Olympic Golfing - Your Thoughts

[GolfSpy_APH]

Saw this article today when going through my feed - https://www.golfdigest.com/story/brooks-koepka-adam-scott-tyrrell-hatton-summer-olympics-2024

Kinda got me thinking. I am a big fan of the Olympics and enjoy when it is in. That said I don't care much about the Olympics when it comes to golf. It seems misplaced and a weird sport to be part of the Olympics. 

I do think it deserves a spot, but maybe it is the format or something else. Just seems like an awkward sport compared to many others.

That's just my line of thinking, what's yours?

[GolfSpy_APH]

Funny this came up as well. Does this add to the intrigue?

[Northern Monkey]

I’m of a similar mindset, like the olympics but not sure golf suits it. Don’t know why, it just doesn’t seem to fit with the other sports that are included

[RickyBobby_PR]

6 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Saw this article today when going through my feed - https://www.golfdigest.com/story/brooks-koepka-adam-scott-tyrrell-hatton-summer-olympics-2024

Kinda got me thinking. I am a big fan of the Olympics and enjoy when it is in. That said I don't care much about the Olympics when it comes to golf. It seems misplaced and a weird sport to be part of the Olympics. 

I do think it deserves a spot, but maybe it is the format or something else. Just seems like an awkward sport compared to many others.

That's just my line of thinking, what's yours?

Well there’s two different bmx riding events and mountain bike event. Theres break dancing. Skateboarding to name a few non tradition events.

The format is the same a regular tournament. When it’s comes to the Olympics you can’t have a proper team format like the Ryder/president cup due to the lack of available golfers in the smaller countries and it would be against the Olympic spirit by saying those single golfers can’t  play because it’s a team event.

The Olympics is a showcase of athletes from around the world. Competing in the same format for how golf is played makes sense. The format for how other sports are generally played doesn’t change. We don’t change how swimming competitions are done in the Olympics from all other swimming competitions because it’s the Olympics. Track and field doesn’t change.

 

[Rob Person]

I believe I mentioned something about this awhile back in a "where do you see golf moving to" type of topic.

I'm all for it. As long as its isolated from PRO players/tour players.

[GolfSpy_APH]

18 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Well there’s two different bmx riding events and mountain bike event. Theres break dancing. Skateboarding to name a few non tradition events.

The format is the same a regular tournament. When it’s comes to the Olympics you can’t have a proper team format like the Ryder/president cup due to the lack of available golfers in the smaller countries and it would be against the Olympic spirit by saying those single golfers can’t  play because it’s a team event.

The Olympics is a showcase of athletes from around the world. Competing in the same format for how golf is played makes sense. The format for how other sports are generally played doesn’t change. We don’t change how swimming competitions are done in the Olympics from all other swimming competitions because it’s the Olympics. Track and field doesn’t change.

 

It was also at one time meant for amateurs only not professionals. 

There are a ton of weird sports involved - not disagreeing with you there. Just stating my own thoughts on it feeling misplaced I guess? As are others. 

[funkyjudge]

7 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Saw this article today when going through my feed - https://www.golfdigest.com/story/brooks-koepka-adam-scott-tyrrell-hatton-summer-olympics-2024

Kinda got me thinking. I am a big fan of the Olympics and enjoy when it is in. That said I don't care much about the Olympics when it comes to golf. It seems misplaced and a weird sport to be part of the Olympics. 

I do think it deserves a spot, but maybe it is the format or something else. Just seems like an awkward sport compared to many others.

That's just my line of thinking, what's yours?

I love that golf has been put back in the Olympics and have no problem with it being there.  Of course, I have also seriously decreased my Olympics viewing activity over the past couple of decades, but I will watch some of the golf coverage and certain track & field events, but that's about it for the Summer Olympics.

[RickyBobby_PR]

3 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

I believe I mentioned something about this awhile back in a "where do you see golf moving to" type of topic.

I'm all for it. As long as its isolated from PRO players/tour players.

