Sam
Head Pro
Will it ever come back as an Olympic Sport? Last appeared in 1904 I believe but not been able to find what format it took - anyone here remember it 
Olympic Sports
- Thread starter Sam
- Start date
geronimo
Head Pro
do you not have to be a amature to compete in the Olympics?
Golf was a amature sport was it not?
I would watch golf at the Olympics along with the shooting/archery events, can't really be bothered with the rest of it.
doubt it would make it though as it is very popular now and you would have thought it would be in now if ever.
Golf was a amature sport was it not?
I would watch golf at the Olympics along with the shooting/archery events, can't really be bothered with the rest of it.
doubt it would make it though as it is very popular now and you would have thought it would be in now if ever.
madandra
Money List Winner
1904 ............. To all on here 1904 is nearly five past seven at night
There is far too much money involved in golf for it to go back into the Olympics. It is far too commercialised and would end up like a 3rd rate tourney with 3rd rate golfers like IAN POULTER representing their contries.
There is far too much money involved in golf for it to go back into the Olympics. It is far too commercialised and would end up like a 3rd rate tourney with 3rd rate golfers like IAN POULTER representing their contries.
geronimo
Head Pro
Aparantly it is being looked at.
http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news04/olympic.html
2008 Olympic golf debate still ongoing
Golf could reappear as an Olympic sport at Beijing in 2008 after an absence of more than a hundred years but there are conflicting views as to whether it should feature the game's leading professionals.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says the top players would have to take part to merit the sport's return, a feeling echoed by the International Golf Federation (IGF), which is keen to reintroduce golf to the Olympics.
However, three-times major winner Ernie Els and world number one Tiger Woods are among several leading players who would prefer their sport to be restricted to amateurs only if it returns to the Summer Games schedule for the first time since 1904.
The four major championships represent golf's holy grail, and the leading players believe that anything else -- Olympic gold medals included -- would rank as second best.
"Golf should have a huge spot in the Olympics, and I'm not sure why it's not there yet," Els told Reuters. "But are you going to put the best amateur players in the Olympics or the best professional players?
"And what is more important: a gold medal for your country or a major championship by yourself?
"My feeling is that they can put the amateurs in first and see how it works. Then maybe, at a later stage, put in the professionals."
Eight-times major winner Woods likes the idea of golf appearing on the Beijing menu, but says it is probably not for him.
"It certainly does excite me," said the 28-year-old American. "But which one would you rather win -- an Olympic gold medal or one of the four major championships?"
Britain's Nick Faldo, who has won three British Opens and three U.S. Masters, believes the golfing calendar is already too congested to accommodate golf as a professional Olympic sport.
"It's just week after week on our schedule, we do have an awful lot of golf," said the 46-year-old Englishman.
"I think it would be great if it was part of an amateur schedule, under-25s or something like that, because you are playing for a medal."
But Royal and Ancient Golf Club secretary Peter Dawson, who is also joint secretary of the IGF, said the support of professionals was vital for golf's return to the Games.
"It's important for the best players to be involved," he said.
"I take that as a given. There is no prospect of it being an amateur sport at the Olympics.
Golf first featured as an Olympic sport at the 1900 Paris Games, when Americans Charles Sands and Margaret Abbott clinched gold medals in the men's and women's individual events.
Four years later, Canada's George Lyon won the individual title from a field of 75 at the St Louis Games, where the United States sealed team honours after producing the only three sides in the competition.
For golf to appear at the Olympics for the third time in the history of the Games another sport would have to make way, although the IOC has not thrown out a sport since 1936.
At an IOC session in Mexico in November 2002, three sports facing exclusion -- modern pentathlon, softball and baseball -- were given a reprieve when members resisted a proposal to drop them.
Members voted to postpone any cuts of entire sports until after this August's Olympics in Athens.
Dawson said he expected to hear if golf could return to the Olympics in Beijing by the middle of next year.
"We've been waiting to see what transpires and we've only recently heard that the IOC have set up a procedure with a series of meetings between now and July 2005," he told Reuters.
"If they stick to that timetable, we should know, one way or the other, by May or June of 2005. Golf will be in there as part of the process.
"Although it's very difficult to predict if golf will appear in Beijing, it has a very strong case, not least for the number of its participants around the world," Dawson added.
http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news04/olympic.html
2008 Olympic golf debate still ongoing
Golf could reappear as an Olympic sport at Beijing in 2008 after an absence of more than a hundred years but there are conflicting views as to whether it should feature the game's leading professionals.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says the top players would have to take part to merit the sport's return, a feeling echoed by the International Golf Federation (IGF), which is keen to reintroduce golf to the Olympics.
However, three-times major winner Ernie Els and world number one Tiger Woods are among several leading players who would prefer their sport to be restricted to amateurs only if it returns to the Summer Games schedule for the first time since 1904.
The four major championships represent golf's holy grail, and the leading players believe that anything else -- Olympic gold medals included -- would rank as second best.
"Golf should have a huge spot in the Olympics, and I'm not sure why it's not there yet," Els told Reuters. "But are you going to put the best amateur players in the Olympics or the best professional players?
