“Shrink the game.”
If you’ve spent any time around a golf course over the last few years, you’ve probably heard the phrase.
Usually, it comes after seeing an unrepaired ball mark, a divot left untouched, a golf cart where it shouldn’t be, slow play, or another example of poor golf etiquette. The proposed solution is often simple: raise prices, make golf more exclusive, and reduce the number of people playing.
Shrink the game.
I’ll be honest—I understand the frustration.
From behind the counter and on the course, I’ve seen and heard a lot. I see ball marks left unrepaired. I see divots that could have been replaced in seconds. I see carts driven too close to greens (or on the greens) and tees. I see unnecessary damage that creates more work for our maintenance team and affects the experience of every golfer who plays after.
Behind the counter, we see groups book a tee time for four and show up with seven people, expecting to play together. We see extra spectators who want to hunt for golf balls or play without paying. We see golfers arrive right at their tee time—or 20 minutes late—with extra players and demand to get on the course. We see people book separate tee times because they failed to organize their group in advance, then expect other golfers’ tee times to be modified so they can all play together.
The frustration is real.
But the answer isn’t shrinking the game.
During COVID, golf experienced something many industries would love to have: growth. When much of the world shut down, golf remained one of the few activities where friends, families, coworkers, and neighbors could safely spend time together outdoors. People picked up a golf club for the first time.
That’s a good thing.
New golfers mean a healthier future for the game. They mean more families playing together, more juniors discovering the sport, and more support for local golf courses. The challenge is that many of those new golfers never received the lessons in etiquette that previous generations learned from parents, grandparents, coaches, or experienced golfers.
Nobody taught them how to repair a ball mark. Nobody explained why cart paths matter. Nobody showed them how to maintain pace of play or care for the course.
That doesn’t make them bad golfers.
It makes them golfers who need guidance.
The reality is that golf etiquette goes far beyond repairing a ball mark or replacing a divot.
Some of the most important lessons in golf are the things many people never think about.
Why does arriving before your tee time matter? Because one late group can affect every tee time behind them for the rest of the day.
Why do courses limit the number of players in a group? Because pace of play matters, and the experience of every golfer on the course depends on keeping the day moving.
Why do golf courses prohibit outside alcohol? It’s not because we’re trying to make things difficult. Golf courses are licensed businesses that must comply with state laws, insurance requirements, and liability regulations. The same rules that apply to your local restaurant or sports bar apply to a golf course.
Why is proper golf attire important? Why can’t someone wear work boots onto greens or tee boxes? Because those surfaces aren’t just grass and boots leave impressions and metal cleats- well that is pretty straight forward they ruin the green and the clubhouse floors. (People tend to drag their feet) Golf attire? Just as some restaurants, clubs, and workplaces have dress codes, we maintain a course attire to preserve the atmosphere of the game and culture of the game. Look good-play good. Playing bad? Might as well look good.
There are misconceptions in golf.
People often look at a golf course and see grass. Those of us who work in golf see irrigation systems, drainage systems, turf management programs, mowing schedules, fertilizer applications, maintenance budgets, environmental stewardship, and thousands of labor hours dedicated to creating quality playing conditions.
And let’s be honest: if someone drives across your yard, parks on your curb, or tears up your lawn, you get frustrated because it damages something you care about. People get upset when others don’t park between the lines in a parking lot. There are entire social media pages dedicated to bad parking. Each tee box and green cart path is a “parking spot”
A putting green is one of the most carefully maintained surfaces in sports. Damage that takes seconds to create can take days—or even weeks—to repair. Tee boxes require constant maintenance. Fairways need ongoing attention. Every rule that exists on a golf course is there to help preserve it, and most exist because someone learned the hard way what happens when they aren’t followed.
When golfers understand the “why” behind the rules, they’re much more likely to follow them. Or at least that’s the hope.
At Honey Creek Golf Club, we don’t want to create barriers to golf. We don’t want to price people out of the game. We don’t want to make golf more exclusive.
We want to make golf better.
We want the course to be in the best condition possible. Our maintenance team works incredibly hard, and this course was built with blood, sweat, and tears.
That starts with education.
Every golfer who gets frustrated with new players should remember one thing: at some point, you were new too.
Someone taught you where to stand, when to be quiet, how to rake a bunker, how to repair a ball mark, what a divot tool is, and why pace of play matters. Those lessons weren’t automatic. They were learned.
The future of golf isn’t built by pushing people away. It’s built by welcoming them in and teaching them how to respect the game, the course, and the players around them.
At Honey Creek, we expect golfers to care for the course, respect fellow players, maintain pace of play, follow cart rules, and help preserve the conditions everyone enjoys. But we’d rather educate than exclude. We’d rather explain than complain.
The game doesn’t need fewer golfers.
The game needs more golfers who understand why etiquette matters.
So no, we don’t want to shrink the game.
We want to teach the game. We do that by sharing reels, posting information and the why on social media platforms as well as the policies on the website.
Because the future of golf isn’t fewer golfers—it’s informed golfers.
See you at the first tee!
Amber Woods-Prouty