Merion is Obsolete? – Don’t Get Me Started!

Volume 3, Issue 6 – May 2013

Fellow Citizens of Crazy Town -

The USGA has taken their share of criticism lately, but I’d like to use my soap box to salute them for the inspired decision to bring the U.S. Open Championship back to Merion Golf Club’s East Course in Ardmore, PA.  I couldn’t even wait until the Dashboard’s June issue to get this off my polo-shirted chest.

Since the TOUR’s distance explosion has effectively straightened many of the world’s doglegs and turned previously unreachable 550 yard par-5 holes into 9-iron second-shots, 7,000 yard courses have been labeled “obsolete” by many pundits and commentators.  I find that POV to be patently ridiculous, insulting and downright stupid.

Why should anyone label one of the planet’s greatest courses “obsolete” based upon the talent and power of a few thousand of the world’s roughly 50 million golfers?  They shouldn’t.  “Obsolete!”  Are you kidding me?  Why should I give a rat’s keister if somebody thinks a professional golfer might not be sufficiently challenged by the length of any golf course? Will golf be damaged if the winning score were 15-under par?  Uh… no.

Simply putting clubface on ball on any golf shot provides a monumental challenge to most of us amateurs… and we’re okay with that.  NGF research has clearly shown that for committed golfers, golf’s challenge is its #1 most attractive feature.  Bobby Jones is famous for highlighting the chasm between the golf we all play, and “championship” golf… and I imagine that he would have been a huge proponent of having “championship” golf back at Merion, without reservation.

Golf should never be about the elite few… they’re not the ones who drive our business or provide the pleasure we get out of playing.  Watching the world’s best can be great theater and we can all aspire to bomb it 300+ yards, hit towering crisp irons and buttery wedges like they do… but playing at the game’s greatest places… to me, that’s a more worthwhile and achievable aspiration.  Places like Merion occupy a special place in our heads… a rare experience there is savored and remembered in our heads and hearts forever.

Two of the most important and historic events in golf history took place on Merion’s 126 acres.  Ben Hogan’s epic 1950 U.S. Open Championship victory (Hy Peskin’s iconic Hogan 1-iron photo on the 18^th fairway is burned into the psyche of most Crazy Town residents) and Bobby Jones’ 1930 Grand Slam was clinched on the beautiful 11^th.  What professional or recreational golfer wouldn’t give their left pinky-toe to walk in those shadows?  Obsolete?  I don’t want to hear it.

The USGA is such a generous benefactor of the game, that they’re willing to sacrifice millions of dollars in sponsorship, ticket, merchandise, corporate hospitality and other revenue, in order for recreational golfers and golf fans to enjoy Hugh Wilson’s historic layout and decide its most important championship there.  Even better, the integrity of the layout was not compromised for the sake of this one week and the 156 players who will compete for the trophy.

I’m delighted that the USGA once again put the game, above all… so in this instance, we can all share in Merion’s glory.

If you hear that “obsolete” word uttered (and I promise you will hear it from TV commentators hidden in the form of provocative questioning regarding the course), just try to avoid getting the little “twitch” that I’m sure I’ll be suffering from.  My apologies for the rant.  I feel so much better now.

Cheers from the HMCT (aka Greg Nathan, NGF)

Image is Everything

Volume 3, Issue 4 – April 2013

Fellow Citizens of Crazy Town -

I would consider myself a highly visual person. You could say we are in an age of sensory overload, but until I’m six feet under, I will pause to appreciate those things whose aesthetics truly move me.  My father, an accomplished advertising creative talent, has been such an influence in the way he has always pointed out sights that deserved an extra look… things in the natural world, the flowing lines of a refined automobile (I’m told Dad’s first word as a baby was “car”), a particularly striking “shot” that a movie director captured on celluloid… and yes, even a beautiful woman.

I’ll take the metaphor a little bit further by saying that when it comes to the beauty of golf courses, I don’t really have a singular “type.”  It may not be up to full cliché status… but when course commentary emerges out of my own golf architecture geekdom, I often say “I like blondes, brunettes and redheads.”  If you prefer… I could substitute a more sophisticated analogy with Monet, Chagall and Picasso.

