I played a lot in my teens and twenties and loved the game but stopped playing regularly when the kids came along. Its too time consuming and the lack of flexible membership options/fee structures at most clubs means its prohibitive to anyone who can’t commit to playing at least weekly if not more often. Most won’t change though as those making the decisions would probably rather see the club fold than move into this century.
There are some forward thinking clubs but they’re in the minority. The Birkdales will be fine as there’s enough prestige there to ensure a steady stream of punters, and the well run muni’s and forward thinking clubs that embrace younger members will be ok too. It’s the ‘wannabe’ Birkdales that will go under. Good courses but without the prestige to keep enough demand. Their desire to preserve the old school traditional model will see the clubs die with their ageing memberships. Some won’t be a loss at all, but for others it will be a crying shame.
If you take away the ‘club’ side of it and focus just on the game itself, it’s a wonderful pastime. Outdoors in often beautiful surroundings, few hours with mates doing something social other than say drinking, escape from the grind, physical and mental challenge, need for self discipline, shiny things to waste your money on if you want (or not). What’s not to like.
