How would you set the Olympics format for golf

[jshots]

Originally Posted by Chilli Dipper

I do not like the IGF's proposed format; I think an individual stroke-play event defeats the purpose of golf being an Olympic sport in the first place. The Olympic golf tournament must include at team element to have any relevance, or else it is merely a quadrennial WGC event.

MY PROPOSAL

I propose the Olympic Golf Tournament as an event of six rounds over the course of five days, with medals to be awarded for both team and individual competitions. Nations will field teams of two golfers. The qualification criteria for the Olympic tournament should be as follows:

I like that a lot. The problem with golf is compared to normal tournaments, there would be no extra intensity, no Olympic sized pressure and competition. Your idea makes it intense. 5 days of golf with a grueling 36 on the first day AND you get a team competition. The level of competition still won't be on the same level as a major, but it would definitely have a unique Olympic feel to it and would certainly be a tough test of golf.

Obviously the Olympics would not be a major, but they could be different enough that they have an epicness all their own.

[Chilli Dipper]

Originally Posted by jshots

I like that a lot. The problem with golf is compared to normal tournaments, there would be no extra intensity, no Olympic sized pressure and competition. Your idea makes it intense. 5 days of golf with a grueling 36 on the first day AND you get a team competition. The level of competition still won't be on the same level as a major, but it would definitely have a unique Olympic feel to it and would certainly be a tough test of golf.

Obviously the Olympics would not be a major, but they could be different enough that they have an epicness all their own.

Actually, the 36-hole day would be Saturday; the individual third round in the morning, and the team final round in the afternoon. Since the final two rounds of the team competition would be alternate shot (read: a player would only be making half the swings as usual), adding another 18 holes in the morning wouldn't be as grueling as it may appear on the surface.

[jshots]

Originally Posted by Chilli Dipper

Actually, the 36-hole day would be Saturday; the individual third round in the morning, and the team final round in the afternoon. Since the final two rounds of the team competition would be alternate shot (read: a player would only be making half the swings as usual), adding another 18 holes in the morning wouldn't be as grueling as it may appear on the surface.

Oh I somehow misread that when skimming. Still a great idea. I think that they ought to make it grueling.

[VMAN]

Olympic golf will be like Olympic tennis and will get no love from the general public.  I don't see Olympic golf as a long time sport in the Olympics.

Golfers play on a national stage that already takes country of origin into play.  How many times to we see stats referring to country of origin and "world" rankings.  Olympic golf will be a joke.  The Ryder cup works well because it plays on a USA vs the world mentality and has an edge reminiscent of the cold war.  The Olympics no longer have that, unless something really bad happens or the middle East becomes extremely competitive in gymnastics.

The birth of Olympic golf is well placed as a vehicle to grow the game of golf, but the execution falls flat.  It's a game that is expensive to play on every level, the olympics won't change that.

My vote is no on Olympic golf...no matter the format.

[zipazoid]

Originally Posted by VMAN

Olympic golf will be like Olympic tennis and will get no love from the general public.  I don't see Olympic golf as a long time sport in the Olympics.

Golfers play on a national stage that already takes country of origin into play.  How many times to we see stats referring to country of origin and "world" rankings.  Olympic golf will be a joke.  The Ryder cup works well because it plays on a USA vs the world mentality and has an edge reminiscent of the cold war.  The Olympics no longer have that, unless something really bad happens or the middle East becomes extremely competitive in gymnastics.

The birth of Olympic golf is well placed as a vehicle to grow the game of golf, but the execution falls flat.  It's a game that is expensive to play on every level, the olympics won't change that.

My vote is no on Olympic golf...no matter the format.

That ship's already sailed. It's starting in 2016.

[ClayHbg]

Originally Posted by Wansteadimp

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClayHbg

I think it will basically become a typical, match play style fifth major contested every four years on a brand new course that no one has ever seen or played before.

Unfortunately it won't, likely to be max 4 players per country by my counting 56 of the current top 100 will be out. Hardly a fifth major.

Great point!  I didn't even think about the limitations per country.  So much for faster, higher, stronger.

[Wally Fairway]

Originally Posted by broomhandle

Either I'm misunderstanding or you're very poorly informed.

Olympic Rules allow 2 table tennis players per country per singles event.

Olympic Rules allow one basketball team of about 12 players per country

Olympic Rules allow one wrestler per weight class per country.

etc,etc

Those are maximums.

Depending on the sport you may have to meet a qualifying performance standard or world rank or get through play in competition.

Olympic Committees in each country only decide who gets to make up their assigned quota into qualifying or straight in to the games depending on each sports rules.

Jordyn Weiber would like to be included in your example of arbitrary limits set by the IOC (as the 4 ranked gymnast in the all around, but not qualified to compete in the individual event because only 2 per country can go for it.

As far as golf in the Olympics, it seems to me it will be like the World Cup of Golf - pick a team (or two)  of 2 players from maybe 20 countries and play it as a combined score event. Although match play would be interesting, if you want to keep interest high in the event you cannot risk having name players/teams eliminated early.

