The golf industry in North America has been in a slump since the economic meltdown of 2008. Golf courses are too long, too tough and too expensive for the average handicapper. But there is light at the end of the fairway. A number of courses are offering golfers extra perks and innovative ways to both speed and spice up the game. Instead of the obligatory nine or 18 how about playing as many holes in a day as works for your schedule?

Have you ever considered wearing a kilt and riding a Segway? Or swinging back through time and playing with vintage hickory clubs? With these innovations, golf might just start attracting more women and juniors, plus enticing those of us who are already addicted to “think outside the box.” 

Golf in a Kilt on a Segway? 

Yes, you can, at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, Scottsdale, AZ 

If Kierland’s 27 fairways aren’t challenging enough, try tackling them on a Segway while wearing a kilt. It’s the only resort in Scottsdale where golfers can opt to ride the three desert nines (Acacia, Ironwood and Mesquite) on Segways (scooters), bicycles or GolfBoards (motorized “surf the earth” boards) customized to hold your bag. At Kierland it’s all about fitness, fun and speed of play. 

It’s also the only place where the cart gal will sell you a wee nip of premium Johnnie Walker Gold, Green and Blue label whisky. If you really want to get into the Celtic swing of things, try the Scottish Experience and play your round in a rented kilt, sporran and accessories, laddie. After the game, retire to the Scotch Library for a tasting and freshly rolled cigar. 

Friday Night Lights (in spring and fall) offers fun for all ages on the driving range, including golf contests, 20-minute clinics with pros, a nine-hole glow putt course, music and beverage cart service. Putt a lime into the cup and you will win a margarita! Admission is $10 US per person with kids under six free when accompanied by a paying adult. 

Can’t take the heat? Kierland was the first to outfit golf carts with air conditioners that blow cool air around your neck.

In keeping with the Scottish theme, a piper clad in full Highland regalia squeezes the bagpipe every evening at sunset on the Dreamweavers Canyon patio. Now you know why Golf Digest named Kierland “one of the most cheerful courses in America.”

www.kierlandresort.com   

Swing Back in Time At Banff Springs, Alberta 

In 1928, Stanley Thompson was hired to design the Banff Springs Golf Course on the “roof of the world” in Alberta’s Rockies. Banff held the distinction of being the first track on the planet to cost more than one million dollars to construct. Back then, green fees were three dollars per day. Today the Fairmont Banff Springs has maintained its rating as one of the top ten courses on the planet, with the Devil’s Cauldron signature hole touted as one of the world’s best. 

Times and greens fees have changed. In 1989, the course was re-routed, and to celebrate its 75th anniversary architect Les Furber upgraded the green sites and restored the bunkers to Stanley Thompson’s original design. 

Banff’s Heritage Golf Experience allows you to play the course as Thompson originally routed it—and with the appropriate equipment in tow. For the ultimate 1930s-style round your caddie, clad in period plus-fours, will help you chose from a selection of hickory-shafted clubs, including a brassie, spoon, jigger, mashie and niblick. You’ll also get three balls pressed to replicate those gutta percha orbs used in the 1930s and some tips on how to swing your mashie. 

For your Heritage round, the distance from the tips has been reduced from 7,083 to 6,301 yards to compensate for the vintage technology. You might want bring along some vintage duds for a photo op. 

The Fairmont Banff Springs Heritage Golf Experience costs from $369 per person or $699 per twosome, plus taxes. There is a minimum of two golfers per tee time booked. Tee times are must be booked seven days in advance. Accommodations are not included.

www.fairmontgolf.com   

Golf Your Way at Ka’anapali, Maui 

Ka’anapali, once the playground of Hawaiian royalty, was the first planned resort community in Hawaii. For over a decade Ka’anapali beamed Hawaiian golf and a backdrop of gorgeous tropical scenery into the homes of TV viewers of the Senior PGA Tour’s Ka’anapali Classic, making them want to grab their clubs and fly to paradise. 

Now, thanks to several innovative golf programmes, there are plenty more reasons to take a swing at Ka’anapali’s two 18-hole courses, the Royal and the Kai. Ed Kageyama, general manager of Ka’anapali Golf Courses, which are managed by Billy Casper Golf, was recently recognized by Golf Inc. magazine as one of the “Most Innovative People in Golf,” awarded to only 18 industry professionals worldwide. 

Golf Inc. describes these innovative people as “creative minds, risk takers and cutting-edge heroes who improve the golf industry through new ideas, fearless moxie and a love of the game.” 

Kageyama’s creative programmes include Golf My Way. It helps golfers to manage their schedules by allowing them to play 18 holes over seven days. For example, an avid swinger could play four holes while the family is asleep, return for a few holes in the afternoon after some time at the beach, then play a few holes another day before dinner. This is a smart alternative to the old paradigm about having to play 9 or 18 holes at a time and it makes for happier family holidays. 

Ka’anapali’s FIT Club, a golf fitness programme akin to a monthly gym membership, is also immensely popular with folks spending more than a week or two in Maui. Golfers buy monthly memberships ($99) to The FIT Club and play a few holes starting at 4 p.m. Weight loss, increased stamina and energy are among the health benefits of walking instead of riding. 

Also new to Ka’anapali, are motorized GolfBoards to carry your clubs. A motorized, one passenger vehicle that combines elements of snowboarding, surfing and skateboarding, the GolfBoard offers golfers a fun alternative to traditional carts. In addition, GolfBoards offer their users an outlet to burn extra calories as they guide their vehicles by leaning into turns in a similar fashion as a snowboarder, surfer or skateboarder. Named “Best New Product” at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show, GolfBoards provide traction on steep hills and allow golfers to traverse the course more quickly and easily, thus reducing the time it takes to get from one shot to the next. 

Ka’anapali began its Juniors Play Free programme in 2003 before it became the “norm.” Juniors (age seven to 17) play free, accompanied by a paying adult from June to August. It’s a terrific way to grow the sport and spend quality time with your kids. 

On the Kai course after 3:30 p.m. Ka’anapali has introduced FootGolf played with soccer balls that must be kicked into 21-inch cups. Its $15 per person (ball rental $5) and has proven to be a family favourite.

www.kaanapaligolfcourses.com/golf