Is Craft Golf Coming?

Craft brewing has become big business. There are thousands of small little breweries all across the United States, and while I don't have an exact number, I'm guessing the majority of them were opened in the past 10 years or so. For example, let's look at Frederick, Maryland. I live there, so naturally I'm at least somewhat aware of the general craft brewing scene there. Ten years ago, as far as I can tell, if you wanted craft beer, you had two options. There was Brewer's Alley, a brewpub downtown, and Flying Dog, a craft brewing heavyweight, on the south end of town. Now, looking at the map today, there are 10 microbreweries and brewpubs within city limits. Oh, there are also three distilleries, all new; they obviously don't have beer but I think they're certainly related.

Golf needs more of this. (13th at Keney Park)

The point is that there has never been more choice when it comes to beer. And there are signs that this craft movement, which has affected other industries besides beer, is coming to golf, according to an article published at the Fried Egg (Yes, that's their name).

While the comparison between beer and golf can get stretched at times, there is a lot to this argument. One of the most frustrating things as a public golfer with a strong enthusiasm for golf course design is the lack of choice. There just isn't very much good local golf. Maryland, quite frankly, is a crappy state for golf. It's expensive and there isn't much of genuine interest. In other words, golf now mirrors where beer stood 10 or 20 years ago. And that means that there's space for revolution.

Golf, for all the plaudits new courses at Bandon Dunes, Streamsong, Sand Valley, and other places have deservedly received, is still very exclusionary. Those new courses are delivering a very high quality product, but they're also delivering an expensive one. Yes, it's easier to play Bandon Dunes than Pine Valley, but not excessively so. A trip to Bandon costs a lot of money, unless you go in the off-season, and the same goes for almost all the public golf courses on the various top 100 lists. And while I know it's unreasonable to expect a course of that caliber in every town, it would be nice to have more Shennecossetts or Keney Parks floating around the country. Both of those courses are among my very favorites, and both cost $40 to walk 18 holes. (Ironically, both are in New England, one of the few areas of the country that doesn't really need a craft golf revolution). Both, especially Keney Park, are exactly what golf needs in the 21st century. I'd argue that Keney Park is exactly the sort of course the author is talking about, even though the course wasn't mentioned. The recent renovation turned an old, tired course running on fumes and turned into something exciting, something I was willing to drive 6 hours to go and see. And it didn't break the bank doing so.

Anyway, I'm sort of rambling here, and if I wanted I could go all day about how annoying golf in this regard. I found the article incredibly interesting, and if you have an interest in golf, you should read it. I hope the future envisioned by the author comes to pass.