Also the 2016 games are scheduled to be played August 5-21.... playing in that event could impact qualifying for the Ryder Cup team (especially for the Euros) and for FedEx and Race for Dubai rankings. It will be interesting to see how each country determines who will be selected to participate.

[dsc123]

I'd go with match play.

[bwdial]

Originally Posted by Chilli Dipper

I do not like the IGF's proposed format; I think an individual stroke-play event defeats the purpose of golf being an Olympic sport in the first place. The Olympic golf tournament must include at team element to have any relevance, or else it is merely a quadrennial WGC event.

MY PROPOSAL

I propose the Olympic Golf Tournament as an event of six rounds over the course of five days, with medals to be awarded for both team and individual competitions. Nations will field teams of two golfers. The qualification criteria for the Olympic tournament should be as follows...

This.  End of discussion.  You win the gold medal.

[Chilli Dipper]

Also the 2016 games are scheduled to be played August 5-21.... playing in that event could impact qualifying for the Ryder Cup team (especially for the Euros) and for FedEx and Race for Dubai rankings. It will be interesting to see how each country determines who will be selected to participate.

The dates of August 2016 coincide with the dates of August 2011. Last year, the schedule after the Open Championship looked like this: [LIST] [*] July 21-24: Canadian Open [*] July 28-31: Greenbrier Classic [*] August 4-7: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational [*] August 11-14: PGA Championship [*] August 18-21: Wyndham Championship [*] August 25-28: The Barclays [/LIST] Based on that schedule, the Olympic tournament would be held on the week ending on August 21. However, I believe many elite players would decline an invitation to play on that date, since they would have played at Firestone and the PGA the two previous weeks, with the FedEx Cup playoffs beginning the week after that. Instead, the Bridgestone Invitational should be moved up a week in the schedule, and the PGA Championship moved back one week, to accommodate the Olympic tournament being played on the first week of the Olympiad. Therefore, the 2016 schedule should look like this: [LIST] [*] July 21-24: Canadian Open [*] July 28-31: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational [*] August 4-7: Greenbrier Classic [*] August 10-14: Olympic Golf Tournament (Wyndham Championship, alternate) [*] August 18-21: PGA Championship [*] August 25-28: The Barclays [/LIST] Under this schedule, elite players would have the option of a week off between Firestone and the Olympics. The 2016 PGA Championship will be held at Baltusrol in New Jersey, which will ease travel requirements, since there are plenty of commercial flights between Rio and JFK, and players would be able to stay in the New York metropolitan area for the Barclays the following week.

[Golfingdad]

They have 4 years to plan it ... I'm pretty sure they'll figure out the scheduling.

Ultimately, I have come to believe that it's all going to be irrelevant anyway.  It sounds exciting on paper, but I look at it as being similar to tennis.  I am a big tennis fan (the majors at least) and an especially big Wimbledon fan, and right now they have a de facto Wimbledon tournament going on (most of the best players in the world playing for a gold medal at Wimbledon), yet I haven't seen, or even cared to see, a single match.  I imagine it will end up being something like that.

I will admit, though, that part of that problem is they aren't going out of their way to show it to me either.  If NBC/TGC embrace the golf event and treat it like a big deal - show all of the golf on TGC, including "Live From's", etc, then they might be able to get me excited.  On the other hand, if they only show it on CNBC or Bravo in between rowing and horse jumping at 10am during the week, then no thanks.

[mvmac]

Thought this was interesting

Quote:

While the format of the Olympic golf tournament is subject to change, the 60-player field is set to be based off the  Official World Golf Ranking. The top 15 players in the ranking at a date to be determined are automatically in the field. After that, another 45 players will be added, but there can be no more than two players from any one country unless they are inside the top 15.

Who, then, would be in the Olympics if the field was decided today? Here’s the field for the men.

Top 15 in the Official World Golf Ranking :

1. Luke Donald – Great Britain
2. Tiger Woods – U.S.A.
3. Rory Mcilroy – Great Britain OR Ireland
4. Lee Westwood – Great Britain
5. Webb Simpson – U.S.A.
6. Adam Scott – Australia
7. Bubba Watson – U.S.A.
8. Jason Dufner – U.S.A.
9. Matt Kuchar – U.S.A.
10. Justin Rose – Great Britain
11. Graeme McDowell – Great Britain OR Ireland
12. Zach Johnson – U.S.A.
13. Hunter Mahan – U.S.A.
14. Steve Stricker – U.S.A.
15. Ernie Els – South Africa

The next 45 players, listed with their current world ranking.

