Wed 7 Jan 2009
The Recession and Golf by George B. Kirsch
Posted by michael under author commentary , sports history1 Comment
 "Click for larger image")
What impact has the current recession had on golf at country clubs and at public daily fee and municipal courses? What lessons might we learn from the experience of golfers who patronized private clubs or public links during the Great Depression? The Boston Globe recently reported that the Golf Club of Cape Cod in Falmouth, Massachusetts, and other upscale associations have responded to declining membership by waiving their pricey admission fees for new members. Other clubs have offered trial one-year memberships or delayed or extended payment of dues. If the hard times continue, many country clubs will have to resort to other remedies applied during the 1930s, including admitting classes of people who would have been denied entrance during more flush times and creating less expensive “house” or “associate” categories of membership. Officers will also be hard pressed to maintain balanced budgets.
During the 1930s thousands of golfers who could no longer afford club dues patronized semiprivate and public facilities, which were generally in a sorry state of neglect. Today’s municipal courses are in better shape, but some could use sprucing up. It remains to be seen whether the Obama administration will include funds for renovation of municipal links in its proposed public works legislation. Under Franklin D. Roosevelt, during its first two years (1935-37) the Works Progress Administration spent more than ten million dollars on 368 public courses nationwide, including sixty-two new facilities. This year, infrastructure projects such as bridges, tunnels, highways, and mass transit as well as schools and other worthy construction projects deserve priority over recreational facilities. But a modest sum might still be allocated for parks and public golf courses. After all, spending a few hours on a well maintained, beautiful, and relatively inexpensive public course might provide a welcome diversion for unemployed golfers.
*****
George B. Kirsch is professor of history at Manhattan College and author of the new book Golf in America. More information on the topic above can be found in chapter 6, “Depression and War.”
February 8th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Mr. Kirsch, I write for the GSCAA about maintenance issues. I think the difference this time around is that there are too many choices for golfers because so many housing projects included a golf course. Developers were interested in selling houses and properties and the golf course added value to the project (higher price for product), but the developers were never thinking about how to maintain the course in the future. Many of the private clubs now in trouble are tied to housing ventures that have turned sour. The members try to take over the course and find out how expensive it is to maintain.
The municipal courses will need to market their value to golfers better, but I don’t see cash infusions for improvements coming to a golf course near you any time soon. The older privately owned course are going to be in the best position because they might be able to lower fees to draw players.