Does Australia hold the key to affordable golf?

All those are reasons why the Aussies are so well represented on the US PGA Tour. How many were there playing on the Tour this year? 20 or 21? Golf is certainly affordable and accessible in Oz and we have some great courses, but sadly the professional game is dying a slow death - mainly due to the US Tour. Why would players come here to play for $US1.5M at the end of the season when they can stay over there and play for $5M+ every week? Tim F needs to take responsibility for the state of world golf. You Yanks like to think of yourselves as world policemen - well, global golf needs your support. It was an absolute disgrace that not one US player supported he WGC event in the UK the other month. You're all too soft and self centred (sounds like an ad for a chocolate bar) to give a toss what happens outside the PGA Tour! I'm telling you, it'll come back and bit you on the arse. Greg Norman was right to try and create a true World Tour but little Timmy F put a bullet in that to protect his fifedom.

Doug, A short, but thought-provoking piece. Golf was at one time a budget-breaking sport in the U.S. Somewhere around the 1950's & 60's with the emergence of A.P. the sport boomed and was somewhat affordable to the average working stiff. It wasn't long before the USGA, PGA and then the PGA Tour saw megabucks in the situation. Within 20 years golf was returned to its lofty monetary status. All of these programs to "Grow the Game" will never work unless they can somehow make the game affordable for children or adults. The numbers will continue to dwindle and only those who can constantly afford the $100 per round green fee will play the game.

Here in Australia there is a lot of room to build golf courses and relatively few people to play on them. I think this is why Oz golf is cheap. 9 hole course near me costs US$4 to play the 9.

The elitist portion of golf has its place. But, children need to be encouraged to play for cheap. If initiatives to grow the game are to work, I think you need to build kids only courses, like the First Tee of Phoenix has done. I did a story on USA Network's PGA TOUR Sunday on a Congolese kid named Jacques Gatera, who has honed his game on just that type of course.

That is the wave of the future.

it's even cheaper over here in New Zealand.

I mean honestly it's got to be good for the game. You give your kid $20 for the day, they pay there green fee but there lunch and a drink and they probably bet the rest on the practice green. No wonder my son has more $$$ than me