Participation: U.S. Sees Beginner Boom, UK And Ireland Still See Strong Numbers

The National Golf Foundation’s Joe Beditz reports the biggest beginner boom since the start of the century in his latest report.

Over the past two years, the number of beginning golfers in the U.S. is higher than it was back when Woods was at his most dominant. Almost 30% higher. In 2021, a record 3.2 million Americans played golf on a course for the first time. This after 3 million newcomers picked up golf in 2020 as the pandemic unfolded and people sought out safe, outdoor activities that could provide a sense of normalcy with friends and family.

Like the “Tiger Effect,” there’s no question the “Covid Effect” has been a force in its own right in terms of fostering golf engagement. But other factors have helped boost golf trials, too, among them the increased interest created by golf entertainment venues and other off-course forms of the game, and a more favorable public outlook on golf in general. It’s now been six straight years that the number of on-course beginners has exceeded the 2.4 million newcomers Tiger helped introduce to the game in both 1999 and 2000.

Meanwhile in the UK the R&A released these numbers:

Two new participation reports show that 5.3 million on-course adult golfers – the second-highest number since monitoring began over 30 years ago – enjoyed playing on full length courses (9 or 18 holes) in Great Britain and Ireland in 2021. This includes a marginal increase in Ireland and a slight reduction in Great Britain.

Golf enjoyed a significant boom during the pandemic due to its ability to be played safely and proven benefits in boosting mental and physical health. The latest data shows that participation in golf is still well above the rates in the years prior to Covid-19.

In Great Britain, the number of on-course adults began to gradually increase before Covid-19, rising from 2.5 million in 2017 to 3 million in 2019, before surging to a peak of 5.2 million in 2020. The latest figures show that 4.8 million golfers played in 2021.

With less restrictions on play in 2021, the new figures also reveal that avid golfers more than doubled, there was an increase in female golfers and the use of driving ranges and Par-3 courses remained high.

And the key highlights from the 2021 Great Britain Golf Participation Report:

• At 4.8 million, total adult golfers on a full-length course (9 or 18 hole) remains considerably above the 3 million in 2019 pre-pandemic level, albeit down from 5.2 million in 2020

• Female golfer full course users increased to 34% of golfers (1.4 million to 1.6 million)

• Avid golfers (who played more than 52 times) more than doubled from 149,000 to 339,000

• Over 3.5 million people used a driving range – the second highest figure of the last 20 years

• Par-3 course users rose from 27,000 to 41,000, similar to the figures between 2012-2016

• The average age of golfers was 41, the same as in 2020

• 15% of the population tried or started golf again in any on or off-course format because of the pandemic (in 2020 or 202

And the Ireland Golf Participation Report:

• Total adult golfers on a full-length course (9 or 18 hole) marginally increased from 540,000 to 543,000

• Female golfer full course users increased to 21% of golfers (70,000 to 111,000)

• Core golfers (regular golfers who played 12-51 times and avid golfers who played more than 52 times) rose from 161,000 to 201,000

• 18% of the population tried or started golf again in any on or off-course format because of the pandemic (in 2020 or 2021), rising to 29% of those aged 15-24

Quadriltateral: Major(s) News And Notes, March 24, 2022

A bunch of pre-Chevron and Masters player notes. Plus, Angel Cabrera, the Masters ticket resale market cools, Oakland Hills lands two U.S. Opens, Reads and Charles Kelley's got Georgia on his mind.

For those not already signed up it’s free. Here.

And you can read more about the newsletter here.

DeChambeau Says Hand Injury Happened Playing Table Tennis In Saudi Arabia

And maybe some speed training.

Rex Hoggard’s report from Austin shares the admission of Bryson DeChambeau, who opens at 1:44 today in the WGC Dell Match Play against 49-year-old Richard Bland.

DeChambeau said he injured his hand playing table tennis at the Saudi International, but the ailment had been hurting him for some time.

“People are going to say it’s off of speed training and all that and, sure, some of the things have been a part of that, just abuse and working really, really hard,” he said. “But at the same time, I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I’ve learned so much about my body as time has gone on and learned how to manage things and how important rest is.”

DeChambeau, said he may eventually need to have surgery on his injured hand.

