The National Golf Foundation’s latest golf course census is out, and the numbers are there for all to interpret. Me, I think there are too many golf courses, too many built without concern for how they were going to make money, and those courses and others are paying the price now.
On the last day of 2010, there were 15,890 courses in the U.S., says the NGF, and that’s down from a high of 16,057 in 2004. If my math’s right, the number of courses has declined by 167, or 1%, amidst the worst economic conditions in our lifetimes. I venture to say a few more advertising companies have closed, and manufacturing facilities and restaurants … you name it.
My opinion: there’s still a number more golf courses in trouble, and there’ll be no bailouts. And that’s just fine with me.
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