Stodgy, staid old golf is changing

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This article was published 29/05/2023 (856 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cool and cloudy spring weather made for a less than ideal golf day, yet there were Tyler Chutskoff and his buddies teeing it up recently at Shooters Family Golf Course for their first round of the year — their favourite tunes blaring from the golf cart.

As Chutskoff put it, the brisk conditions were nothing a few beverages couldn’t fix. That, along with a few laughs and music — which has become as essential to the group’s outings as the clubs in their bags — certainly helped warm the group’s spirits.

“Someone’s always bringing a speaker to play music, just so it gives us something else to listen to,” said Chutskoff, a 25-year-old university student. “And honestly, it just helps you focus and stay calm and not overthink shots — doesn’t give you a chance to get in your head.

“We were just playing to have fun, catch up and chat. I don’t really care about the score, my scorecard is full of snowmen and sevens,” he added, with a laugh.

Chutskoff and his chums embody the type of player once frowned upon for not respecting the sanctity of the game but which now comprises a significant segment of the golf population in Manitoba, changing the landscape of the sport — in some eyes — forever.

The “fringe golfer,” as some suggest, has spurred a casual approach to one of Manitoba’s favourite summer pastimes, moving away from committed shareholder memberships at private golf clubs to simply teeing it up wherever, with the intent of socializing with friends.

Chutskoff will play about 40 rounds this year, many of them at public tracks such as Kildonan Park Golf Course, where he finds himself most often. He’s always been a public player, and he doesn’t see that changing anytime soon, owing to the flexibility public courses offer.

“Maybe when I retire, I would lock down at one place,” he says. “Memberships are too expensive, especially as a university student. To me, it’s just not worth it.

“Yeah, sure, at some nicer courses, a collared shirt is fine. But most times, I just want to go out and have fun. What does it matter how I’m dressed?”

Casual golf seems to be the thing days. These type of players, who are typically 35-and-under, have grown with the boom in popularity that was brought to golf with the COVID-19 pandemic. The province experienced a 17-per-cent increase in rounds played in 2022, compared to pre-pandemic numbers in 2019.

“At (municipal) courses, there certainly has been a shift in popularity among the 35-and-under demographic, and a lot of that has to do with the pandemic and the fact that during the pandemic, golf was one of the few options that remained a safe form of outdoor recreation for people,” said Ben Fey, the City of Winnipeg’s general manager of golf services.

“We certainly have noticed an increase in women playing and young people playing, for sure. And in our courses, one of the things we’re doing is trying to promote a more fun atmosphere. We don’t necessarily have a dress code, it’s very casual.

“We encourage people to put some music on their golf cart and have a beverage or two and take selfies when they’re on the golf course and use social media.”

”We encourage people to put some music on their golf cart and have a beverage or two and take selfies when they’re on the golf course and use social media.”–Ben Fey

With less formality, the sport has, indeed, become more welcoming during a time when many people might find it difficult to dedicate the money and time for a membership at a private club.

Fey says the city took note of more people taking a freelance approach to the hobby in 2016 and created the P.A.R (Points and Rewards) Loyalty Program, which rewards frequent play by giving players points for each visit to at a city-run course, which, once enough points are collected, are redeemable for a free round.

“Golf has become less stuffy, and golf is cool now. That hasn’t always been the perception of the game, right? It was your grandpa and your dad used to play and now it’s like the whole family goes out and we have women’s leagues. We have women’s leagues at our golf courses that are sold out for this coming year,” Fey says.

“There’s a lot of different options … I think clubs have become more creative in what they offer and at our courses, for sure, we’re definitely promoting a fun and social atmosphere as opposed to the old stuffy, ‘You have to be quiet and nobody can goof around.’”

While numbers have increased substantially, the new wave of players has forced private clubs to alter their approach to retain membership.

“Golf has become less stuffy, and golf is cool now.”–Ben Fey

Jason Ludke, general manager of Pine Ridge Golf Club, a 156-acre property and one of the province’s prime destinations, which rests 10 minutes north of Winnipeg, says the club was beginning to see a dip in membership prior to the pandemic. This year, they’re at capacity with 700 members and have a waitlist.

“We’ve always been pretty lucky with our membership base,” Ludke says. “It stays fairly static. Prior to COVID, our intermediate category (19-24 years old)… there was definitely a downturn in that category because you found young people, while there was still more golfing, they weren’t joining clubs because they were enjoying the variety of playing everywhere.

“I find that there’s way less attraction to the competitive side of golf and more the social side of golf. Young guys, most of them want to listen to music, have a couple of drinks and make it social. They have no desire to go to functions, club events, social evenings at the club. They like fun leagues and fun golf.”

Ludke estimates 40 per cent of his membership is made up of intermediate members, which is up 20 per cent prior to the pandemic. That was possible because the club increased its membership options to better suit the varying types of golfers that have become more prominent. That included creating a women’s nine-hole membership to cater to the rise in female players.

The uptick in young members has also changed what it means to be a member at a private club, Ludke explained. A casual approach to the game means players are playing fewer rounds (once or twice a week, rather than four or five), opting out of staple club events and largely having little to no relationship with those who staff the club.

”You can’t get anybody under 40 to go to the annual meeting at the club, it’s impossible. They want to pay their money, they want to show up and they want to golf, socialize and then leave.”–Jason Ludke

“One thing I noticed with younger people coming in, is they don’t care about a share. They don’t want a share, they don’t care about going to annual meetings. You can’t get anybody under 40 to go to the annual meeting at the club, it’s impossible. They want to pay their money, they want to show up and they want to golf, socialize and then leave,” he said.

That’s also come with its benefits, as the new-school player is much less taxing on clubs. Ludke explained that while many older members (shareholders) are emotionally attached to the facility — using towels, lockers, showers, carts and the driving range multiple times a week — younger members don’t spend as much time at the club, leaving much less upkeep.

Ludke said the other private clubs he talks to regularly are in the same boat, and that the consensus is the future of golf clubs is now.

“It’s booming differently than it did in the ‘90s, where people wanted to just be a member at a private club. Be a member, be involved with the club, go to events, go to the meeting, sit on a committee, sit on the board,” Ludke said.

“While golf is booming at private clubs, there’s less (who) want to be members and more just like customers. Because they don’t want the sense of attachment.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam