Nike is Ending its Golf Equipment Line. Is the Sport on the Decline?

Golf is back at the Olympics, but the sport’s popularity ebbs and flows.

By Casey Cheek & Rhonda FanningAugust 8, 2016 9:42 am, ,

This week, golf is coming back to the Olympics. It’s a game that hasn’t been played at the international event for more than a century, but that may seem like a sign of the sport’s growing popularity.

But Nike announced last week it’s getting out of the golf equipment business, ending production of balls, clubs and bags. Is golf on the decline after all? Mike Ratchman, publisher of Texas Golf Insider magazine, says that when the economy takes a hit, so does interest in golf.

“We’ve been having this problem probably for the past couple of years,” Ratchman says. “If you want to know how the economy is working, just take a look at green fees and how the golf industry is doing.”

What you’ll hear in this interview:

– What the state of golf is in Texas

– How stars like Jordan Spieth influence interest in the sport

– Which company may be next to ditch their golf equipment line