Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Senior Impact Allows Sport To Come Of Age As More Players Approach 50s, Growth In Good Hands

Most senior golfers have accepted the fact. They are NOT Tiger Woods, and never will be.

But long before the 21-year-old Woods rocked golf’s staid foundation with his youthful exuberance, panache and remarkable shot-making ability, it was senior golfers - those over the age of 50 - who were fueling the engine of the sport with their money as well as their interest.

And it looks like they will continue to have a greater impact on the game than any other demographic segment in the United States well into the next millennium.

Research conducted by the National Golf Foundation in Jupiter, Fla., shows that senior golfers - although representing only about 25 percent of the total U.S. golfer population - account for almost 50 percent of all rounds of golf played and 53 percent of all spending on golf.

And now, the eldest of the 78 million Americans who make up the baby boom generation are reaching their 50s and starting to contemplate retirement. The NGF points out that according to Bureau of the Census estimates, the number of Americans in the 50-59 age bracket by 2000 will increase by 21.7 percent over what it was in 1995.

Which would suggest that our country could see another strong surge in the number of golf rounds played and the amount of money spent on golf in the next 10 to 15 years.

Already, golf manufacturers are marketing clubs, balls and clothing to senior golfers. And several new golf publications are geared strictly toward seniors.

Still, the NGF stops well short of predicting an unmanageable run on tee times as baby boomers start freeing up their weekday afternoons via early retirement.

According to NGF findings, demographers are forecasting several trends among boomers that could temper the potential of such a major golf boom.

Those trends include a desire and need for boomers to postpone retirement and work, at least part-time, beyond the traditional retirement age of 65. Demographers predict that the percentage of people working past 65 will nearly triple - to more than 50 percent - over what it was 10 years ago.

In addition, many boomers who put off having family until later in life will still be busy raising children after the turn of the century, and might not have as much recreational time as previous generations.

And those who do have the time, according to the NGF, will be faced with an ever-expanding list of recreational choices.

Locally, officials admit they have seen little in the way of increased play from senior golfers.

“I haven’t really noticed any change yet,” said Spokane County golf manager Mike Kingsley. “We’ve always had a real active senior association in the Inland Empire anyway.

“We’ve seen some increase in our weekday play, but most of it has been in the early evening.”

Head professionals at courses in the Spokane area say they haven’t noticed any change in the number of senior players, either.

“It’s kind of hard for me to evaluate,” admitted Liberty Lake’s Kit DeAndre. “This course is kind of a regulars’ course, and a lot of the regulars who play it are older and retired. I’ve always seen a lot of senior golfers playing here, so it would be hard to tell whether there has been any big increase.”

Avondale’s Tim Morton feels the same way.

“Our place is pretty much a retirement kind of place and always has been,” he said. “It stays pretty much the same year in and year out, but if anything, I think it’s starting to go the other way - toward more junior and lady golfers.”

As for crowding on weekdays, DeAndre said that’s a problem that might have to be addressed in the future. But he said he sees almost as many young and middle-aged golfers finding time for a midweek round of golf as seniors.

“The joke around here is always, ‘Gosh, doesn’t anybody work any more?”’ DeAndre said.

, DataTimes