Should Golf Be Banned

988 Words2 Pages

The National Golf Foundation's annual report concluded something peculiar. The most first time golfers since 2002, but the overall number of golfers continued to drop. Conclusion? Golf needs to be more beginner-friendly. Golf as a whole needs to break away from tradition so they can bring in new fans and players who stick.

Tradition is a great thing, unless it gets in the way of innovation. Here are five ideas the PGA should adopt to grow the game.

1. Complete smartphone access for fans

Fans use smartphones relentlessly at sporting events around the country. Stadiums put fan tweets on jumbotrons and directly urge phone use. The PGA does the opposite. Only recently were mobile devices even allowed, fans can now have their phones if they're …show more content…

Watch sports
Eat & Drink
Take a picture or video for social media (to show you're there and how cool you are.)
Repeat.
By not allowing number two, golf is cutting off a huge sector of possible fans. People have multiple social networks and check them more than once a day, every golf tournament is missing out on free promotion by disallowing mobile use. This "behavioral code" is designed to allow players to focus. But these are the greatest golfers alive. If college basketball players can hit free throws when facing the "curtain of distraction" - shouldn't Jordan Spieth be able to get up and down when facing flashes and clicks?

2. Complete smartphone access for golfers

If fans having smartphones will make golf harder for the pros, even it out by giving the players a tech advantage. Smartphones and range finder devices are banned by the USGA for tour pros (not amateurs). Not integrating technology into the game is another distinct trait to golf. The NFL uses Microsoft Surface tablets on the sidelines. Every pitch, swing and hit in baseball is tracked in real time and

More about Should Golf Be Banned

Open Document