[Tommy Williamsen]

There has been very little discussion about Olympic golf. I love watching the Olympics. Seeing the best athletes in the world compete is a rare thing. The 400 meter hurdles the other night was as exciting a race as I’ve ever seen. The golf, not so much. It didn’t have the best athletes in the world. It had some of them but not many. The last go round the course took on much of the interest. This time, the course looked good but a normal parkland course.


Is it the format? Lack of big names? Or does golf not belong in the games?

[Tom_Doak]

In many sports The Olympics are the pinnacle of success.


Not so in tennis, or baseball, or basketball.  Or golf.


I don’t think golf is that suited to The Olympics because unlike many other sports, the best player is only 10:1 to win in any given week, so awarding a gold medal is more random.  But its inclusion was deemed important to the golf business for promoting the game in other countries, so, it’s in.

[jeffwarne]

Golf in the Olympics will continue to grow and prosper.
I'm a huge fan. I enjoyed it far more than the rank and file PGA Tour event-both times.

No player that has participated has regretted his/her decision.
7 players played off and felt pressure in a third place(Bronze) playoff, and people watched at 4 am(I did)


Despite the Zika issue/non issue and course construction controvery in 2016, and Covid in 20/21, the golf was well received.


I tire of silly arguments like "it should be amateurs"
That ship sailed years ago and isn't coming back. What exactly is an amateur anyway?


Then there's the 72 hole stroke play format complaint.
What sport is it that changes their format(from other major events) in the Olympics?
I love match play but there are many, many drawbacks-including the number of rounds that would have to be played in an already cramped schedule.


I will concede they could easily incorporate a team format( just add the best two scores from each country)
I chuckle when I see all the suggestions for mixed gender formats.
Which highly successful mixed gender golf event is it that they should emulate?
I don't have a problem with it, it's just not a guaranteed interest driver, and none has ever been hugely successful.
It could be cool but I certainly wouldn't want it at the expense of a men's and women's separate event
It was an add in swimming and no events were eliminated and the results were mixed-at least in the USA.
https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/were-learning-through-this-u-s-coaches-reflect-on-mixed-medley-relay-flop/


We all know who won the Gold in Golf the last two Olympics.
Who won the last WGC?


I do regret that they haven't used more "homespun" courses in the host countries.
Building a new one in Rio and homogonizing/Americanizing the Japanese venue subtracted fro the events IMHO.
To me it would be really coolt o see them play a quirky old course in Rio or a double green course in Japan, and anywhere besides Le Golf National in France


Count me a fan of Olympic golf, and feel it is here to stay with the brightest future stars fighting for the opportunity to play.
(and will probably write huge bonuses into their equipment contracts)

[Brad Lawrence]

I knew I’d have nothing more than lukewarm interest the day they said it would be 72 hole individual stroke play.  Now that I’ve seen two of them play out, I overestimated how much I’d care. I think they missed an incredible opportunity here to have some kind of team championship.

[MKrohn]

We are only two Olympics in, and to my eye, its been quite successful. I'm sure there may be some tweaking of the format around the team aspect.


I think guys like Justin Rose last time and Xander/Paul Casey time who are so enthusiastic about Olympic golf have helped push it along. It appears even Rory the has reluctantly agreed its perhaps worth his time.


Unfortunately we won't be seeing Morfontaine or Chantilly in Paris......its back to Golf National in 2024.


Olympic Basketball might not be the pinnacle and you only secure a gold medal rather than some cringey ostentatious ring but the rest of the world will be cheering on whoever plays the US (assuming they get past the "might" of Australia in the semi  [size=78%])[/size]

[Kalen Braley]

While the Olympics is the pinnacle for most sports, just like golf, basketball, baseball, etc... nearly every sport leaves lots of worthy competitors watching from the sidelines due to per country qualifying rules.

For sports like swimming and track and field if they took the athletes with the best times, regardless of country, the US would have far far more athletes in the games and several other countries none.  I get the secondary purposes of the Olympics; world competition, unity, and such...and that's great, but the Olympics are a far cry from showcasing and featuring the best set of talent the world has to offer.

[Greg Gilson]

I found myself watching more on Sunday than expected...and i am about to head down to start watching Ladies Round 1. We (the Aussies) have a competitive Ladies team - fingers crossed!


I get the argument over the format & trust it will evolve moving forward. It seems way to easy to just add an Aggregate 2 Player Team Event in conjunction with the Single but that would be a fun add, i believe.


Full disclosure, i am a member at Royal Queensland which has already been declared host of 2032 Olympics golf. That probably increased my interest this year! Lots of excitement here about that opportunity and it will be interesting to see what occurs onsite in the coming 11 years!

[Sean_A]

The Os are great for golfers because of the experience. Winning a medal is icing on the cake. As a spectacular event, it's dull. The playoff for bronze was dull. The event needs to be much quicker. Two day 36 holes team event... 4somes. I think if the format changes there is a chance that over time the Os will be more meaningful on player resumes. I don't think 72 hole medal play will ever ignite mass interest in the Os. Shoving that down our throat because that's pro golf isn't good enough.

