A Good Golf Year is Ahead. Count on it.

As we inch closer and closer to the 2010 golf season in Southern Ontario there still seem to be some questions about the state of golf in this country and its future. I, for one, am a little tired of hearing the words ‘cautious optimism‘. Here’s a novel idea, let’s be positive, period. Golfers will golf and most will be already counting the days to Spring. The media, so it would seem, sure can create a somewhat self fulfilling prophecy of doom and gloom and, while that may sell newsprint (though the health of traditional news sources would gesture otherwise), it does very little, if anything, to place the game in a positive light and ‘remember‘ those of us who actually play the game. In 2010 golf courses will once again be open, the weather will be better than a year ago (it can’t be much worse) and I think we should simply do our part by playing five more rounds than we did last year.

Golf course owners are telling me that there are more positive thoughts at this time this year than there were in early 2009, and many are actually taking a more aggressive marketing position to counteract the ever-growing competitive marketplace. We’ve had two bad weather years in a row. Do things always happen in three’s? Only time will tell. And it’s interesting to hear that the owners are actually lobbying Environment Canada to report the weather in a more positive manner, like a ‘70% chance of sun, not a 30% chance of rain‘. Will that make any difference to tee time bookings or are we all now in the habit of booking the day before, or the day of? Time will tell.

And will all of the week in week out shenanigans in the world of professional golf (Tiger, Phil, wedges, sponsorship issues, dwindling ratings) have an adverse effect on interest at the grass roots level? For years the pro game, its hype, its TV audiences and everything that surrounds each PGA Tour event has supposedly driven interest in golf and sustained it. Let the PGA Tour sort out its own problems. The PGA Tour, like everyone else in the world, (including its players) needs to check in on the new reality. It seems that golf today is in the news for all the wrong reasons. But we can change this … You might ask, how? Make a point to play that additional five rounds that I spoke about earlier.

The manufacturers it appears have started to run out of ‘the latest and greatest’ ideas for game improvement. There seems to be a settling down of the manic weekly product launches and perhaps that’s good. Golfers simply can’t (and won’t) buy new drivers and new putters every six months or even every year for that matter. The economic climate has changed all that.  The tech business once worked under that business model and it simply does not work long term. So go ahead, use whatever additional disposable income you may still have on enjoying the game and not simply trying to keep up.

Let’s concentrate on the positive and fun golf stories all around us. Jim Holmes, the affable, long-time owner of the Derrydale Golf Course  in Mississauga has reconfigured his piece of land into a 12-hole golf course. Yes, that’s right, a 12-hole golf course. To me, it makes a great deal of sense. There are many golfers who want to play more than nine holes, but don’t have the time or the stamina for 18. Twelve is just right. Good for Jim. He is doing what many experts, including Jack Nicklaus, have talked about for years. Make the game accessible.  Again, time will tell whether Jim’s gamble will pay off, but my guess is that he’s is on to something.

And I’m pleased to announce the latest GolfScene contest will launch shortly and it is all about participation and playing more golf.  Ultimately, it will see the winner and a friend play 10 great area golf courses at no cost (cart included) and no date or time restrictions. We’re calling this  2010′s Ultimate Bag Tag and for one lucky winner it will certainly be all that and more.  20 rounds, 10 courses – now there’s a way to kick start the 2010 season. Watch the website for entry details, regular updates and features on each of the participating golf courses.  It’s going to be a little different and involve a few interactive elements (as the teaser stated) which should be fun.  Draw will take place on May 31st.

The 2010 Golf Fore All coupon book  is chock full of great golf deals at hundreds of Ontario golf courses. We will be giving one of these books away each month for the next four months. Take a moment and forward your eNews to a friend and you could be a winner.  Not already a subscriber?  Sign up this month and consider yourself eligible.

It doesn’t get much better. Stay tuned and stay positive.  Golf is just around the corner dogleg.  Let’s start counting the days.