golf's public image

james no.1

hi, was watching bbc news last night and it described tennis as still being an elitist game. it got me thinking, do people still consider golf to be cosy or elitist, or has it modernised, thus making it accessible to all? what are your thoughts?

david

Not at all elitist. It's never been a better time to be a golfer in this country. It's a race to the bottom with membership and greenfee rates. I work in the industry and I see more 'beginners' coming through our doors than ever before.

LostPassword

Golf and tennis are the sports of the global elite mostly because they are resource intensive - it takes a lot of money to provide the playing facilities relatively to other games (you can play football as a reasonable approximation of the real thing on a road).

Ireland and Scotland are I think the only 2 countries where it is not really elitist due to a combination of climate and low population density. In the US, in particular, Golf has been very clearly identified as the elite sport since the 1920s at least and this has been taken up by the aspiring elites in other countries as they have become prosperous.

k.p.h

The R&A and the USGA actively encourage people from all walks of life, all races, all ages both male and female to play golf.

Any elitism in the sport comes from a small number of the people who play the sport and not the people who run the sport.

As for financial elitism, it is possible that their is some element in the game but as their is in any sport. My local soccer team dose not have a 40k seater stadium or world class facilities since it dose not have the money. So the same also go's with golfers, you are not going to be playing the K club if you don't have the cash but you have a go on some par 3 for a tenner or a twilight round somewhere for similar.

I think the sport dose a good job at not having elitism in regard to the playing of the game. The handicap system levels the playing field for nearly every amateur. So people of all different abilities compete weekly all over the country. thats something no other sport dose and I think it's a great asset to people who promote the game.

Jul3s

james no.1 wrote: »

hi, was watching bbc news last night and it described tennis as still being an elitist game. it got me thinking, do people still consider golf to be cosy or elitist, or has it modernised, thus making it accessible to all? what are your thoughts?

Hi James and welcome to the 21st century,
golf has been accessible to the masses for more than a decade now in this country and worldwide, I hope this doesn't come as to much of a shock you.

james no.1

Jul3s wrote: »

Hi James and welcome to the 21st century,
golf has been accessible to the masses for more than a decade now in this country and worldwide, I hope this doesn't come as to much of a shock you.

no it's just i play and i don't find it elitist but quite often when i tell people i play golf they say, 'oh that's just a posh sport' or whatever. so i just made this thread to see what people think.

matthew8

Golf is seen as elitist to play but the working classes still love a good par 3 or pitch and putt. It just requires too much investment to become good. Nothing we can do about that tbh, unless we want to hand out golf clubs in social welfare in the hope that they go pro and pay tax on their earnings.

golfwallah

david wrote: »

Not at all elitist. It's never been a better time to be a golfer in this country. It's a race to the bottom with membership and greenfee rates. I work in the industry and I see more 'beginners' coming through our doors than ever before.

Agreed, golf is not elitist. But, “Race to the bottom” – wasn't this a common reaction to Ryanair, when they started? Golf clubs have to react and give value for money to attract customers and survive. Those, who don’t, deserve to go out of business.
There are more golf courses in Ireland and Scotland per head of population than anywhere else in the world. Up to recently, something like 6% of the Irish population had registered with the GUI. Dublin alone has over 60 golf courses. The late Seve Ballesteros became the World’s No. 1, learning to play on the local beaches and course (all without cost other than a 3 iron handed down from his brother).
The recession is doing more than anything else to wipe away elitist attitudes in member clubs. They all need members and visitors to pay for course and club house running costs. They have to compete to give prospective customers what they want: just Google something like “value golf membership dublin” or look at comparative membership rates on this thread: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056124293&page=13

threeball

Golf still has a "monied" appearance to it rather than an elitist one, due mainly to the fact that it is often not just a sport of leisure but also as a sport of business. You don't have to look any further than Cowen and the bould Seanie Fitzs' jaunt around druids glen to see why the image still persists. Elitist no, but its up there with horse racing as the sport of the high rollers.

davidrafferty

threeball wrote: »

Golf still has a "monied" appearance to it rather than an elitist one, due mainly to the fact that it is often not just a sport of leisure but also as a sport of business. You don't have to look any further than Cowen and the bould Seanie Fitzs' jaunt around druids glen to see why the image still persists. Elitist no, but its up there with horse racing as the sport of the high rollers.

Mr. Average drives a Ford or Toyota and flies Ryanair - doesn't make him a high roller, even if he plays golf at the local members club or pay as you play.
Just because the privileged few like Seanie play at exclusive golf clubs, drive BMWs or Rollers and fly by private jet, doesn't make high rollers of the +200,000 (including the unemployed) who play golf in Ireland!
People aren't stupid - they do look a bit further than Seanie & Co.
Where's your sense of perspective!

threeball

And your average punter at a racecourse is no different, but on the outside looking in the perspective always focuses on the top end.
You seem to be very wound up about what was a very innocuous post. Perhaps its you who should check his sense of perspective.

golfwallah

Golf is not just one market exclusive to the rich. Like any other sport or business it has a lot of different segments. Sure, there are a few exclusive clubs for the well off, but they are in the minority (and many of them in financial trouble).
The bulk of golf is played outside of these exclusive places, at a variety of different clubs that people can differentiate by price, location, quality of facilities, etc., just the same as can be done for any other product or service.
Air travel used to be elitist up to about 15 years ago, but no longer - thanks to the likes of Ryanair. "Back in the day", golf used to be almost exclusively the sport of the well off .... but those days are long gone.
Golf has modernised and now has mass appeal, enabling talented golfers like Seve Ballesteros, Padraig Harrington and Rory McElroy to break through to the top from very ordinary beginnings.
I think it fair to say that there’s as much business done in other types of sport (Rugby, GAA, Soccer) as there is in golf clubs. But we all know that the media like to sensationalise to catch our attention. Doesn’t mean that golf has an elitist image ...... it’s more to do with the media cult of celebrity ... or infamy (in the case of certain bankers).;)