Painful Roundtable: The State Of The Golf Industry 2015

Darren Heitner of Forbes presents a "roundtable" consisting of PGA Tour Commish Tim Finchem, USGA ED Mike Davis, PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua, World Golf Foundation head Steve Mona and LPGA Commish Mike Whan.

Thanks to reader David for this race to see who can out-number and out-initiative name-drop the rest. Sadly, this was done via the written word, with way too much PR staff meddling. Otherwise I would have envisioned a group of men in blue blazers elbowing their way to the grow-the-game finish line.

Heitner sets things up this way:

Golf continues to be a huge economic driver and is a nearly $70 billion industry which employs nearly 2 million Americans with $55.6 billion in annual wage income.  So economically, our sport is continuing to make a tremendous impact.

With 10% of that wage income coming from this very...roundtable.

Gentlemen, start your optimism!

FINCHEM: We are also seeing participation on the rise. The rounds played per day average was up despite the fact that extreme weather conditions in 2014 led to the fewest course days open since tracking began nine years ago. And we are seeing more youth golfers age 6-17 coming to the game, with now more than 3 million participants. Millennials aged 18-34 are active in the game with an estimated 6.3 million golfers. Many of these are drawn by the exceptional exciting young talent on the PGA TOUR and LPGA.

Are Millennials really the age discriminating cretins that all of these people make them out to be? Do they really only respond to someone their own age? Funny, Generation Z respects their elders!

WHAN: We have entered an exciting time in the industry – the age of full “inclusion” – where attracting / accepting more people (age, gender, race, handicap, etc.) is no longer just a talking point, but an actionable reality across the board in the industry.

Actionable reality! I don't know what it means, but it sounds fantastic!

DAVIS: Continuing the important conversation that we fostered last summer, we are also excited to leverage our U.S. Open Championship’s worldwide coverage to share an important and contemporary view of golf.  Chambers Bay is a municipally owned course that employs efficient water and resource management practices. More importantly, it is a beautiful, multi-use public space combining a public golf course with walking trails and park space.

Finally, we’re excited to watch the continued evolution of the golf industry in using science, technology and data, more than ever before, to support the long-term health and enjoyment of the game.  We look forward to putting those tools into the field this year, because we have already seen the changes it can positively make, particularly on pace of play and resource management.

And don't forget ShotLink.

MONA: The industry is adapting to provide shorter golf experiences – such as six or nine holes – and non-traditional forms of the game, like FootGolf, while still upholding the integrity and rules of golf. USGA handicaps now allow for nine-hole scores. This will help to increase participation among those seeking a more time-sensitive experience.

I certainly think integrity and rules when I watch FootGolf!

And let's leave the last word to Kommissioner Kool:

FINCHEM: Earlier this year, the PGA TOUR launched an online channel, Skratch TV, aimed at millennials. This video channel will show the PGA TOUR and its players from an entirely new perspective. Not only are fans embracing this, but our players are as well.

What do you think, 95% wouldn't know where to find it if you forced them too?