 

1 minute ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

It was also at one time meant for amateurs only not professionals. 

There are a ton of weird sports involved - not disagreeing with you there. Just stating my own thoughts on it feeling misplaced I guess? As are others. 

Nobody wants to watch a bunch of amateurs, mid level talent play in any of the sports. Fans want recognizable names, they want to see the best perform at the sport. Outside of events like basketball and baseball that were using amateurs all the other sports were sending the best of the best to participate. Those other sports like track and field, swimming, etc we got to see those athletes perform on at various competitions throughout the years in between each Olympics, then we get to see them at Olympic trials and qualifying events.

Really wasn’t the case with basketball and baseball. You were getting college athletes going against the best athletes from other countries whether they were pros or at the elite level.

Almost like the world baseball classic. The U.S. sends some top names but most aren’t the best of them best meanwhile the other countries send their best. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

5 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

 

Nobody wants to watch a bunch of amateurs, mid level talent play in any of the sports. Fans want recognizable names, they want to see the best perform at the sport. Outside of events like basketball and baseball that were using amateurs all the other sports were sending the best of the best to participate. Those other sports like track and field, swimming, etc we got to see those athletes perform on at various competitions throughout the years in between each Olympics, then we get to see them at Olympic trials and qualifying events.

Really wasn’t the case with basketball and baseball. You were getting college athletes going against the best athletes from other countries whether they were pros or at the elite level.

Almost like the world baseball classic. The U.S. sends some top names but most aren’t the best of them best meanwhile the other countries send their best. 

I'll push back there - yes it is great to see the best in the world. But we already (kinda) see that in golf. I would be much more invested in countries and team competition and playing for your country with that pride and enthusiasm on the line. I guess that is what makes the olympics special or more enjoyable to me is it is so much more than the individual athlete and more about the country itself. 

I just simply wouldn't use a blanket statement like that because it's simply too general. 

[Bruce newman]

Golf is not an Olympic sport, and it’s not even close.

[Wheelieb]

22 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I'll push back there - yes it is great to see the best in the world. But we already (kinda) see that in golf. I would be much more invested in countries and team competition and playing for your country with that pride and enthusiasm on the line. I guess that is what makes the olympics special or more enjoyable to me is it is so much more than the individual athlete and more about the country itself. 

I just simply wouldn't use a blanket statement like that because it's simply too general. 

I’m going to have to agree with this here. Almost every weekend we see the best in the world playing tournaments. Rarely do we get to see the guys that are fighting to make the pga tour that are in the Korn ferry tour or even the Q school. I think it was cool the pga gave the YouTube golfers a route to play in a pga event. They, besides the Bryan brothers, are technically amateurs. I’d much rather see the amateurs play in the Olympic Games for golf at least. There are some sports that it just doesn’t matter who is an amateur or pro in the games like the bmx events or even the track and field events. 

[Preeway]

To me, there is just too much being added to the Olympics outside of the traditional sports. I have no interest in BMX or skateboarding. Those were better suited to the X games and I really enjoyed watching the X Games. As for golf, I’m kinda split. I’m not sure it belongs in the Olympics but if it’s there, I’d rather see it as an amateur event. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I'll push back there - yes it is great to see the best in the world. But we already (kinda) see that in golf. I would be much more invested in countries and team competition and playing for your country with that pride and enthusiasm on the line. I guess that is what makes the olympics special or more enjoyable to me is it is so much more than the individual athlete and more about the country itself. 

I just simply wouldn't use a blanket statement like that because it's simply too general. 

The largest viewing audience for professional golf is in the United States.

The Olympics are watched by the entire world. It brings more eyes to the sport, it can inspire someone who wasn’t interested before to take up the sport and helps grow the game.

Showcasing the best golfers at the Olympics does that. Showcasing a bunch of college kids not so much.

