How has golf stayed relevant in the modern day?

John Johnson

How has golf stayed relevant in the modern day?

Golf has a long standing reputation of being a snobby rich person sport. This is mainly due to the fact that it is heavily rooted in tradition and formalities. For a very long time, the game of golf has resisted change as much as possible due to it having such an aged community which had no desire to make any improvements to the game and to keep following traditions. Recently, however, this has begun to change. A lot of this is due to the PGA (Players Golf Association) making significant changes to the format and play styles of tournaments. There have also been many efforts by professional players to garner more interest in the sport and make it more accessible to new players who otherwise may not have been willing to try the game. Golf has significantly gained popularity in the past five to ten years due to these golfers going on social media and building up a large following, new developments in the game’s technology, as well as several successful youth outreach programs.

The first reason for golf gaining so much popularity in the past five to ten years has been the significant increase in popularity of golfers on social media. These include pro players such as Ian Poulter and Tiger Woods. There are also several non-professional golfers who have amassed a large social media following such as Rick Shiels, Grant Horvat, and Garrett Clark. “Social media provides athletes with a powerful platform for communication directly with fans and the public” (Social Media in Sports). Social media can be used in a plethora of ways including but not limited to putting one’s name out to the public and gaining popularity as well as expressing one’s beliefs. Having athletes use social media in such a way can have a positive impact on a sport when used in the right way. However, there are several risks to this. For example, if an athlete says something that is controversial online it can bring a lot of negative attention to the sport which can be detrimental for a fan base. In the case of the popular youtuber and golf coach Rick Shiels, he uses his platform to not only teach new players about the game but also to make the game more accessible to these new players. He has a Facebook following of one million two hundred thousand followers who regularly watch and interact with his content. Rick Shiels has said that “he hopes to make the community more inclusive and welcoming to all types of people” who want to learn how to play golf. This is a very stark contrast to how the game has been previously as before, it has been a game that you either are or are not able to play due to various factors such as wealth and skill. What Rick Shiels does may seem like it does not help very much, it certainly attracts many new players to the game each year and has been a major factor in how golf has been catching up to other sports which are more acclimated to the new digital era. Another very popular social media presence is a group called Good Good. This is a group made up of six friends who make fun videos and post them online. They have one million one hundred thousand subscribers as of March fifth twenty twenty-three. Although they do not actively try to recruit players to try golf, they undoubtedly have done so indirectly. This is because the content that they put out is very different from the majority of golf genre media in that they try to make the game more fun and less serious. This makes the content more appealing towards newer, usually younger players. This new type of golf media is incredibly important for keeping the game relevant with the incredible importance of social media and technology in today’s world. The group also has a line of golf merchandise which is designed by a younger generation. This means that players also have a way of playing the game while not wearing the typical golfers style which consists of a collared shirt, khakis, and a hat. While this may seem trivial, this is a large step in the right direction because it without doubt manages to keep the game more relevant, especially to the younger generations. Social media is an incredibly important tool for athletes and sports organizations to use correctly since it can bring a lot of attention to the sport, either positive or negative.

