FORE.com.auOpinion
It’s safe to say that 2020 is proving to be one of the most difficult years in living memory. As I write this (in mid-March), Covid-19 / Coronavirus is running rampant across the planet, with people either locked-down, quarantined or brawling in the aisles for bathroom tissue. This all followed the rampant bushfires and floods […]
Across the globe, a lot has been written and said about the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. Most notably, the discussion has centred around the topic of the Stadium Hole, which is a grandstand/corporate box that surrounds the par-3 16th hole of TPC Scottsdale, and is purpose-built to house and entertain tens of thousands […]
Last month, I made the trek to Orlando, Florida, for the massive PGA Merchandise Show. Over four full days, I walked the “miles” of aisles, and sampled hundreds upon hundreds of products. One thing I noticed while touring this behemoth of a golf show, is that the level of innovation in the golf products industry […]
Well, another Presidents Cup has been run and won…by the Americans. (Sigh) Immediately following the event, I, like most of Australia and the non-American-viewing-public, felt more than a bit flat. Not just because the International team lost what was shaping up to be a thrilling (and, let’s face it, a much-needed) victory throughout the week, […]
Many of you will recall that I wrote an article in the March issue about member/player surveys (“A Question Left Unasked”). In that column, I mentioned how surveys and feedback are the lifeblood of any business, especially those in the hospitality industry. Yet it’s almost unheard of in golf (which is a hospitality/entertainment business, in […]
DURING last month’s GMA National Conference—where general managers and industry professionals met to discuss and address the many issues affecting golf clubs—I was fortunate to chat with dozens of delegates about a variety of issues plaguing their clubs. One such issue was the proliferation of “Virtual Clubs”—online-based or remotely-based groups that often operate independently of […]
Nearly every day, I read or hear reports concerning slow play in golf. Having played the game for nearly 50 years, I can attest that slow play is indeed one of the most frustrating parts of the game. And over those years, I have discovered the many causes (and many solutions) to this bane of […]
Last month, Golf Australia released their annual National Golf Club Participation Report, which detailed the national trends on membership, competition rounds, general participation and specific program participation. The report, which is available online at https://bit.ly/2Hi6JSq, revealed that golf membership is continuing its steady decline on a national level. Essentially, fewer golfers are opting to join […]
Last month’s Open Championship was an epic moment for professional golf, as we witnessed the return of Northern Ireland / Royal Portrush to the Open Rota, following a near 70-year absence. For those of you who could not watch the event (sadly, as with nearly all golf these days, it wasn’t on Free-to-Air, but that’s […]
For nearly 10 years, I’ve been writing in this very column about how golf’s governing bodies—notably the USGA and the R&A—have often struggled to keep the game of golf relevant in this modern age. Generally, my diatribes have focussed on the organisations’ stubborn refusal to acknowledge or maintain a common-sense approach to many aspects of […]
For many Australian club golfers, the months of May/June/July represent a sticky time—as we debate the pros and cons of forking over our hard-earned cash to renew our annual golf club membership. In the end—our bodies and partners willing—we generally choose, once again, to pay our subs, hoping that the Golf Gods will finally reward […]
Recently, The Australian Golf Industry Council released the National Competition Rounds Report for 2018. And while there was a significant “positive spin” by the council regarding the fact that the year was consistent, with an increase of the number of rounds played, there were a few findings that raised eyebrows here in the Inside Golf […]
