Girls golf hits rough - DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate

**icedrakona** · 10-25-2011, 09:42 PM

Article in local paper about the health of girls golf. It's sad really and I hope more interest can be raised for the future health of the game. Getting the ladies to come to SW Florida is a big move for the area and I hope it draws some kids to galleries.

Girls golf hits rough

Surveying the field at the District 2A-14 tournament Monday at Eastwood Golf Course in Fort Myers, Riverdale High School girls coach Tim Hawkins wasn't worried about his modest team finishing in the top three and advancing to the next round.

There were only four teams in the field, and the competition these days just isn't very good, especially in Lee County.

"It's bad," said Riverdale sophomore Mary Stanulis, whose team finished third despite having only one player shoot better than 54 for nine holes, about the lack of full teams and experienced players. "Everyone looks at golf as so boring, but when you go out there, it's a lot of fun."

Golf's global overseers long have wrestled with an unholy trinity bedeviling the game: too hard, too expensive, takes too long.

But as the game's participation nationwide continues to slide amid economic stagnancy and in the declining wake of the so-called Tiger boom of a dozen years ago, few demographics better exemplify the game's fading popularity than high school girls, at least locally.

"It does bother me. It bothers me a lot," said long-time local club professional Jeanne Rubado, who opened the first chapter of the LPGA/USGA Girls Golf Club in Southwest Florida nearly 20 years ago.

"Golf is a great sport for any kid. It's an individual sport they're going to carry with them for the rest of their lives. Especially for girls if they're going to go into the corporate world, why should you be sitting if all your male counterparts are out playing golf and getting business?"

Rubado and others noted the array of scholarships - athletic and otherwise - said to go unclaimed every year because of a lack of qualified applicants.

Golf, it seems though, needs girls more than girls need golf.

Of the 27.1 million golfers in the United States in 2009, about 2.7 million, or 10 percent, were juniors, ages 6-17, according to the National Golf Foundation.

Of those 2.7 million, less than 600,000 were girls.

Considering that a little less than half of all juniors are what the industry defines as core golfers, or those who play at least eight rounds in a year, there were less than 300,000 girls in the nation who played golf regularly in 2009.

The statistics are no better locally.

Fifteen years ago, seven of what were then eight Lee County public schools were able to post team scores in the Lee County Athletic Conference tournament with a minimum of four golfers completing rounds.

In the past six years, though, an average of only five teams posted team scores despite Lee County growing to 13 public schools.

In district competition, when participation is arguably the most important, the numbers actually get worse.

Only three public schools (Estero, Fort Myers, Riverdale) and two private schools (Bishop Verot, Canterbury) in Lee County posted team scores last week.

Collier County got team scores from six of its seven public schools, including perennially strong Barron Collier and Gulf Coast, and from two private schools.

"I would love to see more girls out there," said Oasis Charter junior Gina Falvey, the only girl to compete this year for the Cape school. "I miss the competition, to be honest. Six years ago, you had to try out for a high school team. Now if you're willing to golf, you're on the team, even if you've never picked up a club."

Falvey first learned the game after attending the Cape Coral chapter of the LPGA/USGA Girls Golf Club when she was about 10. The chapter folded several years ago, however, when its director moved out of the area, eliminating one supplier of young golfers.

Fort Myers and Naples still have chapters of the club, but Fort Myers limits total attendees to 40 because of a lack of instructors willing to volunteer, said Rubado and Fort Myers chapter co-director Terrie Weisse.

"They might help one time, and then you don't see them again," Rubado said. "It takes a lot of work."

A number of other golf groups and clubs offer introductory lessons for juniors, but none are for girls only, one important factor in making girls comfortable in the early stages learning the game, golfers and instructors said.

Southwest Florida's courses also haven't been welcoming to juniors historically, although economic struggles have forced more to open their doors.

"I just think there's not enough opportunity for kids to play golf," Weisse said. "If you're not a member of a club, it's really hard to get out and play golf."

By the time girls reach high school, introducing them to the game becomes even harder, observers said.

Other interests compete for their attention, and facing more-experienced players while trying to learn the rules can be daunting.

"Golf takes a long learning curve," Hawkins said. "To start as late as a lot of the girls do, it's an uphill battle to get them competitive with girls from other areas who have been playing longer."

Hawkins, though, makes no apologies for his girls' meager scores. Rather, he applauds a sentiment that hasn't filled the halls of many other Lee schools.

