Golf Market Stuck in Bunker as Thousands Leave the Sport.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-23/golf-market-stuck-in-bunker-as-thousands-leave-the-sport.html

Once the go-to activity for corporate bonding, the sport is suffering from an exodus of players, a lack of interest among millennials and the mass closure of courses. The tangled personal life of Tiger Woods, who for years was golf’s biggest ambassador, also hasn’t helped. All that has taken a toll on the companies that make and sell golf equipment, including Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (DKS) andCallaway Golf Co. (ELY).
About 400,000 players left the sport last year, according to the National Golf Foundation. While almost 260,000 women took up golf, some 650,000 men quit. A severe winter on the East Coast worsened the situation this year by delaying the start of golfing season for many. 
Younger Generation

“Everybody’s hooked up to their handhelds, so it’s social networking instead of sports,” said Gerald Celente, publisher of the Trends Journal in Kingston, New York. The motivation for wannabe executives to spend hours chasing small balls no longer exists, he said.

“It’s something that’s associated with boom times,” he said. “Most of society’s not moving up, and golf is associated with moving up.”

Woods, 38, helped draw younger players to the game, though his personal challenges may have reduced his influence. He divorced his wife of four years in 2010 after admitting marital infidelity and has suffered a series of injuries.