Olympic Golfing - Your Thoughts

[RickyBobby_PR]

3 hours ago, Wheelieb said:

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. 

You are thinking of what the Olympics used to be. Its as much a spectacle as it is a competition.

Look at the money spent on the opening ceremonies and the production of it. The goal is to draw viewers to watch the games. The bigger the names, the more chances at something amazing happening builds anticipation and tells a story that draws the fans.

Unless there and amateur or minor league type athlete who has a compelling life story there’s nothing to tell about them. 
 

We knew who Michael Phelps was before he got to the Olympics because of the amazing things he was doing in their swimming season and at the Olympic trials. Same with many of the gymnasts, divers and so on.

These athletes gives the media a story to tell and that story draws more eyes and keeps them involved.

2 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

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.

We watch what they put on, what sports at the summer Olympics draw the most viewership, track and field, swimming, gymnastics. For niche sports you need to have bigger names to get the viewers. Despite gods popularity in a small percentage of the world it’s a niche sport. More people are going to watch the bigger names than they are the no names. I’m wouldn’t watch the Olympics if it was a bunch of no names in any sport. Take away the big names of gymnastics, while what they athletes who would go may be good they aren’t the elite and can’t do what the elite do, otherwise they would be elite.

The networks, the io , sponsors need viewers. Recognizable names get them that. Using random numbers It could be the difference of a couple hundred thousand watching and a million people watching.

[alfriday101]

As an aside, I am very interested in the approach Paris is taking to the games.  Compared to past cities that built massive Olympic complexes, Paris is mostly using existing stadiums and erecting temporary stadiums for the games.  The opening ceremonies are not a stadium event, but a fleet of cruise barges down the Seine.  The venues are spread throughout the city.  Much of the cost of improvements are for infrastructure that will be usable by the population after the games end.

 

For example, they are erecting a temporary stadium in the Champ de Mars, a block from the Eiffel Tower for beach volleyball.  They started erecting it March 1st and are now working on the second level of the stadium.  They are erecting a temporary stadium in the Place de la Concord for the skateboarding and other new events.  

the games will showcase the city.  Photos show design of finished stadium and progress as of yesterday.

[Wheelieb]

While the Olympics are about the games, it’s also more about showing good sportsmanship. The highest honor for sportsmanship and fair play doesn’t always get handed out. That is what the games are about. I couldn’t care less if a professional athlete is competing in the games. They don’t make me want to watch the Olympics anymore than an amateur. I watch because competition is great to watch regardless of we have top names in the games or not. That’s not what the games are about, but it is what they are going to. 

[BreakfastBall15]

My favorite part of the Olympics is watching sports I don’t normally watch. And even though every other sport isin their traditional format the stroke play golf tournament doesn’t do it for me. I’d like to see either match play or some way they can incorporate all golfers from each corner into a team event. Still have the individual medals but also team medals. The way it is now it’s just another golf torment but instead of players being walking billboards for company XYZ it’s their countries colors. 

[Stuka44]

I am of the opinion that the stroke play event is boring.  I believe a team type event is possible.  It may have to be scaled from Olympics, to Olympics depending on courses available.   A WGC type thing, where the round robin is 9 hole matches.  Or simply a 2 person team single elimination  tournament, where the match is 3 points, two match play singles, and then an alternate shot stroke play, for the tiebreaker point if necessary.

I don't think an alternative format would be too difficult to come up with, too include almost every country where golf is played.  Now depending on the format you choose, number of participant nations, you may like other sports, in the summer games, have to have qualifying tournaments to determine the nations, that make the Olympic tourney.   I believe the present, 72 hole stroke play event, was the easiest thing to implement initially, but I sure hope as the mixed team thing indicates they are moving more toward team events.

 

[RickyBobby_PR]

12 minutes ago, Stuka44 said:

I am of the opinion that the stroke play event is boring.  I believe a team type event is possible.  It may have to be scaled from Olympics, to Olympics depending on courses available.   A WGC type thing, where the round robin is 9 hole matches.  Or simply a 2 person team single elimination  tournament, where the match is 3 points, two match play singles, and then an alternate shot stroke play, for the tiebreaker point if necessary.

I don't think an alternative format would be too difficult to come up with, too include almost every country where golf is played.  Now depending on the format you choose, number of participant nations, you may like other sports, in the summer games, have to have qualifying tournaments to determine the nations, that make the Olympic tourney.   I believe the present, 72 hole stroke play event, was the easiest thing to implement initially, but I sure hope as the mixed team thing indicates they are moving more toward team events.

