Golf Boom In Britain

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29272, 2 August 1960, Page 17

Golf Boom In Britain

(N.Z. Press Association—C'jpynghi I

(Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON. August 1. Golf is booming in Britain. The arrival of an affluent society means that the 1200 golf courses in England and Wales and the 500 in Scotland are no longer mainly the preserve of company directors, colonels and doctors, as they tended to be before the war. Today it is estimated that membership of golf clubs is about a quarter of a million, while there are about a million players who do not belong to a club. The Ladies’ Golf Union has 78.000 members. Golf has become big business. It is estimated that last year £750.000 worth of clubs and other equipment was sold in Britain and about £ 1 million worth of golf balls (or six million balls). Exports of equipment and balls are said to be worth more than £1 million. In addition to golfers paying between £4 and £5 each for clubs and around 4s 6d each for balls, their subscription, after an entrance fee of about lOgns, is anything from 15gns to 25gns a year. Some clubs also have tennis

courts and swimming pools, and others have squash courts. To add to their income, a number of clubs have installed gambling machines, each of which brings them illegally (until the new betting bill becomes law) an income of around £3OO a year. In addition to playing, the golfer can read a lot about his sport It is well reported, by newspapers, every year there is a crop of books, and there are at least three monthly magazines devoted to golf. If golfers are not happy about their game and need instruction, there are 1500 members of the Professional Golfers’ Association to tell them how to get their swing right. Professionals usually receive a retainer of anything up to £lO a week from the club to which they are attached and earn their living by giving lessons and selling equipment-on commission. Golf tournaments, especially for professionals, are becoming increasingly popular. The prize money offered this year is around £60.000. Tournaments for amateurs are also growing in number. They are sponsored by sports goods firms, distillers and newspapers. Tt is now common for most courses to be overcrowded at week-ends, and some bar women members from playing on Sunday morning to allow businessmen to get a weekly intake of fresh air.