To illustrate, I have great appreciation for two renowned courses in eastern Long Island, both built in the past twenty years, that couldn’t be more diametrically opposed from a school of design standpoint.  The Bridge (Bridgehampton) is what I would call an ultra-modern work of golf sculpture by Rees Jones. You would never mistake this course for the type of minimalist design that Tom Doak, David McKlay-Kidd and Gil Hanse build.  The bunkering at The Bridge is oversized, bold, artful and, dare I say, manufactured on a very grand scale.  If The Bridge were a piece of classical music, you’d assume it was composed by Wagner.  I love it… but it’s not the popular neo-classic taste of the cognoscente… which leans toward courses that appear to have been laid out by nature and touched only by a soft hand.

Down the road a bit to the west in Baiting Hollow is Friar’s Head.  FH could loosely be called a hybrid of two of America’s most respected and beloved classic courses, Cypress Point (the “blow-out” sand dune hazards evoke the seaside sensibilities of MacKenzie’s masterpiece) and Pine Valley (with its massive waste bunkers and strategic angles and heroic carries).  Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore’s brilliant design is timeless and incredibly natural-looking.

Aside from being among the best places to spend a day on planet earth, what they also have in common is that they please your eyes and they’re not shallow or “skin deep” in their appeal.  The designers were expert in using their art to visually direct you around the course, showing you the way to play each hole without a schematic, yardage guide or pro’s tips. Virtually every shot requires some serious focus and thoughtful decision-making.

One of the things I love most about golf is that it is an outlet for my imagination. From any point on a hole, I try to digest the assignment presented to me by the designer, and then the rest is up to me. I TRY to create the right shot for the situation.  I’m not a great golfer, but I have a few different trajectories and shapes in my repertoire… and nothing pleases me more on the course than manufacturing shots that the land and the architect were begging for me to hit.  Great designs help me visualize the flight of the ball in my mind.  And I believe it is one of life’s great truths that reaching an objective requires that you clearly “see” the goal first, in your mind’s eye, in order to achieve it.

I recently received an unexpected package in the mail from a good friend, photographer Patrick Drickey.  Inside was a personal letter and an incredible coffee table book that he put together in an all-world partnership with golf’s greatest landscape artist, Linda Hartough.

Green Glory is indeed an embarrassment of ocular riches.  Golf visualizer that I am, Pat and Linda are the two individuals who have probably fed my love for golf courses (and inspired pilgrimages to them) more than any others, though I would be remiss if I didn’t use this space to also thank Joann Dost, Stephen Szurlej, Larry Lambrecht, Evan Schiller, Mike Klemme and Jim Krajicek who have given golf so much by introducing people around the world to game’s most profoundly beautiful designs through their photos.

I’m honored that many of Pat’s images grace the NGF’s website, and his framed works are prominent in my home and the walls of my office in Jupiter. Linda’s works line the hallways here at HQ… and I still find myself studying them, knowing that someday (if I’m fortunate), I will have the exact same vista, in person, staring me in the face.  I encourage you to check out their bodies of work and bring home the book or a piece of their art.  Perhaps their own visions will enrich your relationship with golf as they have mine.

Special notes about GREEN GLORY: A portion of every sale goes to support The First Tee.  The book is only available for purchase on Linda’s and Patrick’s websites at http://www.hartough.com/ and http://stonehousegolf.com.

Cheers from the HMCT (aka Greg Nathan, NGF)

What I Learned from Doral and PGA National – Golf Needs Soul

Volume 3, Issue 3 – March 2013

Fellow Citizens of Crazy Town -

Even though much of what you read from me and the NGF uses data, numbers, graphs or some other quantifiable support for a position or point-of-view… this month’s blog is the antithesis.

What place does “soul” have in golf?

It took me more than a decade to put my finger on it.  But this contemplation about soul and golf originated in solo visits to the Doral Golf Resort and PGA National, each in a different year with both taking place nearly two decades ago.

