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Reading The Lines: Making Golf More Inclusive

Photo by Marcus Chung/Getty Images

Not too long ago, The R&A’s forward-thinking chief executive Martin Slumbers noted that golf clubs need to change to attract a younger membership base … or risk imminent extinction. “You have to think, well, maybe golf isn’t delivering a product they want to buy,” was one of Slumbers’ many observations on the stunted growth of the game.

Indeed, golf’s governing bodies are falling over themselves trying to make the game more accessible and inclusive to safeguard its future. The R&A’s own Women In Golf Charter recognises the need for families to golf together so that the love for the game is passed down from generation to generation.

Key phrase here – from generation to generation. If you want your children to take up golf and stay in it, you have to make sure that they not only love the game but have positive experiences with it. And so it goes on from one generation to the next, spreading outwards along the family tree to widen golf’s reach.

As Slumbers pointed out, the traditional membership model is in danger of extinction unless golf clubs move with the times and are sensitive to market needs – especially now with the economic impact of Covid-19 yet to hit us in full. One way to do this is to innovate with membership structures, as indeed a few golf clubs have recently done by introducing affordable yearly golf passes.

Having said that, there is still room for traditional members’ clubs … but the problem of an ageing membership portfolio at many establishments needs to be addressed, and fast. Those which have a fair number of junior members (ie children of members aged below 21) should count themselves lucky, as it is in these youngsters that the future lies.

It’s thus sad – and in my opinion quite perplexing – to see that some golf clubs still fail to see the forest for the trees and stick to a narrow, protectionist mind-set. This is often manifested in club championships where juniors are either not allowed to play or are grudgingly permitted to compete but deemed ineligible for the main titles. To the credit of some clubs, their club championships are open to all, regardless of age or membership category, thus ensuring that the club champion is indeed the best player for the year.

Instead of alienating them, golf clubs should strive to inculcate a sense of belonging among younger members. Juniors who endure negative experiences at their clubs will be much less than likely to upgrade to full memberships when they ‘come of age’. Worse still, they might choose to leave the game as the pressures of tertiary education and/or early working life come to bear. They’ll opt for futsal or tennis instead, or any other sporting activity which does not demand the long hours needed for a round of golf.

Late teens and early 20s are the ages when golf loses a lot of participation. It’s time to stop the rot and golf clubs need to play their part by being more inclusive with this generation. Juniors are not a threat – rather, they are a treasure and should be treated as such.

It’s not about doing the right thing; what’s right or wrong is after all quite subjective.

It’s about doing the smart thing.


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