What’s the old saying? Nothing good happens in Saudi Arabia?

Meanwhile, this is just Bland’s third U.S. start ever and he needs a strong week to reach world top 50 status and a late Masters invite, reports Derek Lawrenson.

The Fried Egg Podcast: Is An Equipment Rollback On The Horizon?

Andy Johnson and yours truly chatted about an array of topics, with a focus on the distance rollout and the repercussions for players and course design.

Hope you enjoy!

Here is the story I wrote for the newsletter referenced featuring comments from the “Areas of Interest” and the R&A’s Steve Otto.

And Mike Stachura’s GolfDigest.com article also discussed.

The Google podcast option.

State Of The Game 120: Latest Distance Report Analyzed

Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and yours truly discussed the long-awaited follow-up from the USGA and R&A.

We discussed some of my reporting and comments from the R&A’s Steve Otto, featured here.

As always, State of The Game is available wherever podcasts are streamed. Or you can check it out here at the show’s page. Or just listen via the embed:

Distances That Were Supposed To Level Off Are Growing At A Steady Rate

From the R&A/USGA 2021 Distance Report

No kidding, right? But there are also numbers showing the PGA Tour’s longest have leveled off again. So Mike Stachura considered the USGA/R&A distance report and boiled a key number that might justify not only a hard stand but the dreaded “r” word.

Then again, there is a fundamental difference between looking at the rate of growth in distance compared to the actual growth. In the last five years, distance on the PGA Tour is increasing at a rate of about a yard per year. That’s less than half what it was in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but more than double the rate from 1980-95. And when those increases are coming on top of a driving distance average that is in the mid-290s now compared to the low 260s then, that’s what has the ruling bodies concerned. It’s not the size of the distance gains, it’s that, at least to the ruling bodies, they don’t appear to be leveling off, despite all the equipment regulations. That’s especially concerning to them at a time almost two decades removed from their Joint Statement of Principles that declared “any further significant increases in hitting distances at the highest level are undesirable.”

What A Change In Golf Ball Testing Might Do For Top Players

GolfDigest.com’s Mike Stachura assesses the R&A/USGA joing announcement of specific “areas of interest” for future possible changes in testing. The item covers a lot, but a change from 120 to 125 m.p.h. change might mean exceeding the “Overall Distance Standard” and render many current golf balls non-conforming.

John Spitzer, the USGA’s managing director of equipment standards, said the 125-mile-per-hour number isn’t based on any biomechanical theory of human limitations with the golf swing. It’s based on the eye test.

“We don’t know if it’s enough, but we do have a little bit of a crystal ball in the long drive competition. So the question of whether [this kind of speed] is physically possible is answered based on what we’ve seen from those folks.”

As for the number of current balls that such a rule change might make nonconforming, Spitzer said it wouldn’t be all. “There’s a substantial number of balls that wouldn’t run afoul or would require only very minor tweaks,” he said. But when asked specifically whether it would be almost all of the balls played on tour, which based on current sales from Golf Datatech account for 35-40 percent of the market, he said, “Yes. It would be a much higher percentage but not all because there are certain players that fall in love with a ball that might be three generations back.”

R&A, USGA Release "Updated Areas Of Interest And Research Topics On Hitting Distance In Golf"

Lots and lots to chew on here for the next six months, but as I write at The Quadrilateral with exclusive comments from the R&A’s Chief Technology Officer Steve Otto, we may be on the cusp of reigning in the madness while opening new innovation doors for average players.

The “Areas of Interest.”

For Immediate Release from the R&A (the USGA also sent out the same release):

THE R&A AND USGA RELEASE UPDATED AREAS OF INTEREST AND RESEARCH TOPICS ON HITTING DISTANCE IN GOLF

16 March 2022, St Andrews, Scotland and Liberty Corner, N.J., USA: The R&A and USGA today released updated areas of interest and research topics on hitting distance in golf.

In doing so, the governing bodies are continuing their work to address the long-term cycle of increased hitting distances and course lengthening that threatens golf’s long-term sustainability and undermines the core principle that a broad and balanced set of playing skills should remain the primary determinant of success in golf.  

The update follows a consultation with the industry and focuses on the Notice and Comment and Areas of Interest from the 1 February 2021 release.

