Should we switch?

That's the doubt consumers ask when they get letters or phone calls enlivening them to switch from their long-entrenched application and squeeze their electricity or gas from an different entity that promises big savings.

"I would like to save income on my electric bill, but the competing claims of several suppliers upset me," Joan Mach of Teaneck said. "I'm demure to leave the 'tried and true' PSEG, but want to reduce my electric bill.

"Any suggestions?"

Mach is not alone. Over the past year, third-party suppliers — TPS in attention shorthand — have been earnest big monthly assets while charity all sorts of incentives to get residential business to squeeze their electricity or gas from them.

All that is great. Who doesn't want to save 15 percent on the electric check — and to get 7,500 frequent-flier miles or a $75 Visa present label as a bonus?

But do you really want to dump your long-standing application association for who-knows-what?

The easy answer: "Don't worry." The companies soliciting your business have been vetted by the Board of Public Utilities and several are indeed groups of regulated utilities in their home states.

A harder question: "Should I?"

Under New Jersey law, the supply portions of your electric or healthy gas bills are distant from the smoothness portions, and only supply is up for grabs.

On the surface, the statistics are scary.

Golf in the United States suffered a net detriment of about 1 million players per year from 2007 to 2010 (about 3 million in and 4 million out each year), before cutting the decrease to 400,000 waste last year.

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More than 800 courses, mostly small, daily-fee facilities, sealed inhabitant from 2000-09, along with a record 157 closures in 2011.

Only 19 new courses non-stop opposite America last year, a continued improvement from the overgrowth of construction from 1986-2005, when more than 4,500 golf comforts were built inhabitant in expectation of a players’ bang that never occurred.

Combined, it might make you think that the ancient diversion is about to make a delayed but solid exodus from the face of the planet.

It isn’t that bad, yet. There are still 26.2 million golfers inhabitant assisting drive a $76 billion attention that employs 2 million workers, according to the National Golf Foundation. Worldwide, the diversion is flourishing at a quick gait in several Asian markets, quite China and India.

But like the ever-fluctuating batch market, golf in America has entered a time of adjustment. That’s a fact straightforwardly famous by guardians of the game, evidenced by the flurry of proposals they’ve released in the past 12 months. All are designed to spin the sport’s bearish retrogression into a bullish rebirth.

Inside this edition — The Post-Standard’s 15th annual Golf Guide — we’ll take a look at many of the suggestions to make the diversion more beguiling for recreational golfers and beginners.

The ideas operation from the sublime: enlivening normal hackers to “Tee It Forward” by relocating up a set up tees rather than back to championship markers; to the ridiculous: swelling the golf hole from 4.25 inches in hole to a cavernous 15 inches. The most advantageous proposals are directed at attracting new players with cost-friendly packages of lessons and introducing youngsters to the diversion while they are still in class propagandize — and before they have selected to take up other time-consuming sports.

Call it Golf 2.0, a tenure being waved by the PGA of America in the latest grow-the-game initiative, but one that also can ring suggestions made by The First Tee and golf icons Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. If lofty goals are met, the United States could have 40 million golfers — 10 million more than the rise in 2003 and 14 million more than it has now — by 2020, pronounced Malone Golf Club conduct pro Derek Sprague, the PGA of America’s secretary and designated inhabitant boss for the 2015-16 term, when golf will turn an Olympic sport.

While daunting, if you look at total prepared for the PGA in a Boston Consulting Group study, it positively seems probable to at slightest stop the bleeding.

“The investigate shows that there are 90 million people who have played the diversion at one point,” Sprague pronounced during the new Central New York PGA open meeting. “The investigate asked these folks if they were meddlesome in personification again, and 61 million pronounced they were.”

The big doubt is, what will move them back?

Basically, more fun in a shorter volume of time, Sprague said.

Many quit the diversion for the apparent reasons. It takes too long to play. There are too many other time-swallowing family commitments with children’s activities. The game’s too difficult. The rules, the courses and the custom at some comforts are too intimidating. The probability of annoyance is too likely. The cost for a private membership can’t be fit when members “do the math” and learn that their 20 rounds per year results in profitable $200 per turn for a $4,000 annual fee.

