To talk of pensioners when referring to golf is to talk of the current crop of players. Many of the top golf players are shall we say of a certain age. This is a wonderful achievement especially when compared to tennis where you are practically dead at the beginning of your thirties. The possibility for elderly people to participate and even dominate a high profile sport is a rare opportunity that must be applauded in all relevant circles.
Most sports tend to want to write off their participants once they go past their prime. Most young people will not admit it openly but they harbor ageist views and working attitudes. When there is a sport such as football or even tennis and someone starts to increase the years, the journalists go on a jibe spree. They will constantly pester them with questions about their retirement giving the impression that they do not want them to be here. We have seen it in tennis, particularly with female players who are asked on a ridiculous basis how often they intend to make a final bow.
Every loss is put down to the retirement syndrome and they write the articles as if the person is virtually dead to the sport. Nobody knows whether this is deliberate malice or callous insensitivity. The end result is that it can cause hard feelings and prevent elderly people from participating in sport. One would hope that with the average age of golf players being so high, such nonsense would be limited.
The presence of older people also has another advantage in that it expands the fan base considerably. Given the ongoing fight for television coverage and exclusive rights, it is crucial for all sports to have as many fans on board as possible. If there is a high profile event that promotes older people, then the twilight generation will also want to get involved. Given the elitist and expensive nature of golf as a sport, these are the types of people who will be able to afford the tickets and will be able to travel extensively all over the world to watch the major tournaments. There is also a requirement to provide services specifically geared towards older people on the golf courses. This is yet another revenue stream that can help in the development of the sport.
Quite interestingly the age of the gold players have never been an issue at all which seems to support the notion that golf is an extremely tolerant and inclusive sport when it comes to older people. Of course the cynics will say that the older generation is playing golf because they are the only ones who can afford it and because the physicality of the sport it limited compared to other sports.
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