"Yes, it's frustrating in a sense, because it's hard to beat (more-experienced teams)," he said. "But if you look at our peer schools, I feel good that the girls are out there, they're learning the game, they're getting a lot out of it. The parents are thrilled that their daughters have learned golf."

http://www.news-press.com/article/20...news|text|Home

**Slchtjgb** · 10-25-2011, 09:47 PM

I never would've guessed it has fallen off that much. I always see the juniors out practicing before the weekly scramble. There is a lot of competition for kids time now, guess golf is loosing that battle with the younger generation.

**icedrakona** · 10-25-2011, 09:53 PM

I never would've guessed it has fallen off that much. I always see the juniors out practicing before the weekly scramble. There is a lot of competition for kids time now, guess golf is loosing that battle with the younger generation.

I think kids are spending too much time texting and indoors. I couldn't wait to get home from school and do something outside, anything. We were never inside.

They are always out at River Hall practicing and it looks healthy out there, but I guess that isn't the norm. Sure hope it changes for the better.

**viagbloggerz** · 10-25-2011, 09:55 PM

I've golfed on and off for the past 25 years, and I have never seen a girl on a course under 20 golfing....ever. It's a shame!

**Obenuearema** · 10-25-2011, 11:46 PM

I think there are several reasons for this. One is what Biggsy mentioned regarding teens spending less time doing such activities. Another factor is the economy, as the article mentioned. But another reason is that a significant segment of the typical schools that would have golf teams are now having more students attracted to other, fast-paced sports such as lacrosse.

**grofvuri** · 10-26-2011, 01:48 AM

Girls golf seems healthy here in Cheeseland. I've talked to the guy that runs the State PGA junior section many times, and he says entries on the girls side in Summer tournaments has never been better, and the younger girls are shooting lower scores. This surprises me about FL.

Kevin

**Gintovtosik** · 10-26-2011, 01:56 AM

Not really big here at least at my course. There is a huge gap in the ages of the women who play. There are 3 or 4 who are 16-25 or so and then there are quite a few age 60+. No one in between.

**appleiphoneees** · 10-26-2011, 02:28 AM

A Member of the local food bank spoke at my church last month. One of the facts she shared with us is that 50% of the students in my county in florida are on reduced or free lunches. With the economy this bad how can families come up with $50 per week for two rounds of golf for each daughter when they don't have enough money for food?

**BakerBonce** · 10-26-2011, 02:30 AM

We had one girl on our team this year. I doubt she will be back. I don't think she even wanted to play.

**gusunsuth** · 10-26-2011, 03:59 AM

"Golf's global overseers long have wrestled with an unholy trinity bedeviling the game: too hard, too expensive, takes too long."

The holy trinity is slowly killing golf. Not just for juniors, but for adults too.

**Gintovtosik** · 10-26-2011, 04:02 AM

A Member of the local food bank spoke at my church last month. One of the facts she shared with us is that 50% of the students in my county in florida are on reduced or free lunches. With the economy this bad how can families come up with $50 per week for two rounds of golf for each daughter when they don't have enough money for food?

Agreed. Courses need to do a better job of making the game more playable for juniors. My club just lowered the unlimited junior fee to $99 for the entire year. Great deal and I hope some kids take advantage.

**Hsmrcahr** · 10-26-2011, 04:20 AM

At least there is a girls golf team there. Not many at all here. Best part about my area is my home course is the course for the First Tee of Harrisonburg which is just great. They just built a building for it last summer and it is very great with classrooms, indoor hitting, and plenty more. I was in the First tee for a couple years and almost qualified to play in the First Tee open with the Senior PGA Tour at Pebble Beach but missed the cut by 2 shots. Would of been the best experience ever.

**UriDepkeeks** · 10-26-2011, 05:05 AM

Girls golf is actually decently big in North Jersey. My school's team is the best in the area and they are very good. I really hope it can recover as a whole though.

**appleiphoneees** · 10-27-2011, 01:33 AM

Why can't we have a "With Me" program. Each adult who brings a junior pays half price and the junior is half price. The course makes as much money as they would get with just a single adult, and starts a new player for the future. It could also be done with lessons. Encouraging an adult to bring a child or grandchild and not have to pay any more money. And both would have family time and learn to play and love golf. Plus each child would have their own adult supervision and the course would not be a babysitter.

**Eeaquzyh** · 10-30-2011, 01:24 AM

Why can't we have a "With Me" program. Each adult who brings a junior pays half price and the junior is half price. The course makes as much money as they would get with just a single adult, and starts a new player for the future. It could also be done with lessons. Encouraging an adult to bring a child or grandchild and not have to pay any more money. And both would have family time and learn to play and love golf. Plus each child would have their own adult supervision and the course would not be a babysitter.

