The article below was written by our friends at National Club Golfer.

The Players Championship hole-in-one hits differently from any other as the ace has been achieved at one of the world’s most iconic golf courses.

The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, the host venue of the PGA Tour’s flagship event, contains four fabulous short holes where the world’s best players take dead aim once a year.

The iconic 17th hole is the one that springs to mind, both when talking about Sawgrass and essentially any conversation that concerns par-3s.

Not only is the tee shot threatening, but this green at TPC Sawgrass has larger slopes than meet the eye on your television screens. Although it is only 137 yards, just the sight of the island green is hugely intimidating, but this hasn’t stopped a number of players from finding the bottom of the cup from the tee.

In the latest playing of The Players, three players found the bottom of the cup.

Hayden Buckley was the first with just the sixth shot of the tournament into this hole…

🚨Hayden Buckley with the ACE on 17 at TPC Sawgrass! 🚨

Just the sixth shot of the day on the famous par-3! pic.twitter.com/3LAFRO8q6H

— National Club Golfer (@NCG_com) March 9, 2023

That was followed by Englishman Aaron Rai during Saturday’s third round…

Aaron Rai!

The Wolverhampton Wonder makes his first career hole-in-one — and what a place to do it!

pic.twitter.com/mRryYRXnU2

— National Club Golfer (@NCG_com) March 11, 2023

Rai is the first player from England – and, indeed, the UK – to have an ace at The Players – and this was followed by Alex Smalley…

THIRD ACE OF THE WEEK!!! @ASmalley_Golf cards a 1 on No. 17 @THEPLAYERSChamp! pic.twitter.com/Itl4abCS1Y

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 12, 2023

It was the first ace of Smalley’s career on Tour and the first one in the final round of the Players Championship since Fred Couples in 1997.

Who has had a Players Championship hole-in-one?

3rd hole (177 yards)

– Jim Gallagher (1986)
– Russ Cochran (1994)
– Chris DiMarco (2001)
– Seamus Power (2019)

8th hole (237 yards)

– Gary Hallberg (1994)
– Mark Brooks (1997)
– Bob Friend (1999)
– Naomichi Ozaki (2000)
– Ted Tryba (2000)
– Michael Thompson (2013)
– Brendon Todd (2021)
– Viktor Hovland (2022)

13th hole (181 yards)

– Chip Beck (1992)
– Phil Mickelson (1995)
– Jay Don Blake (1996)
– Craig Stadler – (2002)
– Jose Maria Olazabal (2004)
– Justin Leonard (2006)
– Jesper Parnevik (2006)
– Henrik Stenson (2006)
– Fred Couples (2006)
– Robert Garrigus (2008)
– Chris Stroud (2013)
– Sungjae Im (2019)

17th (137 yards)

– Brad Fabel (1986)
– Brian Claar (1991)
– Fred Couples (1997)
– Joey Sindelar (1999)
– Paul Azinger (2000)
– Miguel Angel Jimenez (2002)
– Willy Wilcox (2016)
– Sergio Garcia (2017)
– Ryan Moore (2019)
– Shane Lowry (2022)
– Hayden Buckley (2023)
– Aaron Rai (2023)
– Alex Smalley (2023)

Country-by-country breakdown

– USA: 26
– Spain: 3
– Ireland: 2
– Sweden: 2
– England: 1
– Japan: 1
– Norway: 1
– South Korea: 1

The cost of living has got many of us feeling the pinch. But its impact on golfers and the golf industry as a whole is varied.

Golf club membership fees aren’t going anywhere any time soon, but what’s the current state of play, and can this well-established model be flexible given the current economic backdrop?

We speak to Headingley Golf Club manager Jon Hall below on how the Yorkshire club has budgeted in line with the cost of living, and its approach to membership fees.

A golf club’s financial planning need not be rocket science. We have a good understanding of what we need to maintain the course and clubhouse to a decent standard, and because we’re always working to a rolling 5-10 year development and CapEx plan (course and clubhouse changes, course machinery etc.), we know that too. 

In simple terms, our income comes from three main streams; membership fees, visitor green fees, and gross profit from the bar. Once we have set our budget for the green fees and bar, we then need to calculate what our membership fees need to be in order to cover all of our expected costs. We never want the club to fall into problems in years to come, so we have always budgeted cautiously and include contingency sums if required.

Golf club membership fees

We’ve always applied an annual increase to subscriptions to keep up with the general cost of living. Some golf clubs fall into the trap of not increasing their fees which is a huge mistake as you’ll never get it back. That 2% you didn’t charge extra for compounds, and you fall back. Your wages have to go up every year, costs go up every year, and there hasn’t been a year when that hasn’t happened—so we’ve always tried to budget responsibly.