The official notice to manufacturers regarding these new Areas of Interest can be found via this link.

The R&A and the USGA will investigate the potential impacts on hitting distance from increasing the ball test speeds for golf balls to reflect the clubhead speeds achieved by today’s longest hitters.

The governing bodies will also narrow the focus of previously announced research topics for drivers, specifically within the context of potential Model Local Rules, to explore a reduction of spring-like effect to reduce hitting distance and changes to the Moment of Inertia (MOI) limit to enhance the reward of a central impact.

The R&A and USGA have also made industry stakeholders aware that they are considering whether these potential changes could be coupled with other changes to the Equipment Rules that could provide the potential for enhanced innovation for recreational golfers.

The governing bodies believe that the changes being considered could:

·       Address hitting distances for the longest hitters, whose impact on the game and golf courses has been the most significant.

·       Minimise the impact on shorter hitters with slower swing speeds at the recreational level.

·       Allow for continued innovation of balls and clubs for players at all levels.

The updates released today are as follows:

Areas of Interest

1 Potential changes to the testing methods for golf balls

Evaluate the effect of increasing the clubhead speed used to determine conformance to the Overall Distance Standard (ODS) to at least 125 mph and to use optimised launch angle and spin parameters (that are specific to each ball tested). In conjunction with the potential new test conditions for the ODS, the Initial Velocity Test may be modified or eliminated to provide the opportunity for innovation for shorter hitters. These potential changes would apply to balls used at all levels of the game.

2 Model Local Rules – club performance

Investigate the impact of a reduction of the allowable spring-like effect and moment of inertia in drivers. The governing bodies are considering these topics within the context of Model Local Rules that could be utilised for competitions involving the highest level of elite golfers. There is also interest in considering whether the adoption of these potential Model Local Rules could also allow the elimination of the MOI limit for recreational golfers, which could facilitate greater innovation and provide modest distance increases at this level of the game.

Golf’s stakeholders can provide feedback and research on these topics by 2 September 2022.

Distance in Golf

The Distance Insights Report released in 2020 identified a long-term cycle of hitting distance increases and lengthening courses that the governing bodies concluded is detrimental to golf and the way it is played.  More specifically, the report highlighted how this cycle is impacting, and is likely to continue to impact, the strategic challenge of the game and alter the variety of skills needed to be successful.

The report also found that the overall trend of golf courses becoming longer has adverse consequences that ultimately affect golfers at all levels of the sport, including by increasing the cost and time to play, limiting the advancement of sustainability efforts especially with respect to water usage and reducing the challenge of courses - in some cases creating a risk of them becoming obsolete. 

The R&A and the USGA are working with the key stakeholders in golf to address these issues and to ensure that skill remains the primary determinant of success in golf.

The governing bodies have also researched how course-related factors such as set-up, conditioning and maintenance could be selectively used to impact the way a course plays. These factors have modest and varying degrees of impact on distance, costs and golfer experience and, therefore, should not be viewed as a means to sustainably reduce the long-term impact related to distance across the game. These potential practices will continue to be reviewed as part of the ongoing conversation with the industry on distance. 

In line with Equipment Rulemaking procedures, the latest Areas of Interest confirm the key areas of focus of the governing bodies but do not represent a proposal or decision on any aspects at this stage.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We have been working through this process carefully and collaboratively with the golf industry and greatly appreciate the constructive feedback we have received. Our thinking on these areas continues to evolve and we believe we are moving in the right direction to maintain the balance between skill and technology in golf that we have said is important. We will continue to work quickly but carefully as we look to resolve this complex and challenging issue for the sport as a whole.”

“We’re moving forward on this important work because we want golf to remain just as strong 50 years from now as it is today,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA. “It energises all of us to do what is in the best interests in the game and keep it thriving long into the future.”

The 2021 Annual Driving Distance Report

The R&A and the USGA also today released the 2021 Annual Driving Distance Report. The full report can be found

here.

"Disturbing trend continues as Naomi Osaka deals with verbal harassment"

While it seems like golf has been fortunate on the player heckling front of late, it’s worth noting what happened to Naomi Osaka in Indian Wells as a reminder that tennis and golf are different.

