Golf was voted into the Olympics for the 2016 and 2020 games.
I'm very happy about this. Not because I care so much about some dude getting an Olympic medal in golf but because of how it will spread the game to countries where it currently isn't a factor. The possibility that countries like Russia, China and India will put together Olympic developmental programs and golf courses to develop their players is quite good.
I know that golf is a polarizing activity for many and I don't expect that will change much. But virtually any golfer can compete in competitions whether it is simply with pals or tournaments at virtually any level from kid events to paraplegic to parent/child to super-seniors at municipal, club-level, regional and national events. Not to mention that golf can simply be enjoyed as a recreational activity. Just you out on the course. And now we have the Olympics, once again. :)
Red Dog
10-09-09, 01:59 PM
Meh, this is stupid, and I'm a big fan of pro golf. It's as pointless as tennis in the Olympics. The best players already play against each other on a yearly basis in 4 majors and countless other events.
I can't believe they drop softball (where the Olympics was the biggest event in the sport) and add golf. -ohbfrank-
Red Dog
10-09-09, 02:36 PM
Now they also added rugby, which is cool. :thumbsup:
Groucho
10-09-09, 02:37 PM
Might as well award to gold to tiger right now.
Red Dog
10-09-09, 02:50 PM
From what I've read, it's a 72-hole stroke play event which makes it.....exactly like every other golf tournament in the world save the WGC Match Play.
WallyOPD
10-09-09, 03:09 PM
From what I've read, it's a 72-hole stroke play event which makes it.....exactly like every other golf tournament in the world save the WGC Match Play.
I imagine there will be restrictions on the number of competitors that will be allowed from each country, which should shake things up a little bit (but also limit the number of legitimate contenders to medal).
Tarantino
10-09-09, 03:58 PM
Hey, now the Olympics is that much more boring.
rabbit77
10-09-09, 05:10 PM
wake me up when they add guitar hero
ctyankee
10-09-09, 05:55 PM
Meh, this is stupid, and I'm a big fan of pro golf. It's as pointless as tennis in the Olympics. The best players already play against each other on a yearly basis in 4 majors and countless other events.
I can't believe they drop softball (where the Olympics was the biggest event in the sport) and add golf. -ohbfrank-
Well, track and field has many events where the top competitors face-off head-to-head as well as world championships. By that logic, we should drop those sports as well.
I don't think that the Olympics should be limited to sports that get little attention as that what the Olympics are/have become.
As for softball ... it got dropped because few cared to watch. At the elite level, watching a bunch of players strike out until their is the odd freak hit, error or pitcher mistake is not my idea of enjoyment. I mean, how many dominate pitchers throw no or one hitters. -ohbfrank-
Red Dog
10-09-09, 06:12 PM
Well, track and field has many events where the top competitors face-off head-to-head as well as world championships. By that logic, we should drop those sports as well.
I don't think that the Olympics should be limited to sports that get little attention as that what the Olympics are/have become.
As for softball ... it got dropped because few cared to watch. At the elite level, watching a bunch of players strike out until their is the odd freak hit, error or pitcher mistake is not my idea of enjoyment. I mean, how many dominate pitchers throw no or one hitters. -ohbfrank-
But the Olympics are the top-event for T&F. That's the difference. The dream of a track athlete is to win an Olympic gold medal. That's never going to happen with golf (as it's not with tennis).
Did you watch any softball or are you commenting based on your perception of it? Fine - you don't like it because it's not enjoyable to you. I can name a bunch of Olympic events that are not enjoyable to me to watch. So I don't watch them, but I don't advocate not having those sports. If they want to have golf and tennis, fine, but don't have them at the expense of softball and some other sports.
The irony is that (as mentioned on PTI) is that they aren't bringing golf back for 2012 when the Olympics are in the UK, the birthplace of golf. I realize it's (technically) too late for that, but you'd think they would have thought of it for 2012.
I don't think the Olympics should be limited to sports outside the mainstream either. For example, I think Olympic hockey is awesome. Why? Because the players are playing for their country and the Olympics are essentially the hockey version of the World Cup. Same goes for basketball. Soccer is interesting because FIFA knows the World Cup is the event (and they don't want to dilute that) so they restrict Olympic soccer to younger players, and as such, it works for that.
