Hole in one: The future golf

1. Golf clubs and golf courses will become more family friendly. There will be family rooms instead of bars, holes set up for younger players and certified women-friendly facilities.

2. Six and nine hole formats, and other short-forms, complement the 18-hole tradition. A pay TV sports channel accelerates this trend by promoting a professional short-form competition.

3. Golf will benefit from its association with younger, fitter players – driving more fashion and more word on the street.

4. The “next” Tiger Woods – the hot sponsorship and TV property of 2020 – will be a young Asian player.

5. More Asian golf brands.

6. Golf becomes more unisex.

7. Golf simulation games – using motion sensors and gestural interfaces – become mainstream.

8. Gamers become golfers. Social gaming environments and family oriented golf video games encourage people to move into the sport, not the other way around.

9. The app as caddie: Smartphone and tablet software helps golfers make the right choices, while sensors in equipment and on courses – the smart coach – help players learn from their mistakes.

10. Golf becomes a centre of expertise in water management, conservation and biodiversity.

11. The first carbon positive courses are opened.

12. The authorities change the rules about equipment to reduce the distances achieved by professionals and bring course lengths back under control.

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