The Las Angeles Times
Hundreds of courses have closed, and once-exclusive country clubs have slashed fees or let in the public. Often linked to housing tracts, the greens and fairways have slumped along with real estate.
"People are cutting golf out of their diets because they’ve got to cut something," said Jeff Woolson, a real estate broker with Los Angeles-based CB Richard Ellis who specializes in buying and selling golf courses.
The recession has dealt a mean bogey to golf. Hundreds of courses have closed in the last two years and many formerly exclusive country clubs have slashed fees or opened their greens to the public.
Sales of golf balls, clubs and apparel — a multibillion-dollar industry — have dipped 10% this year as players trim spending, according to golf researcher Pellucid Corp.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fi-golf22-2009nov22,0,1546546.story
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