Helene Elliott of the LA Times looks at the incident, the history of trouble at this tournament, Osaka’s desire to address the crowd mid-match, and the decision not to eject the heckler.

I found it odd the heckler was not ejected when the timing of the noise impacted the flow of the match. Get ‘em outta there!

Anyway, Elliott writes:

Retired tennis great Martina Navratilova called it “heartbreaking” that someone would insult Osaka and also that Osaka had been affected so deeply. Navratilova also said Osaka would have to “toughen it out somehow” in the future and said Black players Althea Gibson, Chanda Rubin and Zina Garrison had endured tougher experiences in the sport than Osaka has had. It’s tricky telling people how to feel when we’re all shaped by different cultural factors and have different emotional trigger points.

Former men’s tour player Paul Annacone, now a coach and commentator, urged Osaka to prioritize her well-being. “Make sure that’s under control and in an area that she can manage,” he said on a Tennis Channel panel discussion.

“We’ve also all been to sporting events, and we all know that at sporting events you hear stuff and people shout stuff that they probably shouldn’t. … It’s very sad. I hope Naomi and her team can talk about it. I want her to be happy. I want her to play. We want to see her play. We want to see her healthy and feeling really good about things. Don’t let that get through you.”

Crowd outbursts stand out in tennis and in golf, which demand quiet before and during play. At NFL games, one heckler’s voice gets lost among 60,000 others. The same is true on a smaller scale at baseball and hockey games, where conversations, music and in-game promotions make noise a constant and customary background. The NBA invites player-fan interaction because fans are closer to the players than in any other sport. That leads to the sports equivalent of road rage, where fans take out their hostility on the nearest target.

Mercifully, even in the Live Under Par era desperate to see golf get younger and louder, the sport seems more united in having a zero tolerance view of similar outcome-influencing antics. Let’s hope it continues that way.

Quadrilateral: Another Reminder Of Golf's Complicated Relationship With Sports Betting

Transparency does not seem to be a priority in the early days of sports betting.

Plus, Bay Hill turns freakishly difficult, Jin Young Ko continues her dominance, two earn spots in The Open and Tappen's rough NBC start. This one is for subscribers but there is a healthy portion for non-subscribers to check out in this latest Quadrilateral.

Champ Foundation Restoring "A South Los Angeles haven where Black youths can learn golf"

What a wonderful column filed by the LA Times’ Eric Sondheimer after attending the recent Cameron Champ Foundation Junior Clinic at Chester Washington Golf Course. Held during Genesis Invitational week to raise awareness, Champ’s foundation is attempting to get various junior golf programs going after the course lost a First Tee operation two years ago, and is working with Tee Divas and Tee Dudes to help youth golfers in South L.A..

There was 13-year-old Pierre Campa. He was 18 months old when the Campa family from Riverside adopted him in Haiti just days after that country’s destructive 2010 earthquake. At 5, he saw a movie on Netflix titled “The Short Game” about the best 7-year-old golfers competing at a Pinehurst Resort golf course in North Carolina. Suddenly he was hitting a ball in the house with a plastic flute. His father figured out he was trying to play golf. The rest is history.

Campa can drive a ball 250 yards, plays in junior tournaments and hangs out at a golf course in Jurupa Hills. He became a U.S. citizen, loves PGA star Jordan Spieth and wants to keep playing golf. His father, Eddie, has even learned the sport. “I learned to be a good caddy,” he said.

R&A Data Shows Impressive Gains In 9-Hole Rounds

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In announcing the 9-hole challenge set for the Friday before the 150th Open at St Andrews, the R&A also shared 9-hole round data worth noting.

It could be entirely pandemic related, with more employed golfers working from home and getting in an early or late nine. But there are plenty of reasons to believe the increase can also be tied to various worldwide campaigns designed to legitimize 9-hole rounds and encourage golfers to turn in non-18-hole scores for handicapping purposes.

The numbers of note from the R&A’s story to launch the 9-hole challenge:

• In Australia, nine-hole round data has experienced 20% growth with more than 517,000 rounds played in 2020-21.

• In England, nine-hole rounds played for handicap purposes increased from 175,000 in 2019 to 407,000 in 2021.

• In Ireland, nine-hole rounds played for handicap purposes increased from 70,697 in 2018 to 130,751 in 2021.

• In Scotland, nine-hole rounds played increased from 44,834 in 2018 to 113,592 in 2021.

• In Wales, 8% of rounds submitted (to the Wales Golf Clubhouse) were for nine-hole play in 2021.

• In New Zealand, nine-hole rounds played increased from 252,412 in 2018-19 to 341, 534 in 2020-21 as part of the Make Time Play 9 initiative.

This should also (theoretically) bode well for breaking golf free of 18-holes as the only legitimate “round” or option in developing future courses (or in re-imaging an existing facility under threat).

Quadrilateral: Major(s) News & Notes, March 3rd, 2022

This week I open with a few words on golf’s effort to retain the money-talk spotlight Wednesday.

But then it’s on to major news as player form and odds take shape. Plus, Captain Zach Johnson on Phil Mickelson’s future, Open qualifying announcements, USA Network's reach, and finally, Listens, Reads and Tweets.

You know the drill, Thursday’s are always free and you can subscribe here.

More on The Quadrilateral here, too. Also free!

The Substack homepage where you can see the most recent and read posts.

State Of The Game 119: Well That Escalated Quickly

Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and yours truly convened to wade into the various issues of the day. And there are plenty. Ball rollback drinking gamers should be pleased, too.

The episode direct link.

The Apple listening option. And the pod remains available wherever you get your shows.

R&A Adds A Diversity Ambassador

He’s a strong hoodie advocate and has a name out of central casting, so I wish him all the luck trying to diversify golf in the land of Brexit.

ZANE SCOTLAND BECOMES A DIVERSITY AMBASSADOR FOR THE R&A

01 March 2022, St Andrews, Scotland: The R&A has appointed Zane Scotland as a diversity ambassador to support the development of initiatives that encourage more people from ethnically diverse communities into golf.

As part of the new partnership, Scotland is assisting with the interpretation of research to understand the challenges that exist for ethnically diverse communities and identify actions that can be taken to break down barriers and make golf more welcoming and appealing.

He will also play an important role in engaging with active golf societies including British Black Golfers and the Muslim Golf Association to foster valuable relationships and generate involvement in future activity.

Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said, “Our research is clearly showing that powerful role models like Zane are influential in encouraging more people from ethnically diverse backgrounds into golf and creating more positive perceptions of what the sport can really offer to participants.

“Zane’s knowledge and experience will be invaluable in informing education for the industry and developing initiatives that proactively position the sport as inclusive for everyone who wants to play it, not only on the course but also the many other alternative forms of golf off the course that are crucial to attracting new participants from all backgrounds. We look forward to working with him.”

A five-part video series for YouTube has been created to highlight the positive benefits of golf as a sport for everyone and will feature Zane and his father Bernie; the work of British Black Golfers and the Muslim Golf Association; Zane introducing his cycling group to golf; and the perspectives of elite amateur golfers making their way in golf.

Zane Scotland added, “I have said before that golf needs more diversity and challenged those running the game to step up and address the imbalance. I’m really encouraged to see The R&A taking the initiative and making positive steps forward in this area.

“I see our partnership as another means to build on the good work already being done by the likes of the Golf Foundation and within golf societies to open up the sport. I know that there is still a long way to go but I firmly believe that golf stands to benefit greatly if we can change perceptions and show that it is a fun and welcoming activity for everyone.”

As an amateur golfer, Scotland made a name for himself by becoming the youngest ever English golfer to qualify for The Open and earn a place in the Championship at Carnoustie in 1999. In the three years that followed he went on to win amateur championships and gain representative honours in the Great Britain and Ireland teams that won the St Andrews Trophy and Jacques Léglise Trophy.

In 2003, he turned professional but a car crash that resulted in an injury to his neck halted his progress. He recovered to earn a place on the European Tour and more recently has won ten times on the MENA Tour, the most by any player. He made his second appearance in The Open at St Andrews in 2010.

He set up the Zane Scotland Academy to assist in coaching aspiring amateur and elite professional golfers and covers golf as a commentator with Sky Sports and BBC.

The first of three videos referenced above and now on the R&A YouTube page: