Will golf get another shot on the greens?

OVER the past year, the sport of golf has hit so many "hazards" that, combined with negative publicity, a pall of gloom is pervading over the "gentleman's game".

Club closures in Singapore, China, parts of Europe and the US have put the game in a negative light. Add to that, with detractors saying that the game is slow at a period when time is of the essence in everyday life, too expensive (green fees can be costly) and too exclusionary (the feeling is that it caters to the elite), golf has taken a body blow.

An Asian Golf Industry Federation report, quoting New Jersey-based golf writer Erik Matuszewski from a Forbes.com article, said: "The naysayers insist the sport must be in its death throes because participation is down, more golf courses are closing than opening, Golfsmith filed for bankruptcy and Nike stopped making clubs."