To solve golf's problems, many people agree that the game has to do more to appeal to young people who are more accustomed to holding a video game controller in their hands than a golf club.
In a few weeks, thousands of golfers will invade the Grand Strand for the biggest amateur golf tournament in the world, the 27th Annual GOLF.com World Amateur Handicap Championship. But it comes at a time when the golf industry appears to be in decline.
Nationwide, the number of rounds played is down and many courses have closed. To solve golf's problems, many people agree that the game has to do more to appeal to young people who are more accustomed to holding a video game controller in their hands than a golf club.
Ronnie Stevenson of Myrtle Beach enjoys spending time on the golf course, even when she has to hit out of a sand trap. She belongs to a ladies golf association with 30 members, only two of them younger than 40.
"It's difficult because in today's society, most young women are working moms and so there's not really much free time to spend on golf," Stevenson said.
Stevenson would like to see activities to promote golf in the schools, to get more kids involved in the game, but golf's lack of appeal to young people is only part of the problem.
The National Golf Foundation reports the number of golfers nationwide has declined by 3 million since 2005 and the number of annual golf rounds played has dropped by more than 30 million since 2000. The Myrtle Beach Golf Association says 22 Grand Strand courses have closed over the past decade.
Many remaining courses are doing what they can to survive.
"We have a price war going on here in Myrtle Beach that's really taken our rates down considerably, and understandably, when we're unable to bring in additional golfers to shore up that demand, we end up in a pricing scenario that goes down," said Bill Golden, president of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday
But the editor of Sports Illustrated Golf Plus says now's a great time to be a golf consumer.
"There's bargains galore, great opportunities to get into the game, the game is much more welcoming now than it's ever been, so it just depends on if you want to look on the dark side or the bright side," said Jim Herre.
Golden says golf still plays a critical role in bringing tourists to Myrtle Beach in the spring and fall and has a big impact on local real estate. He says the golf industry will come back when the economy comes back.
"Golf will adapt and golf will survive and it'll get smarter and healthier as a result, but it's a challenge at the moment for sure."
Golden says discretionary income is down in this economy and there is nothing more discretionary than a golf vacation.
