Dear Industry Colleague,

Last month’s ‘Brief History of Golf - Part One’, certainly got the postbag going. We greatly appreciate all of your feedback and have below published a correction from Jerry Kilby which comments on the oversupply of courses, much due to the misreading of the R&A’s Demand for Golf Report. Jerry is of course right in his observations and unless many clubs change their style of golf offering, many more courses may close in the next few years. 

It is important that we attribute the causes of changing demands correctly and both Golfshake and Sports Marketing Surveys have contributed excellent articles in this issue, which look more closely at the detail behind recent growth. It is excellent news for the golf industry that golfers are returning to the sport, even though many have not played for many years in some cases. A corresponding rise in membership has also been very useful to many golf courses and clubs across the country. 

Most of the British Isles have gained substantially from the boost in golf revenues. Sadly, many of the courses in Scotland and some in Ireland have suffered a substantial drop in the wealthy American tourist trade on which they have come to rely. This has produced some serious problems, but many of the great courses and ancient links have been more accessible to those of us living in the British Isles.

Let us hope that golf can continue to be played over the next few months even if the government is rightly restricting the opportunity for people to come together socially. Any golf is better than no golf and we must be grateful for the opportunities that we have.

Best wishes Colin Jenkins