Paige Spirinac: Good for women's golf or not ?

[Orikoru]

Agreed.
Sometimes people compare her to Anna Kornikova. But there is actually no real comparison.
One was a professional tennis player who competed at the very highest level (4th rnd, QF's etc of grand slam events, winner of doubles grand slam and reached no 8 in the world rankings). But also did very well out of the fact she was good looking.
The other is a model who plays golf, isn't world class at golf, doesn't compete with the best week in week out. She basically has the same impact on golf as Paulina Gretkzy.

I compared her earlier to Kournikova because Kournikova sort of competed when she was young, but never won a singles title and quickly faded away, and I'm fairly sure she retired from tennis by around 25 and persued a career in modelling full time. She was always better known as an attractive tennis player rather than a really good tennis player anyway.

 

[User101]

I admire her savvy to exploit herself to get fame and fortune as she was unlikely to get it through her game.

 

[patricks148]

Agreed.
Sometimes people compare her to Anna Kornikova. But there is actually no real comparison.
One was a professional tennis player who competed at the very highest level (4th rnd, QF's etc of grand slam events, winner of doubles grand slam and reached no 8 in the world rankings). But also did very well out of the fact she was good looking.
The other is a model who plays golf, isn't world class at golf, doesn't compete with the best week in week out. She basically has the same impact on golf as Paulina Gretkzy.

Very well put, AKK got to 8 in the world rankings and won a load of doubles titles, no mean feat, i doubt page will get below 80 TBH

 

[User101]

Good luck to her if it gives her a living. That being said she has to take the rough with the smooth, I’m not condoning the online abuse, but it is par for the course online. If it’s as bad as she makes out she should stop the online media she does, but of course she won’t as it’s her revenues source.

Think that sums it up nicely. Online abuse isn't acceptable in any form but it's to be expected. Suspect she was initially a bit naive with it all but her online presence has got her where she is.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Whatever happened to Golf Punk and wondering how it's Swinging Sirens/Bunker Babes feature would go down today...

 

[SteveJay]

Agreed.
Sometimes people compare her to Anna Kornikova. But there is actually no real comparison.
One was a professional tennis player who competed at the very highest level (4th rnd, QF's etc of grand slam events, winner of doubles grand slam and reached no 8 in the world rankings). But also did very well out of the fact she was good looking.
The other is a model who plays golf, isn't world class at golf, doesn't compete with the best week in week out. She basically has the same impact on golf as Paulina Gretkzy.

Spot on!

 

[user2010]

Whatever happened to Golf Punk and wondering how it's Swinging Sirens/Bunker Babes feature would go down today...

Still going......just online only I think:thup:

 

[HomerJSimpson]

She raises the profile of the sport through her social media activity which will connect with a specific generation that the sport needs to raise its profile in, so I suppose that can do no harm. Isn't the average age of female embers of golf clubs well into the 50s nowadays? Also from the admittedly little I have seen her in course logs she comes across as very personable, and didn't she sign for PXG recently?

I think there is a danger that she just becomes famous for being famous/attractive if she is not playing much golf. Nothing wrong with being attractive whilst performing a skill or sport to a high level, but when the attractiveness becomes by far the major thing then I think that is not the best.

I think you make interesting points. She'll definitely raise the profile via social media and encompass a younger demographic but she'll never make a name in the professional ranks. Whether being famous for her social media presence is actually enough to grow the game without competing I'm not sure. Her on course vlogs are interesting enough but they are miles away from the pro game. I don't see her as an irrelevance but I'm not sure how much an impact she can have on the pro side of things. If she wants to engage and grow the female/junior participation then I think that's a significant leap forward for golf

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I'll have to ask the 13yr old lass in our place who is promising great things what she thinks of Paige Spirinac...

She may just be one lass and so her view must just be that of one lass - but there aren't that many 13yr old girls in the current England Under16 girls squad so her view might be interesting.

BTW - for an idea how good she is at 13 - she's quite a slight lass but last year she knocked it round Blackmoor in level par (and plenty here know of that Hants track)

Had a chat with our lasses coach earlier - asked him what she thought of Paige Spirinac. As far as he is aware she isn't on her radar, thinks she probably hasn't even heard of PS - her role model is Charlie Hull.

As it happens he thinks PS is pretty good for girls and ladies golf. A very good player who had a go at trying to make it on the Tour - but not quite good enough so is branching out into the modelling/fashion side of things. No bad thing.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Had a chat with our lasses coach earlier - asked him what she thought of Paige Spirinac. As far as he is aware she isn't on her radar, thinks she probably hasn't even heard of PS - her role model is Charlie Hull.

