Diversity in the Game Today

I’m a big fan of open doors, not so much on forcing certain people through those doors just to meet unspoken quotas....
That sums it up perfectly for me. I'm 100% in agreement that programs like First Tee are great, and golf should be accessible for anybody and everybody who wants to play, but you know the old saying about leading a horse to water.
 
Another plug for the First Tee Program.

First Tee Chapters
  • Programming locations (golf facilities): 1,200
  • Number of active coaches: more than 3,900
  • Number of volunteers: more than 24,000 (including board members)
  • PGA/LPGA professionals serving as coaches, executive directors, staff and volunteers: 1,000+
  • Participant gender: 39% female, 61% male
  • Participant ethnicity: 52% White or Caucasian, 14% Black or African-American, 19% Latino or Hispanic, 6% Asian, 8% Multi-Racial, less than 1% Native American or Native Alaskan, less than 1% Pacific Islander
 
I think there is more diversity than when I was a kid (I’m 55). That said, diversity probably lags behind where we would expect it to be. But it’s still a fairly expensive and intimidating game to start playing if you’ve never been exposed to it.

To make the game more accessible and less intimidating, I really believe that the 9 hole Muni track is the best gateway for kids and adults alike.

My feeling... communities need more of these short courses, as well as more welcoming starters & staff. Maybe even a volunteer “pro” walking the course, offering tips or challenging kids & adults to closest to the pin challenges and offering encouragement & tips, while you people play the course... maybe even second hand club sales or loaner sets for complete newbies. It would go a LONG way toward putting people at ease and bring them back for more.

Golf is a great game and a game you can play for life. Why not promote it as such and welcome new players?

I agree. I think the sport missed a major opportunity to invest in the future during Tiger boom. Instead of investing in munis, short courses and instruction as a way to grow the game long term, it seemed there was a rush to build high-end daily fee courses.

From a short term investment perspective it made sense. And if you're building a course around a new subdivision or as a way to enhance the value of the property around it, you're going to go for the upscale facility. But a lot of golfers who are new or learning the game aren't ready/comfortable playing on those tracks. And a lot of golfers who picked up the sport back then dropped it afer a year or two.

Golf is one of the few industries that is benefitting from covid. It's an opportunity to think about how to grow the game beyond being giddy at spike in rounds played. What can be done to potentially grow the game, especially among casual/new golfers for the long term.
 
if we're talking about diversity in terms of race I think there's a lot of work to do. I live in a 'greater area' now that is 50% black. Almost everywhere I go that is reasonably represented, except the golf courses. There, it's not even close. And from the diversity I see just about anywhere else here, that has very little to do with affluency. They have a First Tee here locally, that by all accounts is running a very good program, and unfortunately I see that same disparity when we play while they're running their youth classes. I'm all for things that open up opportunities for young people to get involved and someday change that, but there are things deeply rooted in the game that a good number don't actually want to change. I think that underlying attitude and the perception of 'who the game is for' by those outside it likely deters a lot of interest/pursuit.

Female participation is different from my perspective, but some issues are still based in some not actually wanting things to change. I was unmoved in any way but Augusta finally succumbing to pressure to change that one policy.
 
There seems to be a school of thought that lack of diversity is some how the end of the world.
if we're talking about diversity in terms of race I think there's a lot of work to do. I live in a 'greater area' now that is 50% black. Almost everywhere I go that is reasonably represented, except the golf courses. There, it's not even close. And from the diversity I see just about anywhere else here, that has very little to do with affluency. They have a First Tee here locally, that by all accounts is running a very good program, and unfortunately I see that same disparity when we play while they're running their youth classes. I'm all for things that open up opportunities for young people to get involved and someday change that, but there are things deeply rooted in the game that a good number don't actually want to change. I think that underlying attitude and the perception of 'who the game is for' by those outside it likely deters a lot of interest/pursuit.


Is the lack of racial diversity in the NBA a problem? If not, why not? Because I don't see a lot of Asians or Latinos in the NBA (or even necessarily on street basketball courts).
 
There seems to be a school of thought that lack of diversity is some how the end of the world.



Is the lack of racial diversity in the NBA a problem? If not, why not? Because I don't see a lot of Asians or Latinos in the NBA (or even necessarily on street basketball courts).
Other local youth sports programs don't have near the diversity problem golf does here from what I've seen and talked about with people involved, including basketball.
 
From watching the TV commercials during the Farmers Insurance Open, the PGA Tour is trying hard.
 
I play a course where I am the minority. I enjoy it. I go there because its cheap and i have introduced the game to my wife now that we are empty nesters. It's funny because I have lived on the golf course at two different country clubs. We never felt right because it was all the white guys playing and all the people of color and women working. My friends who are black tell me they don't leave the course they play often. One said to me that the ball is the only thing that changed color very much. It is all a matter of perspective.
 