Before I moved my permanent home to paradise here in Palm Beach County (with Crazy Town’s First Lady and our two kids), I visited south Florida each winter.  Because I have this blessing/curse that I call “the collector’s gene,” I was compelled to cross-off at least one famous golf course each time I visited my future in-laws in Palm Beach Gardens.  Year-by-year, I filled holes in my course resume by tackling noteworthy tracks including Loblolly Pines, Old Marsh, Pine Tree, Bear’s Club, Jupiter Hills and yes, even Seminole.  In fact, I can say with some certainty that I would not be working for the NGF today if not for one of these rounds… a loop at McArthur Golf Club in Hobe Sound in February of 2007 that was set up by my great friend John Dunning… but that’s a story for another blog.

Before I had any of the relationships that are so instrumental in gaining access to private clubs, I concentrated on noted public and resort courses.  In south Florida, that means Doral and PGA National were near the top of my target list.  I drove alone in the early 1990s to the two resorts in consecutive years and on each occasion, laid out more than $175 to play the most famous 18 on each respective property.  I had seen the Blue Monster and Champion courses on TV for years, and fantasized about hitting some of the shots that I had watched in PGA Tour events (doesn’t “Doral Ryder Open” just roll off the tongue?) and in Ryder Cups & PGA Championships.

In both cases, I left the resorts completely underwhelmed… and with a weird feeling that I had just fallen off a conveyor belt where several robots picked at my wallet as I rolled down the assembly line.  Indeed, the shop was very efficient in getting my bag from the car and the credit card from my wallet.  The courses were in poor condition and the experiences both left me empty and disappointed.  I wondered why.  Other than the fact that I clearly felt that they were both overpriced and uninspiring “trophy” courses living off their reputations, I really could not articulate the reason for my great disappointment.

Years later, the origins of those feelings finally came to me in a tight little shell of a nut:  these places had no soul!  They were factories designed to get me in, take my money, and get me out.

So much has changed about both of these resorts in the nearly 20 years since I played them.  This column is not written as an exercise to pick on those particular resorts.  In fact, I live five miles from PGA National and the place is exponentially better than it was.  As crazy as this may sound to some, Trump will inject some much needed soul (and many millions of dollars) into Miami’s most important golf resort, which is fantastic.

The point is that soul, or character, or “golfiness,” if you will… is completely core to the golf experience.  It’s why we love certain courses and places more than others… why particular environments just feel great to those who love the game to the depth that all Crazy Town citizens do.  It is the soul, the authentic, genuine steadfast dedication to golf that is in the fabric of St. Andrews, Pinehurst, Bandon Dunes and Shinnecock Hills.  The golf gods are permanently in residence and on-site to watch you hack up the turf.

There’s no mathematical formula for soul.  In this incredibly busy life, I beg and plead for everyone to visit these most special places; public, private and municipal courses that are places for golfers, not just places that take your greens fees or dues.  Remember, it is the character of the game itself that keeps us all employed.  I try to never forget that. Feed your own soul and you will re-energize your passion for working in this amazing industry.

Remind yourself, viscerally, (no data here) what you love about courses and specific golf businesses that understand how to pay tribute and show respect to the game, even while trying to make a buck.  It’s the people and organizations that get this right that attract and addict those to the game whose hearts and, yes, souls, are open to it.

Cheers from the HMCT (aka Greg Nathan, NGF)

 

Writers: The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy… Don’t Let the Facts Get in the Way of a Bad Storyline

Volume 3, Issue 2 – February 2013

Fellow Citizens of Crazy Town -

I read a lot of articles about golf.  I write a lot of articles about golf. If you’re reading this, you read a lot of articles about golf… or you must be a friend or family member!

So if you’re like me, you may be noticing that nearly every article about the golf business includes some reference, almost universally absent of context or specifics, about the downfall or stagnation of the golf business.

It’s true that our industry has experienced some challenging times.  The great recession impacted nearly every business segment in the national/global economy.  Golf is not immune to changes in lifestyle (oversubscribed) and spending habits (more frugal)… and more importantly… a reset of the consumer psychology of many Americans.  When you see the value of your home and life savings take a meaningful hit, all forms of recreation and discretionary spending will be under great pressure.

