Golf is big business in America, with a total economy estimated at nearly 70 billion dollars. The U.S. is also the world’s biggest market for golf equipment, according to a report from Golf Datatech. The other top countries are Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom, Canada and China. But the industry is working on ways to make golf more appealing, especially to young Americans.

The CEO of the U. S. -based World Golf Foundation, Steve Mona, believes the current state of golf is healthy and stable. His group says about 20 million Americans regularly play the game. But Mona also sees the need for change, to get more people to discover and play golf. He said the industry has focused on ways to make the game faster, funnier and more playable.

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Some golf courses have expanded fairways (球道) so golfers have less chance of losing balls in water or trees. Others move up the starting point for young or new players, so they are closer to the hole.

Some new courses also have fewer obstacles (障碍物) than those in the past, such as water ponds or sand traps. And the area near the hole is sometimes designed flatter, to keep the ball from rolling too much.

These changes could also attract adult golfers who want to play a faster, less difficult game. But with young people, Mona said it is important to get them interested at an early age.

Drive, Chip and Putting Championship

One program to do this is the Drive, Chip and Putting Championship, for girls and boys.

The name of the competition refers to golf’s three main skills. Driving is when a golfer hits the ball far at the start of the game. A chip is a much shorter shot, usually taken close to the hole. Putting refers to hitting the ball softly in the area near the hole, called the green.

Junior Golf Champions

Girls and boys from all 50 U. S. states compete in the championship. Organizers say the program has been one of the best ways to bring young people to golf. But Mona said it was not enough just to get people interested. “The challenge for us in the golf industry is that we have to change interest into trials,” he said. “And then change trials into actual participation in the game.”

Sam Schmitz is studying professional golf management at Eastern Kentucky University. He also believes speeding up the game will get more people to try golf. “For the younger generation, the biggest complaint about golf is how long it takes,” he said. A full game can last four hours.

   It was a Sunday morning. I got out of bed as quick as a bunny _____ it was the final of my soccer tournament. I got _____, ate the breakfast my mom had made for me and headed to the car. On my way, I wondered what it would be like to _____ the shiny gold medal in my hands. As I got closer, I saw my team _____ on the field, so once I finally got there, I started rushing towards them.

When the _____ was about to begin, I was already sweating like a pig because it was so _____. When both teams were on the field, the referee blew the whistle which was a _____ of the start of the game. As my teammates passed the _____ down the field, I heard the cheers from the parents in the bleachers (露天看台) _____. The score was zero to zero at half-time and I had a rest by drinking water to get ready for the second half. We ______ the second half but still couldn’t put the ball in the net. The game score was ______ at the end of the second half which meant that we had to go to extra time. Towards the end of extra time, the other team’s defender ______ one of my teammates, which ______ a free kick (任意球). I went up to take the kick. I shook with ______ as the ball went out of the net. It was the end of ______ time, which meant that we had to go to penalties (点球).

I went up to take the first penalty. I was ______ I would miss again, but once I ______ it, I was relaxed as I made it in the top left corner. The final ______ was 4-3 on penalties but we ______. After they gave me the silver medal, I went home and was happy that it was all over and that second place wasn’t that ______.

Every morning and evening, many people gather to dance in our community square, where is designed to improve living quality. Although dancing could do good to their health, but the long-time dancing and loud noise causing by the loudspeaker really brought the neighbors inconvenience. I couldn’t rest or sleep well, which made me terrible upset. I felt so sleep in class that I performed badly in study. To solve a problem, I communicated with the organizers and suggested that they should shorten the dance time and reduced the music noise. Only doing so can they have fun and let others enjoy life. To their delight, they adopted my advices.