The return of seasonal autumn temperatures has emptied most Calgary fairways, but there is growing concern amongst course operators that fewer golfers will return in the spring.
Across Canada, there has been a drastic decline in the number of young people taking up the sport and Calgary, with more than 60 courses in the city and surrounding area, has not been immune.
Several courses are experimenting with both traditional and unconventional techniques to entice young people to the sport.
Silver Springs Golf & Country Club has slashed the price of its member shares and they’re not the only course to do so.
A number of courses have reduced their green fees in an attempt to appeal to a younger demographic while others are hoping a less frustrating round will convince fair weather golfers to return. Reducing the number of hazards, creating 12 hole courses, and increasing the size of the holes are among the changes being tested at some courses, and golf insiders are monitoring the impact these experiments have on the bottom line.
Ian Morrow, an instructor with the Golf Management Program at Olds College, says the school’s students are learning to adapt their approach to the game in an attempt to make golf user friendly.
“I don't think it's in danger of being obsolete,” said Morrow. “There are a lot of great people out there working on new ideas to change the game.”
Stringent etiquette rules can scare off many novice players.
“It's when you push rules down their throat, that ‘they must do this and must do that’,” explains Morrow of the frustrations which cause golfers to give up on the game. “Let them hit the golf ball, go up to the ball and hit it again.”
“Let's go have some fun out there.”
