European Golf is currently in the limelight thanks to the British Open at Turnberry. Golf as a sport, has long been viewed in a certain way - a gentleman's game of a certain public standing. However, the image of the sport has changed somewhat in recent years and enticed younger generations into the game. The question may be, can this development be accelerated? In recent years, partly due to the fortunes of Padraig Harrington's major successes and Ryder Cup triumphs, European golf has been thriving with an influx of top golfers emerging. The U.S.A still boast a wide array of talent within the golfing world but this has been matched somewhat with talents such as Rory McIlroy and Ross Fisher joining the already established names of Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington. One difference however is the marketability of these young players, for a long time the U.S have had major blue chip deals with some of the biggest companies for their top stars, you don't have to look very far to see Tiger holding a new shaving product alongside some of the world biggest sporting names. Even Phil Mickelson amasses great advertising income, in 2007 he gained a documented $47 million for his multitude of endorsements. All this marketing has not just a financial upside for the professionals concerned but for Golf as a whole, providing it with greater appeal and recognition to the attainable numbers. One way in which this could be done is to look into the world of the celebrity to gain an insight into gaining publicity and column inches which may be necessary to reach viewers it may have written off. Perhaps a venture into the "reality" world may be just the thing to suit Golf to this end? We have seen
European Golf is currently in the limelight thanks to the British Open at Turnberry. Golf as a sport, has long been viewed in a certain way - a gentleman's game of a certain public standing. However, the image of the sport has changed somewhat in recent years and enticed younger generations into the game. The question may be, can this development be accelerated? In recent years, partly due to the fortunes of Padraig Harrington's major successes and Ryder Cup triumphs, European golf has been thriving with an influx of top golfers emerging. The U.S.A still boast a wide array of talent within the golfing world but this has been matched somewhat with talents such as Rory McIlroy and Ross Fisher joining the already established names of Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington. One difference however is the marketability of these young players, for a long time the U.S have had major blue chip deals with some of the biggest companies for their top stars, you don't have to look very far to see Tiger holding a new shaving product alongside some of the world biggest sporting names. Even Phil Mickelson amasses great advertising income, in 2007 he gained a documented $47 million for his multitude of endorsements. All this marketing has not just a financial upside for the professionals concerned but for Golf as a whole, providing it with greater appeal and recognition to the attainable numbers. One way in which this could be done is to look into the world of the celebrity to gain an insight into gaining publicity and column inches which may be necessary to reach viewers it may have written off. Perhaps a venture into the "reality" world may be just the thing to suit Golf to this end? We have seen