Hell of an idea. Rep added.

**bonyrek** · 10-30-2011, 01:35 AM

i find this very sad since there is enormous opportunities in girls/womens golf
its really tough for a male unless they are a complete phenom but girls/womens golf is wide open
this is one link in the "asians are dominating womens golf" equation
it seems pretty healthy at our course since we have 2 lpga instructors (one being a former tour player)
they instruct a lot of girls and hold lots of girls clinics and camps
heck the top female jrs in our area are students of our lpga staffers
i am a big supporter of girls/womens golf and wish it grew even bigger
but when i asked one of the jr students if they watched certain players in lpga events... their answers were "no but i watched tiger"
it also doesnt help that lpga events arent on tv at decent times or at all

**BakerBonce** · 10-30-2011, 01:49 AM

Why can't we have a "With Me" program. Each adult who brings a junior pays half price and the junior is half price. The course makes as much money as they would get with just a single adult, and starts a new player for the future. It could also be done with lessons. Encouraging an adult to bring a child or grandchild and not have to pay any more money. And both would have family time and learn to play and love golf. Plus each child would have their own adult supervision and the course would not be a babysitter.

My high schools home course does that. It is normally around 55 dollars for 18 with a cart for adults. 20 for juniors. They have an adult/kid rate. $20 each. So when my dad and i play there it is 40 total. We play there a lot, and there is always a lot of kids there.

**Iphone** · 10-30-2011, 02:52 AM

It definitely is falling off. My school wasn't supposed to have a team this year, but money was raised and we were brought back. Honestly, I play more tournaments on my own than I do for the school. I have noticed a dropoff in overall junior play as well. At my club, a summer or two ago, I could name probably 10 different juniors that played (alot considering I live in a town of just over 4,000 with no other super close courses). Now, I can only really name 4 that are dilligent in practicing and getting better and being a consistant player, and one of them is me. It's kind of sad to see...