It’s the same with the world games. The viewership for those is worldwide. The attention the Olympics and world games brings to loads is underestimated by many. Theres a reason the IPF is working hard to get powerlifting in the Olympics. There’s excitement for raw powerlifting being added to the world games along with equipped powerlifting. There are athletes around the world who are working hard to qualify for the world games. It’s game changing for the athlete and the sport. 
 

Not to mention from a financial perspective those with the broadcasting rights want to draw viewership, recognizable names do that, the Olympic committee wants eyes on the product. 

[Rob Person]

2 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

 

Nobody wants to watch a bunch of amateurs, mid level talent play in any of the sports. Fans want recognizable names, they want to see the best perform at the sport. Outside of events like basketball and baseball that were using amateurs all the other sports were sending the best of the best to participate. Those other sports like track and field, swimming, etc we got to see those athletes perform on at various competitions throughout the years in between each Olympics, then we get to see them at Olympic trials and qualifying events.

Really wasn’t the case with basketball and baseball. You were getting college athletes going against the best athletes from other countries whether they were pros or at the elite level.

Almost like the world baseball classic. The U.S. sends some top names but most aren’t the best of them best meanwhile the other countries send their best. 

We already ha e several platforms for thr bedt of the best. What about those high school/ collegiate level athletes that didn't have the opportunity to showcase their talents at a pro level.  

Yes, other countries will have their best out there. But will they be using the ones already on a pro tour?

[GolfSpy_APH]

1 minute ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

The largest viewing audience for professional golf is in the United States.

The Olympics are watched by the entire world. It brings more eyes to the sport, it can inspire someone who wasn’t interested before to take up the sport and helps grow the game.

Showcasing the best golfers at the Olympics does that. Showcasing a bunch of college kids not so much.

It’s the same with the world games. The viewership for those is worldwide. The attention the Olympics and world games brings to loads is underestimated by many. Theres a reason the IPF is working hard to get powerlifting in the Olympics. There’s excitement for raw powerlifting being added to the world games along with equipped powerlifting. There are athletes around the world who are working hard to qualify for the world games. It’s game changing for the athlete and the sport. 
 

Not to mention from a financial perspective those with the broadcasting rights want to draw viewership, recognizable names do that, the Olympic committee wants eyes on the product. 

Not disputing that - just saying hard to agree with blanket statements like the one you did. 

Hockey has still done really well when NHL players were taken out of the equation. Curling is the most televised sport in the winter olympics and they are the only sport to be shown every day of the event, but even they adapted to make or get a discipline in that was more digestible for casual viewers. 

I don't disagree golf should be a part of it, it's more I just don't feel the need for there to be the same standard 72 stroke play when they can do something a lot more special to attract more viewers. Kinda like the Ryder cup. I think golf can do better, be better to more in a special event like the Olympics. 

[ILMgolfnut]

39 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Not disputing that - just saying hard to agree with blanket statements like the one you did. 

Hockey has still done really well when NHL players were taken out of the equation. Curling is the most televised sport in the winter olympics and they are the only sport to be shown every day of the event, but even they adapted to make or get a discipline in that was more digestible for casual viewers. 

I don't disagree golf should be a part of it, it's more I just don't feel the need for there to be the same standard 72 stroke play when they can do something a lot more special to attract more viewers. Kinda like the Ryder cup. I think golf can do better, be better to more in a special event like the Olympics. 

NHL will be back in the next Winter Olympics.

A lot of people treat amateurism as some exalted ideal. They forget why it was created: Rich Europeans didn't want to be competing against commoners, they wanted to compete against other elites. So they rigged the rules to make it much more difficult for those who aren't born wealthy. That's why the Olympics were amateur. The IOC finally got over that about 30 years ago. It took the NCAA 30 years longer, and they're still kicking and screaming as the federal courts drag them into the 21st Century.

As for golf as an Olympic sport, I can take it or leave it, but it was fun watching Xander and Nelly win it in Tokyo. I agree that too many weird sports have been added, but it's also true that the Olympics need to change with the times or lose relevance to the generations that will be watching when you and I are long gone.

