When news broke that the PGA Tour\u2019s Sentry Tournament at Kapalua would not return and uncertainty surrounded the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club, Hawaii\u2019s visitor industry feared the worst. When the Sony Championship Hawaii at Waialae was confirmed for 2027, there was a collective sigh of relief.<\/p>\n
But that relief obscures a larger problem.<\/p>\n
The cancellation of major PGA tournaments is not the cause of Hawaii\u2019s golf challenges. It is a symptom.<\/p>\n
Two major studies reached the same conclusion 15 years apart: Hawaii\u2019s golf industry lacks statewide leadership.<\/p>\n
The SRI International \u201cHawaii Golf Economy\u201d 2008 report estimated that golf is worth $1.4 billion statewide. A follow-up 2023 study concluded that golf\u2019s economic impact increased to $1.9 billion annually.<\/p>\n
Golf supports thousands of local jobs \u2014 from groundskeepers to accountants to local farmers. Visitors plan vacations around tee times \u2014 spending that extends beyond greens fees to hotels, rental cars and restaurants.<\/p>\n
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Yet Hawaii still has no statewide golf strategy.<\/p>\n
That is the real story.<\/p>\n
Perhaps golf fell between the cracks \u2014 too commercial to be treated as recreation, yet too recreational to be promoted as a strategic economic sector.<\/p>\n
The 2008 study recommended creating a Hawaii Golf Alliance to coordinate statewide strategy. Two decades later, that recommendation remains unrealized.<\/p>\n
The 2023 study painted a more sobering picture. Hawaii has fewer golf courses than it did in 2007. The average golfer is getting older, while few younger players are entering the game. More troubling, the study estimated Hawaii\u2019s golf courses were operating at 53% of capacity.<\/p>\n
Both studies reached the same conclusion: Hawaii lacks coordinated leadership to steward one of its most valuable tourism sectors.<\/p>\n
Economists call this an industrial policy \u2014 not government ownership or subsidies, but a long-term strategy with stakeholders for an industry that matters.<\/p>\n
The state invests in healthcare, AI\/information technology and renewable energy because they are viewed as strategic sectors. Why not golf?<\/p>\n
Imagine if Hawaii treated golf the way it treats those other industries. There would be annual reporting, coordinated destination marketing and workforce planning. Instead, Hawaii golf is a bunch of golf course operators \u2014 all working alone.<\/p>\n
A Hawaii Golf Council could bring together the Hawaii Tourism Authority, state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, University of Hawaii, county governments, the Aloha Section PGA, and golf operators to develop a state golf strategy \u2014 and issue an annual data-based \u201cState of Hawaii Golf\u201d report.<\/p>\n
That vision should extend far beyond luxury resort golf.<\/p>\n
Most Hawaii residents will never play the Hualalai Jack Nicholas-designed resort golf course. But municipal and military courses are equally important to the industry\u2019s future. Scotland markets \u201cgolf regions\u201d \u2014 not just famous courses. Hawaii should promote golf the way it promotes local dining \u2014 authentic experiences from Kauai to Hawaii island \u2014 at every price point.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, Hawaii collects little statewide data on kamaaina or visitor rounds, employment, or course economics \u2014 you cannot manage any business without data.<\/p>\n
The greatest long-term challenge is demand.<\/p>\n
The 2023 study warns that Hawaii\u2019s golfer population is aging faster than the national average. Unless more young people enter the game, local golf courses will inevitably close.<\/p>\n
That means expanding junior golf, strengthening partnerships such as First Tee, and making municipal golf more accessible for local families.<\/p>\n
Higher education has a key role. The University of Hawaii system should develop a Golf + Resort Management program combining tourism, environmental science and business, leveraging Hawaii\u2019s golf industry as a year-round \u201cliving laboratory.\u201d Ohio State University has a PGA-accredited golf major \u2014 in a state where snow covers golf greens four months a year.<\/p>\n
Finally, Hawaii should establish measurable performance goals: junior participation, statewide golf dashboard, university degree programs and affordable \u201clocals\u2019 golf.\u201d<\/p>\n
The handwringing over the Sony Open should remind us of something important.<\/p>\n
Hawaii\u2019s \u201cgolf economy\u201d future will not be determined by whether one PGA tournament stays or leaves. It will be determined by whether Hawaii finally develops a statewide strategy for one of its most valuable \u2014 and most overlooked \u2014 economic sectors.<\/p>\n
Ray Tsuchiyama advises on hotels and golf courses at ChaneyBrooks, Hawaii\u2019s oldest real estate firm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When news broke that the PGA Tour\u2019s Sentry Tournament at Kapalua would not return and uncertainty surrounded the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35320,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1755,44],"class_list":["post-35319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-editors","tag-golf"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}