Arjun Atwal

[senorchipotle]

um wat? i was saying that i think its harder for blacks to get into the game. wheres the confusion?

well, if you've never been a black golfer, then how can you say it's harder for blacks to get into the game? i feel it is more unlikely that the avg. black kid will pick up golf, but it's definitely not harder. it's all about priorities.

[colin007]

well, if you've never been a black golfer, then how can you say it's harder for blacks to get into the game? i feel it is more unlikely that the avg. black kid will pick up golf, but it's definitely not harder. it's all about priorities.

as a black man, would you not say that the path you take to your success is not the same as a white persons with the same resources? im not saying it cant be done, but the predjudice and roadblocks you deal with make it harder. my wife is black, i am latino, we have both experienced predjudice. i guess what i am saying is that i cannot imagine a black golfer making it to the top without facing more animosity than the white golfer. i could be wrong, but thats how i see it.

[sean_miller]

as a black man, would you not say that the path you take to your success is not the same as a white persons with the same resources? im not saying it cant be done, but the predjudice and roadblocks you deal with make it harder. my wife is black, i am latino, we have both experienced predjudice. i guess what i am saying is that i cannot imagine a black golfer making it to the top without facing more animosity than the white golfer. i could be wrong, but thats how i see it.

Based on the number of non-white golfers at elite levels, and the amount of money to be made by top golfers (i.e. incentive to pursue the occupation) it would be hard to argue otherwise.

[jamo]

as a black man, would you not say that the path you take to your success is not the same as a white persons with the same resources? im not saying it cant be done, but the predjudice and roadblocks you deal with make it harder. my wife is black, i am latino, we have both experienced predjudice. i guess what i am saying is that i cannot imagine a black golfer making it to the top without facing more animosity than the white golfer. i could be wrong, but thats how i see it.

In normal job fields I see your point, but what would being black (or latino, or anything else) prevent you from doing? Joining a country club? Making a college team? Going to Q School? Performing at Q School? Getting Sponsor's exemptions?

[colin007]

In normal job fields I see your point, but what would being black (or latino, or anything else) prevent you from doing? Joining a country club?

well, certain country clubs, sure it would.

[pittpanther]

as a black man, would you not say that the path you take to your success is not the same as a

The key to your comment is comparing players WITH THE SAME RESOURCES.

Any golfer whose parents are poor will find it much more difficult to go pro than would an equivalent player whose parents are rich - white or black. I would imagine that "rags to riches" stories are relatively rare in the PGA.

[senorchipotle]

as a black man, would you not say that the path you take to your success is not the same as a white persons with the same resources? im not saying it cant be done, but the predjudice and roadblocks you deal with make it harder. my wife is black, i am latino, we have both experienced predjudice. i guess what i am saying is that i cannot imagine a black golfer making it to the top without facing more animosity than the white golfer. i could be wrong, but thats how i see it.

honestly, in my professional work experience of around 5 years now, i've never had a single white person discriminate against me. nor have i ever not gotten a job i applied for. if you go looking for something, you'll find it, even if it's not really there. i know black people who look forward to being discriminated against, that way if they don't get what they want there's a scapegoat. i hear all the time, ''that person's racist,'' etc. but really, how do you know? maybe the person just had a bad day, perhaps they are mean to everyone. but no, instead of thinking about that, people automatically jump to the race conclusion. it's really sad, and only perpetuates friction amongst ethnicities.

and personally, growing up at a pretty much all white country club. i can say that no, i was never discriminated against. even though i no longer play there, they all know me when i go back home and i can still go hit balls and get a weekend round no charge. but as far as golf goes, yeah i'm sure if i were a great golfer growing up some parents would have wondered why not their kid, but i cannot definitively say that for sure. after all, just cause your kid sucks, it doesn't make him any better by being mad at someone of a different color. so i don't know about that scenario. i did grow up playing soccer which is pretty much a monochromatic sport here, and i always had teams trying to pick me up as a guest player in their tournaments and such, so pretty much the opposite of prejudice.

[senorchipotle]

Based on the number of non-white golfers at elite levels, and the amount of money to be made by top golfers (i.e. incentive to pursue the occupation) it would be hard to argue otherwise.

there are numbers one has to make to qualify for a card. raise the cash, you get a chance to shoot those numbers. if you make the second best group of numbers, you get to play on a lower tier tournament until you prove yourself worthy to play on the premier tour. maybe 30-40 years ago we could have had a discussion on invitationals discriminating against non-whites, but as far as making the tour, it's all about the numbers.

[golfro]

The key to your comment is comparing players WITH THE SAME RESOURCES.

only person on tour i know of is YE Yang. He actully started golfing at the age of 19, while he worked as a construction worker and picked up balls at the local range part time. He learned by watching golfers and taught himself how to swing. Pretty cool story.

[Easy]

Diversity in golf? Everyone does remember that the world number one is cablinasian?

Based on the number of non-white golfers at elite levels, and the amount of money to be made by top golfers (i.e. incentive to pursue the occupation) it would be hard to argue otherwise.

There's just as much incentive to bounce a basketball, throw a baseball or football as well.... not to mention cheaper.

The key to your comment is comparing players WITH THE SAME RESOURCES. Any golfer whose parents are poor will find it much more difficult to go pro than would an equivalent player whose parents are rich - white or black. I would imagine that "rags to riches" stories are relatively rare in the PGA.

That's the sole reason right there. The so called lack diversity in the pga has got nothing to with racial prejudice.

I would like to see more racial diversity in Polo too but that's no going to happen anytime soon.

[pittpanther]

That's the sole reason right there. The

I don't think there's anything "so-called" about it - there's definitely a lack of diversity in PGA professional golf. The reasons for it are many and varied. But I guarantee you that the PGA looks longingly at the NFL, NBA, and MLB, and would love to do whatever they could to have the kind of audiences that the Big 3 have. The PGA knows that having nothing but bland white guys on TV week after week is not necessarily in their best interests, if they have any hope of explanding their brand.

Some people think that having more people actually playing golf is the ticket to more fan interest. I disagree, and use US soccer as a model. Kids across the country play soccer but wouldn't watch a match on TV if you paid them. I think Tiger has shown that the key to expanding the brand is having Diversity, and Personality. I don't watch the NFL, NBA and MLB because I play those sports. It's because I have some level of interest in the people who participate in those sports. Notice I have not once said anything about quotas, or discrimination, or any of the other buzzwords used to kill this kind of discussion.

[Harmonious]

The term diversity has been used a lot in this thread. To some, it seems that a more diverse PGA tour would be better than today, where 10-15% of the top 100 money leaders are "non-bland white guys". I am all for bringing new players, of any color, into the game. That keeps the golf courses open and profitable, and keeps golf manufacturers and retailers in business.

But it is still unclear to me why we should worry about how many pro golfers are of what ethnicity. Is a great shot hit by a black golfer more exciting than one hit by an Asian golfer? Is it better for a Hispanic golfer to cash a million dollar paycheck than for a white golfer? Are golfers from Korea, South Africa, Fiji, Germany, Colombia, Canada, Ireland, Spain, Italy, etc. not a diverse enough grouping, or is diversity only to be judged by skin color? Many sports lack ethnic diversity, at least at the highest level. Seen any white Olympic sprinters lately? How about black downhill skiers, or Asian NASCAR drivers. Yet, those sports each have their following.

PGA Golf TV ratings have never been anywhere near those of the major team sports and never will. Heck, I rarely watch the 2nd tier tournaments on TV, but I wouldn't miss my alma mater's football games, even if they stink (which they have, recently ).