There seems to be a school of thought that lack of diversity is some how the end of the world.



Is the lack of racial diversity in the NBA a problem? If not, why not? Because I don't see a lot of Asians or Latinos in the NBA (or even necessarily on street basketball courts).
However there are a good number of Euro players in the NBA. The game is huge in China. Diversity would improve here if more white guys were good enough to play. Same could be argued in golf the other ay around I guess. But golf needs to keep bringing people to the game.
 
However there are a good number of Euro players in the NBA. The game is huge in China. Diversity would improve here if more white guys were good enough to play. Same could be argued in golf the other ay around I guess. But golf needs to keep bringing people to the game.
And therein lies the issue as far as diversity on the PGA Tour goes. Golf is the ultimate meritocracy, it’s just you and there’s nowhere to hide - you’re either good enough or you aren’t. They don’t have any control over who from what ethnicity is good enough to make the Tour and make cuts to play the weekend.

They put Mack in there on a sponsor’s exemption this week and he missed the cut by six strokes. So what now? Bring players in on exemptions to make the optics look good on tv and spot them 10 strokes to make sure they make the cut? Establish quotas and make cuts based on race? I’m not sure I see a clear path forward for the Tour.

Establishing accessibility for recreational golf (or any recreational sport) is a no brainer. Of course anybody should have full and equal access regardless of their race/ethnicity. But when it comes to high level competitive sports, you have to earn it. There isn’t (and shouldn’t be) free rides for anybody.
 
And therein lies the issue as far as diversity on the PGA Tour goes. Golf is the ultimate meritocracy, it’s just you and there’s nowhere to hide - you’re either good enough or you aren’t. They don’t have any control over who from what ethnicity is good enough to make the Tour and make cuts to play the weekend.

They put Mack in there on a sponsor’s exemption this week and he missed the cut by six strokes. So what now? Bring players in on exemptions to make the optics look good on tv and spot them 10 strokes to make sure they make the cut? Establish quotas and make cuts based on race? I’m not sure I see a clear path forward for the Tour.

Establishing accessibility for recreational golf (or any recreational sport) is a no brainer. Of course anybody should have full and equal access regardless of their race/ethnicity. But when it comes to high level competitive sports, you have to earn it. There isn’t (and shouldn’t be) free rides for anybody.

Golf is the ultimate meritocracy at the pro level where you either earn your card/living or not.

The problem is at the development level where we don't develop our best talent. We develop the talent who has the access/means to get lessons/compete/develop as young players.

There are likely players who have the potential to be great but don't have access to the same opportunities as others. IMO, there are two separate issues. The business of golf should want to diversify to 'broaden the pool' of potential customers. The sports side of golf is similar to other sports where there isn't an 'incentive' to develop the best talent...just those who have access.

Somebody who wants to make a living in golf is likely somebody who fell in love with the game early enough to want to put the time in to be great. That's really a lot of what The First Tee is hoping to accomplish. But it takes a lot more than that.

IMO, it's similar to the diversity programs we see around the world in auto racing. It's not about trying to make 'quotas' or 'optics', it's about trying to potentially tap into unseen talent and giving it an opportunity. That's another sport where money and access is just as, and arguably more important, than talent.
 
What golf needs? I have no idea. It seems to have done pretty well all these years with primarily old, rich, white guys providing the bulk of the support. If they're smart, though, those in charge of "growing the game" (I hate that phrase) should be starting to recognize that a good portion of society isn't a fan of old, rich, white guys running everything. I do think that if the popularity of the game is going to grow, or even maintain its current state, it needs to attract younger, more diverse players.

First Tee and youth programs are good, but a bottom up strategy is never going to work by itself. They need a top down plan as well. That's the tour product. If you want kids (other than suburban, country club kids) to play golf, you have to make it appealing and cool to watch on TV. Clinging to archaic traditions like not allowing shorts on the course or the widespread disdain for music during play is doing just the opposite. In my opinion, golf takes far too many of its cues from the Masters. Traditionalists love it, but to me it is the most boring, pompous, elitist sporting event on TV.

If more of the tour experience was like the 16th hole at Phoenix and less like the snoozefest that happens at Augusta, young people might take more interest. If tour players were allowed to dress more like the younger viewers and less like their grandfathers, that might make a difference. If they would make the game look fun, young people might realize how fun it actually can be to play. What kids think is cool (music, fashion, cars, whatever) almost always starts from the inner cities and trickles outward. Start there. Figure out what you can do to make golf on TV appealing to kids in Atlanta, New York, Boston, Dallas, wherever, and that popularity will spread from there.

