[John Kavanaugh]

Would it have been possible for a country to outfit their golfers in shorts? The fashion aspect of this event looks to be a huge miss.

[JJShanley]

Would it have been possible for a country to outfit their golfers in shorts? The fashion aspect of this event looks to be a huge 8miss.

I don't know if the athletes could wear shorts, but I agree with you about boring uniforms.  You can wear khaki, grey, or white any week of the year.  The Aussies could have had a cracking uniform with gold or green pants to go with white shirts. 

Cracking looking course.

[Tim Martin]

Stenson and Rose battling for the gold is a dream match up. Two great guys playing for all the right reasons.

[Jeff Bergeron]

Only minor tick is that it plays like Kiawah instead of playing firm and fast.

It's those natural fertilizers in the water.

Good one!

[Jeff Bergeron]

I've enjoyed watching the golf immensely and the course is great. Looks like it will identify fine medalists. Nuff said..

[William_G]

Seems like most of the tour pros really like the course (I heard one guy call it "fun to play").

It was my impression from the IGF that they've tried to tell all the pros to be on their best behaviour and to be enthusiastic about the course, so that golf won't get voted out of the Olympics when it comes up for review next year.

I am confident it is an excellent course.  However, so far, most of the reporters are not exactly neutral observers, having either picked Gil to design it.  Hell, one of the main reporters is his paid consultant [G. Shackelford].  I wish Darius Oliver had gotten there for our book last year.

is the insinuation with this comment here, that you would you prefer something else?

[John Cowden]

The course is very cool, as anticipated.  The competition is more engaging than expected, credit the course.  This has been fun stuff.   I think I've seen a hint of Rustic Canyon here and there.

[BHoover]

For the next Olympics, I'd like to see multiple golf events. Keep stroke play, but also add a match play and/or team event. You could even add in an alternate shot event. This would work where the site has multiple courses to accommodate men's and women's events. Tokyo could do this.

Swimming, track & field, etc. have myriad events. Golf can and should too.

[jeffwarne]

For the next Olympics, I'd like to see multiple golf events. Keep stroke play, but also add a match play and/or team event. You could even add in an alternate shot event. This would work where the site has multiple courses to accommodate men's and women's events. Tokyo could do this.

Swimming, track & field, etc. have myriad events. Golf can and should too.

Hopefully a golfer will be able to win 26 medals in his multi Olympiad career.
Left handed, one handed, relays,eyes closed....


In seriousness, seeing the guy who had his picture taken with Phelps as a kid, hold him as an idol, then beat him by a whisker this year for Gold was pretty cool

[Wayne_Kozun]

For the next Olympics, I'd like to see multiple golf events. Keep stroke play, but also add a match play and/or team event. You could even add in an alternate shot event. This would work where the site has multiple courses to accommodate men's and women's events. Tokyo could do this.

Swimming, track & field, etc. have myriad events. Golf can and should too.

I think a team even would be interesting to add but there is a limit to how much they could do and still fit it into the two weeks. 

On this forum there has been a lot of call to use a team event rather than individual, but for the most part when a sport is primarily played as an individual sport it is contested as such in the Olympics.  However they may also run a parallel team event - gymnastics being a good example.  But most sports like track, swimming, boxing, tennis, etc are just individual events with a few relays added in where it can be done.

For Tokyo in 2020 Kasumigaseki East is being used.  The club appears to have 36 holes so you probably could do two events at once using both courses.  But it might be too late for that.

How about a Mixed Team event as well?

[jeffwarne]

Epic event going on.
Add a team component-and no tweaking needed

[Wayne_Kozun]

Add a team component-and no tweaking needed

Do any of the individual sports that have a team component, like gymnastics, use the results of one competition to determine both the team and individual medals, or do they always have separate individual and team competitions, as they do in gymnastics.

[BCowan]

If there isn't a stroke play in 4 years I'm boycotting.  I just turned the TV on mute, experience has increased greatly.  If the event is so great, why does one need to change it?  Are we dumbing things down for the ADD viewer or we are all winners mentality?  So far we don't have a tie, so this trumps the Presidents Cup.   