Edited March 30 by ILMgolfnut

[TJ Hall]

Not sure it does much for me…much rather watch a major.

Overall though, do enjoy watching the Olympics and sports that I typically wouldn’t normally watch.

[Dcfrench3]

I believe the Olympics are great for having countries compete with each other in sports in a way that brings the world together. Sports have been continually added to the Olympics since it's start and I don't see why golf shouldn't be included.  It just brings more people into the fold. It's a time to appreciate masterful talents around the world at any level as long as you are good enough.

[excourse]

I love the Olympics, and one of the main reasons is that it's a showcase for amateur sports. Professionals in any sport don't belong there, neither do people who live in one country representing another.

[KC Golf]

3 hours ago, Bruce newman said:

Golf is not an Olympic sport, and it’s not even close.

I totally disagree.  There are lots of reasons to have golf in the Olympics.  It has more merit as an Olympic sport more than many that have been introduced to the Olympics over the past 10-12 years. 

Unlike LIV, I think the case can be made that Golf in the Olympics is actually growing the spot. 

Women’s and Mixed tournaments are great for Women's golf too. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

2 hours ago, Rob Person said:

We already ha e several platforms for thr bedt of the best. What about those high school/ collegiate level athletes that didn't have the opportunity to showcase their talents at a pro level.  

Yes, other countries will have their best out there. But will they be using the ones already on a pro tour?

Again from a viewing perspective for professional sports there isn’t an audience for sports like baseball and golf. But when it comes to the Olympics the audience grows by a lot. The entire world is watching the Olympics even for sports they wouldn’t watch outside of the Olympics. It helps the Olympics and the various sports to have the best of the best from each country competing. It’s to showcase the sport. Nobody is watching to see some college kids compete. You don’t grow your sport internationally with amateurs. It doesn’t matter the sport people want to see the elite of the sport. I am heavily involved in powerlifting. Live streams for non elite competitions get very little views. The high level with the best of the Blbest competing get tens of thousands of view and in some cases like the Sheffield gets hundreds of thousands.

 

For Olympic golf you have to have a world ranking to qualify so yes it would be the ones on the professional level. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Not disputing that - just saying hard to agree with blanket statements like the one you did. 

Hockey has still done really well when NHL players were taken out of the equation. Curling is the most televised sport in the winter olympics and they are the only sport to be shown every day of the event, but even they adapted to make or get a discipline in that was more digestible for casual viewers. 

I don't disagree golf should be a part of it, it's more I just don't feel the need for there to be the same standard 72 stroke play when they can do something a lot more special to attract more viewers. Kinda like the Ryder cup. I think golf can do better, be better to more in a special event like the Olympics. 

You are using sports that are much more popular world wide than golf is. Golf is very much centered with popularity  in a few countries.

those sports are also team sports by design where golf isn’t a team sport. Those sports have enough participation to be able to have equal amount of participants for each sport. You can’t have a team event when most countries can only field a single person if they are lucky. You can’t put country a and country b together on a team.

 

[Raymond Wagoner]

I think it's a good thing very enjoyable to see the best in world competing for gold 

[Wheelieb]

The original Olympic sports included running, long jump, shot put, javelin, boxing, pankration and equestrian. Adding events for sports for the games gives more and more people a spotlight. Having college, Korn ferry, or Q School players competing instead of pga players  would make it more about them. This is obviously my opinion. But I saw someone talk about curling. Let’s get one thing clear, I will never not watch curling during the winter games. Probably the most intense non hitting sport you could watch. 

[Jim Shaw]

21 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Saw this article today when going through my feed - https://www.golfdigest.com/story/brooks-koepka-adam-scott-tyrrell-hatton-summer-olympics-2024

Kinda got me thinking. I am a big fan of the Olympics and enjoy when it is in. That said I don't care much about the Olympics when it comes to golf. It seems misplaced and a weird sport to be part of the Olympics. 

