There are strengths and weaknesses to this approach. The strength of gathering opinions
of each participant gives strength of how they feel towards constantly rising prices of golf and of
each golf course. The participants will provide personal experience to give a better idea of what
they go through on a daily basis. By collecting the quantitative data, mentioned above, this will
give a better sense of how much each participant makes and how much they are willing to spend
on golf. That will give a better understanding of where each participant falls on the social ladder.
The weaknesses of this approach are that the geographical location of intended research
is a limited area. Not every golf course, in the United States, is the same. As mentioned, there are
15,500 golf courses in the United States, which means thousands (maybe millions) of golfers.
Researching a certain area of the country will only give a general idea of what every golfer is
feeling. This approach will not give a whole answer of how EACH golfer feels. Also, not every
golfer may feel comfortable to give their opinion or financial data. This would require finding
more participants for the study, researching other golf courses, or finding another area of the
country to research.
Data Analysis
In order to make sure the qualitative and quantitative data provides strength to the
intended research, it must be valid information. This means that the data is non-bias. This is a
four-step process: 1) fraud, making sure every participant had been interviewed. 2) screening,
making sure each participant was chosen for the correct criteria. 3) procedure, making sure the
procedure was followed correctly. 4) completeness, making sure all of the questions had been
asked (Humans of Data, 2019). This will help the quantitative data. By getting a mean of each
participants income and financial data, this will show the average of each participant. It will
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show the frequency of how many times each participant plays per year. It will also show the
range of how much each participant spends on golf (courses and equipment).
To analyze the qualitative data, content analysis and narrative analysis will need to be
used. The content analysis will be used to analyze the documented data, surveys. It will help
analyze the responses provided by the participants. The narrative analysis will provide
information from the interviews of each participant, how they are acting in each interview. It will
also provide information of personal observations of each golf course (Humans of Data, 2019).
As mentioned, each golf course is not the same. They all have their own rules and way of doing
things. Giving personal observations can give further insight of how each golfer and golf course
acts. This will show a big difference between each course.
This way of collecting data will provide strength to the overall research by providing lots
of data of each participant. By having the financial data, mean, frequency and range, this will
provide the best insight of each participant and how they relate to a certain social class. By
providing their opinions, it will also help gather their input on the constant changing price of golf
and how it affects their standing.
There are strengths, but there are also weaknesses. By collecting data this way, there
could be outliers that skew the data. Every participant is different and individualized. Some
participants may play a lot of golf but use cheaper equipment and play at less expensive courses.
This means they could feel completely different to other participants, that play at the more
At the end of the day, golf is one of the most expensive sports in the world. Between the
equipment and pay-to-play prices, the price can stack up. The better off a golfer is, the easier it
would be to help pay for golf. This proposed study will help show that the game of golf is
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designed to attract the upper class of people, in order to keep the tradition and integrity of the
game. Through the rules, code of etiquette, and price, the game is able to force people out of the
golfing world and create its own “club”.
Resources
Ceron-Anaya, H. (2017). Not everybody is a golfer: Bourdieu and affluent bodies in Mexico. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 46(3), 285–309
Cock, J. (2008). Caddies and “Cronies”: golf and changing patterns of exclusion and inclusion in post-apartheid South Africa. South African Review of Sociology, 39(2), 183.
DAWKINS, M. P., BRADDOCK, J. H., & GILBERT, S. (2018). African American Golf Clubs in the Early Development of Black Golf. Western Journal of Black Studies, 42(1/2), 71–82.
Golf Class Teaches Students the Art of Schmoozing. (2002, April 19). The Chronicle of Higher Education, 48(32). Retrieved from https://link-gale- com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/apps/doc/A146965209/ITOF?u=nhc_main&sid=ITOF&xid=f62ee7c6
Humphreys, C. (2011). Who Cares Where I Play? Linking Reputation with the Golfing Capital and the Implication for Golf Destinations. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 16(2), 105-128. doi:10.1080/14775085.2011.568086
Malcolm, D., & Tangen, J. O. (2015). Etiquette and the Cultural Diffusion of Golf: Globalization and Emotional Control in Social Relations. International Journal of Golf Science, 4(1), 33-49. doi:10.1123/ijgs.2014-0018
McGinnis, L., McQuillan, J., & Chapple, C. L. (2005). I JUST WANT TO PLAY Women, Sexism, and Persistence in Golf. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 29(3), 313–337.
A Brief History of Golf. (2017, April 28). Retrieved from https://www.thesportshistorian.com/a- brief-history-of-golf/#
How many golf courses in the US? – Lumen Sports. (2020, January 20). Retrieved from https://lumensports.com/golf-courses-us/#:~:text=And now the approximate number,in the US is 15,500.
The 10 most expensive golf club memberships in the world. (2017, February 04). Retrieved from https://www.golfindustrycentral.com.au/golf-industry-news/the-10-most-expensive-golf-club- memberships-in-the-world/
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The Top 10 Most Expensive Public Golf Courses in America. (2011, May 09). Retrieved from https://www.hagginoaks.com/blog/the-top-10-most-expensive-public-golf-courses-in-america/
Gebreamlak, Kenneth, Castro, L. D., Sese, T., Blessing, Vandana, . . . Nwabia, C. (2019, July 12). Your Guide to Qualitative and Quantitative Data Analysis Methods – Atlan: Humans of Data. Retrieved from https://humansofdata.atlan.com/2018/09/qualitative-quantitative-data-analysis- methods/
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