Golf Channel's Olympic Announcement Coverage
Golf Channel featured a pretty extensive roundup on the golf-in-the-Olympics announcement, and as you might imagine some interesting things were said. There were a few highlights, starting with Tim Finchem's appearance alongside Brandel Chamblee and Kraig Kann.
Finchem said this "will go down as a turning point for the game from a growth standpoint" and that "we're on a nice trajectory globally with golf" and "countries are going to spend a lot of energy to grow the game."
Finchem also believes this will "legitimatize, if we even needed it, golf as an athletic sport. It's truly an athletic sport."
And finally, golf in the Olympics "puts us on a stage that demonstrates the global diversity of the game. No longer will it be viewed as an elite sport," and this will "catapult the sport upward." He said the "next forty years are going to be golden age of golf globally."
As for the courses in Rio, Finchem said they have "some decent courses, not at the level to challenge these guys" and that the Tour "may build a course in partnership with the other federations."
Kann chimed in that he was envisioning a "Nicklaus design, Palmer Design, Player Design, Woods Design…" Finchem was gone so he didn't have to touch that one.
A few moments later they threw it to Inga Hammond and Adam Barr, who talked about the potential worldwide sales of "clubs, shoes, balls," and the "potentially enormous market for an industry that needs good news right now."
He also cited Brad Klein's article which suggested a private developer might bear the risk of building what Barr called "one of these mega complexes" and a "big course to handle the big players," and floated Donald Trump's name.
And Rich Lerner wrapped up with an essay where he noted that this was a "sudden financial sunrise for what had been a cloudy golf industry."
Friday, October 9, 2009 at 11:24 AM
Reader Comments (20)
It's time for these parrots to grow up and think for themselves instead of just repeating nonsense.
Damn, there are some brilliant contributors to this site!!!!! ; )
Greg - this is a professional tournament - do you think the PGA Tour is anything but a spectator sport ? Racing is a huge sport from go karts up to NASCAR and Formula 1 and Indy.
What the hell is there to celebrate apart from the act itself? This Olympic thing is a big "So what?" Who put the anchovy skeleton in my cheese sandwich? That's what I want to know.
John
I can't believe you asked that question. Can't you see, the answer is sooooo obvious. The answer is...ugh...well...maybe it is...uhhh...hmmm.
Well, come to think of it, I don't know that there is any benefit to recreational golfers.
let me help you...tiger=RATINGS. his "excellence" called dick ebersol and asked---which sport, your oracle of perpetual cash, will help us most...and golf was selected. rugby by sevens is such a great corporate enteratainment opportunity... yeah, i'll bet tiger wants to play some t fazio designed nightmare in Rio in 2016. i hope he skips it and saysd "i'd love to help the olympic idelas of drug testing and bribes..but i need 18 professional majors to beat jack's record... and n obody cares who won a gold medal on the "t fazio olympic rio layout"
need i remind yo gentelman which professional asked "anybody, what was jack's ryder cup record..yeah, i thought so..."
but oh, i am not being sentisive to the needs of the papua new gunea team,,who cant break 90....
i'm a recreational golfer and i love the game. i still don't see the point of having it in the olympics.
With that type of attitude, no wonder golf gets a bad rep.
Solid idea!!!