I do think it deserves a spot, but maybe it is the format or something else. Just seems like an awkward sport compared to many others.

That's just my line of thinking, what's yours?

The Olympics will reach a world wide audience, hopefully it will appeal to a few of them that aren't already golfers. A different format may be the answer...

[RickyBobby_PR]

11 hours ago, Wheelieb said:

The original Olympic sports included running, long jump, shot put, javelin, boxing, pankration and equestrian. Adding events for sports for the games gives more and more people a spotlight. Having college, Korn ferry, or Q School players competing instead of pga players  would make it more about them. This is obviously my opinion. But I saw someone talk about curling. Let’s get one thing clear, I will never not watch curling during the winter games. Probably the most intense non hitting sport you could watch. 

While the Olympics is somewhat about the athlete it’s about the sport itself the modern day Olympics as is the case with all forms of professional entertainment is about viewership numbers. Having less than the best participating doesn’t draw the attention of the viewers. The only exception is liv golf. They have some of the top names but for a various number of reasons one being the format nobody watches it.

Having professional golfers draws the eyes to the sport.

[Wheelieb]

4 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

While the Olympics is somewhat about the athlete it’s about the sport itself the modern day Olympics as is the case with all forms of professional entertainment is about viewership numbers. Having less than the best participating doesn’t draw the attention of the viewers. The only exception is liv golf. They have some of the top names but for a various number of reasons one being the format nobody watches it.

Having professional golfers draws the eyes to the sport.

We won’t agree on this. But no professional athlete should be in the games for soccer, hockey, basketball, baseball, or golf. Let the people who are up and coming go out and compete. That’s what the games are for and should still go for. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

14 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

While the Olympics is somewhat about the athlete it’s about the sport itself the modern day Olympics as is the case with all forms of professional entertainment is about viewership numbers. Having less than the best participating doesn’t draw the attention of the viewers. The only exception is liv golf. They have some of the top names but for a various number of reasons one being the format nobody watches it.

Having professional golfers draws the eyes to the sport.

People are going to watch the Olympics no matter what. Regardless of who is playing or participating. We don't know the names of hundreds or thousands of athletes participating in the various sports but still watch.

[Jean D]

12 hours ago, Wheelieb said:

The original Olympic sports included running, long jump, shot put, javelin, boxing, pankration and equestrian. Adding events for sports for the games gives more and more people a spotlight. Having college, Korn ferry, or Q School players competing instead of pga players  would make it more about them. This is obviously my opinion. But I saw someone talk about curling. Let’s get one thing clear, I will never not watch curling during the winter games. Probably the most intense non hitting sport you could watch. 

As a competitive curler (it's in the Canadian DNA, apparently ;), I hear you!  I'm of the opinion that the Olympics are for amateur athletes, not the professionals of their respective sports.  But the Olympics are no longer about sports... it's about $$$.  It costs a few billion dollars to bid on the games and host them, so these hosts are looking to make up their investments. For fun, here are the costs for tickets at the 1976 Montréal Summer Games:  Standing room for opening/closing ceremonies: $8. Track and field events: $24/day or $8 standing room.  Closing ceremonies , seats were $30-$80.  I will have to find my ticket stubs, but as a native of Montréal it was 100% guaranteed we were going to go!  For the Paris summer games, tickets start at 90Euro at the start of the parade, all the way up to 2700 Euro at the Eiffel Tower (the end of the parade).  Total cost to host the 1976 summer games:  $300M USD.  Total cost to host the 2024 Paris games : 4.4B Euros.

[EMacK1961]

The Olympics are well, the Olympics. The biggest gathering of athletes from all over the world, in one place, at one time, competing in events that get TV coverage frankly, once every 4 years. It is a spectacle like no other. Having professionals does not diminish golf's appeal. The format, however, is the downfall. A standard 72-hole tournament...boring. The NCAA format is better suited to an Olympic vibe. The team competition with match play for the individuals. Award team medals and then the individual champion medals.