[BHoover]

One thing that needs to be done for the 2020 Olympics--the folks at ANGC need to consult on the benefits of prohibiting mobile phones/cameras on tournament grounds.

[Ruediger Meyer]

If there isn't a stroke play in 4 years I'm boycotting.  I just turned the TV on mute, experience has increased greatly.  If the event is so great, why does one need to change it?  Are we dumbing things down for the ADD viewer or we are all winners mentality?  So far we don't have a tie, so this trumps the Presidents Cup.   

The thing is: The event might be fine on the final day, but the first three days there is not much drama, no excitement at all. They need to find some element to improve the first three days, be it daily cuts or obviously Match Play. The best thing about match play is everything is on the line from the first minute. And in terms of globalization: If you have someone from your country in matchplay, it is more likely his local tv station will show it. At least here in germany there was maybe half an hour of golf on the first three days. There is simply not much to show. But I bet if Kaymer would have been in a match play, the incentive to show more of the olympic event would have been bigger. The way it is they just wait until Sunday. And since Kaymer is not in contention, there is not much golf today as well in Germany. (they only went live when Stenson and Rose were chipping on 18). At least for our country the chance to grow the game seems a little bit wasted (and I know Twitter is not really representative, but the reception for the few minutes they had shown golf was not good at all)

[Jon Cavalier]

I'd like to see a match play format, or even a two ball team match play format.

But with that said, I enjoyed watching today far more than I though I would. Very enjoyable.

[Marty Bonnar]

Couldn't care less. Was so bored, actually turned over from it to watch Women's Sculls the other day.
Course looks reasonable though.
F.

[Tom_Doak]

And in terms of globalization: If you have someone from your country in matchplay, it is more likely his local tv station will show it. At least here in germany there was maybe half an hour of golf on the first three days. There is simply not much to show. But I bet if Kaymer would have been in a match play, the incentive to show more of the olympic event would have been bigger. The way it is they just wait until Sunday. And since Kaymer is not in contention, there is not much golf today as well in Germany. (they only went live when Stenson and Rose were chipping on 18). At least for our country the chance to grow the game seems a little bit wasted (and I know Twitter is not really representative, but the reception for the few minutes they had shown golf was not good at all)

I agree with this completely.  If the Thai or Argentine player had knocked out Kuchar or Bubba in Round 1, their countries would have followed the rest, way more closely than watching them finish T-6 and too far behind to have a chance to medal.  Kuchar getting hot and sewing up the bronze medal early took the excitement out of it early, for golfers in 40 other countries.  But it was probably good for U.S. TV ratings, which is all NBC cares about.

[John Kavanaugh]

How many countries outside the US have the Golf Channel?

[Marty Bonnar]

How many countries outside the US have the Golf Channel?

John,
We get the ABC/NBC/Golf Channel footage live on Sky every weekend, sometimes your announcers, sometimes with ours.

Edit: currently right this minute watching the John Deere with Gary, Dottie et al.

F.

[John Kavanaugh]

Funny, I was in NYC Thursday and Friday and didn't see any golf because my hotel doesn't carry the GC. I figured most counties that don't currently have serious golf programs already in place wouldn't either putting the kybosch on "growing the game".

[Wayne_Kozun]

How many countries outside the US have the Golf Channel?

A few but it is unlikely any of them would have carried the Olympic golf as The Golf Channel did not have Olympic rights outside of the US.  Here in Canada we get the Golf Channel and it always carries the content of the US Golf Channel except for the Olympics coverage this week. 

But the golf was available on TSN2, the Canadian equivalent of ESPN2, as we have about 5-6 channels with live coverage at any one time (CBC, TSN1-4, RSN 1-3 although they sometimes have the same content).  You could also watch the golf, or any other sport for that matter, streaming on the CBC web site.

[BCowan]

If there isn't a stroke play in 4 years I'm boycotting.  I just turned the TV on mute, experience has increased greatly.  If the event is so great, why does one need to change it?  Are we dumbing things down for the ADD viewer or we are all winners mentality?  So far we don't have a tie, so this trumps the Presidents Cup.   

