Friday, December 30, 2005
Too Many
Quotable"The U.S. now has about 17,100 (golf) courses, or about twice what it had 25 years ago." - Chicago Tribune, March 2, 2001
Overbuilt: Green fees fall; new links on hold
John DavisThe Arizona RepublicJan. 16, 2005 12:00 AM
"Mecca" is a word often applied to golf in the Valley, but the term being used by course owners and developers these days is "overbuilt."The number of courses in the Valley has more than doubled in the past 15 years, but plans for dozens more have been put on hold. The number of rounds played in the region is down, and the average green fee has dropped $7 in the past year."Right now, we have about 60 courses too many. It could take another 10 years to fill them," said Tom Patrick, vice president of SunCor Golf, which manages seven Arizona courses.