 

Since it should be easy then writing the criteria for how golfers are selected so that each country is represented with 2 people to form a team of whatever size and how that format doesn’t leave out some of the best players in the world because there needs to be some limit to the field.

 

[BallsLeon]

Those against professional athletes in the games… how do you distinguish amateur status? Would college athletes be eligible… even though they are getting paid now? Seems like a pipedream imo 

[ILMgolfnut]

11 minutes ago, BallsLeon said:

Would college athletes be eligible… even though they are getting paid now?

Even back in the no-pros-at-all days in the Olympics, there were complaints that American scholarship athletes were pros. This, of course, mainly came from countries like the USSR that just put all their athletes in the army with their only assignment to train and compete.

I really do not get the attachment to amateur sports. It's not pure, never has been. From the earliest days of Baron von Himmel competing against Count Chocula, it was a way to exclude people not based on talent, but resources. Yes, it's a change and some don't like change at all. But as Geddy Lee once sang, changes aren't permanent, but change is. 

[Stuka44]

13 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Since it should be easy then

Since when does every Olympic event guarantee, that ALL of the best players, from every country get to participate.  As it is now the golf limits it to a max of 4 per country.  Some very good American players are clearly being excluded for players from other countries, who are not as good as the outside the top 4 Americans.  There are "trials" for almost every sport.  Everyone doesn't get to go to the Olympics.

I'm pretty sure that at least 100 U.S  born current (NBA basketball players), are better than every player on some of the foreign teams, but unfortunately they were born in the U.S. and we can only take 12. 

The Olympics are about the participation of countries, and  a select few of the best players from each country.  Not the overall best players in that sport.  The U.S. has never won a Badminton medal.  I'm pretty sure there are better Chinese, and Korean players, who aren't best in their country, and don't make the Chinese Olympic team, but are certainly better that what the U.S. is throwing out there.  So our best players shouldn't get to go, because the U.S. doesn't dominate the sport.  I'm not sure the comment reflects the Spirit of the Olympics.

[GolfSpy_APH]

2 minutes ago, Stuka44 said:

Since when does every Olympic event guarantee, that ALL of the best players, from every country get to participate.  As it is now the golf limits it to a max of 4 per country.  Some very good American players are clearly being excluded for players from other countries, who are not as good as the outside the top 4 Americans.  There are "trials" for almost every sport.  Everyone doesn't get to go to the Olympics.

I'm pretty sure that at least 100 U.S  born current (NBA basketball players), are better than every player on some of the foreign teams, but unfortunately they were born in the U.S. and we can only take 12. 

The Olympics are about the participation of countries, and  a select few of the best players from each country.  Not the overall best players in that sport.  The U.S. has never won a Badminton medal.  I'm pretty sure there are better Chinese, and Korean players, who aren't best in their country, and don't make the Chinese Olympic team, but are certainly better that what the U.S. is throwing out there.  So our best players shouldn't get to go, because the U.S. doesn't dominate the sport.  I'm not sure the comment reflects the Spirit of the Olympics.

Two sides of an opinion and one that both likely will not agree on (which is fine). For me rather than continuing down the path I am agreeing to disagree on this point with @RickyBobby_PR. While I understand many of the points he is making I also don't necessary agree with them, nor does he mine. Again which is fine. 

So I am moving on to and taking a wait and see approach as it seems the Olympics is also making an attempt to change things up from the same ole same ole formats that go on week to week. 

[Stuka44]

On 3/30/2024 at 10:04 AM, RickyBobby_PR said:

Nobody wants to watch a bunch of amateurs, mid level talent play in any of the sports. Fans want recognizable names,

I understand that professionals make the Olympics, more commercial and profitable in this day and age.  However, I have watched and enjoyed the Olympics since I was a kid, when "professional" athletes were not supposed to participate, and enjoyed every minute of it. 

And IMHO the greatest moment in all of the Olympics, was  watching live,  30 College kids, two who were from the University I would attend 4 years later (BGSU in farm country northwest Ohio) defeat the Russians(basically a full-time professional hockey team) in the semi-final, and then go on to win the gold medal in hockey in 1980. 

I believe you speak for the vast minority, in assuming that people only watch the Olympics for the stars, and people they are individually familiar with.  If that is the only reason someone is watching the Olympics then I feel sorry for them. 

I still remember getting home from vacation with my parents , just in time to turn on the TV, (pre-cable, no DVR) in 1976(I was 10), just prior to the Men's 100 meter final going off.  I still remember the winner Hasely Crawford, who I had never heard of, wearing his striped socks, and watching him win by 0.02 seconds, what I found out was,  Trinidad and Tobago's first Olympic Gold Medal.

