OK, let's Golf Talk about how badly golf is being beat-up by the fiasco on Wall Street and in Washington.
In my opinion, this mess is going to impact the golf world like a sledge hammer. I could be wrong, but I don't think so. The reason I am pretty sure of this is because there are no golf balls in my back yard.
We live on the 15th green of Sidewinder, one of the most beautiful public golf courses in Arizona. It is ranked #4 in the state for courses open to the public, and its sister course - Dinosaur Mountain Course - a few blocks up the stree is ranked #1. Obviously, these are very popular golf courses. Players normally fly in from all over North America to stay at the Gold Canyon Golf Resort that owns both courses.
Until a few weeks ago, we would sit out on the patio and watch a party of golfers putt out the 15th green, while another group was teeing off over at the 16th tee box. There were usually other golfers back up the fairway, waiting to hit their approach shots to the green. But not so much now.
Now, there are at least 20 to 30 minutes between golfing parties parked under the trees at the rear of our property next to the cart path. Estimating the cost of the workers it takes every day to cut the grass, groom the green and the surrounding bunkers, fertilize, water and trim shrubs and landscaping; the long silence between players is very expensive. Observing what they have to do every day to keep a top-ranked golf course top-ranked leaves no question about why their green fees are top-ranked, too.
A lack of players equals a lack of golf balls in our yard. No shanked approach shots, no skulled chip shots - no golf balls in the yard. Last year we had about 260 balls deposited over or through the wrought-iron fence. I keep and play all the good Titleist Pro-V1's that aren't knicked or scuffed up. All the others go into a pot on the patio, and I sell them to a golf ball recycler not far from our house.
A neighbor down the street, about 150 yards in front of the 15th tee box, had over 1000 balls per year sail into their yard until they erected a screen to catch and drop them to the ground inside their fence. They paid for the screen by selling all of the golf balls to the recycler. But not now.
It's not my intention to bum you out with all this. Actually, I think it is very similar to the stock market. When everyone else is panicked and selling at a loss is when smart investors are buying. This winter we should all be watching the market for fire-sale deals on those golf clubs we've been dreaming about...or scouring the local papers for killer green fee offers at golf courses we normally can't afford.
This whole mess will eventually blow over. In the meantime, remember there is always an opportunity in every crisis.
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Hit 'em long, straight and often!
Contact: darabbitt@gmail.com
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Thanks for visiting, Dreamer. I shopped Salvation Army and Goodwill stores for my first set of clubs. They have a lot of trash, but frequent visits can catch pretty good clubs, bags, etc., for very little money.
Thanks for visiting Golf Talk .