“You know what’s Cooler than a Million Dollars?” The recently successful movie The Social Network and actor Justin Timberlake have taught us its a “Billion Dollars. “ Along those same lines this essay hopes to answer what is Cooler than Today’s Golf? Simply put it isn’t a billion dollars, but taking the best parts of what golf offers and making it your own.
In ad nausea we all know that golf, as outsiders describe it, is stale, boring and stuck in a rut. The number of golfers per capita is dropping, not rising and until the recent reincarnation of Tiger Woods, most everything in golf has been in the dump more so than our 401k’s. We can only hope there isn’t anymore flying 9 irons in Tiger’s future and if so FORE!!!!
But I believe there is an answer out there to solve this lackluster golf epidemic, an answer that a few people have embraced, but I believe more so will catch onto.
The answer to “What is Cooler than Golf?” is to turn the page on tradition and embrace the new. Even if it makes you cringe a little. Embrace that bright orange wearing, back hat displaying, dirt bike riding golfer from Murrieta. He’s cool. Bubba Watson wears a $700K watch and for fun just bought the General Lee. That’s cool. Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy, GraemeMcDowell and Luke Donald talk smack and post candid pictures of each other on Twitter. They’re cool.
We shouldn’t turn our back on all tradition (like anything associated with the Masters will always be cool), but at least the type of tradition that makes people think golf is more restrictive stuffiness than individual style and expression.
The reason people don’t like or love golf is it costs too much money, takes too much time, is too frustrating and who likes to wear ugly pretentious clothing while being afraid they will somehow embarrass themselves.
We have got to break the mold. Not just adjust it, but also simply offer an alternative to the current offerings. Mark King from the great White Headed Giant Taylormade recently declared that everyone around golf, including the PGA and Taylormade should rethink how golf is played, presented, etc. Maybe his thinking is reflected in their recent Rocket Ballz offerings. You would sure hope so.
Other companies such as Nike Golf and Travis Mathews Apparel have taken a much cooler approach to apparel and shoes. Have you seen those new Nike Dunk shoes? Time to embrace your inner golf pimp if you ask me.
Golf also has to be more affordable to the beginner (or we have to do a better job of educating people about cheaper alternatives), it needs to involve a shorter time commitment (people you are not professionals playing for the US Open, play faster and get over yourselves) and dress codes, being quiet, and boring need to be the exception and not the norm. The cup has to be bigger, the clubs and balls need to be juiced and once we win the lottery of life we will join a private club and play by the rules. Or at least hope our grandfathers invite us out to play at theirs.
