"Indeed, the careful observer could discern some very different visions of where the game could be headed."

Bradley Klein saw many mixed signals at the PGA Show, from Taylor Made's over-the-top booth to Rob Rigg's shoes selling like crazy to the obviously disturbing play numbers.

Perhaps the most revealing data of the week came during a presentation on the 2010 State of the Golf Industry by Jim Koppenhaver of Pellucid Corp. and Stuart Lindsay of Edgehill Golf Advisors. Their research shows that the average U.S. golf course logged 31,986 rounds last year, down marginally (2 percent) from 32,605 rounds in 2009 but representing a 12 percent slide from 2000, when U.S. courses registered 36,461 rounds per facility.