Sprague and others are assured that many of these obstacles can be addressed by providing affordable instruction to beginners to cut down on their training curve, cutting courses, not insisting that a turn of golf be 18 holes, pitching golf as a family sport, and holding a more loose perspective about the manners with beginners.

In essence, plead reforms to make a slow-paced outdoor diversion a bit faster, a bit more fun and a bit more in balance with today’s universe of evident gratification.

Critics might disagree that it’s just an try to reticent down a diversion that never appealed to more than 11 percent of the race at the rise (30.6 million U.S. golfers in 2003). Proponents, like Sprague, opposite that tortuous tradition a bit to secure the destiny is value it.

Only time — changed time — will tell if golf’s decrease (or correction) will continue.

Chris Wagner can be reached at 470-3036 or cwagner@syracuse.com

After my first turn of the deteriorate in early March, we had a Facebook discuss with an old crony who had accompanied me to Scotland some 30 years ago during an agenda-less, month-long merriment that resulted in personification St. Andrews’ Jubilee Course one noted afternoon.

My contention of my new turn overwhelmed not at all on my shots or score. Instead, we wrote about the consternation of personification golf in such good conditions so early in March. The beauty of saying two hawks floating in flapless flight. The philharmonic of eyeing a soft-pawed fox as he quizzically eyed me from the corner of the woods. The never-tiring sovereignty of how vast and how bright-star white a golf round appears opposite a blue sky blank of humidity.

“It was just a pleasing day to be on the golf course,” we wrote.

My crony now shot back, “This is entrance from a man who once said, ‘The only pretty things on a golf course are birdies and pars.’”

Well, obviously, the middle-age decrease of my diversion has altered what we conclude about golf. But at slightest we still suffer it (most of the time).

That positively isn’t the box with millions of over golfers, who have given up the diversion over the years for such reasons as miss of time, miss of fun and miss of viewed party value. Since 2003, the number of players in the United States has forsaken from 30.6 million to 26.2 million.

Many consternation presumably the tailspin is negligence or has just begun. Continued mercantile struggles don’t assistance matters, but there is a distant more worrisome cause at play for golf than affordable greens fees (which you’ll find are very affordable in Central New York by the annuity of 18-hole greens fees that are still underneath $20).

No, golf’s biggest competition streamer into the destiny is not a cost point but the ever-accelerating enlightenment of present gratification. “Right now” is no longer discerning enough for a universe driven by an Internet pacemaker set to manic mode. That mindset is the discord of what is indispensable to suffer personification a process and formidable outdoor diversion that final long stretches of calm and humility.

In truth, golf has never been an activity enjoyed by everyone. And it really isn’t an acquired taste, but rather a adore at first sight. You presumably immediately turn feeling with spasmodic being means to make the round go distant and where you want it to go, or you fast establish that you’d like a sport, diversion or hobby that offers more coherence and control.

That said, those once soothing by golf can positively acquire a antipathy for it. Endless 5½-hour weekend rounds on courses clearly set up for the last 18 holes of a U.S. Open can do that, generally when there are more dire family duties available at home.

Addressing those problems is a big idea of golf’s stewards, who have due mixed initiatives in the past 12 months to give the diversion a boost. Some are sound (like enlivening people to play brazen tees), some are interesting, but presumably formidable to exercise (like 12-hole rounds) and some are officious crazy (like supersized golf holes).

The best gamble is to simply deliver the diversion to as many people — generally children — as possible. If story shows us anything, it’s that a tolerable commission of newcomers will tumble in adore with the lifelong diversion and continue to find something pleasing enough on the course to move them back — even if their pars have incited into admiring the soothing paws of a fox and their birdies have morphed into hawks.

Landscaping can boost your skill value by up to 12.7 percent, according to a 2007 paper by Virginia Tech horticulturalist Alex Niemiera that brought together investigate from the prior decade.

What will put your gardening dollar to best use? Here's what the experts recommend.

It's the first Sunday in May, boys and girls, and you know what that means.

At least, if you play golf and you've been around these tools for a few years you know what it means — it's Publinx Open time.

For the 53rd time, more than 240 players will accumulate on the golfing drift of Forest Park on Sunday to control the unaccepted opener of the St. Louis golf season. The first celebration of 5 will conduct on the way at 6:05 a.m., the last will try out around 1:45 p.m. Among them will be 42 pros, 92 seniors and 106 amateurs. Course superintendent Chad Carpenter has the Norman K. Probstein trickery in rise form.

