Golf committees at club, district and national level spend many hours discussing how they can convert casual golfers into club members.
New Zealand is no different to any other nation and statistics indicate 482,000 Kiwis play golf but only 125,000 are members of golf clubs.
It is impossible to retain members as being a golfer does not give you immortality and it's a fact that ageing memberships are the reason most golf club flags are often at half-mast. Setting up shorter course options does defer retirement from the game and all clubs should be providing this option for their very senior members.
What clubs are focusing on is getting new members.
This does not mean attracting members away from other clubs but making their own environment so user friendly that the 25-40 age group see value in becoming a club member. To pay an annual subscription of close to $1000 to play golf most Saturday afternoons is unrealistic for those with small children and big mortgages.