I also could not run a Marathon, in a month, and I care nothing in terms of personal joy from distance running whatsoever. 

If anyone want to see one of the greatest exhibits of athleticism, I have ever seen, watch the 2020 Olympic Men's Marathon.  You will see Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, run in a lead pack with 5-7 runners, for about 20 miles.  Then in the "blink of an eye", you will see him engage another gear, that nobody in the field has, and over the last 6 miles or so, he builds a lead of 1minute 20 seconds over the 2nd place finisher.

And Golf spy APH, I feel what you are putting down.  I also will just have to agree to disagree, for who knows, what exact number it would be with @RickyBobby_PR.

Edited April 2 by Stuka44

[cnosil]

Don’t care if golf is in the Olympics; I can watch golf annd the players involved  every week so I won’t tune in during the Olympics.  I tune into the more obscure sports that I know little about and never see on TV.  I like the underdog story; early jamacan bobsled team, Eddie the eagle, and the athlete that sacrifices things in their life (not my day to day job that supports my family) to simply be able to compete and represent their country.    

[Stuka44]

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

Jamaican bobsled team

Forgot about that one, loved watching it when it happened.

[Another Steve]

//gonna rant a little so feel free to skip the first paragraph - or all of it for that matter//

For quite some time the Olympics have been all about graft, bribery, & making obscene amounts of money. Sport is way down on the list…..  they used to give them these big-ass medals made of gold, silver, and bronze that had monetary value in and of itself.  Most recently they look more like crystal art works.  I have no issues with Pros playing - that horse is not only outa the barn, it escaped the paddock. That being acknowledged, it is well past time to PAY commensurate with their result. Let’s say for each individual medal the IOC PAYS $1m gold, $500k for silver, $250k bronze. Each team medal pays $100k gold, $50k silver, and $25k bronze - fully tax free since they are representing their county, right? 
//end rant//

 

Now to my thoughts on Olympic golf and how I would like to see it done:

Each “qualified*” country should be permitted to enter ONE male and ONE female (and I do not care how a country decides who they send) for individual competition and one additional male and female as alternates or designated as the 2 player mixed team.

Male and female individual competition … Day one play 18 holes stroke play. The men and women should play concurrently 2 male and 2 female per four some (separate m/f tees as needed but have them play some holes from the same tees (but not necessarily same par values). Do not group team mates together. NO CADDIES.  The top 24 Of each gender moving on to play match play day 2 until there are 3 men and 3 women left. Medal round follows in the afternoon of day two. The three survivors of each gender play the three toughest holes(for their gender) stroke play for the medals. Ties move on to play the NEXT three toughest holes sudden death. I would love to see the last hole being a par 3.

For the mixed team I would  seed them based on the average placement from both players from the individual medals. Play match play, alternate shot from the mens tees. Teams must alternate tee shots by designating which player will tee off on all even or all odd numbered holes. This will force some additional strategy to the team event.

 

Or I could pour two fingers of bourbon into a rocks glass and just watch the women's beach volleyball!

 

 

* - changed from entered to qualified  because I believe that there should be a limited number of spots that each country must qualify for through placement in international competition

 

Edited April 3 by Another Steve

[alfriday101]

I thought this was interesting.  I went to the Louvre today and found this set up in the “studio” section where kids can make art.  The area now has an Olympic focus.  Who would have thought it, a Ping sponsored simulator in the museum.

[Chubbs1991]

I think golf should be in the Olympics too! Just like other sports that aren't so traditional. Golf takes a lot of skill and focus, just like the sports already in the Olympics. It would be cool to see golfers from all over the world competing for a gold medal. Imagine if the golfers had the same pride they do as when they play in Ryder Cup or President Cup. That would be even more exciting to see. 

[RoverRick]

I can’t get terribly excited about seeing Scheffler, DeChambeau, Rahm, Garcia, Fleetwood, Rose, Aberg, Stenson, etc. play a 72 hole stroke play event to crown an Olympic Champion.

However, Scheffler and DeChambeau vs. Rahm and Garcia vs. Fleetwood and Rose vs. Aberg and Stenson in a multi-day Ryder Cup Style match where they are playing for national pride would be great. 

Two or four person teams from any country. Perhaps even multiple teams from different countries. But not the same old PGA tour event that’s 25 minutes worth of excitement crammed into 32 hours of broadcast time. 

Edited April 21 by RoverRick