Rounds of golf fell around 10% nationally since the peak (518 million) in 2000 and the number of golfers dropped 16% since topping out in 2003.  Of course, reduction in golfer spending, the funds from which all of golf’s blessings flow from a business standpoint… has been felt everywhere.  A small number of courses have closed (cumulatively less than 4% of total supply since net reduction started in 2006)… but that’s part of the natural and gradual market correction to bring supply and demand back into balance.

With all of those facts clearly in mind, 2012 was undoubtedly a year of recovery from the recession that buried its teeth in us during 2008.  Year-end rounds for 2012 were up nationally by 5.7%.  That’s the largest jump since the turn of the millennium and a single year recovery of 26 million rounds (nearly half of what we’ve lost since the peak).  This growth equates to approximately $750 million of incremental revenue to the nation’s course owners and operators.  While the NGF’s participation numbers for 2012 are not in yet (soon!), we suspect the golfer numbers that began sliding in 2004 has turned around.  At the recent PGA Merchandise and Golf Industry Shows, I’d say that a minimum of 80% of the people I spoke with said that their companies experienced some measure of year-over-year improvement in 2012.

So now that I’ve taken a few moments to offer an objective reality check… then why do all the articles I read still lead with the images of grey clouds hanging over the golf business?  Why is the positive change in the trends ignored in these stories?  Job security, the financial markets and home values are all going in the right direction and golf’s fortunes are moving along with it.

This current news cycle has every golf writer sharing their opinion on the anchoring rule debate or pro/amateur rules bifurcation discussion.  Neither of those subjects is particularly business-focused at its core, yet golf’s trajectory is still highlighted as drooping in nearly every story.  All is not altogether rosy, but the welcome good news is ignored for the most part.  I understand that those outside our industry might “go negative” because they think golf’s image is elitist and disparaging golf might be a popular view… but golf writers taking this view… that I just cannot figure out.

Our job at the NGF is to provide objective and independent views on the state of the business, with a POV based in facts… in data.  We will continue to report the vital signs to the businesses that rely upon us for that very thing.

Keep reading those articles, as I will… and take special note of how golf is portrayed.  We’re in this window where “don’t let the facts get in the way of a story” is the rule.  We can’t control it… but we can all be better informed.  Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if I can help you on that front… I’m delighted that keeping both eyes on Crazy Town is my job.
Cheers from the HMCT (aka Greg Nathan, NGF)

Golf’s “Groundhog Day”

 

Volume 3, Issue 1 – January 2013
Fellow Citizens of Crazy Town -

If the New Year break is a time to consider what’s worth remembering about the previous twelve months, then January is a time to start fresh, consider the hope and promise of the year, set your course… and then do the exact same thing you’ve done for years… get to Orlando for the PGA Merchandise Show.

…and as they said famously on Seinfeld… “not that there’s anything wrong with that!”

It’s true that there are good people in this industry who do not exactly look upon this annual get-together with great excitement.  “This will be my twenty-first consecutive PGA Show,” they might say with an accompanying sigh. I suppose I can’t blame them for considering “The Show” to be golf’s equivalent of Groundhog Day.  Some folks will do the same things, see many of the same people and visit ever-so-familiar booths, concourses, eateries and cocktail parties that they’ve done each year on I-Drive since they first attended.  Humans naturally gravitate to routines. Golfers are undoubtedly among those most faithful to habit.

It will be a surprise to exactly zero of my regular readers that… I LOVE THE PGA Show! Where else can you see, feel and experience a microcosm of our business, visit with hundreds of friends, colleagues, customers and prospects, see the shiny new toys, enjoy a cocktail and perhaps a few good meals… all without leaving an area of a few square miles. There’s a like-minded soul around every corner, and the game itself glues it all together.

My happy marriage with the golf business began in the Orlando Convention Center in the early 90’s, and each year I return and renew my vows.  I’m forever grateful to Dan Robertson (the recently promoted publisher of Golf Digest and Golf World), who despite his own professional commitments and pressures, always found time and made the effort to borrow a show credential from a colleague and “badge in” yours-truly, a golf-obsessed young advertising executive with little influence over any advertising budget.  Thinking back to those days now, I realize I’ve never really asked him why he did it. My guess is that he probably recognized a bit of himself in me. After all, Dan loves golf and the golf business too. In other words, we both are fortunate holders of a key to the City, I mean Town (Crazy Town).

