Golf course operators in this part of the country must think the world is going to hell in a hand basket. And it’s not just because of the weather, which has been bad enough, going as it did from a long, wet and cold spring to a suddenly hot and muggy summer seemingly overnight. There is also the issue of the nasty downturn in the economy, with the media trying to convince us that the next depression is just around the corner. And the incredible increases in the cost of fuel, which is forcing all of us non-billionaires to think twice about how far we are willing to drive to play a round of golf. I live in University City and I play with several different groups of guys from all over the Metro area on both sides of the river. No matter where we decide to play, it usually means a lengthy trek for some of us.

To put it into perspective for a player like myself – retired, fixed income, not hurting but not wealthy, either – the extra gas money adds up if the weather cooperates and I get to play my normal three times a week. If I have to drive 60 miles roundtrip to a course, which is not unusual, it adds an extra $10 or $12 dollars to the cost of the round. The senior-friendly courses I like to play regularly charge between $20 and $30 for a round. Figure another $10-to-$15 for lunch and beverages. It adds up. Like most people, I think, I’ve done little more than whine about the costs so far, but I can see that there may be a limit out there that will force me to rethink my habits. Do I cut down on the number of days a week I play? Do I drop the more expensive courses from my list? Do I rearrange my schedule so that I play only the courses that are closer to home? Not a good choice in the bunch, is there?

In the years that I have been playing in this area I’ve learned to love a lot of the courses and have made good friends with many of the people who work at them. I’ll probably end up doing what I have always done: Ride it out and hope things get better. I personally believe (and keep in mind that I retired after more than 30 years in journalism) that most of the problems with the economy have been blown way out of proportion by the media.

The problems are real, no doubt, but I really don’t believe they are as deep or as widespread as the doomsayers would have us believe. Big scary headlines sell newspapers and screaming television pundits sell advertising. Golf course managers don’t, as a rule, complain or talk about play slacking off or other problems they may be running into, but this year has to be harder on them than they want to admit. The weather forced a late start to the season. And then continuing rains, which on one hand really caused the grass come in nicely, also made it harder to keep the fairways, rough and greens in top playable shape. Some courses, like Aberdeen, were actually under water for a time. But if you ask Matt O’Dell, general manager and superintendent at Aberdeen, everything is fine. . . .now. O’Dell acknowledges that the rising cost of fuel is a factor, but notes that the main part of the crunch is hitting at a time when grass growth is slowing, requiring less mowing. And he is now extremely thankful that the decision was made to go with electric rather than gas carts.

So, the picture is not altogether bright. But most of us have been through worse times and came out the other end alright. I’m going to trust that this wave of bad news will turn around eventually. On another front, which is sort of related, I guess, some of the PGA tournament operators are complaining that the huge purses we have seen in recent years are keeping the big names from playing in as many events as they used to. A Wall Street Journal item a friend passed on to me recently noted that the big guys only need to play in 18 or 20 of the top tournaments to make obscene amounts of money. That leaves even such formerly prestigious tourneys like the Crown Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Fort Worth having to beg players to show up. The newspaper’s golf writer, John Paul Newport, wrote that in order to lure five of the world’s top 10 players to Colonial this year, the tournament went out of its way to make sure the players and their families were entertained. The event took over Fort Worth’s famous Billy Bob’s Texas Honkytonk on Monday night with entertainment by Travis Tritt. “On Tuesday night,” Newport reported, “the players were invited to drive race cars at Texas Motor Speedway. On Friday evening the city zoo and wildlife park was closed for pros and their families to eat barbeque and spend some private time with the animals.

Throughout the week chefs from the city’s best restaurants donned their toques for golfers and their families.” The article went on to say that it is not uncommon for tournament organizers to show up at other tournaments to recruit the better players. As Newport notes, “the richer golf gets, the more brutal the competition for players and hosts.” Just two parting notes about this year’s British Open. It was fun to see how golf is played in gale force winds, but the tournament provided us all with a real hunk of nostalgia.

Remember how Greg Norman used to look really good up until the final day of the important tournaments? Well, the old fox still has what it takes to fade into the sunset on Sunday. Still, it was good to see a 53-year-old stand up to the forces of nature and attacks from younger players for three days. On a sadder note, it was painful to watch Big John Daly miss a short birdie putt and an even shorter par putt to bogie the 18th on Friday and miss the cut by 20 strokes. His face told the story. It wasn’t fun for him any more.

Nor for us, John. Give it up.