Frustrated over a round of golf, literary giant Mark Twain teed up the now-famous quote, "Golf is a good walk spoiled."
In fact, the real green in golf is not found on fairways, but in dollar signs. It's a global participation sport enjoyed by Tiger Woods-inspired youngsters, large baby boomer and growing senior populations, and involves scores of spinoff industries.
London holds the unofficial title, of golf capital of North America, thanks to its per capita participation rate and availability of courses.
This summer, 90,000 adult Londoners -- 60,000 men, 30,000 women -- along with hundreds of junior golfers, will spend more than $22 million on green fees, memberships and new clubs.
They'll spend millions more on attire and accessories available at big box stores, specialty outlets and pro shops at 112 golf courses in southwestern Ontario.
A 1991 city of London study, conducted by Canadian Golf Marketing, stated there were 81,000 golfers in London, 29,000 of whom were recreational golfers and the balance avid golfers.
That study reported that in most other municipalities those numbers were reversed. The 1991 study indicated more than 1.2 million rounds of golf were played each year at London and area's 20 courses. Today, there are 42 golf courses within a half-hour drive of city hall.
Mike Olizarevitch, long-time head professional at Fanshawe Golf Club (one of three city-operated courses), produced a report for the city in 2003 indicating, there are enough golf courses in and around London to support a population of 1,050,000 -- more than three times London's population of 336,000.
The National Golf Foundation indicates, in order to sustain a viable trade, one golf course should be built for every 25,000 people.
"London is one of the wealthiest cities in Canada and the golf participation rate is more than twice the national average," says Claudio DeMarchi of marketing firm Lakeview Productions Inc. in Nottawa, Ont.
A decade ago, DeMarchi marketed the charter London Golf and Travel Expo, drawing 30 exhibitors and 3,000 attendees. This year, more than 100 exhibitors, including a tourism group from Ireland, attracted 12,000 attendees.
At home, this multi-million-dollar industry is often at the mercy of mother nature. From 2001 to 2003, cool, wet springs and cold falls dramatically shortened the seasons and lightened the pockets of local golf courses.
This year, a rainy May also lowered income at public courses relying on green fees.
Supply and demand are experiencing unprecedented levels locally, but ultimately, rain will dampen the spirits of even the most loyal of golfers.
Andy Shaw, head professional at the city of London's River Road Golf Club, says weather forecasts are mostly to blame.
"It's the probability of precipitation," explains Shaw. "People book advance tee times around forecasts. If they see a 40-per-cent chance of rain, often they won't golf, yet a lot of times it ends up not raining."
However, Shaw says, "play is down and it affects the attitudes of golfers. Many weekends have been washouts."
Thames Valley Golf Course, opened in 1924 as one of Eastern Canada's first public courses, rounds out London's trio of municipally-operated links.
A model operation in the eyes of the Canadian golf community, London's municipal courses offer 81 holes of golf -- plus Fanshawe's nine-hole Parkside Nine, North America's first golf layout accessible to the physically challenged.
Kent McVittie, London's manager recreation services and attractions, says the city's three golf courses bring in a net profit of more than $1 million, while requiring annual expenditures totalling $2.3 million for maintenance and labour costs.
Golf course operations vary from club to club. Public courses depend heavily on daily green fees. Semi-private clubs, typically offering superior amenities, have public green fees but depend more on annual memberships.
The coffers at private clubs are most often fuelled by initiation fees and annual dues. Every course counts on a variety of spinoff functions, from charity golf tournaments to wedding banquets, as additional sources of income.
It's not cheap trying to keep greens and fairways looking like Augusta National during the Masters tournament. The average maintenance budget for an 18-hole golf course in Canada is $350,000.
In nearby Union, at St. Thomas Golf and Country Club, superintendent Ryan Beauchamp works with an annual budget of $600,000, much of which pays wages to 18 full- and part-time staff.
Equipment isn't cheap either: a rough mower costs $75,000, and a fairway mower $55,000. In addition, the private club (est. 1899) has spent $100,000 each year during the last eight years for course improvements.
Karen Gilles, club manager at St. Thomas, says her 700 members (including 500 golfers) "demand changes. We need to keep competitive with other area courses, offer the best amenities." She says 25 per cent of her club's members are Londoners.
Gilles has gone as far as to advertise for new members -- a move seldom seen from private clubs a decade ago, yet often necessary today due to stiff competition.
St. Thomas, for example, asks for an initiation fee of $6,360. "We'll be comfortable with 540 golfers, in order to accommodate tee times," says Gilles.
No local course has undergone a metamorphosis to the same degree as Sunningdale Golf and Country Club. Founded in 1934, Sunningdale spent $12 million in recent years on a massive renovation of its 36 holes of golf, plus a new, 32,000-square-foot clubhouse officially opened in May 2003.
"Certainly we were wanting to change the position we had in the London golf market," said Sunningdale president Gordon Thompson.
Sunningdale's 2,000 members didn't pay a dime for the massive facelift, according to club general manager, John Adams.
"It was an expense to the (Thompson family) ownership," explains Adams, who echoes Thompson's assessment of the local golf market.
"This is a very competitive market. We are spoiled with good golf courses, but all courses are making improvements. You need improvements. A golf course gets tired over the years."
The private Highland Country Club, resting in the heart of London, continues to make costly improvements to its layout.
Hugging a residential area with its 140 urban acres, Highland was founded at a farmhouse in 1922. In 1959, expansion saw a new clubhouse and six-sheet curling arena added, before a $750,000 renovation took place in 1985.
Boasting 600 golfing and 400 curling members, Highland almost moved to larger quarters a decade ago, but members turned down a proposal from a development group salivating over the inner-city property.
"Highland is unique to London, because of its location and because it is active 12 months a year," says general manager Leo Larizza, who cites "a competitive market" as the reason why he has recently advertised for new members.
Former owner of La Casa restaurant in downtown London, Larizza says, "It's the friendliness of the members and staff" who make a private golf club desirable.
"The facility is important, but people make the difference."
Like Highland, The Oaks Golf and Country Club in Delaware (est. 1993) depends on "young demographics" for its private membership of 350 golfers, according to owner Walter Spivak.
He built The Oaks, with his father, Nick, "because there was an under-supply of private clubs in the London area."
The Spivaks' latest venture, FireRock Golf Club in Komoka, is slated to open next month.
"We have felt for some time that the London area and southwestern Ontario deserve a world-class golf experience that's open to the public," says Walter Spivak.
FireRock, designed by acclaimed golf course architect, Thomas McBroom of Toronto, is an upscale public course anticipated to rival London's original upscale public facility, Forest City National Golf Club.
Golf great Arnold Palmer once quipped, "Golf is a game of inches. The most important are the six inches between your ears."
Perhaps, but to the local economy, the game of golf is measured in dollars and cents.
Source: London Free Press (Ontario, Canada)