Whilst scrolling through various news and debate yesterday I came across an article on BBC news about the dominance of UK golf versus the continuous decline of UK Tennis.
I thought I would take my opportunity to give my opinion as a golf professional on this topic through the form of my blog. I work at a privately owned municiple facility. We offer various forms of membership as well as being open to the public (without restriction) and offer a residential golf academy which is used by people from all around the world. Apart from the residential school we are constantly trying to encourage new golfers and juniors to play the game.
Rory McIlroy's exploits at the US Open last week have certainly got people talking over the last few days, even my mum and girlfriend who are avid non - golfers enjoyed watching the fresh faced 22 year old putting on his masterclass. His performance again has got people talking about golf in similar ways that people have spoken about Tiger Woods before him, the appeal for golf becomes even stronger. This just adds to my thoughts on why golf is experiencing such a strong period in the UK.
I feel it is important to understand the respective games requirement and how they are played in order to compare the two. Tennis has a few issues that will not arise in golf therefore effecting participation numbers. Firstly you need an opponent, this can make playing tough. Also the advandage that golf has is the handicapping system, this means that when you do play you can play against anyone, regardless of ability. This makes the game a lot more appealing to beginners and improver players. It also gives every player the opportunity to have a continuous monitor of their own progress. Add to this that golf is age freindly, you can play into your very later years, and that the weather is less of an obstruction golf seems to be a more attractive, fulfilling and sociable game to play.
Also if you are going to bring the so - called class factor into this argument then take a look around your average golf club car park. Yes you have your Wentworths and snooty golf clubs however I think if you cast an eye over the average golf club car park you will see a high number of white vans. Many clubs user base comes from a wide working class area social group. This is where their children who participate in junior clinics come from as a result. These people have money remember, and work bloody hard for it but if you feel you are getting value for it then people will invest. Like the McIlroy family did in order to aid their sons development this where the accessibility and structure of the sport becomes so important, firstly you need to get people playing the game, secondly you need solid structure in place to aid their long term development.
Accessibility to play the game is very important as is the access to the tuition required to improve. A public golf facility such as where I am located offers free club rental, free lesson promotions, no restriction on times or days to play, cheap junior lessons & beginner groups coaching. These initiatives are run all year with the backing of the club and some additional help from English Golf Union schemes and county partnerships such as the Sussex Golf Partnership.
I think in golf we have got the stepping stones in place for a youngster to make their way through to the professional ranks. Funding is available from club level through to national and international level. There is a clear path of development and even in the winter funding enables those talented youngsters within county and national set - ups to travel away for coaching in the winter. An example of this is seen with the Sussex County Golf Union who send there juniors on winter training and matches to La Manga, Malta and Turkey.
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You could also bring the Tiger effect into the mix however tennis aren't exactly struggling with Nadal & Federer at the head of the game. They all make their respective games fashionable and appealing to the masses watching on TV. Maybe part of the lull in tennis is just down to the fact that there are no UK players competing on television regularly whereas golf has UK players competing for top players on a weekly basis. Andy Murray isn't quite the role model that many would like to see for tennis. Mostly seen as the moody, non smiling Scot who hasn't won a Grand Slam event yet.
I feel that there are many reasons that golf is experiencing such a boom right now compared to tennis. It is now a game which has lost a lot of it's elitest tag and moved on to become a game played by all. Golf clubs can be picked up cheap in bargain sport shops in town centres for juniors and adults and you even see tees, ball and gloves being sold in shops such as Lidl and Aldi, commonly seen as lower market shopping outlets. Add to this that there are an increasing number of professionals wanting to fill their diaries with new golfers and the fact that even the old private clubs are opening their doors to others (due to the average member age going through the roof). Golf is simply now a much more affordable hobbie for everybody to play.
In the UK we do play every sport going, we are not like others who set their targets on two or three key sports so this can effect how many top quality athletes come through in each respective area. However the ones where the coaching and funding structures are strong then we do flourish. Football is going through a tough time at present with the poor performance of the respective national teams, however again if you look below it appears the structures are not right. Money is not getting filtered to the right areas and coaching is suffering as a result.
I feel if tennis took a similar approach to golf and sorted out the funding etc then they to could move forward and start to see players appear in the top 100 or even top 20 in the world again.
Until then however I will just sit back and watch our golfers deliver!!
Feel free to leave your opinion on this matter.
Dan Gale
PGA Professional, TPI Certified
Dan is a fully qualified member of the PGA & Certified TPI Instructor
