The Issues
With all the negative press about golf in the Olympics before the event, noone was sure how the event would be received. This was all forgotten once the first tee shot had been made. There was no sign of the zika virus. The lack of the top names not showing up was overlooked, with competitors becoming immersed in the Olympic spirit. Some reports have those who pulled out, potentially regretting their decisions. It is only hoped this doesn’t impact golf being retained in the future.
The Coverage
For coverage in Australia by the local broadcaster, it was a little disappointing. Some days were shown at a reasonable hour, lucky for us, but otherwise you were required to download an app to watch. I heard sometimes there was no commentary, delayed broadcasting and even the streaming coming to a grinding halt. You did have to purchase access also. It is fully understandable that not all coverage could be shown on the primary channels, considering the event for both men and women took 8 full days. With the number of sports and varying events to cover, it is impossible to fully cover everything. Coverage in the USA was shown on the Golf Channel, which had a substantial amount, along with other host networks. One point to note is the high television audience numbers for the men’s final day, coming only second to The Masters event. Quite an accomplishment when the majors are the pinnacle of the sport.
Photo by lazyllama / Shutterstock.com
Highlights
The competition was close in the men’s, with eventual winner Justin Rose getting up by two shots on the last hole of the tournament with a birdie, to beat Henrik Stenson. Rose was also was the first to have a hole in one in Olympic history. In the ladies Inbee Park showed why she has been so dominant in the sport, having a convincing win over current World number one, Lydia Ko.
What cannot be forgotten was the actual Gil Hanse designed course. Built from scratch, this truly shone during the competition, with similarities to those in the Melbourne Sandbelt. The course allowed great play to shine, but didn’t hesitate to punish those who didn’t think about strategy.
Improvements
So this leads to the question, how can this be improved? Changing the format is definitely an option. Could there be a mixed competition with men and women playing together. The Victorian Open has shown that this type of format can work, creating a bit of enthusiasm and buy in from the crowd and competitors. A team event has been widely discussed and promoted within the golf industry. Only time will tell if such a change occurs.
The Future
So where to now? With a decision to be made on the sports inclusion beyond Tokyo, late in 2017, it will be touch and go on whether it will remain. To be fair a decision should not really occur until after the next Olympics, but with so much planning required for the next hosting city, this is not really feasible. I imagine the powers that be in golf could be very anxious, especially if they are trying to grow the game. What will be interesting is the state of the Rio course in four years time. Will it be utilised and still publicly accessible, or become a rundown swamp?
