International Sport Analysis: Golf

More than ever before, it has become more apparent the influence money has on the sports industry, as those with the most cash are able to revolve everything around sports. As the price of sports continues to go up, it has caused a shift in sports engagement, making sports more of a luxury rather than a “equalizer [that] transcends issues of money, power and economic inequalities.” (Coakley 2017, 296) This in turn affects the sports that people can participate in, limiting certain sports based on social class, becoming a reflection of the lifestyle patterns or resources that are around them. Particularly in sports like golf, with its expensive equipment, clothing, and membership fees, a large demographic of its participants are those in high-income social classes. Although the sport of golf has become more inclusive in recent years because of brands like TopGolf that have created a way for the game to be easily accessible; however, golf as a whole continues to be largely participated by the upper class, and serving as an example of class relations and economic inequalities among sports.

(Huth, Kurscheidt 2019, Pg. 332) This has not always been the case with golf, as it was originally played by Scottish soldiers in the 15th century before “King James II of Scotland prohibited the playing of games as it was a distraction from military training.” (https://collegeofgolf.keiseruniversity.edu/brief-history-golf/) It was a sport that anyone could pick up or play, without having to be in great physical shape, but of course that quickly changed as rules and regulations were placed, and the need to protect the emerging middle and higher class changed the game as a whole. As golf etiquette was enforced, requiring participants to keep quiet, setting an official uniform “and the importance gained by regulated courses - over improvised public courses - slowly excluded the lower sectors which were unable to afford the sport.” (Ceron-Anaya 2010, Pg. 345)  By privatizing courses, meant that “the game was played in spaces physically and socially delimited, which still resemble aristocratic private gardens, and thereby offered golferes the illusion of an honorable lifestyle.” (Ceron-Anaya 2010, Pg. 345-346) This change set a precedent for the sport, as golf became a sport that anyone can participate in, no matter physical ability, but restricted by the amount of capital an individual has. This is a form of social stratification, as the economic inequalities that are inside of  “the sport permitted affluent groups to exhibit the vast amount of economic and social capital they had accumulated…[allowing] golfers to detach from the lower sectors, and move closer to the upper echelons of society.” (Ceron-Anaya 2010, Pg. 346)

As the game expanded out of Scotland, reaching multiple countries like the United States, it continued to shape class relations. Although golf is not as popular as American football, basketball, or baseball; however, it is a great differentiator between social classes, as “American golf [is] a game for the cultured and wealthy members of society.” (Ceron-Anaya 2010, Pg. 350) Golf was quickly adapted into American high class society, as the sport offered “perceptions of moral superiority…[allowing] players to exhibit their wealth…[and reinforce] the status of those social groups linked to golf” in private country clubs. (Ceron-Anaya 2010, Pg. 350) In the United States, wealthy individuals utilize institutions like country clubs to conduct business, as country clubs offer the perfect environment to build business deals and relationships. Indeed the game of golf  “became strongly identified with the businesspeople, who used the sport not only to interact with other like-minded individuals and carry out economic activities, but also to cement their position in society.” (Ceron-Anaya 2010, Pg. 353) The usage of country clubs is just another example of how individuals in high social classes utilize their money to create, and join, exclusive clubs that present themselves as “winners” in society, and up their social status. And discouraging those in lower social class to participate in the sport.

Along with the economic inequalities that are present, the sport fails to attract the participation of low income communities, creating a pattern of exclusion and underrepresentation of different minority groups. As mentioned before, golf is not economically inclusive, because of this many low income groups are unable to pay the large fees, discouraging any attempt to participate in the sport. Although there has been a greater attempt in participation from lower income minority groups to participate in golf, namely because of the impact players like Tiger Woods and Tony Finau have had on the game; however, the international sport is still widely considered a white-dominated sport. Unlike upper middle class and high class groups, low income groups involve low levels of sport participation, as sports is much more of a luxury and demands a lot of economic sacrifice to participate. Rather than pay the high green fees, the expensive equipment and clothing, and the facilities, individuals choose to participate in sports like basketball that can be played anywhere, and only require a basketball to play. It is this economic inequality contributes to the social stratification of certain social classes, creating class restrictive sports, and limitations to social mobility. Furthermore, black athletes are greatly underrepresented in the sport of golf, as the sport lacks affordable “facilities, and the presence of institutionalized discrimination and racism prevent many Blacks from participating in some sports, forcing them to aggregate their numbers in those sports where these barriers are not present and where are housed in public facilities and are subsidized by public funding.” (Sailes 1991, Pg. 480) Hence why you do not see many stories of social mobility in the game of golf. However, even with all its drawbacks, the game of golf has been able to provide positive sociological impacts on society - namely in women's sports.

