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BEHIND THE SCENES

The Members Have Spoken: The 2016 Clubhouse Poll Report

By USGA

| Dec 15, 2016

Jack Nicklaus was no stranger to USGA trophy presentations. What do members think about Tiger Woods beating his majors legacy? (Courtesy/USGA)

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The USGA member community proudly spreads the message of the USGA’s mission, values and commitment to golf – and you aren’t shy about sharing your feelings about the game and your place in it.

Over the course of the year, you have predicted winners of our championships, told us how you approach the game and celebrate everything that the game has to offer. We sifted through a year’s worth of data and found a lot of great information. For example:

  • 53 percent of you took “the field” in the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont. You opted for everyone over a foursome of Rory McIlroy, 2015 champion Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson or Jason Day. So, pat yourselves on the back for indirectly selecting our reigning champion, Dustin Johnson.
  • Roughly a quarter (26 percent) took “the field” in the U.S. Women’s Open; 34 percent picked Lexi Thompson and 31 thought Lydia Ko – and not 2016 champion Brittany Lang – would raise the trophy at CordeValle.
  • An overwhelming majority – 88 percent – expected the USA Team to win the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minn. Nine percent of you “just wanted to watch great golf” and 3 percent wanted the Europe to capture the cup. As we know, the majority ruled and the cup returned to U.S. soil.
  • While 7 percent of you prefer to play your golf in the U.S., 93 percent of you are just looking for a chance to get a stamp on your golf passport. Of you willing travelers, 50 percent want to tee it up in Ireland or Scotland; 43 percent of you are happy to go anywhere on earth where golf can be played.

These insights are fantastic, but we’ve broken out the responses from the nine polls that drew thousands of responses to shine a light on some of your hot topics from 2016. Your passion for the game and support of the Member Clubhouse inspire us. We can’t wait to see how your opinions and prognostications shake out in the year ahead. In the meantime, if you have something you’d like to see in the Clubhouse, don’t hesitate to let us know. We want to serve you – and golf – and can do it best when we’re in touch with your needs.

David Chmiel is the manager of members content for the USGA. Email him at dchmiel@usga.org. Interested in becoming a USGA member? Click here for more information.