Eddie Pepperell’s Passionate Defense Of Golf
Euro Tour player Eddie Pepperell defends the state of golf on his blog by asking if the sport should change with the times. Its a great read from a player who put some thought into his opinion before spouting off. Credit to GeoffShackelford.com for the find.
Other than the ball (!!), golf really hasn’t changed very much. We still play 18 holes, we still use 14 clubs and some of us are even now finishing with 14 clubs. Golf, to its credit, has survived World Wars, recessions, depressions and even Mark Roe’s commentary. (I feel bad about that joke) Society on the other hand has changed immeasurably, even in the small time I’ve been able to observe it as an adult. 20 years ago there was no Facebook, no Amazon, interest rates lived closer to 10% than 0%. There was no selfie stick, footballers didn’t dive, although Donald Trump probably was still a narcissist.
The slow play debate is still marching on at an ironic pace. Nobody seems to be able to universally agree on what the best course of action is, to ensure golf remains one of the World’s major sports. And by the ‘World’ I mean wherever there is plentiful wealth. I’m here to argue something possibly controversial; that in fact, nothing needs to change.
Pepperell: I’ll start by asking a question; What’s changed more over the last two decades, the game of golf, or society?
I would therefore suggest golf doesn’t need to change at all. I believe there is as much chance, if not more, that society rebalances and slows down, as there is that it continues to move at its current break neck speed. Golf has major therapeutic qualities, whether that be the fact it’s played outside, and so therefore it is effectively more in tune with nature. Yes, it is slow in its nature, unlike football, tennis and rugby, but this is a good thing as it can therefore be played by anybody. It is incredibly stimulating mentally, once you begin to grasp the movement of the golf swing.
The social aspects of golf can be fantastic, and help people remove themselves from screens and technology. All of these things I believe have huge potential in dealing with chronic illnesses, whether that be physical or mental. I would imagine golf as a form of healing from depression could be enormous due to what I’ve outlined above. Plus, why change a sport to simply ‘conform’ to what we believe society ‘wants.’ Conformity is boring, each sport is different in its nature and we should celebrate that, not the opposite.
Be sure to read the entire post. I don’t necessarily agree with Pepperell as the business cemetery is littered with stubborn/egotistical slow-to-change companies leading to their early demise. There are certainly plusses with our favorite sport, but refusing to pay attention to ongoing issues like overtly slow play or limiting broadcast pacing/technology will cause unnecessary knee-jerk reactions (anchored putting, hot golf balls) that’ll be way too late to effectively matter.
