Golf Courses for the Dominican Masses?

[NALs]

NAL'S....the best thing anyone can do is support a good education. That is what is needed. You are talking about one person; I am talking about 100"s of students. For every one person that "makes it" hundreds do not.

Whst I'm talking about is that creating public golf courses will not be more than what is currently invested in public education and willnot be an impeding to future investment or more in that sector.

Besides, here is a case of, in this case, people fron developed countries basically saying that the way to development is how they think, when in fact at the time public golf courses were created in several now developed countries many of the people didn't have things like potable water. In fact, even today in places like the USA there are households that don't receive potable water, they depend on well water. I guess public golf courses should had never been created in the USA since 100% of the popultion isn't on the potable water grid. It turns out that the creation of public golf courses had and continue to have nothing to do with access to potable water, electricity, health care, etc or further access to them in the future.

This is basically a case on it is said even by people from developed countries that the way to development is through the route that they claim, but the actual route their countries took is a completely different one.

 

[windeguy]

Golf is in decline... it's not a growing sport...

That is good to hear.

 

[william webster]

For a few years now....

 

[Rumble2005]

I have only golfed once in the DR. Playa Grande. It was a fantastic course and I played well before it became ultra exclusive. The day I played it was empty and the course surely lost money that day.

What WW says about golf being in decline is true but courses are doing innovative things to grow the sport. Everything from 12 hole courses to slightly larger cup sizes to speed up the game. The most common complaint with golf is the time commitment required to play 18 holes.

All this is irrelevant to growing golf to the masses in the DR. That simply is NOT going to happen. Period. Not in our lifetime anyway.

 

[SKY]

Golf is an expensive game to play. You need clubs, bag, appropriate clothes, etc. In addition to green fees. Baseball all you need is a ball and a glove is optional...............

 

[windeguy]

Golf is an expensive game to play. You need clubs, bag, appropriate clothes, etc. In addition to green fees. Baseball all you need is a ball and a glove is optional...............

They say soccer is even cheaper, but I don't know, I never watch it. The rest of the world can have it.

Baseball and Soccer are sports that aren't for the privileged with money and the time play the game of golf.

Golf is a waste of water.

 

[NALs]

Football (soccer) isn't the issue as there are new football fields created yearly all over the country. In recent years the sport has gaining popularity as that too was once perceived as something of the rich.

The issue is golf. This is similar to drinking wine which in the DR is still largely seen as something that marks social class. Even Hipólito Mejía in an interview many years ago was ssked if his position as president changed him and his response was "yo no bebo vino." Message taken. lol With the way things are going with wines, it might go from drinking wine is for certain people to drinking imported wine from everywhere but Chile is "for the rich." Chilean wines tend to be among the cheapest of the imported types and they are widely available in national supermarket chains. Many Spanish wine labels are now widely available, though they tend to be slightly more expensive than the Chilean ones.

 

[NALs]

Golf is an expensive game to play. You need clubs, bag, appropriate clothes, etc. In addition to green fees. Baseball all you need is a ball and a glove is optional...............

Who is to say creating public golf courses doesn't implies buying the equipment to allow the locals to play the sport? Like public libraries, don't allow people to take those equipments off the golf course grounds. If someone wants a nicer/better clubs, buy their own and bring them to the golf fields.

 

[cavok]

The average Dominican doesn't have four hours to putter around playing a round of golf, much less have the money to even pay modest green fees, golf cart rental, and equipment. They'd much rather play dominoes and drink beer.

 

[cavok]

How about more public tennis courts? All you need is a ball and a racquet to play that - better exercise, too.

 

[BermudaRum]

They say soccer is even cheaper, but I don't know, I never watch it. The rest of the world can have it.

Baseball and Soccer are sports that aren't for the privileged with money and the time play the game of golf.

Golf is a waste of water.

In the DR you can add basketball for the youth. The two Bs will always be seen here as the professional ticket out of poverty.

 

[windeguy]

NALS. It building public golf courses in the DR is both a stupid and ignorant thing to do.

 

[melphis]

Golf is in decline... it's not a growing sport...

Maybe in your world. Since the covid thing you can't get a tee time within 2 or 3 days in most of Canada and the US. In the DR it's not bad right now but try from late Nov to April.
Golf was dying but it was one of the very few things people were allowed to do during the lock downs as it was outdoors. That created a whole new generation of people who enjoyed it.
Expensive or not it's one of the few places you can still go and enjoy a manicured outdoor experience without screaming children. And I love it

 

[El Hijo de Manolo]

The last great push to the golf world was Tiger Woods. What he brought to the game in terms of marketing was unparalleled in the history of the game. Webster is correct. These things come along very very few and far between. The previous was Nicklaus. I do think we've seen the ultimate potential. I would be hard pressed to say it will happen again.

 

[cavok]

Golf will always be an activity for the more well-to-do than the average person.

 

[El Hijo de Manolo]

Golf will always be an activity for the more well-to-do than the average person.

You push over a lot to post. Not that your statement is 100% wrong, golf can't be a sport of the common folk for the reasons I stated above. It's not like yachting. It is attainable for the middle and lower classes. The issue is, if the marketing isn't there, and there's little or no motivation to follow the sport, no one will play. Each sport needs their marketing and scandals to make the sport interesting. Your statement appears to be one from the perspective of someone who has had very little exposure to the game.

"American" football, for example has made it cool for the minimally educated to buy a Maybach and, at the same time beat or kill your mate. Look at the world of marketing behind that sport. The cheap beer, Shakira and JLo shaking their butts at halftime. MLB with the fist fights in the stands and on the mound. This is what the world wants. Fights, scandal, debauchery.

 

[RDKNIGHT]

Golf is in decline... it's not a growing sport...

Queeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

 

[RDKNIGHT]

Golf will always be an activity for the more well-to-do than the average person.

definitely not a cheap sport but if you can afford it it certainly is addicting I've been addicted to 30 years

 

[chico bill]

The trash on the existing courses is not bad but it's still there. I don't understand if it's just laziness or stupidity that a person can't put thier trash in a can especially when there is one on every hole.

Lazy and stupid about sums up the populace when discussing trash

 

[chico bill]

Golf is in decline... it's not a growing sport...

Au contraire mon frere.
Courses are a*s-hole to elbow in North American courses.
Play may be down a bit since Covid and inflation has pinched many pocket books so it's harder to find money to play especially if you are taking on extra work to make it.
I imagine there would be some excellent young golfers here if they could play $25 rounds, and get some discount lessons but that will not be happening, so we will never know.