"I've never seen the golf course better this time of year," contest executive John Kueper said.

Goals for the day will vary, from winning a esteem or winning a gamble to not using out of golf balls. The Publinx isn't so much a tradition as it is a existence show.

"There was the time a few years ago when a man was in the center of his backswing on the hole along Skinker," Kueper recalled. "All of a sudden, tires squealed and — bang! — a automobile collision took place right there by him.

"Of course, the man made an awful swing, almost missed the turn entirely. And he looked at the central and asked, 'I do get to strike that shot over, don't I?' They called me for a ruling. we said, 'Uh ... no, don't think that difference is in the order book.' Those are the kind of things that occur on a unchanging basement at the Park."

The contest has a discernible purpose. It raises supports to support a internal qualifier's outing to the U.S. Public Links Championship, which will be hold in Utah this summer. There also are purses involved, $1,200 for the professionals, present certificates for amateurs, bragging rights for the rest. And when the turn is over, there are red hots, beverages and camaraderie, the things that matter most.

The common golf notables will be on hand. Edwardsville pro Mike Suhre, who has won the veteran side of the contest 6 of the past 8 years, will be a favorite. Bob Gaus, a 14-time Publinx champion, also is in the mix.

Amateurs will embody long-lived contenders such as Phil Caravia, Pat Reardon and Craig "Count" Hardcastle. Among the seniors, dignitaries such as Terry Tessary, Don Bliss and Scott Thomas will tee it up. In between there will be fathers and sons, group and women, friends and rivals, good players and — well, eager players.

"We have such a cross-section of players," Kueper said. "We have guys who have groups that played in it for 35 years, the same people. We have territory pros and pros who aren't dependent with the territory at all. We have amateurs who want to play with their buddies, blemish players with 20-handicappers, you name it."

It's the first Sunday in May, boys and girls, and you know what that means.

At least, if you play golf and you've been around these tools for a few years you know what it means — it's Publinx Open time.

For the 53rd time, more than 240 players will accumulate on the golfing drift of Forest Park on Sunday to control the unaccepted opener of the St. Louis golf season. The first celebration of 5 will conduct on the way at 6:05 a.m., the last will try out around 1:45 p.m. Among them will be 42 pros, 92 seniors and 106 amateurs. Course superintendent Chad Carpenter has the Norman K. Probstein trickery in rise form.

"I've never seen the golf course better this time of year," contest executive John Kueper said.

Goals for the day will vary, from winning a esteem or winning a gamble to not using out of golf balls. The Publinx isn't so much a tradition as it is a existence show.

"There was the time a few years ago when a man was in the center of his backswing on the hole along Skinker," Kueper recalled. "All of a sudden, tires squealed and — bang! — a automobile collision took place right there by him.

"Of course, the man made an awful swing, almost missed the turn entirely. And he looked at the central and asked, 'I do get to strike that shot over, don't I?' They called me for a ruling. we said, 'Uh ... no, don't think that difference is in the order book.' Those are the kind of things that occur on a unchanging basement at the Park."

The contest has a discernible purpose. It raises supports to support a internal qualifier's outing to the U.S. Public Links Championship, which will be hold in Utah this summer. There also are purses involved, $1,200 for the professionals, present certificates for amateurs, bragging rights for the rest. And when the turn is over, there are red hots, beverages and camaraderie, the things that matter most.

The common golf notables will be on hand. Edwardsville pro Mike Suhre, who has won the veteran side of the contest 6 of the past 8 years, will be a favorite. Bob Gaus, a 14-time Publinx champion, also is in the mix.

Amateurs will embody long-lived contenders such as Phil Caravia, Pat Reardon and Craig "Count" Hardcastle. Among the seniors, dignitaries such as Terry Tessary, Don Bliss and Scott Thomas will tee it up. In between there will be fathers and sons, group and women, friends and rivals, good players and — well, eager players.

"We have such a cross-section of players," Kueper said. "We have guys who have groups that played in it for 35 years, the same people. We have territory pros and pros who aren't dependent with the territory at all. We have amateurs who want to play with their buddies, blemish players with 20-handicappers, you name it."