The NGF will have booth space this year for the first time since I joined the organization in June of 2007. Of course my colleagues and I have represented NGF at the show throughout that span, but in a more nomadic existence.

We’ll be at booth #2322 for those who want to stop by and pay a visit… and please take a look at the new mobile APP we developed to help NGF facility members foster a deeper connection with their golfers/customers/members/prospects.  Unfortunately, you may not catch me in our booth, because my show experience is not Groundhog Day… as much as it is golf’s version of speed-dating (even though I’m married to the game/business, this dating does not qualify as infidelity). I’m fortunate that many of you have accepted an invitation for a visit.  If I’m doing my job, I’ll share some information you can use, at least one idea that would help you take advantage of NGF’s resources, and explore how you might benefit from my perpetual commitment to “pay forward” Dan Robertson’s generosity.  See you in Orlando!

Cheers from the HMCT (aka Greg Nathan, NGF)

Mayor of Crazy Town’s 2012 Top 10

 

Volume 2, Issue 12 – December 2012
Fellow Citizens of Crazy Town -

Cue the dramatic Hollywood movie preview music…

IN A WORLD… where the continuum of golf’s glorious traditions, competition, recreation and innovation rolls along… let’s reflect upon some of the most interesting talking-points in the game.  I’ll leave the fiery debates to the 19^th Hole crowd around the globe, but to follow is my Top 10 Stories of the Year.

1. 2012 as a “comeback year” for the golf business – Year-over-year increase of approximately 27,000,000 rounds and a positive financial impact on golf courses to the happy tune of $750,000,000 to $1B.  Still a long way to go, but a welcome change from the declines of recent years.
2. The PGA’s GOLF 2.0 initiative – All you cynics out there (I’m from New York, and yes, it takes one to know one!) should really be applauding the money-where-their-mouth-is” dedication of the Association to activating the 25+ million Americans who didn’t play golf last year but who are seriously interested in playing golf (AKA “latent demand”).  Ted Bishop, Darrell Crall and Pete Bevacqua and their 27,000 members really do deserve your support.  Get Golf Ready is a terrific flagship program that works.  GGR and the game itself simply need to be sold better. If you need a tip on how to do that, call my friend Del Ratcliffe in Charlotte! 
3. Golf in the Olympics/Host Course Drama – I sure hope they can resolve the property dispute and start building that Rio course soon. Gil Hanse certainly was an inspired selection to design the layout (see Boston Golf Club and his redesign at Fenway in NY).  Doesn’t our newly appointed Ryder Cup Captain know that Olympic golf isn’t as much about the competition (can we please pick a good format, though?) as it is about how it will encourage growth of the game driven by national ministries of sport?  Courses are unquestionably being built outside the U.S. as a result of “the movement” (nearly 300 openings outside the U.S. in the past two years and another 300 currently under construction) and imagine the affect on the business if there was a Chinese gold medal winner?  How can we set that up?
4. The Broomstick and Anchoring – A continuation of the epic conflict between forces like tradition, integrity, challenge, creativity, innovation, and even politics. The best thing about the issue is that it makes us all think deeply about the game and what’s most important to each of us, as golfers, administrators, guardians… and as business people.
5. TaylorMade & Callaway – has anyone ever had a hot streak like TM’s in the history of golf club marketing?  Credit to our friends in Carlsbad who push their chips to the center of the table… and keep winning.  However, with Chip Brewer at the helm of Callaway, we can all look forward to an exciting battle… and golfers will be the winners.  The quality, design and performance of the bats and balls used in the game today is mind-boggling.
6. This will be the seventh consecutive year of reduction in U.S. golf courses – Though, don’t let the media tell you that closure of golf courses is indicative of the decline of demand to play. Simply not true.  Net reduction of 500 courses since 2006 (out of roughly 16,000), is not a story at all.  We opened 400 new courses in a single year during the boom.  At this pace, we would close more than 1,000 more courses over the next 5-7 years and it would improve the health of the existing courses and the impact on golf demand would be negligible.  There is plenty of supply to serve America’s golfers… and the quality of that supply has never been better.
7. Rory McIlroy – What a talented player, humble man and a classy ambassador for the game.  Not since Tiger’s “old swing” have we envied another player’s motion so much. I hope his equipment change brings more victories and his adjustment is smooth.  The history of peaking players switching their scalpels is not a pretty one. 
8. Ryder Cup Comeback – The dark side of Brookline.  Langer and every golfer in Germany held their breath when Kaymer drew back his putter.
9. Tiger wins three big tournaments… It was a year that would make a career for almost any other player… and everyone yawned.  For the player getting the most positive attention… see #7
10. Despite the fact that fewer than 20 new facilities opened in the U.S. in 2012… there are still world-class American curtain-droppers like Streamsong’s 36-holes and glorious international debuts like Keiser’s Cabot Links and Trump’s triumph in Scotland.

