Golf's Future Is In The Bunker | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Sports

Golf's Future Is In The Bunker

It's seems unlikely the sport will get out off the sand trap it's in.

75
Golf's Future Is In The Bunker
www.galleryhip.com

When I was growing up in Utah, one of the things that revolved around my life was playing on my Nintendo 64. The games I had all revolved around Mario to one degree or another, and one of the games was Mario Golf. It involves several characters in the Mario universe (as well as several weirdly game-specific characters) trying to best each other at...well, you know. It truly impacted my life; indeed, if i never played the game, I probably would never have developed an interest in the actual game.

Fast forward to this decade, and golf appears to be on a severe decline. Of course, it's presented in the air of another thing that Millennials are ruining. However, looking at everything about golf now, it's enough to make you ask John Oliver's favorite question.

In all honesty, it makes you wonder why golf still exists these days. As a national sport, the recent ratings for the Masters Tournament this year spell it out pretty clearly. The upswing may have been the increased streaming views online, but does this trend mean that people are still watching golf like they used to?

Beyond TV ratings, participation rates among Millennials are derisory. It basically boils down to two things: who has the money for golf, and who has the money for golf? This isn't simply a matter of Millennials having little money; an 18-hole round of golf may seem inexpensive, and even Derby Grange in Dubuque has some fairly cheap activities. Of course, one golf course in Iowa is worlds away from Pebble Beach. You also need to figure in things like golf clubs. Simply put, when you're figuring in rent, food, transportation and everything else, who has the time or money for golf?

Now, golf could've died a slow and dignified death, steadily wafting into obscurity as generations present and future stop playing in ever-increasing numbers. However, golf's already numbered days might get a boosted acceleration into nothingness because of one inescapable factor: Donald Trump.

Yes, Trump has been accused of a number of things related to his ridiculous love of golf and golf courses (and he isn't the only one to make a bad environmental impact; golf courses have been, and continue to be, insanely harmful and wasteful to the environment, all things considered). His trips to Mar-a-Lago are exorbitant to the extreme, and his golf playing is draining the country of dollars better spent elsewhere. Of course he doesn't care about that, but at least we're seeing the final desecration of another curiously time-honored tradition. Golf is almost sacrosanct to American politics; presidents have played it for decades, with almost every one since Taft playing and the biggest highlights perhaps being Nixon's pre-presidency (but post-vice presidency) and Eisenhower's post-presidency feat of hitting a hole-in-one. But we saw how partisan even golf can be when conservatives ripped Obama apart for playing golf as well. Now with Donald Trump, golf has shifted from something that could be seen as a distraction to something that's so utterly tied to Trump, it can't be seen as anything other than ugly. So, as I've said before, Trump is actually doing us a service.

Let's face it. We're not shedding tears over the loss of golf's ubiquity in American culture. That's not to say golf has lost all of its appeal; I still enjoy playing Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (a Nintendo GameCube game) on my Wii, and watching videos of the Nintendo 64 game on YouTube. I also wouldn't mind playing a game of mini-golf if the opportunity arose. Additionally, it turns out golf can also be a surprisingly good form of exercise. However, with its pitiful participation rates, unjustified costs, and its ties to Donald Trump, not to mention the ugly history of country clubs (plus, Caddyshack probably needs some reexamining), it's enough to make you ask the words immortalized by Last Week Tonight: How is this still a thing?

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
dumbbell
Twist Photography

Going to the gym and working out on a daily basis (with breaks once in awhile) has been a great way for me to feel good about myself. It is 100% more than just looking good. Especially after starting college and having the stress and anxiety of tests, assignments, and just figuring out my future, the gym at my school has definitely been a place of relief for me and I have numerous reasons of why everyone should push themselves to get to the gym when they can.

Keep Reading...Show less
shameless
Tube Filter

Sometimes you need a break. A break from school, studying, work, anything that life throws at you. We are all guilty of binge watching a show that we just cannot get enough of. I know that I've gotten so fixated on a show that there have been entire days that I have day-dreamed about getting home and watching a particular show. Next time you find yourself having an urge to binge watch a series be sure, to check out the following.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

5 GIFs That All College Students Can Relate To

Trust me: If you're a college student, you would want to read this...

372
college calculator
Flickr Creative Commons

Oh college, lovely, lovely college. A four-year time span that is filled with many highs and many lows. Between procrastinating on an essay that is due at midnight to getting your first library card (if you know what I mean), college is a time that you should not take for granted, yet it is also a time where you feel like your entire world is falling apart. It is a time where one day you can feel like you are on top of the world and then the next day you are 500 feet below the ground surface.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

12 Festive Ways To Decompress After Finals

When you need to get rid of your leftover stress but also be in the Christmas spirit.

258
dog
Pexels

So you're finally finished with your semester and you really need to decompress from it, but you're also feeling the time crunch because Christmas is like ten days away and you haven't even gotten to do anything fun and festive yet. No worries! Fortunately, there are several festive things you can do to help put the stress far behind you. You can also make some of your usual favorite things to do Christmasy. Basically, you're winning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

5 Benefits Of Learning Different Languages

It's a pain to learn but it's definitely worth it in the end.

2858
learning different languages
a2zli

When I was learning how to talk, I was taught both Portuguese and English at the same time. In elementary school, I started taking mandatory Spanish classes, which I did well in because of my knowledge of Portuguese. Then in high school, on top of taking Spanish, I also started taking French. Now, in college, already fluent in English and Portuguese, I'm in the process of becoming fluent in Spanish, and I have a standard high school level understanding of French.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments