The golf events at the Olympics are now behind us, with the United States picking up both gold medals with Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda taking the honours.
It took the authorities 112 years for golf to return to the Olympics in 2016 and now again in the listed events in the 2020 Olympics held in 2021 over the last couple of weeks.
With some of the male players not committing to play for various travel, Covid-19 and schedule challenges the event, both the men’s and women’s competitions exceeded all expectations.
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Now we must turn to the future of golf at the Games and what can be done to enhance the experience further.
Two areas are perhaps worth consideration: Caddies to receive medals and a mixed format event
Caddies, as they will all tell you, are an integral part of a golfer’s performance. If it is referenced and related to other sports, look at rowing and the role of a cox. The cox will steer, encourage and inform their crew of their position in the race.
It has to be argued that a caddie does no less than a cox in rowing, with up to 20 hours of live play on the golf course over four days, plus all the preparation and practice.
The authorities of both golf and the Olympics must look at rewarding the caddies of the medalling golfers for their achievements.
However, the challenge maybe the nationality of the caddie?
Players tend to be loyal to their caddies for all events throughout the year of whatever nationality, but all options should be considered. This should not be a reason for it not to happen. There must be solutions. The caddies deserve this Olympic recognition.
How about a mixed format? We see athletes in some sports winning up to five medals in their discipline in one Olympics, some five golds and some just participating in multiple events in the same sport.
In addition mixed formats are now more common in more events these days of inclusivity and equality.
Disciplines such as swimming, triathlon, equestrian, judo and so many more have events involving both women and men and often in the same team and some of them in new events for 2021.
Andy Murray has advocated mixed tennis of some sort to be an event and why not golf?
Teams made up of two men and two female golfers as well as a best-woman-and-best-man must be considered as options for the future along with the individual events.
The Olympic motto was updated on July 20 from ‘Faster, Higher and Stronger,’ to ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger and Together.’
This addition was made to show the solidarity around the Covid-19 global pandemic, but perhaps the Together word can mean more golf medals and more variety of medals on merit and more team-based, mixed and same sex gender events.
Let’s ensure that golf at the Olympics can have appropriate scheduling and France 2024, in just three year’s time, can expand hand in hand with the feedback from all the players. It is up to them to encourage full participation from the greatest players without exception, and new formats and more chances of medals can help.