Then there's the cost issue. Clubs are expensive. Time on the course is expensive. Instruction is VERY expensive. Pushing and promoting golf in schools would go a long way. When a kid signs up to play basketball, football, baseball, or soccer (whether in school or a rec league), coaching is included in the cost. The only way kids are going to get golf coaching without paying a ton of money is through a school team. I'm sure there are some efforts made to support those programs, but I didn't even know my school had a golf team until I was a junior in high school.

Here's the catch-22, though. Changing things to appeal to the next generation of fans and players is going to piss off a good portion of the current customer base. In that way, I think golf is in a similar position to Harley-Davidson. Both got where they are on the backs of middle aged guys with a lot of disposable income. Now those middle aged guys are older and dying off or exiting the hobby. The ones that still exist, though, don't have any interest in an electric motorcycle or an "invigorated" golfing environment. They want their heavy steel bike with a pushrod V-twin engine and a "civilized, gentleman's game". It's a fine line they have to walk to keep the money rolling in while transitioning to a new generation with different wants and needs. Let's hope golf does a better job of it that Harley is.
 
those in charge of "growing the game" (I hate that phrase) should be starting to recognize that a good portion of society isn't a fan of old, rich, white guys.

A truly sad state of affairs this portion of society has any say on any matters, to be honest.

However there are a good number of Euro players in the NBA. The game is huge in China. Diversity would improve here if more white guys were good enough to play.

Or maybe if Asian guys or Latino guys were good enough to play? What does the NBA's diversity situation have anything to do with white guys? Plenty of white guys have destroyed in the NBA (Nash, Bird, Nowitzki, Stockton, Marovich, Walton, McHale)

Are you saying then, that lack of diversity in NBA isn't a problem? It's really strange to me that it's a "problem" in a place like the NHL or the PGA Tour, but not the NFL or NBA. :unsure:
 
Last edited:
A truly sad state of affairs this portion of society has any say on any matters, to be honest.



Or maybe if Asian guys or Latino guys were good enough to play? What does the NBA's diversity situation have anything to do with white guys? Plenty of white guys have destroyed in the NBA (Nash, Bird, Nowitzki, Stockton, Marovich, Walton, McHale)

Are you saying then, that lack of diversity in NBA isn't a problem? It's really strange to me that it's a "problem" in a place like the NHL or the PGA Tour, but not the NFL or NBA. :unsure:
One is because of a lack of opportunity/accessibility, the other is a lack of skill. No one is saying pro sports should have a diversity quota.
 
One is because of a lack of opportunity/accessibility, the other is a lack of skill. No one is saying pro sports should have a diversity quota.
You may not be saying that, but there is a very vocal contingent who says exactly that - or at least complains very loudly about the lack thereof. In several different sports, with the NHL and PGA Tour being notable examples. Google "Rooney Rule" in the NFL for another example.
 
You may not be saying that, but there is a very vocal contingent who says exactly that - or at least complains very loudly about the lack thereof. In several different sports, with the NHL and PGA Tour being notable examples. Google "Rooney Rule" in the NFL for another example.
The Rooney rule is simply common sense and it still doesn’t even work. for a league that is overwhelmingly African American with historically few to no African American head coaches, the criteria of how a head coach is hired and “their qualifications needed” is simply a finish line that keeps on moving depending on whatever excuse is needed to hire the candidate the owner wants. (I.e. see the Houston Texans hiring process from this year. Paid hundreds of thousand of dollars to the Korn
Ferry, to identify the best candidates for the job, came out with two top candidates and the owner decides to hire a guy who wasn’t even on anyone’s list...).
 
You may not be saying that, but there is a very vocal contingent who says exactly that - or at least complains very loudly about the lack thereof. In several different sports, with the NHL and PGA Tour being notable examples. Google "Rooney Rule" in the NFL for another example.
I don't actually have a problem with the Rooney Rule, though poorly implemented. But for the others, I don't think they're using critical thinking if they really want a diversity quota. They need to direct their energy towards the barriers to entry into the sport rather than at the pro level where it's too late and generally the best talent wins out (too much money involved for teams/sponsors to not take the best players or whoever gives them the best shot at winning).
 
Changing things to appeal to the next generation of fans and players is going to piss off a good portion of the current customer base. In that way, I think golf is in a similar position to Harley-Davidson.

This is the problem with many things in society. The older generation has made a lot of money and wants their preferences indulged and the younger generation wants to do things their way. We need to get better at live and let live in golf and society in general. There is plenty of space in golf for people of all types, but the few who think their way is the way are generally the ones that are the loudest voices in any debate. I know it's stupid, but the hoodies and joggers discussions have some of this here. If you don't like them, don't wear them, but to say things like they don't belong on a golf course is saying my preference is better than yours and I want you to do what I want instead of both of us getting to do what we individually want. Unfortunately the game of golf and it's country club roots means that it will always be way behind society on changing it's norms. It's easy to hide behind an anonymmous organization and make rules that keep things the way they are and cater to current participants instead of letting new participants bring their own preferences to the game. Golf could stand to adopt a come as you are mindset.
 
