Golf reached its peak of popularity 15 years ago  because of critical mass, baby boomers. I'm a boomer and even though all my children were introduced to golf to give them a break from hockey, I suspect none will play as adults. Cost is an issue and the time needed to play is another. 
If the Gatekeepers of golf want to stop the decline of the game then find a way to lessen the costs and speed up play. There are some real pedantic rules in golf that really bother me. I play a lot of tournaments and when I hand in my scorecard I don't sign it until the people collecting scorecards add it up. It cost Roberto Di Vicenzo the Masters back in the late 60's because his score was  incorrect. He didn't do it on purpose, he was trying to win a tournament. Cheating is wrong, like in the case of Donald Trump. He always cheats because he owns the course. But for the rest of us make the game enjoyable.