Which Type of Golfer Are You?

 

Do you consider yourself a golfer?  With over 37 million golfers (people who golf at least once per year) in the United States and who knows how many in the world, you know that they don’t all approach golf the same way. 

Golfers range from the person who goes out golfing once or twice a year to the professional golfer.  I would divide golfers into the following groups:

1. Professional golfers
2. Competitive golfers
3. Serious golfers
4. Recreational golfers
5. Casual golfers

 

Although these categories of golfers is somewhat arbitrary, let me define each type with their characteristics and needs/desires.

Professional Golfers

Anybody who consider himself/herself as a golfer has probably watched some of the professional golf tournaments on television.  Maybe even gone to a tournament as fan.  These golfers play for money.  Easily identified.

However, there are others who are professional golfers.  They consist of the local golf club teaching professional.  Others make their living teaching golf and marketing golf equipment. 

Golf is their business.

Professional golfers require the best equipment money can buy, professional instruction, and a thorough knowledge of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A) rules.  Not knowing the rules has and cost the professional golfer considerable money.

Competitive Golfers

The competitive golfer category includes those who aren’t professionals but who compete quite regularly in local, state, and national golf tournaments.  They golf on the average of once per week and take their games very seriously.  They seek professional instruction and purchase the best equipment for their games.  They also have an official handicap as administered by the USGA or R&A.

Competitive golfers also need to have a thorough knowledge of golf rules.  Not doing so could cost them standings in the amateur golf tournaments.

Serious Golfers

The line between a competitive golfer and a serious is quite blurred.  However, we can distinguish the competitive golfer simply by the number of formal golf tournaments they compete in.  The serious golfer may compete in formal tournaments once in a while. 

Many serious golfers have a handicap, particularly to golf on courses where a handicap is required to play on the course.  However, some serious golfers don’t have handicaps, but they keep careful records of how well they do.  They might even keep their scores on a computer program to analyze their progress.

Serious golfers are more likely to subscribe to golfing magazine such as Golf Magazine, take lessons on occasion, and golf on average once a week during the season.

They typically join private golf clubs and socialize with other members.

Recreational Golfers

The recreational golfer rarely participates in tournament and golfs primarily for the fun of it.  Recreational golfers keep score and try to improve their scores.  They might even take a lesson on rare occasion.

There are some specific tell-tale actions taken by recreational golfers.  They don’t worry much about “breaking” the USGA rules.  For example, they might move their golf ball to improve the ball’s lie.  They rarely take a drop as required by the rules.  They even take Mulligans when the shank a shot.

Recreational golfers are not very skilled at such golf skills as hitting a ball off the fairway effectively taking a divot to get off a good shot.  If they do take a divot, they dribble the ball down the fairway.  And, they might even be embarrassed when they take a divot.

They tend to be very inconsistent in their golf skills.  They have great shots and they have terrible shots.  Rarely do they put together a complete round when they haven’t botched several shots.

Recreational golfers golf on both championship courses and executive or par-three courses.  They feel comfortable on most courses, except the most difficult courses.  They rarely join golf clubs.

Recreational golfers don’t have a problem of using golf clubs and golf balls that don’t meet the standards of the USGA and R&A rules.  They may even seek out these clubs and balls to better their scores, or hit a longer ball.

They might even consider playing TeeGolf, a new golf game aimed primarily at the recreational golfer, or taking some liberties with the golf rules “just for the fun of it.”  They might even take a “gimme.”  Check out the web site called SortaGolf for a more formalized list of liberties you can take with the USGA golf rules.

Casual Golfer

The casual golfer probably golfs less than 10 times per year.  Typically they don’t even bother keeping score.  They just enjoy getting out in the fresh air and spending time in the beautiful surroundings of a well-manicured golf course.

They rarely compare scores.  If they do, it’s purely curiosity.  However, they thrill over a great shot that they make once in a while.  So they do take pride in hitting good shots.  Otherwise they would just get out on the course and walk around.

They golf primarily on public courses and spend most of their time on either executive courses or par-three courses.  Once in a while they will try a championship but they don’t have any high expectations for getting a great golf score.

Casual golfers may be interested in playing TeeGolf rules or following the variances advocated by SortaGolf.  They pay little attention to the formal USGA and R&A golf rules.

You could certainly disagree with the criteria for each of the above golf categories.  However, it’s important for the golf associations, clubs, and marketing groups to understand the differences between the different types of golfers.  The casual and recreational golfers would be more willing to buy golf equipment that don’t meet USGA and R&A rules.

As you move from the casual to the professional golfer, you see more adherence to the rules, more attention paid to quality golf equipment, and more attention paid to skill development.

There are approximately 37 million golfers in the United States (golf at least once per year).  Of these, there are 5 million golfers with handicaps.  These people with handicaps are either competitive golfers or serious golfers.  That leaves 32 million golfers who fall into the recreational or casual categories.

Where do you fall?

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