There was a time when golf was considered an old-fashioned sport. Some didn’t even consider it a sport. The trend is now reversed. Not only is its popularity steadily increasing, but it has also become one of the trendiest sports.
The 123rd United States Open will strike a blow starting this Thursday. Not only because it will mark the start of the third major tournament of the season, but also because the sport will be in the spotlight.
The Los Angeles Country Club (LACC), located in Greater Hollywood just east of Santa Monica, will host the world’s best golfers as well as the hottest stars. While some fans will show up in Costco bermudas wearing the cap of their favorite manufacturer, others will arrive with sunglasses and bodyguards.
Golf is coming to Hollywood to shine, with all the exuberance it deserves.
Current Hollywood is different from that presented, imagined and illustrated by Quentin Tarantino or Damien Chazelle. The fact remains that it is still the hotbed of American stardom, dreams and fulfillment. It is no coincidence that the LACC is hosting a first major tournament.
Several observers and players in the world of golf explain the arrival of the youngest on the tee boxes by the pandemic. As confirmed by Golf Québec Deputy General Manager François Roy, “the young people continued to come and play [after the pandemic]”.
However, if some have become passionate, others have started to take an interest in it because their idols are ready to play.
Without being influencers as such, important figures of popular culture are promoting, in spite of themselves, this sport with new paradigms. They play it, they talk about it, it circulates and interest is piqued. Like a product, a brand or a fashion trend whose interest is amplified when a star advertises it.
Singers Harry Styles, Niall Horan and actor Tom Holland. Athletes Stephen Curry, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. Retirees Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Michael Phelps. All of them have been seen playing golf, attending a tournament or praising it on different platforms.
The rise in popularity of golf is not unrelated to the fact that these important figures of global showbiz have shown their love for the discipline.
In early June, Matthew and Thomas, both 25, were enjoying a wet and sticky afternoon at Glendale Golf Club in Mirabel.
“I play for the social aspect and the love of the game. It allows me to see friends and do a long activity. I find golf very satisfying,” Matthew explained on the practice green.
For his partner Thomas, “Golf is both a very technical sport, which is very interesting, because you can learn to work regularly and constantly, and at the same time, it can be physical, especially if you walk” .
The two amateur golfers, who mostly believe they play “for fun” and not “to win”, have noticed how the image of golf has evolved.
“Sport is increasingly accessible and embedded in popular culture. The haughty aspect of golf is starting to diminish, and that’s for the best. If there is no label that is too harsh, it invites players to play even more,” Thomas said.
According to Matthew, golf is “cool because of its unifying effect. It gives a good excuse to be with people. It is also an accessible sport. You can get started without being a great professional. The more people who get into it, the more people get on board. It’s unifying.”
At Le Versant golf club in Terrebonne, Alexandre does not hide his love of golf: “There have been golf stars in recent years like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy who have made the sport much more interesting than it was for younger people. »
Of French origin, the 23-year-old continues: “If we speak in Quebec specifically, there is so much space and land and the prices make it very accessible. There is still a cost associated with playing golf, but it is not as expensive as in Europe, for example, where it is unattainable for the middle class. It’s interesting because it makes it easier for young people to afford rounds of golf and play. »
Another player, Dave, 22, also spoke about the accessibility of the practice of his sport: “Before, the clubs were reserved for a certain class of society, I think it was more country club. In recent years, golf has become more popular and there has been an increase in interest in PGA tournaments. As the theater has experienced in recent years, the more it is made accessible to all prices, to all social classes, it makes you realize that it is a really fun sport. »
This new generation of golf enthusiasts is also that of social networks. The one that feeds them and consumes their content.
Thus, the world of golf has adapted to it and millennials see influencers or web personalities passing by every day exercising their power of attraction through golf. Celebrities like Paige Spiranac, with her 3.8 million Instagram followers, and Grace Charis, with her 2.9 million TikTok followers, are all the rage creating content on the aisles.
Ditto on Twitter, where informants generate a lot of interest. Like Ian Rapoport in football and Elliotte Friedman in hockey, Daniel Rapaport and Dylan Dethier are two golf journalists who generate a lot of activity and enthusiasm on the platform with their exclusives, their analyzes and their comments.
With the Netflix series Full Swing, the second season of which has already begun filming, sport is entering a new era. A period of abundance and refreshment during which the interest and popularity of golf are well established.
Like Steve McQueen, Roman Polanski and Elizabeth Taylor, PGA golfers will be all the rage on Hollywood fairways. And that’s just the beginning.
Which player will see their star shine at the US Open? On the Hollywood fairways of the Los Angeles Country Club, where the long grass is as frightening as the stunts of Tom Cruise, the competition will be extremely tough. It remains to be seen whether playing at home will benefit some.
Californian and proud of it! Max Homa will play at home this week, with or without his blue Los Angeles Dodgers cap on his head. The 32-year-old broke the course record in 2013 while representing the University of California. His mark of 61 still stands. The seventh-ranked golfer in the world has won two tournaments this season, in addition to finishing in the top 10 in half of the tournaments he has taken part in. However, his history in major tournaments is not very good. Never since the beginning of his career has he ranked in the top 10 of a Grand Slam event. Fate could be different, however, at home.
He too is a native of Golden State, he is also a former student of the University of California, and therefore he too is a player who will have the opportunity to play at home. Collin Morikawa has been out of fuel since his triumph at the British Open in July 2021. He still has four top 10s since the start of the season. The 18th in the world, 30th in FedEx Cup standings, remains one of the most effective players with an iron in hand. According to PGA Tour stats, he ranks first in approach quality between 100 and 125 yards. With the Unforgivable Grass, his accuracy could become a factor.
Will Viktor Hovland end up winning a major tournament? He finished fourth at the British Open in 2022, seventh at the last Masters and second at the PGA Championship just a few weeks ago. Hovland’s game is constantly evolving and he is less and less a victim of his weaknesses. Previously, his play around the greens was a major shortcoming. Today he excels. The 25-year-old is becoming more and more complete. A powerful hitter, he will however have to make sure to be precise on his tee shots if he wishes to be among the contenders on Sunday.
It’s hard not to mention Brooks Koepka in this kind of exercise. He came close to donning the green jacket in April when he finished second at the Masters and took top honors at the PGA Championship by winning his fifth major title of his career. We have been witnessing the rebirth of Koepka since the beginning of the year, both on the LIV Golf circuit and during major tournaments. He is unshakable. After three years lost to injury, the American is on a mission. There are no gaps in his game. With a win, he would join Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo and Phil Mickelson for 12th in history with six major tournament triumphs.
Scottie Scheffler lands on this list for three reasons. First, because he is the first player in the world ranking. Then, because he takes his game up a notch in major tournaments. In addition to his victory at the Masters Tournament in 2022, he has twice finished second and once tenth in his last five appearances in Grand Slam tournaments. Then simply because the Texan is the best player in the world to get out of bad situations. His unorthodox tee shot often ends up off the fairway, but thanks to his excellent irons, he manages to get back into the court the majority of the time without too much damage. This variable will be decisive on the course of the Los Angeles Country Club.