Red Dog
10-09-09, 06:22 PM
I imagine there will be restrictions on the number of competitors that will be allowed from each country, which should shake things up a little bit (but also limit the number of legitimate contenders to medal).
I love Kornheiser and Wilbon's idea of defecting to some tiny country and qualifying for the Olympics with their 18 handicaps. :lol:
Red Dog
10-09-09, 06:32 PM
Now if they are to do golf - here's what they should do. Have 4-man teams by country and play a head-to-head scramble format. It would be cool to see a U.S. team of Woods-Mickelson-Stricker-Perry play a South Africa team of Els-Goosen-Clark-Sabbatini in a scramble format.
Quake1028
10-09-09, 08:19 PM
Meh, this is stupid, and I'm a big fan of pro golf. It's as pointless as tennis in the Olympics. The best players already play against each other on a yearly basis in 4 majors and countless other events.
I can't believe they drop softball (where the Olympics was the biggest event in the sport) and add golf. -ohbfrank-
Agreed :up:.
eXcentris
10-09-09, 08:20 PM
Golf :down:
Rugby :up:
ctyankee
10-09-09, 08:35 PM
But the Olympics are the top-event for T&F. That's the difference. The dream of a track athlete is to win an Olympic gold medal. That's never going to happen with golf (as it's not with tennis).
Did you watch any softball or are you commenting based on your perception of it? Fine - you don't like it because it's not enjoyable to you. I can name a bunch of Olympic events that are not enjoyable to me to watch. So I don't watch them, but I don't advocate not having those sports. If they want to have golf and tennis, fine, but don't have them at the expense of softball and some other sports.
The irony is that (as mentioned on PTI) is that they aren't bringing golf back for 2012 when the Olympics are in the UK, the birthplace of golf. I realize it's (technically) too late for that, but you'd think they would have thought of it for 2012.
Scotland is the birthplace of golf. As you know, the Olympics are awarded to a city not a country, so what London really has to do with golf, I don't know.
Tiger Woods has a bunch of majors, cares about majors AND was a big advocate for golf in the Olympics. Any top player has a chance for four majors each and every year but they only have a chance for perhaps a few Olympics in a career. And only once every four years. Plus NO major is limited to a field of 60 players like the Olympics will be making it the Premier golf event in the world. So, unlike tennis, it will be a BIG deal for the pros. If you don't believe that every major player is going to clear his or her schedule to be involved you are dreaming.
Golf didn't take softball's place, softball was being tossed because they didn't want it. I think it is fair to say that most sports generally get better at the elite level - softball is far worse from a spectator's standpoint. Big talented pitchers blowing ball after ball past overmatched hitters is a bore. How many countries even participated in it ... eight or 10 max?
starman9000
10-09-09, 08:38 PM
Plus NO major is limited to a field of 60 players like the Olympics will be making it the Premier golf event in the world. So, unlike tennis, it will be a BIG deal for the pros.
But this won't be limited to the 60 best players in the world. No way it will be considered the Premier golf event.
Red Dog
10-09-09, 08:43 PM
Golf didn't take softball's place, softball was being tossed because they didn't want it. I think it is fair to say that most sports generally get better at the elite level - softball is far worse from a spectator's standpoint. Big talented pitchers blowing ball after ball past overmatched hitters is a bore. How many countries even participated in it ... eight or 10 max?
There's 8. So what? There's only 6 countries that have a chance of winning the gold medal in hockey. There's only 3 or 4 in basketball (12 participate overall in hockey and basketball). Those sports aren't going anywhere.
I get that you don't like softball. That's not a reason for softball to not be an Olympic event.
As for London/golf, there are many golf courses in England, and plenty of great ones in the greater London area. In fact, Royal Birkdale, Hoylake, and Royal St Georges are all English courses in the British Open rotation.
Red Dog
10-09-09, 08:44 PM
But this won't be limited to the 60 best players in the world. No way it will be considered the Premier golf event.
Correct, plus the Tour Championship is the final event on the FedEx Cup and is the top-30.
No pro would prefer an Olympic gold medal to a golf major. Now maybe Tiger would at this point since he's won each of the 4 majors at least 3 times each.
coli
10-09-09, 11:37 PM
Now they have to jam more Golf into a season that takes away from the Majors. The FedEx Cup, The Presidents Cup is all crap that wasn't there 20 years ago. The PGA Tour is built on:
- 4 Majors
- Ryder Cup every other year
- Doral, TPC Sawgrass, Pebble Beach, Memorial (great tournaments that lead up to the Masters and US Open)
- Tour Championship at the end of the Year
- Skins game around Christmas Holiday
This is more pointless golf that is dilluting the game. Also, PTI brought up a good point tonight, as you can't send 15 Americans over there, as many countries have to be represented, so you may have someone with a 20 Handicap making it from Bulgaria;)
ctyankee
10-09-09, 11:55 PM
Correct, plus the Tour Championship is the final event on the FedEx Cup and is the top-30.
No pro would prefer an Olympic gold medal to a golf major. Now maybe Tiger would at this point since he's won each of the 4 majors at least 3 times each.
From the AP:
And then there is the issue of format. What has been proposed is a simple 72-hole stroke-play event, with the Official World Ranking used to determine a 60-player field for both men and women. The top 15 in the world would automatically qualify, and after that, a maximum of two players per country.
The Tour Championship is simply a PGA dealio and the final is NOT even the 30 best PGA players, it's the 30 based on some NASCAR bullshit-wannabe system, race for the cup nonsense.
Every year the event that has the best participation of world ranked players is the Tournament Players Championship. And it's not even a major.
So, it depends how they do it. But the Olympics will be limited to a 60 man field with the top 15 qualifying and some yet to be announced system for allowing two players per country. So there's a chance that it may be watered down a bit if China and Russia participate, but at this point we need to wait for the details.
But, if you think that anybody who is anybody in the top rankings won't be in there it will only be because someone else from his own country beat him out.
And if you think that ANY male pro cares more about winning the PGA (a major) over the Olympics or any female pro cares more about winning ANY of their majors other than the Women's U.S. Open over the Olympics you are dreaming.
I get that you don't like softball. That's not a reason for softball to not be an Olympic event.
Yeah, but what you don't seem to 'get' is that the Olympics didn't want softball. I didn't get a vote. But I looked up the record attendance for Olympic softball game - it was at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. "8,750 people were in attendance at the gold medal game as the U.S. defeated China 3-1 for their first Olympic Gold." You can see more people watching a high school basketball game than interested in watching a gold medal softball game.
Red Dog
10-10-09, 12:03 AM
I get that the Olympics didn't want softball. It's rather obvious since they dumped it. That's what I've been criticizing. You are applauding that move because you don't like the sport - it isn't entertaining to you.
I don't know what the 8,750 means in that context. What was the capacity of the facility? You clearly haven't watched softball in the Olympics because if you had, you'd see how big the stands are. They hold 10,000 (http://en.beijing2008.cn/venues/fts/headlines/n214471170.shtml) people. Are you taking a census of Olympic event attendance because if you are, I'd like to know if you are ready to dump sports such as shooting, archery, rowing, sailing, etc.
And I don't know any HS basketball facility that holds 8,000 people. -rolleyes-
As for dreaming, you need to wake up. You won't find one pro who will say he'd rather win an Olympic gold medal than a PGA Championship (and all the exemptions that go with it) unless he's already won the PGA. You think any tennis player wants to win the Olympic gold over a tennis major? Do people even remember who won the 2008 tennis golds?
I suppose you're upset that I challenged your excitement over this. To which I say, I don't get it since I can already see the greatest golfers in the world compete 4 out of 7 days each week on television from January through September every year. Whereas I am upset (with the IOC) that I can't watch the greatest softball players play a game I enjoy watching 10 days once every 4 years. And the reason for the IOC dumping it wasn't attendance or lack of interest (over 100 countries have softball federations). It was because 1) a dedicated facility had to be built for it (that a country like Greece did not already have) and 2) a perception that USA ruled the sport. Well, obviously #2 didn't apply last year. I realize it's not necessarily a 1-for-1 exchange, but it still pisses me off.
