Golf is Healthy

Greetings Golfers,

I’m writing this from the PGA Show in Orlando. 

And I have good news - the Show is back!

Why is that good news? Because I think it’s directly related to the health of the game of golf.

Here’s another interesting fact about the health of golf: Wednesday - here at the PGA Show - during their State of Golf address, the National Golf foundation announced that last year 25.6 million people played golf at a green grass facility … and that 27.9 million people played golf indoors.

Neither number includes miniature golf.

Golf is taking other forms. The traditional way is not the only way.

That doesn’t mean the end of traditional golf. There is room for Top Golf and St. Andrews.

Obviously our society has become much more casual. You can really see it here at the Show. 25 years ago, most PGA Pros at the Show wore a coat and tie. Now, you seldom see a tie … and not even that many sport coats. 

And … that casualness is reflected in the clothing showrooms here at the Show. 

A few years ago, I couldn’t believe it when I saw cashmere hoodies in the Greyson showroom … and they were expensive!

Years ago, golf started to get into more athletic wear - a more casual style than the traditional golf wear. And more tennis-type shoes without spikes was a big change from leather golf-shoes with metal-spikes.

There are still traditional golf clothing companies … but there are way more untraditional golf clothing companies.

Well … you saw those numbers … even more people played golf indoors than outdoors last year. What do they wear at Top Golf?

So where is this going? Will people just play golf in sweatpants?

Here’s where I hope common sense takes over. Clothing has different functions and can be symbolic. 

Wearing sweatpants to a funeral is disrespectful.

And wearing a formal suit while working in your yard doesn’t make sense.

You’d probably wear different clothing to a fancy restaurant than to a diner.

Just because golf has more options than it once did … doesn’t mean that the option of traditional golf and traditional clothing has to go away.

They’re just another option.

Different clothing doesn’t have to mean pretentiousness or phoniness … it can mean what works and what’s respectful.

Fall colors and warmer fabrics in the Fall … Spring colors and lighter fabrics in the Spring.

Don’t laugh … some people see that as phony.

I see it as common sense. 

But some people see good manners as phony. I see them as signs of respect.

We’ve gotten pretty hostile to what built Western Civilization … thinking that if it’s not perfect that it has to all be torn down.

What about tweaks and more options instead of revolution?

Well, that’s what I think is happening to golf … tweaks and more options. 

There is still room for traditional golf. We are not seeing the end of golf - this is not a revolution. Indoor golf and more casual golf clothing are good options.

The annual PGA Show in Orlando is a good reflection of what’s happening in golf. COVID stopped it for a few years … but I think it’s coming back better than ever.

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com

Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351