury lodging, and a modern clubhouse. Sounds amazing, right?
For most of my buddies and the general golf enthusiast, the answer would be a resounding yes. They will try to find a connection to get their foot in the door any way they can, or simply just drool over the Instagram photos that will be published in the coming months.
For me though, as I read the article, I started to ponder, “Is another destination club or resort really what golf needs in the US?”
Americans played 531 million rounds across all states in 2023, eclipsing 2021 as the highest amount ever. The 2020 pandemic created a much-needed spike in the golf economy, as rounds had steadily decreased from the end of the Tiger effect in the early 2000’s, through 2019.
The popularity of golf right now is illustrated throughout the landscape. On any given Saturday on a public metro area golf course, the tee sheet is completely booked, largely with younger to middle aged men blaring Morgan Wallen on a speaker and asking the beverage attendant for more Whiteclaws. Not to mention, the only way to get a tee time is to be on your computer right when they are released the week or so before.
On the private side, country club waitlists are getting much longer, with more expensive initiations than ever before. I recently heard of a club that used to be a $25k or so initiation pre-pandemic is up to $65k, just to get on a 2+ year waitlist.
Moreso, driving ranges, alternative golf/social ventures (e.g. TopGolf, DriveShack, Puttshack), and golf content are all sectors of the industry with long tentacles.
With the demand and a healthy market, golf courses are being built rampantly. Currently, there are 124 golf courses in planning or under construction in the US. Along with that, golf tourism in the US is up 20% overall compared to its average. People are willing to travel to play golf.
Resorts companies like Dream Golf (Bandon Dunes, Sand Valley), Cabot, Pinehurst, and others have taken advantage of this. They know their consumers, pushing their properties through the flourishing golf content machine. The marketing, and end user experience no doubt, works.
Clearly in a lucrative financial position, these resort companies are either adding new courses to their existing properties (e.g. Pinehurst no. 10, Shorty’s at Bandon), or investing in new resorts altogether (e.g. Rodeo Dunes, Cabot Citrus Farms). In a similar vein, second private clubs are constantly being developed, especially in the Southeast and Texas.
Look, I do not want to sound like I am bashing these resorts or clubs. I’m currently in a buddies group planning a trip to one of these resorts next year. That said, destination golf is at the risk of the industry’s economy. When times are good, people spend money. When they’re bad, people spend less, especially on hobbies. This is what worries me about destination golf. How will it hold up in a weak golf economy, especially these resorts?
Golf is an inherently communal sport. This concept resonated with me as I watched The Open Championship at Troon. You could see the intertwinement of the community and golf club, and that is especially present throughout other Scottish towns. While some clubs are private in Scotland, they typically allow access to the public on certain days. The clubs are also exponentially more affordable to join. For a local resident, St. Andrews cost 371 euros (roughly $400) for yearly access to all courses. This is a pretty universal model throughout the country—affordable season long passes for clubs, as well as available public access to them.
Most American private golf clubs’ operations run completely antithetical to that model, and that is a shame. As golf in America moves physically, and spiritually, further away from this founding community model, we are going to lose the innate values golf presents to a beginner, and as a whole.
I’ve found that some of my most joyful moments in golf recently have been hitting putts at night at the Hillandale Golf Course in Durham, a municipal facility near my house. The course attracts a melting pot of individuals to say the least, and I generally find myself observing others as I practice the gate drill. A typical night may consist of a First Tee clinic with 20+ kids, a parent trying to get their child involved in the game, a twosome and two random singles getting paired together by the starter, or college kids slicing balls over the right side of the net. However you come, Hillandale accepts all shapes, sizes, and colors. Such a simple, yet amazing quality—one that has provided a lot of smiles as I try to find the center of the face on the putting green.
Golf, especially in America, has a reputation of exclusivity. That could not be a further misrepresentation in my mind from what the sport fundamentally is. A game that teaches so many values that are translated into life. A tee time is a naturalistic opportunity for connection and personal growth, and it does not matter if you are playing at Bandon Dunes or Hillandale.
Statistics would argue municipal and public golf are as healthy as ever. That is somewhat true, but that comes with the climate of the current golf economy. When an economy is good, all sectors are generally rewarded.
With this prosperity, more attention and investment needs to be made in golf at a local level. Land unavailability is an undeniable issue, which partly has led to the spike of destination golf. But that is a lazy argument in my opinion, as there are many existing municipal and public courses that just need some TLC and funding. Also, 18 championship holes is an out of date blueprint for a modern municipal golf course, as there are more compact, adaptive ways to renovate or greenfield facilities.
Modern golf facilities emphasizing loopable hole routings, short courses, spacious practice areas and teaching programs, are the future. They take up less physical space while at the same time give comforting space to the beginner. Short courses or hour-long clinics also take way less time than a full 18 holes, an aspect that has always hampered the golf industry. Places like Belmont, in Richmond VA, and the soon to open TriGolf, in Raleigh, NC, are prime examples of this model.
Though few, there are examples of innovations in the private model. Old Barnwell, near Aiken, SC, just recently opened its first 18 holes, with another 18 and a kids course in the masterplan. The club is instituting mission-based programming for several organizations to utilize the facility, with a membership ethos of inclusivity and community access.
As the golf industry moves forward, we cannot lose sight of the localness that golf embodies. The industry must use this injection of popularity from COVID to create a long term, sustainable future. I question whether we are doing that, as so much publicity revolves arounds destination golf presenting a product that is not supportable long term, nor symbolic of the foundations of golf.
Without roots, nothing grows. The more water and sun a plant receives, the stronger the roots become. Golf is not taking a natural approach to growth, potentially separating the plant from its roots.
Content for the Curious
🎧- Fried Egg Golf: How Old Barnwell Got Built
📺- Goobie and Doobie: I Was An MIT Educated Neurosurgeon Now I'm Unemployed And Alone In The Mountains How Did I Get Here?
📺/🎧- No Laying Up: Getting Better at Golf with Nico Darras, Spotify
Wonderfully written. I would not have gotten into golf without the local accessible course in my hometown that is no longer in operation. As the golf economy grows there still needs to be room for the "little guy". Some of my fondest memories of golf are learning the game in the evening with my dad and friends at our local course that none of us would have had access to with high dues, initiation fees, or green fees. Hopefully there still remains places where golf remains accessible and not so corporately driven.
I've always been curious about the Torrey Pines or TPC Harding Park model. While I've personally never played either, local residents get to enjoy these courses at extremely affordable rates while out-of-towners will spend plenty of money to come play them given their championship pedigree. What's holding this model back in other municipalities? It's not only quantity that has been a major issue, but quality outside of these destination resorts is truly lacking.
Also, would love to know how the Rodeo Dunes founding members applications pan out. Seems like they took the good attributes of the Scottish model and combined it with the exponentially increasing prices of the US private model.