Drive is on for members

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.

There is ample proof that lots of young folk enjoy the game.

Renner Park nine-hole course is flat out with casual golfers from dawn to dark over the summer months.

With a great spell of weather and loads of cruise ships and domestic holidaymakers, Mount Maunganui, Omanu and Tauranga Golf Clubs collected in excess of $40,000 in green fees over the main holiday period up to January 11.

Time, cost and difficulty are seen as the main reasons fewer people are joining the game than leaving.

Now we have the emergence of speed golf, with the first major competition being staged at Rotorua Golf Club in February.

Among casual golfers, nine-hole and twilight options are gaining in popularity, so look for clubs to include these in their membership packages.

Course difficulty is an interesting angle.

Jack Nicklaus, who has designed more than 350 courses around the world, recently delivered himself a right hook in stating that he had spent years building courses that can only be played well by less than 1 per cent of the golfing fraternity instead of making them a pleasure for the average club member to experience.

There is a big move in the US to increase the hole size from 10cm to 37cm.

With over 100 courses closing every year, there is a body of opinion that believes the increased hole size will speed up play and lessen the degree of difficulty.

Several courses now offer more choice with different tees, so that golfers can play a course more suited to their ability and, contrary to popular perception, casual golfers are welcome at all clubs outside of set competition times.

Very soon, casual golfers will be able to book online on any of our courses.

So the challenge is out there for golf administrators to come up with a format which is faster, easier and cheaper, without losing the core values that make golf such a wonderful social sport.