10-25-2011, 09:42 PM	#1
icedrakona Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 544 Senior Member	Girls golf hits rough Article in local paper about the health of girls golf. It's sad really and I hope more interest can be raised for the future health of the game. Getting the ladies to come to SW Florida is a big move for the area and I hope it draws some kids to galleries. Girls golf hits rough Surveying the field at the District 2A-14 tournament Monday at Eastwood Golf Course in Fort Myers, Riverdale High School girls coach Tim Hawkins wasn't worried about his modest team finishing in the top three and advancing to the next round. There were only four teams in the field, and the competition these days just isn't very good, especially in Lee County. "It's bad," said Riverdale sophomore Mary Stanulis, whose team finished third despite having only one player shoot better than 54 for nine holes, about the lack of full teams and experienced players. "Everyone looks at golf as so boring, but when you go out there, it's a lot of fun." Golf's global overseers long have wrestled with an unholy trinity bedeviling the game: too hard, too expensive, takes too long. But as the game's participation nationwide continues to slide amid economic stagnancy and in the declining wake of the so-called Tiger boom of a dozen years ago, few demographics better exemplify the game's fading popularity than high school girls, at least locally. "It does bother me. It bothers me a lot," said long-time local club professional Jeanne Rubado, who opened the first chapter of the LPGA/USGA Girls Golf Club in Southwest Florida nearly 20 years ago. "Golf is a great sport for any kid. It's an individual sport they're going to carry with them for the rest of their lives. Especially for girls if they're going to go into the corporate world, why should you be sitting if all your male counterparts are out playing golf and getting business?" Rubado and others noted the array of scholarships - athletic and otherwise - said to go unclaimed every year because of a lack of qualified applicants. Golf, it seems though, needs girls more than girls need golf. Of the 27.1 million golfers in the United States in 2009, about 2.7 million, or 10 percent, were juniors, ages 6-17, according to the National Golf Foundation. Of those 2.7 million, less than 600,000 were girls. Considering that a little less than half of all juniors are what the industry defines as core golfers, or those who play at least eight rounds in a year, there were less than 300,000 girls in the nation who played golf regularly in 2009. The statistics are no better locally. Fifteen years ago, seven of what were then eight Lee County public schools were able to post team scores in the Lee County Athletic Conference tournament with a minimum of four golfers completing rounds. In the past six years, though, an average of only five teams posted team scores despite Lee County growing to 13 public schools. In district competition, when participation is arguably the most important, the numbers actually get worse. Only three public schools (Estero, Fort Myers, Riverdale) and two private schools (Bishop Verot, Canterbury) in Lee County posted team scores last week. Collier County got team scores from six of its seven public schools, including perennially strong Barron Collier and Gulf Coast, and from two private schools. "I would love to see more girls out there," said Oasis Charter junior Gina Falvey, the only girl to compete this year for the Cape school. "I miss the competition, to be honest. Six years ago, you had to try out for a high school team. Now if you're willing to golf, you're on the team, even if you've never picked up a club." Falvey first learned the game after attending the Cape Coral chapter of the LPGA/USGA Girls Golf Club when she was about 10. The chapter folded several years ago, however, when its director moved out of the area, eliminating one supplier of young golfers. Fort Myers and Naples still have chapters of the club, but Fort Myers limits total attendees to 40 because of a lack of instructors willing to volunteer, said Rubado and Fort Myers chapter co-director Terrie Weisse. "They might help one time, and then you don't see them again," Rubado said. "It takes a lot of work." A number of other golf groups and clubs offer introductory lessons for juniors, but none are for girls only, one important factor in making girls comfortable in the early stages learning the game, golfers and instructors said. Southwest Florida's courses also haven't been welcoming to juniors historically, although economic struggles have forced more to open their doors. "I just think there's not enough opportunity for kids to play golf," Weisse said. "If you're not a member of a club, it's really hard to get out and play golf." By the time girls reach high school, introducing them to the game becomes even harder, observers said. Other interests compete for their attention, and facing more-experienced players while trying to learn the rules can be daunting. "Golf takes a long learning curve," Hawkins said. "To start as late as a lot of the girls do, it's an uphill battle to get them competitive with girls from other areas who have been playing longer." Hawkins, though, makes no apologies for his girls' meager scores. Rather, he applauds a sentiment that hasn't filled the halls of many other Lee schools. "Yes, it's frustrating in a sense, because it's hard to beat (more-experienced teams)," he said. "But if you look at our peer schools, I feel good that the girls are out there, they're learning the game, they're getting a lot out of it. The parents are thrilled that their daughters have learned golf." http://www.news-press.com/article/20...news\|text\|Home Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
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10-25-2011, 09:47 PM	#2
Slchtjgb Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 515 Senior Member	I never would've guessed it has fallen off that much. I always see the juniors out practicing before the weekly scramble. There is a lot of competition for kids time now, guess golf is loosing that battle with the younger generation. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

10-25-2011, 09:53 PM	#3
icedrakona Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 544 Senior Member	I never would've guessed it has fallen off that much. I always see the juniors out practicing before the weekly scramble. There is a lot of competition for kids time now, guess golf is loosing that battle with the younger generation. I think kids are spending too much time texting and indoors. I couldn't wait to get home from school and do something outside, anything. We were never inside. They are always out at River Hall practicing and it looks healthy out there, but I guess that isn't the norm. Sure hope it changes for the better. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
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10-25-2011, 09:55 PM	#4
viagbloggerz Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 405 Senior Member	I've golfed on and off for the past 25 years, and I have never seen a girl on a course under 20 golfing....ever. It's a shame! Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
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10-25-2011, 11:46 PM	#5
Obenuearema Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 442 Senior Member	I think there are several reasons for this. One is what Biggsy mentioned regarding teens spending less time doing such activities. Another factor is the economy, as the article mentioned. But another reason is that a significant segment of the typical schools that would have golf teams are now having more students attracted to other, fast-paced sports such as lacrosse. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

10-26-2011, 01:48 AM	#6
grofvuri Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 423 Senior Member	Girls golf seems healthy here in Cheeseland. I've talked to the guy that runs the State PGA junior section many times, and he says entries on the girls side in Summer tournaments has never been better, and the younger girls are shooting lower scores. This surprises me about FL. Kevin Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
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10-26-2011, 01:56 AM	#7
Gintovtosik Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 623 Senior Member	Not really big here at least at my course. There is a huge gap in the ages of the women who play. There are 3 or 4 who are 16-25 or so and then there are quite a few age 60+. No one in between. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

10-26-2011, 02:28 AM	#8
appleiphoneees Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 541 Senior Member	A Member of the local food bank spoke at my church last month. One of the facts she shared with us is that 50% of the students in my county in florida are on reduced or free lunches. With the economy this bad how can families come up with $50 per week for two rounds of golf for each daughter when they don't have enough money for food? Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