Stephanie Anne Kantis isn't your standard businesswoman. She doesn't have a five-year plan. She doesn't know if her business will look the same in a few years. And she isn't fearful to stone the boat.

The 1986 Ladue Horton Watkins High School grad, who now lives in Dallas, has a thriving, heterogeneous small business that ranges from home furnishings to high-end jewelry.

She started her career conceptualizing her possess line of cribs.

Most entrepreneurs quarrel to get something off the ground, and if they are sanctified with success they seat down and solve to keep that business going until retirement or . . . a multimillion-dollar buyout. Few cause dullness into the equation.

"I don't even know the judgment of staying the same," Kantis pronounced during a new revisit to deliver the valuables line in St. Louis. "I don't know life or how to live other than to change."

Change, learn, grow, adapt, explore, enjoy.

Kantis, 44, pronounced that a healthy oddity creates life value living.

And she's a vital covenant to the fact that carrying one success doesn't lessen your possibility of subsequent somewhere else.

Some people have the misperception that lightning, or rather good fortune, doesn't strike twice. But for Kantis, success follows good intentions.

She began her career by specializing in upscale children's furniture. Her disdainful crib designs and furnishings fast became prohibited commodities, and she stretched easily into conceptualizing and production bedding and accessories.

Kantis launched her first store in 1996. Stephanie Anne Room to Grow debuted in Dallas. It was a trendsetter years before there was a Pottery Barn Kids.

In 1998, she non-stop a second store in Houston.

By 1999 she was distributing the Stephanie Anne Room to Grow Collections through her possess catalog and one of the first baby seat and bed linen sites on the web.

Her indiscriminate placement bend began in 1999 as well. By 2001, she had more than 50 employees and was offered millions of dollars in sell annually.

But notwithstanding the accolades, and even a healthy luminary clientele, she couldn't assistance but tinker and change.

First accessories, lamps and musical items; then linens; then adult linens, then clothing, then high-end jewelry.

And just to assure you that the valuables is every bit as innovative as her past interior décor items, she recently got the stamp of capitulation from Neiman Marcus. The dialect store is carrying her Kaleidoscope valuables line online and in 14 stores, including the Plaza Frontenac plcae in St. Louis.

"I started valuables as a hobby, to relax, but shortly it's all we wanted to do," Kantis said. She calls her creations "mini-sculptures."

Her equipment are made of bronze, hand-dipped in 24-carat bullion and ornate with semi-precious stones. Her signature hooks and clasps are easy closures scripted from her initials "S" and "A." The outcome is valuables that's musical and versatile. The designs concede wearers to modify the object from choker to necklace, bracelets or belt.

And the match attracts shave onto the sequence for easy switches.

Her inspirations are Chanel meets Queen Elizabeth I. She was beguiled by the stately wealth of the Tudors.

Her line includes a value trove of showstopping pieces: vast sculpted pendants, cuffs and cocktail rings made of semi-precious stones and color-infused crystal. Her line ranges in cost from $125 for stout teardrop hoop earrings to $1,795 for a multi-stone climax ring that looks estimable of a queen's portrait.

Kantis knew it was time to pierce on from seat when she got wearied with normal youthful colors and began conceptualizing cribs flashy with black and velvet. She was longing something more mature.

She pronounced her business have grown accustomed to her experiments. Kantis pronounced that the "why'd you change blah, blah, blah" is not uncommon.

Her response is, "why not."

"Everyone is used to new things, the new iPhone, the new this, the new that, the new subsequent gadget, so because not give them something new" and let them confirm if they like it, Kantis said.

Still, she hasn't carried youthful seat products for 8 years and business ramble into her stores daily to ask for them. That's good news for the resale marketplace — she's beheld a arise in prices on her automobile cribs sole second-hand. Even her furnishings were putrescent with the same suggestion of change and adaptability.

She binds a number of patents for her cribs and children's beds that adjust as a child grows; they have fanciful headboards or side play so that they not only enhance in size but also easily modify from pinkish polka dots for a lady to blue for a baby boy.

So distant as Kantis is concerned, her business practices are not about changing for change's sake. She's creation room for herself and others to grow.

She sells what she likes, when she likes.

She pronounced she couldn't have illusory building a lifestyle pattern mini-empire.

And next? She'd like to pattern a automobile — a limited-edition automobile Porsche to be exact.