Women's involvement in the game of golf goes back to the late 19th century, as many women would come together and play at the “birthplace of golf” - St. Andrews. Multiple amateur tournaments were created during this time, which eventually led to the creation of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). Since its creation in 1950, the LPGA has been able to create more opportunities and legitimize the professional status of women’s golf, drawing multiple athletes all over the world. For example, the tour has been able to attracted multiple athletes from outside the United States, specifically South Korea, as “no single nation besides the United States has produced more LPGA Tour winners and has dominated in any league as South Korea has in the LPGA.” (Choi 2010, Pg. 52) Although golf has been able to produce multiple opportunities to elevate women’s sports, it still participates in gender inequalities as “fewer than 40 golfers out of the approximately 95 million adult women in the United States make enough prize money to cover their expenses during a season of tournaments.” (Coakley 2017, Pg. 316)

The sport of golf has changed in recent years, becoming much more accessible because of brands like TopGolf, which offers large groups of people the chance to experience the sport without having to worry about the large economic sacrifice. By delivering memorable experiences to its clientele, TopGolf is able to expand the impact of the sport to different social classes, with the promise to provide meaningful experiences that spawns inclusivity in the sport. The brand removes any meritocracy, or any distinction of social class, and just focuses on providing a fun experience through golf. In doing so it introduces golf to different communities, and setting the foundation for future participation in the sport.

Even with the recent strides to increase its participation outside of the upper middle class and high class, golf continues to be a sport for the rich. With its expensive equipment, its strict rules and regulations, and its privatization of facilities, the sport is not inclusive for all social classes. Overall, the international sport of golf is an example of how impactful money is in sports, having to have large accumulation of money to be able to participate. And how “over time, economic inequality in society leads to the formation of class-based lifestyles that involve particular forms of sports.” (Coakley 2017, Pg. 303)

Work Cited:

Choi, J. A. "The Impact of Ethnic Diversity on the Ladies Professional Golf Association: A Case Study of Anheuser-Busch and its Sponsorship Objectives and Strategies." Sport Marketing Quarterly, vol. 19, no. 1, 2010, pp. 51-57. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/impact-ethnic-diversity-on-ladies-professional/docview/228029229/se-2.

Ceron-Anaya, Hugo. “An Approach to the History of Golf: Business, Symbolic Capital, and Technologies of the Self.” Journal of Sport and Social Issues, vol. 34, no. 3, 2010, pp. 339–58, https://doi.org/10.1177/0193723510377317.

Sailes, Gary A. “The Myth of Black Sports Supremacy.” Journal of Black Studies, vol. 21, no. 4, 1991, pp. 480–87, https://doi.org/10.1177/002193479102100407.

Huth, Christopher, and Markus Kurscheidt. “Membership versus Green Fee Pricing for Golf Courses: The Impact of Market and Golf Club Determinants.” European Sport Management Quarterly, vol. 19, no. 3, 2019, pp. 331–52, https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2018.1527380.

Faculty, PGA. “A Brief History of Golf.” Keiser University College of Golf, Keiser University College of Golf, 11 Apr. 2023, collegeofgolf.keiseruniversity.edu/brief-history-golf/.

Coakley, Jay. Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies. Available from: University of Texas at Austin, (13th Edition). McGraw-Hill Higher Education (US), 2020.

Franco A. Estrada (fae345)

Dr. Rachel Ozerkevich

KIN 350

18 November, 2024