We sit down in October each year and look at all the indicators of inflation—of which there are generally five different ones—and we also have a spreadsheet with the current number of members. We know what the subs for the current year are, so we can work out what the expected revenue will be. Some years there will have been a 1, 2, 3 and 4% increase for inflation—this year, that multiplier will be 4, 6, 8 and 10% increases.

Then we make an educated guess about how many members we will lose at the end of the year. Members leave golf clubs every year regardless—that’s just a factor of club golf. Typically, our annual net attrition of adult playing members is about 7%, but this can vary. In a good year, we might have just 25 leaving, but in some tough years, like during the last recession, we had up to 60 leave. Again, some guesswork is required at this stage, so we’ll discuss the general economy, member satisfaction, and so on before cautiously deciding on an increase. Once that’s decided, we’ll release a fee schedule for the ensuing year with an explanatory note to our members. 

A few weeks later, members will receive their fee invoices, which will normally give them several weeks before their renewal date of January 1. Like many clubs, we also allow members to pay in instalments, and this option is now taken up by about 15% of our members and is an invaluable tool to retain them.

The economic climate

One of the best indicators of the current financial situation every year is how many young members leave. Older members have generally already made their money and are financially secure, so they’ll keep going as long as their health and desire permit. However, we also have a large cohort of members under 40, so we take particular notice of how many of these younger people are leaving, which influences some of our thinking regarding fees. There will obviously be a concern about the job market and cost of living, but I’m pleased to say that we haven’t had a particularly high number of members leaving in the past couple of months. 

In previous years, our normal operating income and expenditure have been stable, so the sudden cost increases have provided a definite challenge. Energy costs have tripled in some cases, and of course, different clubs have been affected in different ways depending on what type and length of contract they were in. We’ve not done too badly, but with long-term contracts coming up for renewal and the government support ending soon, this is something we have to keep an eye on—and again, budget for responsibly.  

Another impact of the cost of living has been that we’ve focused much more on energy efficiency. We have embarked on several energy-saving initiatives, such as LED lighting and fitting timers to appliances, so some long-term good has come from all of this too.

However, we’re a golf club. And, in many ways, we use what we use, and we still have to function—so there has to be an element of ‘sucking it up’.

Having applied an increase in fees of just under 6% this year and also increased staff wages by a similar amount, we have worked hard with all our suppliers to keep their increases manageable. We have to be fair with everyone.

Generally speaking, membership golf clubs are fortunate that many members will sometimes pay their subs before paying their mortgage, as it’s a huge part of their lives, but you can never take anything for granted. We’ll always ensure that our members know we care about them, want to keep improving the course and keep the club moving forward. This can be difficult, though, as everybody’s expectations are getting higher and higher. 

Where we do think we offer great value for money is the ability to play year-round golf; we don’t like to close the course, don’t use winter greens, and we don’t use artificial tees or fairway mats. We compare well with peer clubs in this regard, but we know we still have a long way to go and have ambitious plans to build more tees and paths to cope with the ever-growing demand of modern golfers. 

Looking ahead

Having begun my tenure at Headingley at the end of 2008, just as the world was slumping into recession, my honest view is that the current challenges will not be so protracted and deep as they were then—when golf was in seemingly terminal decline.

The golf industry, like cycling and fishing, for example, received a huge boost during the Covid pandemic, as so many new people were introduced to the sport. So, in effect, many golf clubs have entered the current cost-of-living crisis in good health and should be in a good position to ride out the storm.

At Headingley, we had already built up a healthy cash reserve and have managed to fund several course and clubhouse improvements without the need for borrowing. In my time at the club, we have always been very risk-averse, and our finances have been very well managed by our committees. All of this has laid the foundations for the club to move forward with confidence.

Many thanks to Jon for his time and insight.

Are attitudes towards women in golf changing?

It’s undeniable that attitudes towards women in sport are shifting. The Lionesses’ triumph in 2022’s European Football Championships, for example, signalled a level of interest and excitement towards women’s football that had previously not been seen in the UK.

But when it comes to women’s golf in the UK, how much inequality still lingers? How rife is everyday sexism, both at a professional and a grassroots level? Do girls feel truly empowered to take up—and stick with—golf from a young age?

Ultimately, are we making any headway when it comes to championing women in the game of golf?

Women in golf: the research

We carried out a nationally representative survey of 2,011 UK residents across golf and 21 other sports, looking at opinions on a range of issues, from the role of female pundits to how often Brits watch women’s golf on TV.

We also delved into long-held stereotypes of what constitutes a “male” vs. a “female” sport and explored why one in five men has played golf in their lifetime compared to only 7% of women.

