It Is No Longer The Golden Age of Golf

I used the term “Golden Age of Golf” in a LinkedIn group and was asked to define it.  Here was my reply.

The “Golden Age” was made up of a multitude of factors that would need a book or two hour podcast to cover completely.  But since you only asked about how things were at the local golf course, here goes.

It was back when club membership was a management perk in almost any business and 90% of the clubs were private.  The company picked up the tab and everybody wanted to be a decent golfer because it was important to business success.  Parents encouraged their children to take up golf because it was important to their future.

Businessmen went there to spend four hours on the course getting to know each other to see if they wanted to do business with each other.

Political leaders were frequently there to strengthen their support with voters.

The clubs were like Cheers – everybody knew your name and what you liked and didn’t like.  The employees and management cared about you and your family.  Personalized service was the driving factor instead of rounds and the bottom line.

The golf staff cared about your golf game and went out of their way to help you play better.  A successful teaching professional was one that the members enjoyed taking lessons from – not the guy that booked the most lessons.

Members took lessons and worked on their games and they club professional knew whether they were improving or not and had a personal interest in their progress.  He was also expected to play with the members frequently.

People went to the club to eat and to socialize with their friends and have great food and service – it wasn’t all about the profitability of the food service operation.

The local golf course was the social, political, and economic hub of many communities.

In other words, it was in the days before the IRS got involved and got the ball rolling down hill and before management companies.

When the IRS targeted golf and private clubs in particular it all began to change.  Once businesses could no longer write off club memberships as a business expense the world of golf began to change.  Of course the legal system striking down golf companies having green grass only policies and forcing them to sell to discounters didn’t help any.

During the “Golden Age” PGA members were held in high esteem and compensated accordingly.  It was not uncommon for the Head Professional to own the golf shop and the golf cart plus receive a retainer.

Today golf professionals are being paid less than I made as an assistant.

I am just glad that I was able to experience it.  I thought this worth sharing for all the young professionals that never got to experience it.