Posted on 08/21/2010 11:28:16 AM PDT by Willie Green
MAMARONECK, N.Y. — A few weeds have popped up on the fairways, and summer's heat has scorched the grass here and there, but the golf course at the Hampshire Country Club is still tidy and scenic, its little waterfall still burbling through the rocks.
Not that there's anyone around to notice. The Hampshire's 18-hole course on Long Island Sound, along with its tennis courts, pool and restaurant, is closed this year. Members cited rising costs upwards of $25,000 a year for a membership as the roster fell from several hundred at its peak to about 100.
"There was a lot of talk last year about the increasing costs, people not sure what they could pay, the assessments always going up," said Barbara Mines, a member for 15 years who lives in a house on the Hampshire course. "I wasn't really surprised when it closed."
The same thing has happened in recent years at hundreds of other courses nationwide — even in the golf meccas of Florida, Arizona and California — as the economic meltdown and changes in family dynamics combine to threaten club life. Whether it's a $45,000 initiation fee for a private club or a $5 increase in the cost of a round at a public course, the price of a golf habit is giving some duffers pause.
"It's definitely connected to the economic conditions and the ability of potential private club members to pay the fairly significant initiation fees and annual dues," said Jay Mottola, executive director of the Metropolitan Golf Association, representing 120,000 golfers and 500 golf courses in the New York region.
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A lot of everyday people lose their jobs when these clubs are closed.
And yet, the powers that be want to further ‘punish’ the wealthy by raising their taxes.
And who will be the ones ‘punished’? The people who make these facilities run.
Can’t one play golf on a Wii and save in the long run?
Response to Obama’s perpetual play, perhaps..
So long as Zero plays golf, there will be a few golf courses left open by executive decree.
More proof that Rimshot Joe BiteMe’s “Summer of Recovery” has fizzled out. Just like everything else the commie ‘RATS are doing.
Now with the economy in shambles and Tiger Woods in disgrace, it's lost a lot of it's marginal appeal and will lose many of it's fair-weather friends.
Ah, and the Obama recovery marches on. Invisible just like all the oil in the Gulf.
Not to worry...next to Islam, golf is the 2nd thing that Osambo loves most. Watch for another bailout. ‘Too big to fail’ and all that...
Everyone has cut their spending for leisure activities to close to zero. It’s a good thing that Barry and his coterie of cronies have unlimited money to subsidize these golf courses until the depression is over.
At some point, you have to decide if you want to play golf for an affordable cost or walk on an obscenely priced lawn.
What the heck is he doing carrying two clubs for. He can’t afford a caddy????
Margins are thin, customers demand more service, and all the non-essential help has already been laid off. People are working longer (and harder) for less money now. They can't find the time, or justify the expense, of playing golf any more.
Well, at least Obama won’t have to kick a bunch of people off the course when he wants to play.
Look at his other hand.
You don't really believe he is golfing, do you?
We are opening a business, because we need money.
Nope. Golf has been popular for many decades. It was made even more popular in the past decade by the likes of players like Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and others. Players, a few of whom, may someday join the pantheon of greats such as Nicklaus, Palmer, Jones, Snead and others.
Golf is popular because it's a game one can play for enjoyment, as a leisure activity, or for profit if one's good enough. And it's far more challenging than other sports.
Tiger's philandering hasn't caused the public to leave golf but to migrate to others who appear to have the potential to succeed him at the top. Will he stage a comeback? Who knows. But if he did, that too would be good for golf as it would create even more excitement.
The only thing bad for golf (other than its expense) is stupid rules decisions such as that at the end of last weekend's PGA championship.
Now, excuse me. This weekend's tournament is on...
The game has changed..in the northeast, the baby boomers...the corporate types who love the game..many have retired, and moved to warmer climates, without state income taxes..i.e. Florida..also, changes in the IRC make it much harder to deduct club dues of the tax return..also, many ofthe “older” group, myself include, isn’t fond of the “Tigermania” that has swept the game..it’s loud, boorish, and ungentlemanly...
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