Why are there so many top asian LPGA players compared to PGA?

[IcemanYVR]

Well, it's a part of this discussion so why not. There is no doubt that most sports have their distinct national elite. I believe this is because of the geographic placement, economic situation, interest in sports etc.

Very valid, but it also does not explain the fact that in North America, a very mulit-cultural/ethnic society... many of these genetic predispositions still exist. There are many 2,3,4 and even 5th generation of almost every ethnicity and nationality.

They have the same access to economics, athletic facilities, and programs. You don't see very many Asians as top NHL stars, NFL players (Heinz Ward is an exception, and he is only 1/2 asian), there are very few Asian MLB players, and with the exception of Yao Ming, I can't think of any other asian NBA players. When is the last time an Asian took home a gold medal in the men's 100m in Track & Field. As far as Caucasians are concerned, while there have been a few, they are generally not the best 100/200m sprinters, NBA players, or badminton/ping pong players. Big Hearts and lungs, height, BMI, power to weight ratio, white vs. red blood cell counts, power vs. endurance muscles... all of these are predisposed genetic traits. This does not necessarily excel at a given sport... but with the right drive, ambition, geographical and economic circumstances, it should make it much easier for them to succeed.

[IcemanYVR]

Also, unless a family has played golf for generations, where should this golf gene come from? Does it just pop up out of the blue because the nation the family live in is statistically good at golf?

Genetics have nothing to do family activities... Genetics is DNA. The entire family could have the genetic predisposition, but not have had the opportunity to play. Introduce the opportunity, and the potential can be revealed.

If the family is good at something, that probably means they have the genetic make-up to be good at a particular sport.

[Zeph]

I agree regarding physical differences, but I don't see how someone is genetically better suited for swinging a golf club than the neighbour. Obviously a large African American will be better suited for running fast than a short Korean, but those are based on physical foundations. Same goes with hockey, the bigger you are the better. The thing I don't understand is how this relates to swinging a golf club. It's 95% technique and a bit of power. You got some large guys hitting it far on the tour, but you also got guys like Tiger and Garcia, none whom are, or at least were, athletic. Look at Tiger 10 years ago, he did not have the muscles he's got today.

Better rhythmic sense perhaps? It's still a far way to swinging a golf club properly.

[Bump-n-MI]

the men have compulsory military service for a few years right in what would be their prime for developing the game.

Yep, that about sums it up.

[bogeymike]

I really think the issue at hand here is that you have military service for men so it's very difficult for them to really excel at golf or any sports. Another big issue I think is that American women don't really seem to play golf at the same rate men do. Most girls I know and knew growing up had never touched a golf club. If they played a country club sport it was tennis (American women do excel at international tennis) but almost none had ever really tried golf. This could be different in other parts of the country. I think the relative lack of American women playing golf leaves the door open for other countries to excel. Asian women, on the whole, tend to be shorter and less muscular than American women so I think if we had some of these women who play tennis, softball or soccer with such commitment the LPGA would look a lot different. If we had serena or venus williams playing golf, golf gene or not, I bet she would be phenominal.

[PEZGolf]

I have one other thought---the situation with the Korean girls is similar to Sweden. Why have so many Swedish girls excelled at golf, compared to the number of men? Here is the answer: top flight instruction. Pia Nilsson has run the Swedish Golf Academy for a number of years, and Annika is the prize pupil that she and Lynn Marriott taught. The young girls got excited about golf, and with the great instruction they received, they became excellent players. A good golf school makes all the difference in the world, and if more girls than guys go to it, then more of them will succeed on the tours. I am sure that the post about mandatory military service for the Korean guys is correct in identifying a factor in this final result as well.