Inequality in women’s golf

Overall, survey respondents acknowledged that, in general, inequality exists within the game, with 77% of people agreeing this is the case.

Interestingly, though, 80% of women said there is inequality, vs 74% of men, showing differing perceptions even amongst those who agree there is an issue.

Women in golf: viewing habits

More than a quarter (28%) of men told us they have watched men’s golf, compared to just 11% of men who have watched women’s golf. Just 12% of people, male and female, have watched women’s golf.

Almost half (45%) of all people, and 60% of men, say they generally prefer to watch men’s sport than women’s. Just one in 10 people have watched the women’s PGA tour compared to a quarter of people who have watched the men’s version.

When asked about major golf tournaments, 55% of those surveyed said there should be a female version of the Masters. However, one in 10 men disagree, arguing that the Masters should be a men’s only golf competition.

And it’s not just women out on the fairways who are discriminated against. Almost one in 10 people said that the opinions of female pundits are less valid than that of their male counterparts. This view was most prevalent among survey respondents aged 55 and over.

The gender pay gap

Although recent BBC analysis found that 83% of sports now reward men and women equal prize money, a significant gender pay gap still exists, and runs into the tens of millions for some sports.

According to PGA data, the world’s highest paid male golfer is Phil Mickelson, who earned an eye-watering $138m (£114.6m) in 2022. You’ll find much smaller pay packets in the women’s game. For example, the highest paid professional female golfer in 2022 was Minjee Lee, who took home a total of $7.3m (£6m).

In addition, in the Forbes 2022 Highest Paid Athletes List, just two women—Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams – made the top 50.

Despite this clear discrepancy between men and women doing the same job, a quarter of people we surveyed agreed that male golfers deserve to be paid more than female ones. This rises to 35% amongst men.

Inequality in grassroots golf

With discussions around women in professional sport now much higher on the agenda, it can be easy to forget the importance of encouraging female participation in sport at grassroots level.

Whether at amateur level, in a local league or just amongst friends as a hobby, getting active through sports like golf plays a vital role in maintaining good public health—both physical and mental. A thriving grassroots scene has also been proven to deliver a range of benefits to society, bringing people together and building community spirit.

However, we found that men are disproportionately playing golf in their day-to-day lives, with 20% of men having played the sport in their lifetime vs just 7% of women.

Why are people put off playing golf?

To dig into this statistic a little deeper, we asked people why are put off playing. Around six in 10 (64%) of women said that it just “isn’t their thing”, with far fewer men (41%) giving this reason.

A quarter of people stated that their fitness levels hold them back from playing sport, with a lack of self-confidence, time and disposable income also cited as reasons for a lack of participation. Unfortunately, of course, physical sport isn’t always available to all, with almost 10% of people saying they have a disability which prevents them from playing.

One in seven people told us that they were never encouraged to play sport in school, so they haven’t played as an adult, highlighting the crucial role that school-age sport has to play in our lifelong participation levels.

Inequality at school

Lastly, our survey explored the level of gender inequality amongst school-age children. We found that 70% of women and 55% of men believe girls face barriers when it comes to participation in golf.

There’s also a clear difference between the number of men who have consider golf either as a hobby or a career choice compared to women. Nearly a third (30%) of men have considered playing golf as a regular hobby, while one in 10 has also considered a career in professional golf.

As for women, just 14% have considered playing golf as a hobby, with almost no women saying they have considered it as a career.

Where do girls face the biggest barriers to participation in golf?

Interestingly, there were differing views on this topic across regions of the UK. When asked “Do girls face barriers to participation in sport?”, 75% of respondents in Northern Ireland said yes. This was followed by 62% of people in the South East and 58% of people in the North East. Just 44% and 45% of people said yes in Wales and Scotland, respectively, pointing to a potentially more inclusive culture for girls’ sport in those areas.

Should girls be allowed to play golf?

We also uncovered some surprising and outdated opinions around which sports “should” be played by boys and girls. Around half (49%) of people stated that some sports are more naturally suited to men than women, with just 35% of those surveyed agreeing that women have the potential to be as good, or better, than men at most sports.

One in seven men surveyed (14%) think women and girls shouldn’t play golf, with this view perhaps surprisingly more likely to be cited among younger generations. A fifth of 16–24-year-olds don’t think women should play golf, compared to just 6% of people aged 55+. 

Summary

What’s evident throughout our research is that, despite some solid progress being made regarding attitudes towards women in golf and wider sport, true parity is still a long way off.

Championing positive role models, pushing for greater visibility, and delivering more output on TV will all support the advancement of women’s golf across the UK.

Methodology

We surveyed a nationally representative panel of 2,011 UK residents in January 2023 and analysed their responses.

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