PHOTO: ANDREW GORRIE/STUFF – Michael Campbell and his wife Julie during his homecoming parade in Wellington city. His 2005 US Open win translated only into victory parades and balls bashed at driving ranges, not club memberships.
A game of risk and reward, golf is all about correctly choosing whether caution or courage is the best option. Get it wrong, and a grassy or watery fate awaits.
Now, many New Zealand golf clubs are facing a similar risk-and-reward dilemma, as they try to hit the right economic strategy in a rapidly changing leisure world.
With memberships slowly ebbing away, golf clubs are reduced to businesses that must adapt to modern realities, looking for a way to a smooth financial green, rather than a cash-eating bunker.
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