Players pulling out of Olympics

[Tongo]

Am I the only one looking forward to seeing in the golf in the Olympics?

Live golf on the beeb! #justsayin

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'd be happy if that were to be the case, after all, we all want it to be successful!

If Day was to be there, you could argue that's still a strong team whoever they put with him. As for Britain and USA, we're bound to have a strong team, and will easily find enough willing guys who'd love to play! Potential British medal, but of course hard to say before the teams have been announced!

The US, South Africans, Aussies and a lot of the European countries will all have enough depth to put strong sides out so while the potential for a medal is there, it won't be easy

 

[Tongo]

Maybe the top boys will fancy a break bearing in mind there are 3 major championships and a WGC even across a seven week stretch just two weeks before the Olympics.

I'd imagine many will be physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted by time the USPGA is done.

 

[Dan2501]

Nope, get's a decent tournament on mainstream tv for free so I'm all for it.

Yep, for this fact alone I hope that the tournament gets a good turn out and we get a competitive, good tournament. Could potentially be great for the game both over here and particularly in Brazil. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'd be happy if that were to be the case, after all, we all want it to be successful!

If Day was to be there, you could argue that's still a strong team whoever they put with him. As for Britain and USA, we're bound to have a strong team, and will easily find enough willing guys who'd love to play! Potential British medal, but of course hard to say before the teams have been announced!

The US, South Africans, Aussies and a lot of the European countries will all have enough depth to put strong sides out so while the potential for a medal is there, it won't be easy

 

[mcbroon]

For me the Olympics should always be the pinnacle of a sport

Athletics is
Same with Swimming etc

But sports like Golf and Tennis and Football - it's not the pinnacle of that sport

It's not about being professional or not

Totally agree Phil. Bolt, Tom Daly etc spent their lives training specifically to win Olympic medals because that's the top of their respective games.

Rory et al spent their lives practising to win Majors. Olympic golf will never have the same kudos within the sport.

I'll still watch, mind. It's golf on council telly, after all.

 

[Slab]

Scott has made his feelings about the olympics well known long before this and he never had any intention of playing. I think there will be some top names there although I remain unconvinced it should be in the games at all, certainly at professional level

I'm quite happy for it to be included in the Olympics, there's an awful lot of dross that'll be there (said as a golf fan obviously) and I'll wager golf will attract more participants & viewers then many of the provincial sports combined

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Totally agree Phil. Bolt, Tom Daly etc spent their lives training specifically to win Olympic medals because that's the top of their respective games.

Rory et al spent their lives practising to win Majors. Olympic golf will never have the same kudos within the sport.

I'll still watch, mind. It's golf on council telly, after all.

That sums it up

Will watch a lot of the other non mainstream sports that don't normally get aired on telly first

 

[Deleted member 1418]

For me the Olympics should always be the pinnacle of a sport

Athletics is
Same with Swimming etc

But sports like Golf and Tennis and Football - it's not the pinnacle of that sport

It's not about being professional or not

Totally agree. Won't be watching any of the Olympic golf and frankly couldn't care less who wins. They had the perfect opportunity to make it a different format and thus attract some significant interest, but blew it IMO.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I'm quite happy for it to be included in the Olympics, there's an awful lot of dross that'll be there (said as a golf fan obviously) and I'll wager golf will attract more participants & viewers then many of the provincial sports combined

I'll take you up on that.

Strokeplay golf is mostly a very dull sport to watch on TV at the best of times, can't see it being in the Olympics will make the casual sport viewer sit there for several hours to watch it myself. I think a lot of people watch Olympic sports as it is something different and they enjoy that for 3 weeks a year after the constant diet of the hyped up usual sport suspects. Really can't see how golf will capture the imagination in a 72 hole snoozefest strokeplay format where all the worlds top players will not be there and doubt I'll bother watching it.

 

[GB72]

I think a few more will drop out when they look at the commitment that is needed. Opening Ceremony, couple of weeks in the Olympic village hanging around before and after, closing ceremony etc. None of this jet in, play for 4 days and be off on the next jet once the tournament finishes.

I can see some interest in being the first golf gold medallist but if it remains an event I can see the interest dropping for the next one.

 

[Slab]

I'll take you up on that.

