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Shaking up Golf – why on earth not?

I know a little about golf as a sport,I even play (very badly) occasionally – more of a social thing than an attempt at sporting glory, but I do know a fair bit about sport.

I'll never understand thought why someone, obviously some sort of brand doesn't explode the conventions of the sport. If you ask most young people what they think of golf they'd probably say, 'Boring' 'Elitist' 'Slow' 'Middle class' 'Old fashioned' 'For the country club' and 'not for someone like me'.

I know of course that cost of Golf makes it elitist, and brands make a fortune out of well off, paunchy men spending hundreds on equipment, not to mention the daft clothes – but imagine the volume out there with younger males.

Imagine if someone could make Golf cool? Like Nike did for tennis (trust me, in those days this was cool):

 


 

 

And there's still stuff like this….

Not forgetting the women….

 

 

Tennis was incredibly popular in the late seventies/early eighties. This tie-break did more for the game than anything else (1980)….

 

But it wasn't cool. It took some personalities and great communications ideas to make it thus.

Why doesn't someone do that for Golf? Why not champion a version of Golf that's inspiring? Why not champion a personality who people can identify with? And go beyond mere branding and DO stuff – authentically bring Golf to as many people as possible. In short, in authoritarian, conservative sport why not rebel?

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3 responses to “Shaking up Golf – why on earth not?”

  1. Rob Mortimer Avatar
    Rob Mortimer

    I guess nike started to try it by sponsoring Tiger Woods, as well as the odd magazine like Golf Punk.
    It’s a sport that is a bit too steeped in stuffiness and tradition. Not that those are inherently bad things, but I think it would be beneficial to the sport to open up more. (Look at what 20/20 has done for interest in cricket)

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  2. Will Avatar
    Will

    The reason it hasn’t opened more is because its appeal is (partly) elitist.
    It’s a sport which is incredibly expensive, and always will be – there are huge cost barriers to entry. Your example of tennis; most people can afford a racket. Learning to play golf, with lessons, lost balls, new clubs as people change/improve, is vastly expensive (believe me, I’ve spent thousands).
    I think more could be done to make a virtue of the players’ personalities, as it’s how a sport like that lives and dies (which is very much like tennis).
    The majority of golf’s revenue comes from people who have either made it, or play it as a status symbol. Now, by radically modernising it – would you kill the golden goose?
    (I’m not trying to pour water on this; I’ve played golf since I was 14, and love the sport, and wish, at times, it was less stuffy – I’m just not sure there is a silver bullet).

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  3. FertilAid for Women Avatar
    FertilAid for Women

    Great videos..thanks for sharing it…well, i love tennis so much..so enjoyable sport.

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