"And what is more important: a gold medal for your country or a major championship by yourself?
"My feeling is that they can put the amateurs in first and see how it works. Then maybe, at a later stage, put in the professionals."
Eight-times major winner Woods likes the idea of golf appearing on the Beijing menu, but says it is probably not for him.
"It certainly does excite me," said the 28-year-old American. "But which one would you rather win -- an Olympic gold medal or one of the four major championships?"
Britain's Nick Faldo, who has won three British Opens and three U.S. Masters, believes the golfing calendar is already too congested to accommodate golf as a professional Olympic sport.
"It's just week after week on our schedule, we do have an awful lot of golf," said the 46-year-old Englishman.
"I think it would be great if it was part of an amateur schedule, under-25s or something like that, because you are playing for a medal."
But Royal and Ancient Golf Club secretary Peter Dawson, who is also joint secretary of the IGF, said the support of professionals was vital for golf's return to the Games.
"It's important for the best players to be involved," he said.
"I take that as a given. There is no prospect of it being an amateur sport at the Olympics.
Golf first featured as an Olympic sport at the 1900 Paris Games, when Americans Charles Sands and Margaret Abbott clinched gold medals in the men's and women's individual events.
Four years later, Canada's George Lyon won the individual title from a field of 75 at the St Louis Games, where the United States sealed team honours after producing the only three sides in the competition.
For golf to appear at the Olympics for the third time in the history of the Games another sport would have to make way, although the IOC has not thrown out a sport since 1936.
At an IOC session in Mexico in November 2002, three sports facing exclusion -- modern pentathlon, softball and baseball -- were given a reprieve when members resisted a proposal to drop them.
Members voted to postpone any cuts of entire sports until after this August's Olympics in Athens.
Dawson said he expected to hear if golf could return to the Olympics in Beijing by the middle of next year.
"We've been waiting to see what transpires and we've only recently heard that the IOC have set up a procedure with a series of meetings between now and July 2005," he told Reuters.
"If they stick to that timetable, we should know, one way or the other, by May or June of 2005. Golf will be in there as part of the process.
"Although it's very difficult to predict if golf will appear in Beijing, it has a very strong case, not least for the number of its participants around the world," Dawson added.
madandra
Money List Winner
Tha amateur thing ended quite a while ago. The American dream team play in it as do the professional footballers.
geronimo
Head Pro
learn something new every day.
A bit of useless info in and a bit of useful out.
A bit of useless info in and a bit of useful out.
viscount17
Money List Winner
Olympic basketball and ice hockey became a farce the day they let the pro's in. It was US, Canadian pros or state-sponsored Eastern bloc.
If golf goes back in it should be amateur, team medal only. But there are two problems I can see with that:
1. There will be a lot of teams entered, what format do you use that could compress the time required sufficiently to complete the event in two weeks and have every team get an even break on weather?
2. Money. The Olympics is now about making money (they cost enough to stage). To attract galleries/ tv coverage/ you need names, hence the desire for the pros. Any coverage that goes to golf will have to come from another event as will most of the spectators.
It's unlikely that you'll get the top pros and it would could just be a near re-run of any other week on the PGA tour. I would watch an amateur comp more readily than Nationwide-level pros.
If golf goes back in it should be amateur, team medal only. But there are two problems I can see with that:
1. There will be a lot of teams entered, what format do you use that could compress the time required sufficiently to complete the event in two weeks and have every team get an even break on weather?
2. Money. The Olympics is now about making money (they cost enough to stage). To attract galleries/ tv coverage/ you need names, hence the desire for the pros. Any coverage that goes to golf will have to come from another event as will most of the spectators.
It's unlikely that you'll get the top pros and it would could just be a near re-run of any other week on the PGA tour. I would watch an amateur comp more readily than Nationwide-level pros.
Dave3498
Q-School Graduate
If golf ever returns to the Olympics, it's odds-on that there will be a completely new set of rules to comply with, because that's what they do with everything. It wouldn't be good enough to post the best score to win. They would probably introduce 'style marks' so that they can employ a panel of so-called experts judging the best swing.
They would almost certainly introduce their own rules governing the design of equipment and balls etc. which would be completely different to R&A or USPGA rules. The Olympic Authorities like to reinvent the wheel on everything.
They would almost certainly introduce their own rules governing the design of equipment and balls etc. which would be completely different to R&A or USPGA rules. The Olympic Authorities like to reinvent the wheel on everything.
Sam
Head Pro
Synchronized swinging
Dave3498
Q-School Graduate
You've got it Sam. They like judging things.
Marko77
Q-School Graduate
My feeling is that if golf was to be an Olympic sport then it should be amateurs that represent their nations. It would be more than likely that any amateur appearing on this stage would turn Pro eventually so it could be another part of the learning curve for them.
If it were to be Professionals then it could replace the WGC World Cup? I'm surprised Dawson/The R&A were so quick to discount Amateurs from it.
If it were to be Professionals then it could replace the WGC World Cup? I'm surprised Dawson/The R&A were so quick to discount Amateurs from it.