The thing is: The event might be fine on the final day, but the first three days there is not much drama, no excitement at all. They need to find some element to improve the first three days, be it daily cuts or obviously Match Play. The best thing about match play is everything is on the line from the first minute. And in terms of globalization: If you have someone from your country in matchplay, it is more likely his local tv station will show it. At least here in germany there was maybe half an hour of golf on the first three days. There is simply not much to show. But I bet if Kaymer would have been in a match play, the incentive to show more of the olympic event would have been bigger. The way it is they just wait until Sunday. And since Kaymer is not in contention, there is not much golf today as well in Germany. (they only went live when Stenson and Rose were chipping on 18). At least for our country the chance to grow the game seems a little bit wasted (and I know Twitter is not really representative, but the reception for the few minutes they had shown golf was not good at all)

   I completely disagree with you.  I don't expect sports to change to the whims of others.  The Olympics is suppose to be about crowning the Best participant.  In 18 holes of match play the lesser skilled player can win.  Hence why the best players were knocked out of the PGA Championship back in the day and they changed it.  Plus many greats of that area determined 72 holes of stroke play crowned the best player. 

   I loathe Globalization and can't stand how much everything in life is centralized and the many parallels that go with it.  In Germany Soccer is very big and in the US Football (US version) is very big.  Using the Olympics to ''Grow the Game'' is a farce.  In the Dominican Republic great baseball players emerged playing Stick ball ''Formal education''.  Golf pros and people in the regions across the world promote the Game on a daily basis and they do it without cameras around.  This idea that we need to force Golf upon people, like we don't with Chess or other sports is preposterous.  My wife spent 6 years of her early life in Germany.  She has no interest in Golf.  It's okay the world will go on.  If anything Golf needs to contract, reading the private golf etiquette thread makes me wanna walk away from the game.  If you wanna grow the game invite neighbors and friends to the driving range or par 3 course.  That is how it grows and grows with ethos which makes it an exceptional game.   

[Sean_A]

Ben

As is often the case...you fail to grasp the obvious  Golf in the Os needs to differentiate itself from the boring tour events which are losing more and more of their audience.  Giving me 72 holes of a field of players who could be bothered to turn out isn't exactly a ringing endorsement.  If a guy like me can't be enticd to drop a few hours watching golf how in the hell are you gonna convince a chap from Indonesia to do so?  I will tell you, by developing a comp whereby a guy from Indonesia could compete with a chance to win.  Golf needs something compelling because it is basically a crap sport for 99% of the population to watch on tv...right there with sailing. 

I was playing a match today at a club with two tvs.  Golf was on in one room, the proper Os in the other and football on in a third...very crazy set up for a club.  This is in England with Rose competing for gold...3 people watching.  20 + watching various Os and at least that many watching football (Arsenal V Liverpool).  You need to get out into the real world my man...without the golf blinders on.   Golf is struggling as a tv sport and rightly so.  So why would the Olympic Comm give us something which is in decline?  Better to take a chance and try to generate some excitement for the event. 

Ciao

[BCowan]

Sean,

    You are wrong again, not surprising.  Golf doesn't grow from big events. It grows on the play ground.  I can't help it stroke play isn't ur thing.  Golf imo shouldn't be in the Os, its for sports without major annual events.  I can play golf with an Indonesia man in the Detroit area chapper, I know whats up.  I don't watch football but I don't want them to dumb down their sport to fit my possible chance of change in heart.  Match play is dumb imo. I hate the Ryder cup, flag waving comp ick.

Golf as in pga tour has panderred to the football fan who occasionally plays golf.  I say FU to the pga tour and their lack of commitment to their core guy.

Why does golf have to appeal to other folks in the Os but other sports aren't under microscope for how popular they are in the Os?  Os golf was a typical group thought exercise.  Rory was tared and feathered "On drugs" for not having group opinion outlook.  Once I turned TV on mute, the Os improved drastically.  It takes patience to be a happy golfer, words have nevery been truer. 

I also completely disagree with how high u hold the Masters.  It's soft set up year after year. 

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()