Golf is too expensive, but it doesn't have to be!

What would happen if nobody new wanted to play because they had decided that golf takes too long and is far too expensive?

Public golf in Toronto has gone from an average of $40 a round in the mid 90's to an average of $80 today. The construction budget of the first course I worked on with Carrick was 3 million, and the last one was 10 million (please note this was a much tougher build). I've watched the guys I play hockey with go from avid golfers playing 20-30 times a year to becoming occasional players in the last 5 years. Why? "Too expensive and I've found a new hobby that takes less time away from home" Golf needs to realize that the massive build out of strictly high end courses that occurred in Toronto over the last 5 years is not good for the game. It drove the prices up - and they players away.

But if the course is built for a reasonable budget and is well designed - it will become a very successful project. If the course was built for a large budget and fails to attract players - someone loses their whole investment.

In future posts I will detail one alternative model for building an affordable golf course. I will discuss this using a project called Rustic Canyon, which is both affordable and outstanding.

“It is generally agreed that intense importance should be attached to utilizing every feature in the ground, so far as it is compatible with a satisfactory framework. To depend to the maximum extent upon nature, and to the minimum upon art, makes for interesting golf and moderate expenditure.”

H.S. Colt, Some Essays on Golf-Architecture, 1920