Alan, makes a good point about length of games. Rounds of golf played are suffering for the same reason.
I can attest to that fact. 18 holes takes too damn long. 9 holes, plus a stop off for lunch and a beer, is more ideal in my mind.
Imagine you could have a local microbrew right there on the course itself. You'd go ahead and play the back 9, wouldn't you?
I probably wouldn't. I don't like golf enough to consistently show up to play 18 on a regular basis. Golf is something I do with my friends who prefer golf when they want to hang out. I'd rather spend my time under the hood of my old truck, or hiking/running some trails somewhere. Or on the patio of a winery/brewery watching the world go by as I start into a second bottle of goodness. ;)