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How do you like your numbers - 22 or twenty-two?

Whichever way you like your numbers, whether alpha or numeric, 22 as a quantum doesn't amount to much. What does 22 represent here? It represents the number of men who have signed up to play in this year's Bermuda Amateur Stroke Play Championship. As sad as that is, I understand that the number of women signed up is even less.

I'm not sure how many of these players are from overseas but I'm quite confident that the fingers on one hand would be quite sufficient to tally them up. It's a shame and, while it is easy to lament this dire situation, we nevertheless must deal with it.

As always, the best way to rid ourselves of a problem is to solve it.

In formulating a solution, it usually helps to understand how we have arrived at the place we do not like. In my opinion, the journey to where we find ourselves today is a function of two main factors - lack of self-promotion and ever increasing costs.

The issue of lack of self-promotion lies squarely at the feet of the Bermuda Golf Association. For many years now, the BGA has not been making enough noise or flying its flag high enough. Anybody who wants to be noticed needs to make noise about what it is doing, otherwise people will forget that it even exists. Without promotion and advertising, the end result will be a fading away of the activities that are not being promoted.

When was the last time you heard any noise being made by the Bermuda Golf Association? When was the last time a BGA representative spoke enthusiastically about its programme of events? When was the last time the local media took any notice of the BGA?

The fact of the matter is, it's been far too long and, as a result, interest in playing in, and winning, national golf championships in Bermuda has declined. If we expect to receive any attention from people, we'd better fly our flag and make noise about what we are doing.

Regrettably, that's the easy part of the solution, as it just requires some refocusing by the BGA. A bit of time, and a lot of effort, can get the message out there, both home and abroad, but if our events are too costly, no amount of good noise, promotion or advertising is going to help.

And our events have indeed become far too costly, of that there is no doubt. The Men's entry fee for this week's tournament is $450. Forecast entry fees for future tournaments are equally high and it is getting to the point of absurdity. Compare these fees to the fee of £60 for entering the British Seniors Open Amateur Championship to be held at Prestwick from 5-7 August. £60, basically $100, to play in the British Seniors Amateur at one of the world's most famous courses.

As a community, we must find a way to reduce the cost of participating in Bermuda's national golf championships. I'm not sure how we do that but I've got a feeling that the answer lies somewhere in the story of the village and the child. The entry fees to Bermuda golf's national championships must come down or they will cease to exist.

The child in this story is Bermuda golf and the village is Bermuda itself.

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