18. Martin Kaymer – Germany
19. Louis Oosthuizen – South Africa
21. Jason Day – Australia
23. Francesco Molinari – Italy
25. Sergio Garcia – Spain
30. Peter Hanson – Sweden
33. Nicolas Colsaerts – Beligum
36. K.J. Choi – South Korea
39. Carl Pettersson – Sweden
40. Thomas Bjorn – Denmark
42. Sang-moon Bae – South Korea
43. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano – Spain
53. Anders Hansen – Denmark
59. Marcel Siem – Germany
60. Padraig Harrington – Ireland
64. Ryo Ishikawa – Japan
65. Matteo Manassero – Italy
72. Hiroyuki Fujita – Japan
78. Vijay Singh – Fiji
86. Jeev Milkha Singh – India
92. Joost Luiten – Netherlands
108. Thongchai Jaidee – Thailand
110. Raphael Jacquelin – France
111. Andres Romero – Argentina
113. Bernd Wiesberger – Austria
125. Brendon de Jonge – Zimbabwe
133. Thaworn Wiratchant – Thailand
137. Jhonattan Vegas – Venezuela
138. Victor Dubuisson – France
144. Shane Lowry – Ireland
154. Juvic Pagunsan – The Philippines
159. Camilo Villegas – Colombia
175. Siddikur Rahman – Bangladesh
191. Fabrizio Zanotti – Paraguay
193. Danny Lee – New Zealand
206. Ricardo Santos – Portugal
207. Anirban Lahiri – India
210. David Hearn – Canada
212. Ricardo Gonzalez – Argentina
222. Felipe Aguilar – Chile
233. Graham DeLaet – Canada
243. Lu Wei-chih – Taiwan
311. Robert Jan-Derksen – Netherlands
321. Mardan Mamat – Singapore
334. Espen Kofstad – Norway

[Chas]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

On the other hand, if they only show it on CNBC or Bravo in between rowing and horse jumping at 10am during the week, then no thanks.

But imho that is exactly what they ought to be doing.  Decisions by TV execs about what to show when are far too greatly influenced by advertising revenue - surprise! - and too little influenced by the need for balanced coverage of all of the sports.  I know I know, they have to recoup the absurd cost of it all somehow.  What better argument for holding it in some pastoral site in Greece? (and besides, the Greeks will always need the money )

The point of the Olympics should NOT be to show, yet again, the most popular, money-winning tennis/golf/basketball players do their stuff for hours and hours and hours.  As is currently the case for tennis, where the courts are visibly worn from the labors of the same players just a few weeks ago for Pee'sake.

Bring on the show jumping/dressage/fencing/badminton/rowing/swimming/table tennis/...... and let golf take its proper place among the rest.   But I was against having golf in the Olympics and I'm sure my views are in the minority here.

[Chas]

Originally Posted by broomhandle

I despise the non-credibility of a supposed pinnacle of sport where at least half of the world top 20 are prohibited from showing up.

Ditto yet again.

And some of the players may be in the process of adjusting to the non-use of broomsticks, which will cause further havoc with the usefulness of the blessed Ranking.

[VMAN]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

That ship's already sailed. It's starting in 2016.

I understand that.  I'm saying it will be short lived or become a tournament populated by very low ranked players.  The athletes will not want to compromise their schedule or travel for higher more prestigious events and there will be locales with out the proper venue that will not want to build a golf course.

[VMAN]

Originally Posted by Chas

But imho that is exactly what they ought to be doing.  Decisions by TV execs about what to show when are far too greatly influenced by advertising revenue - surprise! - and too little influenced by the need for balanced coverage of all of the sports.  I know I know, they have to recoup the absurd cost of it all somehow.  What better argument for holding it in some pastoral site in Greece? (and besides, the Greeks will always need the money)

The point of the Olympics should NOT be to show, yet again, the most popular, money-winning tennis/golf/basketball players do their stuff for hours and hours and hours.  As is currently the case for tennis, where the courts are visibly worn from the labors of the same players just a few weeks ago for Pee'sake.

Bring on the show jumping/dressage/fencing/badminton/rowing/swimming/table tennis/...... and let golf take its proper place among the rest.   But I was against having golf in the Olympics and I'm sure my views are in the minority here.

I agree.

[Patrick57]

I would have a four team event where they play a reverse scramble. I think this would be something out of the ordinary and I'm sure it would be very interesting for the spectators/viewers.

[Chilli Dipper]

Originally Posted by mvmac

Thought this was interesting

And that's why there needs to be a team competition if the Olympic tournament intends to be inclusive to nations beyond the traditional golfing powers. If the IGF and the IOC intend to showcase the world's best golfers while also developing the game in new territories, it's not going to do it with an individual stroke play event.

What has been proposed is a very weak idea. As much as I want to see a diverse field for the Olympic tournament, it would be a joke if the 334th-ranked player in the world qualifies and the 16th-ranked player doesn't, just because the 334th-ranked player is the highest-ranked golfer from his country, especially if that player is going to finish 30 strokes behind the eventual winner (who will inevitably come from a golfing power). At the same time, I don't want to see a WGC-type event where only the very top-ranked players are invited. Look at the field at Firestone this week: there are no African players outside of South Africa in attendance, nor any player from the Western Hemisphere beyond the United States. A solely-individual golf event at the Olympics cannot have it both ways.