As it happens he thinks PS is pretty good for girls and ladies golf. A very good player who had a go at trying to make it on the Tour - but not quite good enough so is branching out into the modelling/fashion side of things. No bad thing.

How far removed is it from what Henni Goya (Zuel) did on the LET? Didn't make a huge impact, was plagued with injuries and so moved into the media but still working on growing the ladies game in the UK

 

[Deleted member 1147]

How far removed is it from what Henni Goya (Zuel) did on the LET? Didn't make a huge impact, was plagued with injuries and so moved into the media but still working on growing the ladies game in the UK

Zuel was an actual member of the tour by ability, Spiranac wasn’t/isn’t. So they are completely different cases.

 

[Sweep]

I will say one thing for PS. She makes golf look cool and fun. If you want to attract young people into the game, that’s what you have to do.

 

[londonlewis]

Is she bad for the game of golf? No, I don't think so.

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

Zuel was an actual member of the tour by ability, Spiranac wasn’t/isn’t. So they are completely different cases.

But you still have degree of what's right - she never won, failed to qualify for most majors etc - is that sufficient background to be involved discussing the best of women's and men's golf or should it be a past player who played to a higher standard than her?

The point for me is that the quality of her golf is largely irrelevant to the role (all be it you need to have been a reasonable golfer) and it's her performance in her media role that is the key point - therefore no different to Paige.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

You are then in the realms of credibility. There is a surge in female "experts" on the men's game of various sports, whether on TMS or Sky sports midweek matches. They have no credibility whatsoever in my eyes, the level they played at being nowhere near the equivalent in the men's game. They are there for the box tickers only. These people, male or female, can act as presenters but for the pundit / expert I want to hear somewhere who has actually been there and played at the level being discussed.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Is she bad for the game of golf? No, I don't think so.

I think where the only issue I'd have in respect of PS - and it isn't her fault - is that she might well get invites to tournaments that her golf does not merit, and in taking up that invitation another player does not get to play. That tournament organisers might do that takes us full circle to the Grid Girls; President Club; PDC debate.

 

[Jacko_G]

Had a chat with our lasses coach earlier - asked him what she thought of Paige Spirinac. As far as he is aware she isn't on her radar, thinks she probably hasn't even heard of PS - her role model is Charlie Hull.

As it happens he thinks PS is pretty good for girls and ladies golf. A very good player who had a go at trying to make it on the Tour - but not quite good enough so is branching out into the modelling/fashion side of things. No bad thing.

What a wonderful young lady she is.

I took my kids to the ladies Scottish Open a couple of years back. Charlie was playing with the "superstar" Mel Reid. Mel Reid missed a putt and stormed off the green with a face like thunder stormed right past us muttering and swearing. Hull walked past about 20 seconds behind her, stopped and gave my daughter her golf ball and ruffled her hair.

Followed her progress ever since. Took 5 seconds out of her life to make a young girl very happy.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I think where the only issue I'd have in respect of PS - and it isn't her fault - is that she might well get invites to tournaments that her golf does not merit, and in taking up that invitation another player does not get to play. That tournament organisers might do that takes us full circle to the Grid Girls; President Club; PDC debate.

You could argue at the moment that Tiger Woods may get invites to tournaments that his golf currently does not merit but he puts bums on seats.

PS brings an army of followers, online, with her. She plays in a tournament and she will tweet, instagram etc the sponsors name for days beforehand and then during the tournament, before the cut anyway. She will give the sponsors far more bangs for their buck than 99% of the other players in that tournament. If I was organising a tournament she would be the first person on the invite list. The other players have to deal with that and either get better to qualify automatically or create an online persona that brings sponsors with them. That doesn't have to be done in the same way, Eddie Pepperell for example is a fascinating bloke with lots of followers on social media but he never whips his clothes off.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

What a wonderful young lady she is.

I took my kids to the ladies Scottish Open a couple of years back. Charlie was playing with the "superstar" Mel Reid. Mel Reid missed a putt and stormed off the green with a face like thunder stormed right past us muttering and swearing. Hull walked past about 20 seconds behind her, stopped and gave my daughter her golf ball and ruffled her hair.

Followed her progress ever since. Took 5 seconds out of her life to make a young girl very happy.

Funny how those moments happen. Robert Rock smiled and asked me how my day was at one tournament, when every other golfer had been "in the zone". I follow him now. Little touches. It is why everyone loves Phil, he does them all the time.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

You could argue at the moment that Tiger Woods may get invites to tournaments that his golf currently does not merit but he puts bums on seats.
.

The difference there is that Tiger has won so much he'll have lifetime rights to play the PGA tour, whereas PS hasn't won diddly