The Pellucid Perspective - May 2013 - (Page 9)

GROWING THE GAME Dire participation projections inspire “Tour Test” concept Tee selection designed to produce similarities to Tour player experience By Jim Dunlap B arney Adams may be “retired” from active participation in the equipment manufacturing side of the golf industry, but the fertile imagination and dogged determination that launched the Tight Lies fairway metals and led Adams Golf to the top spot in hybrid club sales won’t let Adams sit silently by as golf struggles as a sport and an industry. Partially inspired and partially frustrated by the modest success of his Tee It Forward concept, Adams recently proposed a tweak to that concept that he calls the Tour Test, designed to give amateurs opportunities to duplicate the types (if not the quality) of shots typically hit by the professionals. The essence of the Tour Test system is for amateurs to select a tee that will leave them with approximately 140 yards into the front third of the green for their second shot on a par-4, or their third shot on a par-5. Adams’ theory is that most pros hit 8-iron or less into the average par-4 on Tour, and that most amateurs hit an 8-iron 140 yards, give or take 20 yards or so. Adams has designed a Tour Test marker, officially sanctioned by both the USGA and the PGA of America, that can be spiked into the fairway at the appropriate distance. The same general principles apply for par-5 or par-3 holes, although there will obviously be some variance depending upon course design involving those holes, as well as other factors such as fairway firmness, prevailing wind, slope, hazards, etc. As far as the actual teeing ground, Adams said he understands that courses are unlikely to build or create new tees that would land the average amateur in the general vicinity of the Tour Test markers, but said he feels that in most cases, there will be an existing tee (regardless of its current designation) that will approximate the correct distance. The explanation above is obviously a Cliffs Notes synopsis of Adams’ system, and readers who want to learn more about its execution and Adams’ reasoning behind it are encouraged to give Barney a call at 214-906-1023 or drop him a note at barney@barneyadams.com. An article entitled “For the Love of the Game (The story nobody wants to hear)” has been submitted to Golf Digest magazine, detailing both the Tour Test system and Adams’ rationale for authoring the piece. Of equal interest to this publication are the reasons that Adams is devoting so much cogitation to ways that golf can enhance its appeal and reverse a downward spiral of participation in the sport. Adams cites NGF statistics showing that NGF-designated “avid” golfers (25 rounds or more per year), who reportedly contribute 71 percent of the money spent on rounds, equipment, memberships and associated expenses industry-wide, have declined in number by 30 percent since the 2000 peak, and are currently at the same number as in 1985 (before the course building boom diluted that customer base significantly). What NGF calls “core” golfers (8 or more rounds/ year) have declined at a similar rate, and junior golf has also declined by approximately 20 percent since 2000, according to Adams’ research. Unwilling to rely on his and the NGF’s conclusions solely, Adams turned to the Mathematics Department at Clarkson University to determine what the future holds for golf. Using NGF data such as the figures described previously, covering a 28-year period, the Clarkson mathematicians projected that data forward and concluded, with a 90 percent confidence level, that the number of players overall will decline at a rate of 2 to 5 percent over the next few years. (At a 70 percent confidence level, that number increases significantly to 12-15 percent). Depressing as those numbers were, when Clarkson’s scholars factored in the current decline in U.S. birth rate, the projections for the next few years became downright apocalyptic, with anticipated declines ranging from 40 to 60 percent of the current participation rate. And, Adams pointed out, that is not taking into account the shifts in cultural bias regarding golf among the population as a whole. [Note: It should be pointed out here that Pellucid Corp. founder Jim Koppenhaver, surprisingly to those of you who have long considered him the leading bearer of bad (but generally correct) tidings regarding the golf industry’s health, feels that the Clarkson mathematicians have fairly significantly overstated the impending decline in participation. As Jim says, “We certainly all hope that’s the case.” I suspect you will hear more from Jim on that subject, but I’ll leave that to him.] Whether the future for golf is anywhere near as gloomy as The essence of the Tour Test system is for amateurs to select a tee that will leave them with approximately 140 yards into the front third of the green for their second shot on a par-4, or their third shot on a par-5. www.PellucidCorp.com The Pellucid PersPecTive 9 http://WWW.PELLUCIDCORP.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Pellucid Perspective - May 2013

The Pellucid Perspective - May 2013
Contents
The battle for the soul of golf
Is it time for nine?
Who’s that knocking at your door?
Dire participation projections inspire “Tour Test” concept
Familiar faces in new golf industry places
April golf weather impact: Not as bad as March, but off double digits
San Diego: America’s healthiest golf market?
Escalante Golf to buy 4 Houston area clubs
The big Why-Me-jian

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