10-26-2011, 02:30 AM	#9
BakerBonce Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 349 Senior Member	We had one girl on our team this year. I doubt she will be back. I don't think she even wanted to play. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
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10-26-2011, 03:59 AM	#10
gusunsuth Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 495 Senior Member	"Golf's global overseers long have wrestled with an unholy trinity bedeviling the game: too hard, too expensive, takes too long." The holy trinity is slowly killing golf. Not just for juniors, but for adults too. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

10-26-2011, 04:02 AM	#11
Gintovtosik Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 623 Senior Member	A Member of the local food bank spoke at my church last month. One of the facts she shared with us is that 50% of the students in my county in florida are on reduced or free lunches. With the economy this bad how can families come up with $50 per week for two rounds of golf for each daughter when they don't have enough money for food? Agreed. Courses need to do a better job of making the game more playable for juniors. My club just lowered the unlimited junior fee to $99 for the entire year. Great deal and I hope some kids take advantage. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

10-26-2011, 04:20 AM	#12
Hsmrcahr Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 429 Senior Member	At least there is a girls golf team there. Not many at all here. Best part about my area is my home course is the course for the First Tee of Harrisonburg which is just great. They just built a building for it last summer and it is very great with classrooms, indoor hitting, and plenty more. I was in the First tee for a couple years and almost qualified to play in the First Tee open with the Senior PGA Tour at Pebble Beach but missed the cut by 2 shots. Would of been the best experience ever. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
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10-26-2011, 05:05 AM	#13
UriDepkeeks Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 396 Senior Member	Girls golf is actually decently big in North Jersey. My school's team is the best in the area and they are very good. I really hope it can recover as a whole though. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
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10-27-2011, 01:33 AM	#14
appleiphoneees Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 541 Senior Member	Why can't we have a "With Me" program. Each adult who brings a junior pays half price and the junior is half price. The course makes as much money as they would get with just a single adult, and starts a new player for the future. It could also be done with lessons. Encouraging an adult to bring a child or grandchild and not have to pay any more money. And both would have family time and learn to play and love golf. Plus each child would have their own adult supervision and the course would not be a babysitter. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

10-30-2011, 01:24 AM	#15
Eeaquzyh Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 428 Senior Member	Why can't we have a "With Me" program. Each adult who brings a junior pays half price and the junior is half price. The course makes as much money as they would get with just a single adult, and starts a new player for the future. It could also be done with lessons. Encouraging an adult to bring a child or grandchild and not have to pay any more money. And both would have family time and learn to play and love golf. Plus each child would have their own adult supervision and the course would not be a babysitter. Hell of an idea. Rep added. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
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10-30-2011, 01:35 AM	#16
bonyrek Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 435 Senior Member	i find this very sad since there is enormous opportunities in girls/womens golf its really tough for a male unless they are a complete phenom but girls/womens golf is wide open this is one link in the "asians are dominating womens golf" equation it seems pretty healthy at our course since we have 2 lpga instructors (one being a former tour player) they instruct a lot of girls and hold lots of girls clinics and camps heck the top female jrs in our area are students of our lpga staffers i am a big supporter of girls/womens golf and wish it grew even bigger but when i asked one of the jr students if they watched certain players in lpga events... their answers were "no but i watched tiger" it also doesnt help that lpga events arent on tv at decent times or at all Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

10-30-2011, 01:49 AM	#17
BakerBonce Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 349 Senior Member	Why can't we have a "With Me" program. Each adult who brings a junior pays half price and the junior is half price. The course makes as much money as they would get with just a single adult, and starts a new player for the future. It could also be done with lessons. Encouraging an adult to bring a child or grandchild and not have to pay any more money. And both would have family time and learn to play and love golf. Plus each child would have their own adult supervision and the course would not be a babysitter. My high schools home course does that. It is normally around 55 dollars for 18 with a cart for adults. 20 for juniors. They have an adult/kid rate. $20 each. So when my dad and i play there it is 40 total. We play there a lot, and there is always a lot of kids there. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

10-30-2011, 02:52 AM	#18
Iphone Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 431 Senior Member	It definitely is falling off. My school wasn't supposed to have a team this year, but money was raised and we were brought back. Honestly, I play more tournaments on my own than I do for the school. I have noticed a dropoff in overall junior play as well. At my club, a summer or two ago, I could name probably 10 different juniors that played (alot considering I live in a town of just over 4,000 with no other super close courses). Now, I can only really name 4 that are dilligent in practicing and getting better and being a consistant player, and one of them is me. It's kind of sad to see... Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote