Mark Wood Golf Academy

In my blog yesterday I really focused on the stars of golf and how they mould and shape the future of golf at the top level.  Another area that I am also interested in as a golf coach is the grass roots.  How is the future of golf going to change for those golfers, golf clubs and coaches who are involved on a recreational level as opposed to Tour players.

Sadly since the economic downturn in 2008 golf has not been as accessible to the general masses, for some it has been side lined as a luxury that is no longer  in their remit.  But on the other hand golf has also become elusive for those business men that do have the finances but are finding they are needing to work longer and harder to keep things going.  A leisurely eighteen hole round with a beer at the club house is becoming increasingly difficult to pack into our already rammed schedules.

I have heard of lots of suggestions being passed around in the ether, bigger holes, shorter courses, a move towards the virtual side of golf with simulators and such like.  It is very hard as a Coach who has been inspired by the traditional game to accept these diluted versions of the original, however like everything we have to move with the times and reinvent ourselves just like the queen of reinvention herself Madonna!!

Elements of some of the changes suggested have indeed been part of a coaches repartee for some time now, I have an indoor studio with a net and a projector that shows fabulous greens and this for myself is a valuable all weather teaching aid.  9 hole playing lessons are popular amongst my clients and it provides just long enough for us to really make progress without pushing too far.  Making the hole bigger is maybe just a push to far for my traditionalist head!

I am not sure how fast golf is going to unfold over the next ten years or so, I can certainly see the need for an alternative to keep the influx of new blood coming.  All I can say is that I am excited to be a part of the next stage of the golf journey…