The Cold, Hard Facts march 29, 2013

     Slowly but surely, the U.S. golf inventory continues to shrink. In 2012, for the seventh consecutive year, our nation lost more golf courses than it gained. According to the National Golf Foundation, 154.5 “18-hole equivalent” courses closed last year, while only 13.5 “18-hole equivalent” courses opened. As a result, today the United States has 15,619 golf properties. The number of closings has exceeded the number of openings each year since 2006. During that time, the trade group says, the total number of U.S. courses has fallen by 3.3 percent off highs reached in 2004.

     The number of golfers in China -- zero in 1983 -- currently stands at 300,000, according to MICE Now. This is a small number, to be sure, and it represents a mere 0.03 percent of the population in the People’s Republic. But if projections by the China Golf Association hold true, the nation’s golf population will reach 20 million by 2020, a number exceeded only by the United States. To be sure, a nation of 20 million golfers will need a lot more than the 600 courses it currently has, and golf construction in China has been prohibited (except on Hainan Island) since the government imposed a moratorium in 2011. So how effective has the moratorium been? “Many local authorities,” MICE Now notes, “have ignored edicts and continue to approve courses.”

     An Asian travel service believes that Thailand is on the verge of becoming the world’s most popular destination for golf tourism. Thailand attracted 750,000 golf vacationers last year, according to Golfasian, and if the current pace of tourist traffic can be maintained, it’ll overtake Spain, the current leader, in 2015 or 2016. Mark Siegel, the firm’s principal, believes that Thailand will lure more than 860,000 golf travelers this year and hit the 1 million mark in 2015. He credits “the great experience of playing golf in Thailand -- the courses, weather, caddies, tourism infrastructure, friendliness of the people, safety, and cost” -- for the increase. And as for the reign of Spain, in recent years the nation has been losing vacationers not just to Thailand but to Portugal, Turkey, and nations in North Africa and Asia.

     When they go on golf vacations, most U.S. golfers are mostly looking to have fun. In an online survey taken last fall by the Sports & Leisure Research Group, an overwhelming number of respondents -- roughly 1,200 of 1,504, all of them men -- said that “playing a beautiful and well-maintained golf course on my golf vacation is more important to me than playing a challenging one.” The survey also determined that a large majority of respondents (80 percent) choose a destination based on the “quality of golf courses” available, while 69 percent make a decision based on the “variety of golf courses” available. Only 64 percent said that they seek out “challenging golf courses.”

     Among attractions that charge admission, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is the biggest draw in Alabama. The 26 courses on the 11-stop trail attracted 592,021 golfers last year, up from 512,044 in 2011. The state’s number-two attraction was the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, which lured 572,650 paying customers.

     The U.S. golf industry generates more money for charities than the four major team sports combined, according to Steve Mona of the World Golf Foundation. In an interview with Golf Digest, Mona reports that golf contributes a total of about $3.9 billion annually. Only a small fraction of the money -- just $150 million -- comes from professional golf tours. The rest comes from 150,000 fundraising events hosted by 12,000 “everyday golf facilities,” as Mona calls them. The average event collects $26,000.

     Citing figures from SRI International, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that “private and public clubs” in the United States spent $2 billion on their facilities in 2011, down from $7.8 billion in 2000.

     Golf clubs in Australia may be losing members, but the members they have appear to be playing more golf. Citing statistics provided by Golf Australia, the Australian Financial Review says that the total number of rounds played last year increased by 2.4 percent, to 12.38 million.

     Even though “anchored” and “belly” putters are still technically legal, fewer golfers are buying them. A sales director from Odyssey Golf told Golfweek that his company expected to sell 80,000 to 100,000 long putters last year but ended up selling only 25,000 or 30,000. In addition, the magazine reports, such putters “were scarce” at the most recent PGA Merchandise Show, an indication that manufacturers believe “an anchoring ban is forthcoming.” All this being said, I’m sure it won’t surprise you to hear that the putter manufacturers see a potential silver lining in this dark cloud. They’re already developing alternative products -- including “heavy” putters and “invisible” anchors -- to help golfers overcome the yips. A designer for Odyssey described the situation as “an opportunity to innovate within the new conforming standards being imposed.”