This article is from the July 25 issue of The New Zealand Herald Digital Edition. http://nzherald.digitaledition.nzme.co.nz/. Paul Lewis in his column on Saturday pondered whether golf was a dying sport. Just for the record, golf is the number one participation sport in Auckland and demand for it is expected to increase as population increases. Is this a surprise? Unlike many sports golf is a game you can play through your entire life so with an ageing population demand for the sport will likely increase. Paul noted the high demand for the game in Asia — well Auckland has also a significant Asian population. Golf is also a social game and one that does not depend on matching skill levels; the handicap system means that a grandparent can play with their grandchildren or you can roll up and play with any group of any ability. In Auckland there are only two public 18-hole golf courses of which Chamberlain Park is one. In Melbourne, for example, with over double Auckland’s population, there are 40 public courses. The reason Chamberlain is one of the busiest courses in Auckland is because it is cheap, open seven days a week to all comers and beginners are not intimidated or subjected to dress codes. Geoff Senescall, Chair of Save Chamberlain Park. Copyright © 2017 New Zealand Herald If you can, please come to presentation of the petition at 9.30am on Thursday 27 July 2017 and be held in the Reception Lounge, Level 2, Auckland Town Hall.