Happy Holidays and we’ll see you next month in Orlando!!!
Cheers from the HMCT (aka Greg Nathan, NGF)

Blaming Time, Money and Difficulty – ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

 

Volume 2, Issue 11 – November 2012
Fellow Citizens of Crazy Town:

I have written about the importance of “fun” to the health of golf in this space before, perhaps several times… but I can’t let it go and here’s why.

On a recent business trip I was catching up on my reading and came across multiple articles analyzing the challenges facing our industry.  Inevitably, the writer gravitates to the real and perceived barriers to golf’s growth.  I must say that I’m getting increasingly frustrated and disappointed by the constant references to time, money and difficulty. Some of the most influential voices in our game, to their credit, are using their power and credibility to suggest solutions to mitigate these oft-stated barriers.  But I’m getting more and more convinced that time, money and difficulty are actually the primary excuses that people use for not playing golf… or not playing more golf than they’re currently playing.  What they’re really telling us is that golf isn’t much fun for them.

If golf isn’t fun, there are many other choices that will be prioritized above golf.

I am incredibly fortunate to have a wonderful family, great friends and several activities and hobbies that keep me pleasantly occupied during my own limited recreation time. I also love golf and welcome every opportunity to play. Like many committed golfers, I absolutely prefer 18 holes (time), I find great value in golf (money), and I embrace the challenge (difficulty).  Golf offers me an outlet for my creativity, the opportunity to test myself, uninterrupted time with friends (four hours sounds awesome when you put it that way), exercise and enjoyment of the beautiful outdoors. I make golf a priority because it’s very satisfying… call it “fun”!

NGF’s 2012 research on commitment to golf proved to us that the old barriers are not the most critical barriers at all.  What we need to be focusing are the barriers to fun.  In fact, committed golfers find the challenge of the game to be one of its greatest attractions (difficulty).  Household Income of fringe players are actually higher than those who are hooked on the game and the median greens fee in the U.S. is only around $37 (money).  As the father of an 11 year old son and 8 year old daughter, I’ll admit time is a tough one… because I’m partial to playing 18 holes.  Clearly there are less time consuming options that still allow us to play.  I’m already hooked on the game, and this isn’t about The Mayor.  The point here is about those who are not committed.

Those who are not committed to golf primarily are not because they aren’t having any fun:

1. They feel they don’t play well enough to enjoy the game
2. They are embarrassed or have substantial fear of embarrassment that inhibits their enjoyment
3. They are uncomfortable or feel unwelcome in the golf environment

I’m encouraged that these reasons are inherently fixable.  Of course nothing worth doing is easy and remedying these factors might take a generation or two.  But they are fixable.  #1 and #2 can both be aided by increasing the availability and accessibility of instruction and education on rules/etiquette.  With courses competing for golfers and way too many quality golf instructors out of work or underpaid, there is huge opportunity here.  #3 is a job for owners/operators and for golfers everywhere to make former golfers, novices, women and juniors feel welcomed and appreciated.  Invite them to play.  Show them how much fun the game can be (even when it proves to be the most wonderfully maddening game on earth)

If they’re having fun, they’ll prioritize golf in their lives and that means time and money will melt away as barriers for them.

So let’s all stop using things we have minimal control over as excuses for things that we can-and-must change about our industry if it’s going to grow.

Cheers from the HMCT (aka Greg Nathan, NGF)