2016 Olympics to Change the Face of Golf
It was recently decided that golf would become one of the featured sports for the Olympics, beginning with the 2016 challenges. The Rio de Janeiro competition will be adding in not only golf, but also rugby to the available sports. It is expected that winning the gold medal at this competition will become the most important criteria available in golf and will move the current tours to another level of professionalism and focus.
When deciding to add in the golf competition to the 2016 Olympics, there were several debates over whether this sport would be able to represent an international competition. For instance, the current cost as well as viewpoint of golf as belonging to an elite few is one that was raised for those wanting to compete in the sport. This was combined with a questioning of how many countries would be able to send members that were professionals in golf. Areas that don’t have golf courses or that will build them may also have an impact on the environment. These questions made the topic of adding golf into the Olympics a strong debate.
As a conclusion, it was noted that adding golf into the Olympics would begin to change the way golf was played. When thinking of cost and the high-end reputation, many of the board members agreed that this could change by adding in the competition and opening it to the general public. The course that is to be added into the Olympics consists of 72 holes and will be based on a stroke-play tournament with a 60-player field. Because this sport is played on a professional level in only certain countries, the nationalities will not be considered when choosing the top players and instead will base the competitors on those who have the top 15 overall scores.
With these specific regulations and ideals for the 2016 Olympics, it is expected to offer a change to the sport of golf. Not only will this open up the reputation of this sport to the public but will also move the professional competitions into a global arena, instead of one that is only seen as regional and played by a few countries. With these big changes to the way golfing is perceived by common men, those competing for the gold medal in the 2016 Olympics will probably be the pioneers in trekking their way into a new era of golf.
Tags:2016 Olympics