It will be interesting to see what the mini-boom in interest in golf comes from this COVID situation. Putting COVID to the side and simply stating what I see in my family and friends.

1- by my eyes on the course, golf was loosing the new generation of all colors and genders. My easy ability to get a tee time before 10am on the weekend and that some public courses seem like country clubs at times is why I feel this way. Some of it may be the over growth in courses that popped up during Tigers career

2- more intereting is my son likes to play but generally does not. when I probe why I hear it is too expensive for me and my friends and a tonality that it is not as convient as the alternatives like Disc golf. While I see truth in this, I think simply put the new generation has good alternatives that require less time and less money
 
You may not be saying that, but there is a very vocal contingent who says exactly that - or at least complains very loudly about the lack thereof. In several different sports, with the NHL and PGA Tour being notable examples. Google "Rooney Rule" in the NFL for another example.


See Bryant Gumble for an example (regarding Olympic Winter Games).


 
Getting back to golf, to assume it has a diversity "problem", you have to assume two things:

1. That it does lack diversity to begin with. No one should subscribe to this view. Just look at the leaderboard this weekend. I saw just in the top 10: Norway, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, America, Schaufele lol... Moreover, that isn't taking into account that all American whites are "diverse" in their own right. Americans are descended from: Poland, Sweden, England, Ireland, Germany, Spain, France...and on down the line. To say white Americans arent diverse in their own right is quite ignorant.

2. Diversity is some kind of "strength". I would argue that it isn't a strength at all. It just is.


So...does golf need to address this diversity "problem"? No. It's "problem" that is concocted to, in my opinion, divide us, not unite us.


Kids are kids. Some kids like golf, some kids like rugby, some kids like polo and some like basketball. Leave them alone. Don't try to engineer them because you have some view on how you think the world should look.


Kids gravitate towards sports they like. And even in golf, if they are desperate to play the game, they will flock to the courses and work on their short games, perhaps take up a job on the range and get free golf.
 
We need to get better at live and let live in golf and society in general. There is plenty of space in golf for people of all types, but the few who think their way is the way are generally the ones that are the loudest voices in any debate. I know it's stupid, but the hoodies and joggers discussions have some of this here. If you don't like them, don't wear them, but to say things like they don't belong on a golf course is saying my preference is better than yours and I want you to do what I want instead of both of us getting to do what we individually want.

I agree with the live and let live part, which far too many forget is a two way street, but all of society is just accepted preferences and we're not all entitled to do whatever we want whenever we want to do it. One guy's preference is to golf in silence and not be around people who dress like hobos. Another guy's preference is to wear a wife beater and jam country music. Those two people cannot enjoy their individual preferences at the same time. With that said, personally I do think there are opportunities to cater to all types of people so that everybody can get a little of what they want and enjoy their preferences, however in todays Orwellian world where we decided that the solution to our problems is to divide people into tribes and pit them against each other in an all-or-nothing fight to the death, that kind of tolerance and acceptance for people different than you is not in the cards.
 
One guy's preference is to golf in silence and not be around people who dress like hobos
Noted, but why should anyone be forced to indulge another person's preferences if those things aren't hurting the other person. The way I dress doesn't affect anyone else. Me listening to music in my cart at an acceptable level doesn't affect anyone else except those in my group. Maybe the person above should ask why does someone else's outfit bother me so much?
 
Diversity is difficult to achieve not just in golf but in places like corporate America. Golf is still very much a rich mans sport here in the U.S. and even more so in European and Asian countries and as such, equal access for minorities or anyone who is poor is challenging. Skiing/snowboarding is the same way with daily lift tickets at many ski resorts exceeding $150.

As far as corporate America goes, in Fortune 500 companies 10.9% of senior mangangers are female and a smaller portion than that are minorities. My wife has lived in that male dominated corporate world for 20+ years, the past 15 years in that small subset of women or minorities that make it to the senior level. The sad fact is our two daughters will have to be much better/smarter/harder working than our son to achieve the same success if they choose a career in corporate America
 
. The sad fact is our two daughters will have to be much better/smarter/harder working than our son to achieve the same success if they choose a career in corporate America

I guess that's one way to look at this gender divide in America.


The other is:

Women on average live 5 years longer than men in America
Men die on the job 10 times the rate of women
Men are far more likely to have addiction issues
Men commit suicide more often than women
Women are more likely to have health coverage than men
In all American wars, men have probably died at a rate of 99-1 to their female counterparts


With that said, I think we should work to get more young girls into the game of golf - not sure how we go about that though on an organic level. That sort of push I could get behind because I think it's a great game for young ladies.
 
Back
Top