WallyOPD
10-10-09, 12:20 AM
Yeah, but what you don't seem to 'get' is that the Olympics didn't want softball. I didn't get a vote. But I looked up the record attendance for Olympic softball game - it was at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. "8,750 people were in attendance at the gold medal game as the U.S. defeated China 3-1 for their first Olympic Gold." You can see more people watching a high school basketball game than interested in watching a gold medal softball game.
That's the record for attendance at a softball game in the U.S. The record for the Olympics is significantly higher.
Edit: I can't actually find the single-game record for the Olympics, but I found a couple of links saying that softball tickets sold out for both the Sydney and Beijing tournaments.
eXcentris
10-10-09, 01:04 AM
Tennis: Grand slam title > Olympic gold > Master series title
Howie2000
10-10-09, 04:48 AM
This is huge. Smaller nations like Toga,Samoa and Fiji now legitimately have a chance to Medal at their #1 sport Rugby.
I am kinda bummed Cricket is still not an Olympic sport. More people in India alone probably play cricket than all the people in Usa and Europe who have access to and participate in swimming which unfairly has like 20% of the medals allocated for 1 sport.
Red Dog
10-10-09, 09:08 AM
Tennis: Grand slam title > Olympic gold > Master series title
Isn't the Davis Cup a bigger event (in many countries) too than the Olympics? I know it used to be big event.
Drexl
10-10-09, 02:38 PM
Still no chess boxing. :(
starman9000
10-10-09, 02:57 PM
I wonder if they'll do playoffs for 2nd and 3rd? You could end up with a ton of silver or bronze medals otherwise.
ctyankee
10-11-09, 12:16 AM
And I don't know any HS basketball facility that holds 8,000 people. -rolleyes-
Of course, you want to limit it to high school gyms when many bigger contests such as high school playoffs and the like are moved to larger arenas.
As for dreaming, you need to wake up. You won't find one pro who will say he'd rather win an Olympic gold medal than a PGA Championship (and all the exemptions that go with it) unless he's already won the PGA. You think any tennis player wants to win the Olympic gold over a tennis major? Do people even remember who won the 2008 tennis golds?
Do people even remember when tennis was on TV all the time? You keep talking about tennis as if pertains to golf. Last I checked golf is a different sport. A sport that's on year round because many like to watch it and sponsors like the demographics of the audience. Now, tennis (which I love) is relegated to only being on national broadcast for the majors and tournament attendance for regional events is abysmal.
I have no problem with lessor sports getting their once every four years hype (like swimming) at the Olympics. But if the Olympics are to remain viable they need to appeal to sponsors and the sports that sponsors draw upon.
Mordred
10-12-09, 04:40 PM
But if the Olympics are to remain viable they need to appeal to sponsors and the sports that sponsors draw upon.Very true. I've been wondering how the Olympics manage to stay on TV these last few years with all the advertisers fleeing in droves. Golf will hopefully turn the tide and we won't have to watch the 2020 Olympics on PPV.
Howie2000
10-13-09, 03:55 AM
Very true. I've been wondering how the Olympics manage to stay on TV these last few years with all the advertisers fleeing in droves. Golf will hopefully turn the tide and we won't have to watch the 2020 Olympics on PPV.
The reasons for the decline in Olympic viewership is not because they don't show enough of the Major sports that have 365 day followings in the Us.
The erosion of major network viewership to the internet,cable and other activities as well as the lack of actual live events that are not tape delayed. The biggest factor is the abysmmal coverage of actual sports action in favor of human events coverage and Infotainment Celebrity worshipping and hyping 'OMG GREATEST ATHLETE EVER" of Phelps(not neccesarily him) to the point where people Backlash and hate whoever said hyped athlete is every few years because their face and achievement is oversaturated and covered way more than any 1 person should be.
I don't see how adding Golf which ratings are abysmall and lose almost all casual viewers when Tiger is injured or goes out early would turn around the declining interest in the Olympics. The people who hate or are disinterested in golf would not feel any different when its shown at the Olympics and the Golf affecianados would be interest in the Olympics about as much as they would a regular old tournament outside the Majors.
Red Dog
10-13-09, 08:50 AM
The success of the Olympics on U.S. TV is completely driven by how many women they can get to watch.
Mordred
10-13-09, 01:51 PM
For those new to the forum, I was being sarcastic :)
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