Ciao

[Charles Lund]

Having been hosted at Kasumagaseki East and the next day at Tokyo Golf Club by a Japanese friend in 2018, I was drawn to watch much of the coverage.  I've been to Japan on 10 different trips,with golf on three of them, so golf was only a small part of being in the country.


I would agree with many of Jeff's comments. 


Having the top players from countries who also wanted to play there made for an interesting field.  Schauffele and Morikawa playing well captured my attention.  The surprise 61 by Sabbatini which vaulted him up the leaderboard heightened the drama on the final day. 


C.T. Pan winning the seven player playoff was exciting for me.  He has an aunt I know in Seattle and played golf with her over 10 years ago on several occasions.  He spent a summer or two in Seattle and played at the University of Washington. The mix of established players and relative unknowns in the playoff added to the drama, particularly the presence of Hideki Matsuyama.


The birdie fest and low rounds on the last day reminded me of Augusta on Sunday, although winning a gold medal versus being a Masters winner can be considered qualitatively different incentives. 


I have the Women's competition on now. 


Charles Lund

[Matthew Rose]

I love it, but I wish the format was something other than a typical 72 hole event. Perhaps that's fine, but an additional team event, perhaps a best ball / scramble or something would be a lot more fun to watch.

[Thomas Dai]

Tongue in cheek time .....
there is a curious maybe humorous aspect as to the countries some of the golfers are playing for. Not just the golfers either.
Sabatini's SA/Slovakian 'nationality' has been receiving quite a bit of attention. Anyone remember the Zola Budd controversies (and whinging)?
But the last winner of a golfing gold medal was born in South Africa (or British born parents) and represented Great Britain.
And this years winner was born in the US (of Taiwanese & German/French(!) born parents) and represented the USA.
Strange thing nationalities.
Could a certain multi-multi-winner of Men's Majors born in the US (of Thai & US born parents) have represented Thailand and have played for and captained the International Team at the Presidents Cup (sic)?
Strange thing nationalities and ancestry.

atb

[Sean_A]

Sabbatini was bullshit drama. The guy's wife is Slovakian. I don't understand the upset of someone wanting citizenship of the spouse.

Ciao

[Philippe Binette]

Nothing is perfect but golf is so unpredictable as for who is going to win the medals...
We might be looking at it from countries that win a lot of medals...


But, had Pereira putt drop on the 2nd playoff hole, it would have been the first medal for Chile since 2008...
It would have been a big deal for Chile !!

[Jeff Schley]

The Olympics are a great event as it is one of the few things in the world (especially today) that brings each other together in peace to celebrate friendly competition with respect. I really love watching and realizing that our youth maybe has only seen 1 or 2 Olympics in their lifetime. While us older folks remember the "good ol' days " I think many constantly lament change and progress and it is no wonder the younger generation thinks many are crotchety.


A suggestion for the Olympics, in golf specifically is to have mixed gender events. I really enjoy the mixed men / women events. So a mixed foursomes event would be great, with all playing the same tees. Just like Tennis, swimming relays, shooting etc. btw I think track has also missed this boat and would welcome mixed gender events in track.

[Jason Thurman]

There are drawbacks, as listed in this thread. There are also upsides, as listed in this thread. A golfing gold medal isn't the pinnacle of the sport, but the opportunity to compete for one is clearly an honor nonetheless. And while Kalen makes a good point about how qualifying rules will always keep some top competitors out of any Olympic sport, we should also note that it opens the door for virtual unknowns to compete alongside the world's elite.


My biggest takeaway: when you reduce the number of positions that get "rewarded" in a golf event, you create much more exciting golf. When T4 means nothing, guys stop DECADEing and start playing.

[Phil Burr]

The biggest problem with Olympic golf is it takes too long.  To my knowledge, the longest Olympic event has always been the 50k walking race.  The gold medalist routinely clocks a winning time under four hours.  Olympic golf consists for four days of 10k walks, which cumulatively take some 20 hours to finish.  And at the end, the winner is indeed an Olympic gold medalist (an honor which lasts a lifetime), but is not coronated as best golfer in the world, even for a week.  They are the winner of a limited field event whose competitive strength was perhaps comparable to the Puerto Rico Open.


I would like to see them consider a format adapted from (I cringe before typing this)…gymnastics.  Yes, I actually said that.  What if Olympic golf was a two day event encompassing four separate competitions?  Medals would be given for each of the four disciplines in addition to a cumulative all-around competition.  Use statistical tiebreakers to avoid 7-hole playoffs to decide one medal position.


Possible disciplines?


1. 9-hole regulation medal play (not sure what stat to use a tiebreaker - shots gained tee to green?)
2. 9-hole par 3 medal play (cumulative proximity to hole used as tiebreaker)
3. 18-hole putting competition (total length of putts made used as tiebreaker)
4. 9-hole regulation play with limited number of clubs (tiebreaker TBD)


We’ve seen other sports adapt their traditional formats to Olympic competition such as 3-person basketball and rugby sevens.  Even staple events such as beach volleyball and snowboarding are derivatives from their original roots (indoors and on two skis).


