Korean/Far Eastern Lady Golfers

Backache

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So talent doesn't enter the mix?

I would have thought that would be the main ingredient personally.
I think it depends what you mean by talent entering the mix in this question. I have no doubt they are very talented golfers.
But when a lot of sportsmen/women suddenly start emerging from one area it is usually due to an environemntal factor such as excellent development programmes rather than a genetic predisposition to play a sport well.
 

Jacko_G

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I think it depends what you mean by talent entering the mix in this question. I have no doubt they are very talented golfers.
But when a lot of sportsmen/women suddenly start emerging from one area it is usually due to an environemntal factor such as excellent development programmes rather than a genetic predisposition to play a sport well.

Therefore you have answered your own question - they clearly have talent!

You could coach a 28 handicap golfer from now till doomsday - if the raw ingredients/talent are not there - guess what!
 
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Watching it a bit now as the rain has driven me in. Doesn't bother me where the leaders are from, the Korean girls are a lesson in how to swing a club, fluid and under control. Must have good coaching from young. Don't like In Be Park's odd swing though. Are the US ladies here in force, is it a full strength field?

The course looks too quirky for me and in terrible condition, scabby dead areas everywhere including greens. Visually unappealing.
 

Backache

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Therefore you have answered your own question - they clearly have talent!

You could coach a 28 handicap golfer from now till doomsday - if the raw ingredients/talent are not there - guess what!
I'm not sure that I asked a question and don't know if we are talking at cross purpose . I stated they have talent however it is unlikely that talent is exclusive to this part of East Asia therefore to answer the original question the reason why so many are arising from there now is probably due to the development programme.
 

AmandaJR

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A rainy weekend has meant I've watched quite a bit of the Evian. Course does look shocking in terms of fairway condition. Something like 8 out of the top 10 are Korean and I agree that it's a very bland offering. Lovely swings (apart from Inbee Park's) but very robotic and no emotion on show. Plus S H Park is so flipping slow it's even more boring as she and her caddy debate every single shot. I was tempted to watch the Seniors instead but not sure that's more entertaining! Off to Eurosport for Le Tour methinks.
 

Dan2501

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The girls on the LPGA are great. They're fantastic to watch, have unreal control of the golf ball and they all seem to be so personable. The NLU podcast has really opened my eyes to the LPGA and whenever it's on I'll try and tune in. They've introduced me to so many girls I'd not heard of previously who I'm now a big fan of. Here are a few worth watching:

Ariya Jutanugarn is hilarious, the video above with the NLU boys was so damn funny, absolutely roasted Icarito:


Jane Park and Tiffany Joh seem like great fun, especially Jane Park:


Michelle Wie is unbelievably cool:


Danielle Kang is one of my favourite players across any tour, she's fantastic, seems like great fun, has one of the best short games on the planet (her bunker play is nothing short of exceptional), putts like a demon and is hot as hell to boot. <3 Danielle Kang.

 

Andy

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Money. Pure and simple. The Korean government look for areas they can target, and exploit, by spending boat loads of cash to promote Korea. It used to be musicians, and is currently female golf. It might change to something else when the rest of the world catch on.

Money.

Can you tell me a hawf decent Korean musician?
 

Lord Tyrion

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Can you tell me a hawf decent Korean musician?
Get down with the kids, K-Pop is massive 😁. I'm too old to care but any self respecting 8-14yr old will know some names.

I watched a chunk of today. The winner played some lovely golf but overall it was characterless, shots were fairly straight up and down. No great shaping, no great wonder shots. Saying that, I could learn far more from watching this afternoon than watching Brooks and Rory smash the living daylights of a golf ball. The distances the winner hit were similar to my own, she just hit them cleanly and consistently over and over whereas I..............🤣.

I don't know if they do it already but the LPGA need to take a leaf out of the European tour book and hit social media heavily. They need to give character to the South Koreans et al who are clearly here to stay but are not really grabbing our attention or love.
 

sunshine

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Yes, because the government spend loads of money on female junior golf.

If ours did, you would expect similar results.

They don't.

UK did the same with cycling.

Find a sport where you think there is room for improvement at the top. Throw money at it and watch the success roll in. Eventually other nations close the gap. It doesn't work where there is already a lot of established competition e.g. tennis.
 

Foxholer

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So talent doesn't enter the mix?

I would have thought that would be the main ingredient personally.
I answered the OP!

