The future of British golfing winners

[haplesshacker]

Following my comments in another thread, I thought that this subject might have its own.

Should the UK have a 'Team GB' mentality in developing golfers to international standard. Much like the RYA do with sailboat racing, and because of this we (GB) have been the most succesful Olympic country in sailing.

The gist of it is. Identify talent at a young age, regular training, coaching, mental coaching, diet coaching, international regattas and general 'grooming' of the few from the many to produce world class competitors.
Yes the parents still have to cough up for alot of the outlay in equipment etc, but it does give the essential support from professionals in a group of other like minded youngsters in which to develop. It also provides a high standard of national competition which provides a springboard to international comps.

I get the impression in golf that it's all down to the parents. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

As I understand it the USA has colleges / academys that provide first class facilities to produce home grown talent. It's no wonder that we're a bit thin on the ground for world class players.

Please be assured, I admire our players, and I can only admire their achievments, but without a structure we can only ever produce the occasional rare world class talent. Professional sports is a business, and to produce talent we need to treat it as such.

Comments and views please.

 

[SammmeBee]

Thankfully hapless you are wrong..

The home unions (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland) do an awful lot and spend a lot on money on 'elite' and also not so elite players in an effort to groom those already found with 'talent' and in finding others. Thankfully with so many junior competitions etc finding the talent is not a problem....

If you work on a per capita basis we produce a awful lot of 'good' golfers (even Scotland.......)....

 

[benny]

We produced Woosnam, Lyle, HRH Faldo and more recently Rory McIllroy without any of that stuff. It is a good idea, but for me, these players we have now who have grown up with the big teams of helpers and sponsors behind them, Casey etc ..they're not winners. Not proper winners. They might win tour events but its not a natural thing for them to do. They have all the pamperings and priviledges that you could wish for, but theyre just not good enough.
Dougherty and Mcillroy may one day blossom and be a quarter as successful as HRH Faldo and the rest where but it has to be from within.

 

[haplesshacker]

'Good' golfers, yes, but world class!?

I'm aware of the HSBC tour for the kids, but I think it's a one off event and doesn't provide the back up and support that I'm proposing. Incidently 'Team GB' does include the Scots!

McIlrory is undoubtedly talented, but apart from self bought / sponsor bought support what else is there? Will he eventually end up on the usual 'good' pile like the rest of them?

Take a look at how many Brits are in the 'world class' league in the premiership, not many, and how many foreigners play for our clubs. Tennis is probably better supported in terms of professionalism than golf, and look at how successful we are there! No were near enough.

Of course this all takes time, approx 10 years of hard graft and financial support.

 

[nige]

must be doing ok i just got home from work to find my 16 year old just won the 1st juniour comp of the year, 40 stableford points, glad he's my partner in some upcoming comps

 

[viscount17]

I don't know what it's like where you play, hapless, but at mine it's not unusual for the County and National youth teams to come for coaching sessions, but then we have the National U-16/18 coach as a pro.
Yes, it's the parents that foot the travel bill but I think it's the County and National organisations that pay the tuition fees.

tbh, hapless is not wrong. Nationally, with a few (very few) exceptions, we are not too good at identifying, nuturing and retaining talent in any field. <u>Sponsored</u> academies of excellence are an accepted part of football, cricket, athletics etc so what's wrong with doing the same for golf?

 

[GB72]

The problem with golf is that there is that nobody can make money out of a golfer. Sponsored football and rugby academies are not there for the good of the game but because developing young talent makes money for the clubs. Other solo sports generally only get funding through the lottery. The only people who could make money from bringing on a golfer are the manufacturers and they pick up the real talent once they have a proven track record.