I like the idea of medals being given out in five golf events rather than just one.  I like the idea of a shorter competition.  I tried watching men’s golf from Tokyo, and I found it difficult to know which round I was watching and whether it was live or just another Golf Channel rebroadcast.  I’ll chalk that up to the time change and GC programming choices, but I think my format would create something fresh and more relatable to the non-golfing world.

[Adam Lawrence]

The biggest problem with Olympic golf is it takes too long.  To my knowledge, the longest Olympic event has always been the 50k walking race.  The gold medalist routinely clocks a winning time under four hours.  Olympic golf consists for four days of 10k walks, which cumulatively take some 20 hours to finish.

Three day eventing. The clue is in the name.

Plus the sailing involves ten or twelve races over five or more days.

[Phil Burr]

Good call Adam!  Equestrian offers another model.

[Philippe Binette]

How about:
Mens singles: 36 holes event
Womens singles: 36 holes event


A day break then:
Mixed competition
Round 1: 18 holes two ball / best ball
Round 2: 18 holes alternate shot
Teams get to choose whether the men start on the 1st hole or the second hole !!! Strategic choice depending on course, type of player etc

[Jason Thurman]

We’ve seen other sports adapt their traditional formats to Olympic competition such as 3-person basketball and rugby sevens.  Even staple events such as beach volleyball and snowboarding are derivatives from their original roots (indoors and on two skis).

In fairness, golf just came back in 2016. Over time, I hope and think we'll see the opportunity for more forms of competition. But like, it wasn't for 40 years that women's basketball followed men's 5-on-5 into the Olympics, and it took 85 years before 3-on-3 made it in...


In the meantime, I don't see an Olympic-specific weakness in golf being contested in exactly the way that most significant golf tournaments are contested. I see it more as a weakness of high-level golf that the many formats played at the local level are largely ignored on the biggest stages.


I'm nodding in agreement with Jeffs on this thread, and Phillippe's sentiment about how exciting a medal for Chile would've been. Golf is a volatile sport where the favorite doesn't often win, and while that may always mean that the Olympics have weaker fields and crown a less "definitive" champion, it also means that the Sabbatinis and CT Pans and Chiles of the world get a chance at something really special.


Golf in the Olympics is a lot like the Olympics in general. It's easy to find things to hate, and to get so wrapped up in them that you decide it should be canceled altogether. But turn it on, and you'll see unknowns standing alongside superstars living out the fruits of enormous effort and dedication on a stage of sportsmanship and excellence in competition. In the last few days, I've watched some of my favorite athletes on earth compete in some of my favorite sports, and I've also watched people I've never seen before and sports I honestly didn't even know were sports. I understand Olympic cynicism in the aggregate and also specific to golf, but only up until I start watching the Olympics and remember just how magical they really are in spite of their myriad flaws.

[PCCraig]

I love everything about Olympic golf and frankly I think a gold medal should be considered a higher honor than winning the Players or even the PGA.

[Kalen Braley]

I love everything about Olympic golf and frankly I think a gold medal should be considered a higher honor than winning the Players or even the PGA.

I guess its all relative.

Given the highly watered down field, seemed closer to a 3rd tier PGA Tour Event like the Mayakoba Classic or Bermuda Championship.

Outside of the last few holes of the last round, total snooze-fest...

P.S.  At least in 2016 there was something to tune in for...the golf course.

[Marty Bonnar]

I'd rather watch the horse dancing.
F.

[Scott Warren]

For those shitcanning the field and comparing it to the Puerto Rico Open or a “third-tier” tour event, a reality check:


Before two late Covid-related withdrawals, the Olympics men’s golf field had


1. six of the last eight major championship winners (BDC, Rahm, Morikowa x 2, Matsuyama, Lowry)


2. two other major champions (McIlroy & JT)


3. World top 10/20 forces such as Xander, Hovland, Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood


4. Sungjae, Noren, Leishman, Cam Smith, Niemann, Si Woo, Conners, Ancer… all guys who could win on any given week on the PGA Tour.


The Strength-of-Field was restricted by the fact is was a seriously limited field of 60 vs 144 or so any week on the PGA Tour. It’s apples and oranges.


I watched the last round only, so I’m not especially passionate about it, I just wish everyone would save their breath with the arguments why it shouldn’t be there or should be some ridiculous format that the best golfers in the world otherwise never play. Maybe they could also scrap the 100m track event and have the world’s best sprinters do an egg-and-spoon race instead?

[jeffwarne]

I love everything about Olympic golf and frankly I think a gold medal should be considered a higher honor than winning the Players or even the PGA.

Yep and in many countries it already is.
I'm sure track and field, tennis or swimming enthusiasts find issues with The Olympics-yet we all still watch.
Same for golf.
Nobody in Slovakia or Chinese Taipai was lamenting the lack of match play in the format.


Spot on post Scott, though I was thinking mixed gender three legged race would be more fun

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