Strokeplay golf is mostly a very dull sport to watch on TV at the best of times, can't see it being in the Olympics will make the casual sport viewer sit there for several hours to watch it myself. I think a lot of people watch Olympic sports as it is something different and they enjoy that for 3 weeks a year after the constant diet of the hyped up usual sport suspects. Really can't see how golf will capture the imagination in a 72 hole snoozefest strokeplay format where all the worlds top players will not be there and doubt I'll bother watching it.

I see where your coming from if you're not a golf fan but I give you:

10m air rifle (10 meters with a rifle!)
Judo (across 7 weight divisions)
Synchronised swimming (that old one)
Equestrian dressage
Fencing (three different swords)

All no doubt very exciting to participate in, great for the fans of each sport and a snoozefest to watch for neutrals

I’m not advocating removing any of the above from Olympic status just illustrating that re excitement levels on TV they are at least comparable to golf to a neutral, so if these deserve to be there then I think golf deserves its place too






Just as a p.s I do want to drop the 10m air rifle and replace it with 10m knife throwing

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I see where your coming from if you're not a golf fan but I give you:

10m air rifle (10 meters with a rifle!)
Judo (across 7 weight divisions)
Synchronised swimming (that old one)
Equestrian dressage
Fencing (three different swords)

All no doubt very exciting to participate in, great for the fans of each sport and a snoozefest to watch for neutrals

I’m not advocating removing any of the above from Olympic status just illustrating that re excitement levels on TV they are at least comparable to golf to a neutral, so if these deserve to be there then I think golf deserves its place too






Just as a p.s I do want to drop the 10m air rifle and replace it with 10m knife throwing

At 2010 the events you list were all sold out very quickly - the atmosphere at those events was brilliant - the football for example was littered with empty seats and they were the tickets that people could still get including the finals.

Things like the dressage was rammed

Same with all the other events

The Olympics gives people a chance to watch the non main stream sports and those are the sports people watch - they know they can watch football and tennis week in week out but handball and water polo - not so much.

That's the whole idea of the Olympics for me and that's why I think golf will be poorly supported and will die a death as an Olympic sport

 

[Hacker Khan]

I see where your coming from if you're not a golf fan but I give you:

10m air rifle (10 meters with a rifle!)
Judo (across 7 weight divisions)
Synchronised swimming (that old one)
Equestrian dressage
Fencing (three different swords)

All no doubt very exciting to participate in, great for the fans of each sport and a snoozefest to watch for neutrals

I’m not advocating removing any of the above from Olympic status just illustrating that re excitement levels on TV they are at least comparable to golf to a neutral, so if these deserve to be there then I think golf deserves its place too






Just as a p.s I do want to drop the 10m air rifle and replace it with 10m knife throwing

The dressage in the London games was actually quite exciting when we won the gold.

I agree that there are some boring stuff on that you don't watch, but to me one of the attractions is that you can flip channels/red button in the UK and see lots of other things going on. Watch the swimming for half an hour, bit of rifle shooting, some tae kwon do or ping pong. All of these individual bouts or races don't go on for long at all and there's usually a narrative you can pick up pretty quickly and follow. Just can't see people sat there for any decent length of time to watch golf.

 

[USER1999]

The golf should have been mixed five club foursomes bogey.

Something a bit different from your usual 72 hole stroke play.

 

[jp5]

Shouldn't be an Olympic discipline in the first place so no surprise that Scott (and others I expect) will decline to play in a tournament they've never had aspirations to win.

Plenty of other sports that were more deserving of Olympic status IMO.

 

[351DRIVER]

I think the Olympics should be a mixed event
Mens golf does not need it
Womens golf everyone would say why not mens

A mixed event could become a prestigious new and worthwhile title.

I do not see golf benefiting from the Olympics any other way

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I think the Olympics should be a mixed event
Mens golf does not need it
Womens golf everyone would say why not mens

A mixed event could become a prestigious new and worthwhile title.

I do not see golf benefiting from the Olympics any other way

Why would they have a mix event when the ladies know they would struggle to compete against the men ?

 

[351DRIVER]

Why would they have a mix event when the ladies know they would struggle to compete against the men ?

Are you serious?

Mixed 4 ball, 4 some, 4 ball, then both singles scores added
Something like that i think would be very good
It is the only sort of format I would tune in to watch

 

[Wildrover]

[QUOTE

I'll still watch, mind. It's golf on council telly, after all.[/QUOTE]

And just how much air time do you think the BBC will devote to golf with the Olympics in full swing? "We leave the golf to update you on the 5-a-side slug racing".