Trump's New York golf course is having business problems because people hate Donald Trump

[Awsi Dooger]

9. Partially true in regard to Tiger

Golf peaked during his prime but it actually started to decline long before he faded. The participation numbers started to drop after 2003, while Tiger would dominate majors for another 5 years.

Difficulty is a huge issue. I've had numerous friends get enthused about the game and then quit abruptly because they simply weren't any good. They couldn't tolerate devoting time to something yet still topping the ball or slicing the ball. One friend bought a full set of new clubs, invested in lessons, and then threw the clubs into a lake in frustration within months. This was during the golf boom in the early 2000s. Courses were jammed at that time but I remember seeing so many newcomers who simply couldn't play a lick. I expected it to level off but I had no idea there would be such a reversal.

When I started auctioning clubs on ebay in 2002 you didn't even have to include a decent picture or description to receive tons of bids and a high price. Often I was astonished. Once I expected $40 for a Crenshaw 8802 putter and it ended up selling for more than $170. I paid $65 when new. Nowadays it is exactly the opposite. The last time I tried to auction something I didn't receive 1/3 of the expected amount. Now in the rare instances I'll offer a club I use a fixed asking price and leave it up there for a month. Someone will buy it, or they won't. The number of views is way down also.