Furthermore, golf has continued to stay relevant in the modern day by developing new technologies that make the game more accessible and interesting to watch. Over the years, one of the biggest tournaments in golf, The Masters, has had very strict rules on the rights to televise and broadcast the tournament. The tournament, which was first held in March of nineteen thirty four, did not have television coverage of any single complete eighteen hole round until two thousand and two. This is because of how incredibly strict the committee that runs the tournament is about keeping it prestigious and upholding traditions. Recently, however, there have been some major changes to this. These begin with The Masters being one of the first live sports to be broadcast in 4K. Furthermore, they developed a new shot tracer technology to keep track of and monitor the flight of the ball in the air to make the viewing experience more enjoyable. These new developments have allowed the sport to adjust to the changes going on with technology and help keep the sport relevant. In addition to this, the golf equipment has begun to make revolutionary changes to the gear. These include making clubs that are significantly easier to hit than traditional players irons. For context, the three types of irons that golfers can use include game-improvement, cavity back, players irons, and blades. Game improvement clubs are designed solely for new players who are not able to consistently make good contact with the ball and are made with the most forgiveness possible while sacrificing control. They “are designed for maximum forgiveness and feature wider soles, larger profiles, and fast faces to help minimize distance loss caused by shots not hit on the center of the face” (7 New Game-Improvement Irons to Stripe Every Shot). Cavity back and players irons are both designed to give players a little bit of forgiveness while regaining a little bit of control over the ball flight. Lastly, blades are without doubt the most difficult type of iron to hit since a strike anywhere other than the exact center of the face will lead to an errant shot. Recently there have been a number of brands that have been focusing on their game-improvement irons in order to appeal to the less talented players. These game improvement clubs are also made in order to help players improve their game (like the name suggests) and in doing so, allows these players to slowly but surely begin hitting better shots and, in doing so, allows them to have more fun while playing golf. This allows the game to stay relevant because even though it is still difficult, it makes it so that more people can have fun playing the game.

Lastly, golf has continued to stay relevant due to its incredibly successful outreach towards younger players. This is a very important thing for every sport to do well as it is what will get more people interested in the sport for a longer period of time. One such program that welcomes younger players to the game is called Youth on Course. Youth on Course is a program for “kids 19 years old and under to play golf for only five dollars a round” if it is after a certain time. This incredible program is very important to many people as it allows children to play golf more affordably. It does not completely eliminate the cost of playing as clubs, balls, and travel are all quite expensive. This program is available at almost every public golf course on the west coast and all one has to do to confirm this is to call and ask the pro shop at the course. Additionally, the Players Golf Association has a junior league for golfers under the age of eighteen. The junior league “is a fun, social, game changing opportunity for boys and girls…to learn and play the game of golf” (PGA Jr. League). This league is a very important part of keeping youth interested in golf and sports in general. This is because it adds a competitive aspect to the game of golf while still keeping it fun. Every year, there is a PGA Jr. Championship that is played by the top junior golfers who participated in the PGA Jr. League throughout the year. In two thousand and twenty-three, this championship tournament was played at the prestigious golf resort Bandon Dunes in Bandon Oregon. This allowed players to experience a very competitive atmosphere and develop both their skills and themselves by participating in the tournament. Lastly the Youth Golfers Outreach Program has dedicated themselves to creating a more inclusive environment in the community of golf. “The Youth Golfers Outreach Program a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to helping the youth of today develop into the most healthy, positive citizens and community leaders of tomorrow” (Youth Golfers Outreach Program). This organization, founded in two thousand, works very hard to change the culture of golf and make it more welcoming to new players. They also work hard to decrease the childhood obesity rate which, as of right now, is above 57% according to a Harvard study done in May of twenty seventeen and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This rate is significantly higher than any other country in the world and has to do primarily with the American diet as well as a sedentary lifestyle. The Youth Golfers Outreach Program works hard to change this by not only helping children to be more active in their daily lives by playing golf, but also by teaching these children about nutrition and how to be healthy. For these reasons, it is abundantly clear that it is important that golf and sports in general stay relevant in order to make the country healthier. These programs have also clearly been instrumental in keeping golf relevant as the youth outreach programs bring a new generation of players to the sport and, in doing so, allow it to remain popular for generations to come.

In conclusion, golf has remained a relevant and popular sport due to successful social media personalities, new developments in technology, and successful youth outreach programs. These all keep the game relevant by attracting new players and by satisfying the old players. Despite seeming like a trivial thing, it is actually very important because playing golf is very good for one’s mental and physical health. An increase in athletes is good for everyone overall because it increases the overall health of the population. Studies show that “athletes have lower rates of heart disease, stroke, and smoking related cancers. It is important for golf and other sports to stay relevant and popular in order to maintain a healthy population of athletes and prevent health issues that are related to having a sedentary lifestyle.

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