OutofBounds Positive thinking
It may have been the second wettest year on record in 2012, with deluges fl ooding the golf trade, but nonetheless, Paul Trow writes that 2012 ended with an array of positive notes to bring into the New Year
A
s I refl ect on the legacy of 2012 upon golf, the
Ryder Cup sits glinting in the foreground; it was brilliant for European golf, and I thought Sky’s coverage was a joy to behold. Deep into Sunday’s play, I still didn’t think Europe had a prayer, even after the top-order heroics of Donald, Poulter, Rose, McIlroy (what on earth lay behind his near no-show on the 1st tee?) and Lawrie. But when I saw Westwood and Garcia, of all people, holing putts at the business end of the batting order, I started to believe. Once they’d won their matches it was ‘game on’, but what was Kaymer thinking of when, with two for it from 25 feet, he banged his fi rst putt 10 feet by? Whatever happened to ‘if you’ve got two for it, take them’? Actually, that’s exactly what he did, but not after a severe blood-pressure hike at my end of the TV screen.
On an individual basis, McIlroy has been the star of 2012 – entrenched as world number one, top of the money list on both sides of the Atlantic and with a second eight-shot major victory under his belt. We all marvel at his swing and wonder what on earth can possibly go wrong. I reckon as long as he sticks with Caroline Wozniacki he should be alright! That said, his divorce from Titleist in favour of Nike is generating enormous interest. Sir Nick Faldo, for one, believes he’s taking an unnecessary risk; a view shaped, I presume, by what happened when Ian Woosnam, having fi nished No.1 in Europe in 1987, switched to Maruman for megabucks: no sooner had the ink dried on the contract than Woosnam’s form performed a great vanishing act. But Nike surely has the technology and expertise to
ensure that no such hic-cup occurs with the young 12 SGBGOLF
Both in the UK and USA, the average age of club golfers is rising – and, accordingly, their
numbers are diminishing. There’s no shortage of juniors, the problem is what happens after they leave school or college
HIGH FLYERS: The Ryder Cup should give the European golf trade a boost, just as brands such as Glenmuir have given the European team a boost. Pictured on the fl ight home from Medinah is Glenmuir’s Colin Mee (left) and European captain Jose Maria Olazabal.
Irishman who, frankly, has it in him to become the sport’s saviour over the next decade. And let’s not beat about the bush, golf needs a
saviour. Both in the UK and USA, the average age of club golfers is rising – and, accordingly, their numbers are diminishing. There’s no shortage of juniors, the problem is what happens after they leave school or college. Fast forward a few years, and they’re married (usually to a working partner) with a crippling mortgage and, perhaps, a couple of children. Playing golf at a club, increasingly time-consuming and expensive, is simply not an option – at least until advanced middle age. So their only respite is a sneaked weekend round once in a blue moon at a ‘pay and play’ facility, on a ‘2-fore-1’ green-fee deal, or via online ‘dating’ agencies like
thesocialgolfer.com. And as for taking lessons, forget it!
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