Comments on: The future of Australian golf is in bogey territory http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/06/12/the-future-of-australian-golf-is-in-bogey-territory/ now with extra source Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:14:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: The Kid From Bondi http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/06/12/the-future-of-australian-golf-is-in-bogey-territory/#comment-23883 The Kid From Bondi Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-23883 Charlie, Charlie you are on a hiding to nowhere with this article for the following reasons; I am a consultant to several golf companies and private and semi private golf clubs in Australia and the US. I am also, sadly, just an average golfer. The sport, certainly GA and most clubs are run by golf enthusiasts and Hon Pres. Hon. Capt and years ago Hon.Sec, the latter was replaced by the GM or CEO - salary range 100K-250K+. The old guard versus the "professional managers" was never going to work. Turgid and moribund versus hype and grand vision. You quote Hallam above as "The challenge for golf is to go ahead in leaps and bounds in the same way that soccer, cricket and AFL have done in the past few years, otherwise we’ll get left behind," he said" DUH! But HOW MR Hallam? A Happy Gilmour or an R&A model? Why quote the man if he offers no solution for his rather obvious statement? The reason for the decline in participation is simple - TIME. The majority of those who can afford to and want to play don't have the time to invest the minimum 8 hours a round of golf takes; 4hrs15 to play 18 holes, at least an hour and a half to get there and get ready to hit off and another hour and a half to clean up, have a drink and drive home. So much for Saturday or Sunday. Get the drift? As for the Australian Tour, as much as I like golf I would rather watch Woods, Scott et al playing Augusta or Torey Pines (for a limited time) than watch three marquee names and 153 journeymen pros play in Australia and I don't think I am alone. I could go on but it's a little redundant, so Chas, when next you write about golf, do a little research and get some facts and don’t just regurgitate the canned message that you are supplied. In the dark and mushrooms comes to mind .... Charlie, Charlie you are on a hiding to nowhere with this article for the following reasons; I am a consultant to several golf companies and private and semi private golf clubs in Australia and the US. I am also, sadly, just an average golfer. The sport, certainly GA and most clubs are run by golf enthusiasts and Hon Pres. Hon. Capt and years ago Hon.Sec, the latter was replaced by the GM or CEO - salary range 100K-250K+. The old guard versus the “professional managers” was never going to work. Turgid and moribund versus hype and grand vision. You quote Hallam above as “The challenge for golf is to go ahead in leaps and bounds in the same way that soccer, cricket and AFL have done in the past few years, otherwise we’ll get left behind,” he said” DUH! But HOW MR Hallam? A Happy Gilmour or an R&A model? Why quote the man if he offers no solution for his rather obvious statement? The reason for the decline in participation is simple - TIME. The majority of those who can afford to and want to play don’t have the time to invest the minimum 8 hours a round of golf takes; 4hrs15 to play 18 holes, at least an hour and a half to get there and get ready to hit off and another hour and a half to clean up, have a drink and drive home. So much for Saturday or Sunday. Get the drift? As for the Australian Tour, as much as I like golf I would rather watch Woods, Scott et al playing Augusta or Torey Pines (for a limited time) than watch three marquee names and 153 journeymen pros play in Australia and I don’t think I am alone. I could go on but it’s a little redundant, so Chas, when next you write about golf, do a little research and get some facts and don’t just regurgitate the canned message that you are supplied. In the dark and mushrooms comes to mind ….

]]> By: R Morein http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/06/12/the-future-of-australian-golf-is-in-bogey-territory/#comment-23884 R Morein Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-23884 Something is seriously wrong with the whole golfing business in Australia.<br /><br />In Cairns, we've lost one wonderful golf course to the developers - apparently there is no "zoning" that actually protects a golf course from the greedy class. Dozens were sold "fairway frontage" homes, only now to find themselves with three story condos jammed up on their garden boundary. And now Cairns' Paradise Palms, one of Australia's "Top 10 Golf Courses" is being cut up by Tom Hedley, who has spent most of his time building prison-tower-looking condos in the Cairns CBD, completely destroying any semblance of tropical city. Cairns former Mayor Kevin Byrne is complicit in this golf course destruction, and the golfing community seems to have little to say about it.<br /><br />Golf courses in Europe, the US, and even Japan have histories going back over 100 years and are revered as open space - here they are just so much ground to jam more houses and unit blocks into.<br /><br />It's always stunned me as a migrant to this wonderful country that, despite 95% of your land being unoccupied you insist on building giant houses on tiny pieces of land, with narrow roads linking them all together. Not much for planning are the Australians, apparently. Something is seriously wrong with the whole golfing business in Australia.

In Cairns, we’ve lost one wonderful golf course to the developers - apparently there is no “zoning” that actually protects a golf course from the greedy class. Dozens were sold “fairway frontage” homes, only now to find themselves with three story condos jammed up on their garden boundary. And now Cairns’ Paradise Palms, one of Australia’s “Top 10 Golf Courses” is being cut up by Tom Hedley, who has spent most of his time building prison-tower-looking condos in the Cairns CBD, completely destroying any semblance of tropical city. Cairns former Mayor Kevin Byrne is complicit in this golf course destruction, and the golfing community seems to have little to say about it.

Golf courses in Europe, the US, and even Japan have histories going back over 100 years and are revered as open space - here they are just so much ground to jam more houses and unit blocks into.

It’s always stunned me as a migrant to this wonderful country that, despite 95% of your land being unoccupied you insist on building giant houses on tiny pieces of land, with narrow roads linking them all together. Not much for planning are the Australians, apparently.

]]> By: Gerry Cahir http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/06/12/the-future-of-australian-golf-is-in-bogey-territory/#comment-23885 Gerry Cahir Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-23885 Could Charles Happell please explain what he means by "the red-headed stepchild of Australian sport "?<br /><br />Regards<br /><br />Gerry Cahir (a redhead) Could Charles Happell please explain what he means by “the red-headed stepchild of Australian sport “?

Regards

Gerry Cahir (a redhead)

]]> By: Alan R http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/06/12/the-future-of-australian-golf-is-in-bogey-territory/#comment-23886 Alan R Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-23886 After reading Charles Happell's piece yesterday where he condoned grievous bodily harm and relocated the site of Olympic Pool in Beijing knowing nothing about golf I am unsure how much of the above is either ill informed or inaccurate or both. After reading Charles Happell’s piece yesterday where he condoned grievous bodily harm and relocated the site of Olympic Pool in Beijing knowing nothing about golf I am unsure how much of the above is either ill informed or inaccurate or both.

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