Obviously talent has a lot to do with those (relatively few, but still 'many') that ARE successful, but opportunity and drive (particularly parental from many of those who have been/are successful) is an enormous factor!

If the same attitudes/opportunities/resources applied in UK, there'd be significantly more 'locals' graduating too - at least imo!
 

Foxholer

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UK did the same with cycling.

Find a sport where you think there is room for improvement at the top. Throw money at it and watch the success roll in. Eventually other nations close the gap. It doesn't work where there is already a lot of established competition e.g. tennis.
Agree about cycling - and swimming seems to be /have been 'on the up' too, though that may simply be the amount of coverage it's getting (also a factor in getting participation!).

Throwing money at a sport doesn't necessarily guarantee success! There has to be a 'proper' structure for that resource, only one of several, to be effective! No different to any other 'campaign'.

I'd also take issue somewhat with 'discounting' Tennis as a 'stable' sport. It seems to me, and I have had some experience, that UK Tennis has rather apathetically stumbled along, with sufficient occasional highlights to maintain the 'status quo'! Judy Murray shook it up a bit/lot a few years ago, but the coaching and administration setup still seems far too much of a 'closed shop'! That said, the Ladies side of the game has come on in leaps and bounds - quite possibly again due to Murray's influence!
 

sunshine

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Agree about cycling - and swimming seems to be /have been 'on the up' too, though that may simply be the amount of coverage it's getting (also a factor in getting participation!).

Throwing money at a sport doesn't necessarily guarantee success! There has to be a 'proper' structure for that resource, only one of several, to be effective! No different to any other 'campaign'.

I'd also take issue somewhat with 'discounting' Tennis as a 'stable' sport. It seems to me, and I have had some experience, that UK Tennis has rather apathetically stumbled along, with sufficient occasional highlights to maintain the 'status quo'! Judy Murray shook it up a bit/lot a few years ago, but the coaching and administration setup still seems far too much of a 'closed shop'! That said, the Ladies side of the game has come on in leaps and bounds - quite possibly again due to Murray's influence!

Cycling was specifically targeted by the British Olympic Association as a source of medals in London 2012. It was a long term strategy, they built the structure and the investment paid off. Some athletes were encouraged to convert to cycling from other sports.

UK tennis seems a shambles to me. But it is unlikely to get the investment because other countries are miles ahead of Britain in terms of coaching and structure. Investment would just help Britain catch up with other nations, whereas (for the olympics) the funding only goes to initiatives that would guarantee medals.
 

Jacko_G

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Cycling was specifically targeted by the British Olympic Association as a source of medals in London 2012. It was a long term strategy, they built the structure and the investment paid off. Some athletes were encouraged to convert to cycling from other sports.

UK tennis seems a shambles to me. But it is unlikely to get the investment because other countries are miles ahead of Britain in terms of coaching and structure. Investment would just help Britain catch up with other nations, whereas (for the olympics) the funding only goes to initiatives that would guarantee medals.

Tennis is a very good example, Andy Murray was taken out of the British coaching by his mum and sent to Spain (I think?) to continue his development.

I know a few years ago Judy Murray and Sir Colin were trying to establish a school of excellence for both tennis and golf in the Stirling area but kept running into obstacles and objections. Not sure if that's all been binned now or still on the back burner somewhere.
 

JollyRedDevil

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I have always wondered about this too. It's also not related to nationality but place of genetic origin.
Even withing the us lady pros, most are of Asian origin.
I actually counted the number of players in the open with obvious Asian names (regardless of which country they represented) and it was 39% Asian background.
 

Foxholer

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Tennis is a very good example, Andy Murray was taken out of the British coaching by his mum and sent to Spain (I think?) to continue his development.....
My understanding - from a pretty reliable 'source' - is/was that it was caused by classic narrow-minded 'coaching' of Jamie as a Junior! Apparently, his unusual, but highly effective 'killer' style was deemed 'wrong' by coaches at a Bisham Abbey clinic that he was sent to and it was 'beaten' out of his game! As that 'crime' virtually destroyed his game for several years, JM (rightly imo) decided it wasn't going to be allowed happen to Andy, so selected an alternative coaching path - one that embraced individuality rather than crushing it!

Not quite so applicable to Golf, as not (such) a 'gladiatorial' contest.

And btw...Leadbetter's recent comments about Lydia Ko seems to indicate her parents are too involved in her career, as, apparently, were Michelle Wie's. So my 'pushy parents' post seems (to me) to be pretty relevant - 'God given talent' notwithstanding!
 
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