Golf is Fun to Watch

Sometimes movies of the past become more relevant as time goes on. This seems to be true even of movies about golf. I'm talking specifically about Caddyshack and Happy Gilmore. While both of these comedies brought an Average Joe approach to the modern bourgeois sport of golf, Caddyshack seemed to examine the snobbishness found in the elite class while Happy Gilmore specifically focused more on the clash between white collar and blue collar. However, both movies were good indications that golf in America would become more accessible to the middle class and that the sport's elitist atmosphere would begin to fade.

Caddyshack also predicted that golfers would star wearing ridiculous color combos and sleeveless shirts.

Now, even today, golf is not a cheap hobby. Between the price of clubs, course rates of play, and even the cost of getting new golf balls and other equipment, the total value of golf is definitely more than most middle and lower class people can afford on a regular basis. For me, playing a game of golf is a rare treat, even at the cheapest courses. Still, there are golf courses littered across this country, and people, especially men, of all classes are constantly out there driving from the tee boxes and putting on the greens. So golf is not just a sport for the rich elites to play, but even for the common man, and perhaps this is also showing up on the PGA tour.

Over the past couple of years I have gotten more into watching golf on the weekends. I grew up with an extended family of golfers and whenever we got together for special occasions, the day's golf match would always be on the TV in the background. Now, it is a part of my Sunday experience when I rest and relax with my immediate family. I find that playing the sport actually makes it more thrilling to watch because I can relate more to what the players are doing. I have actually seen the number of spectators, the people physically present at the tournament, grow over time. More people are crowding around the side of the course, whether it is fans sitting at stands set up at the greens and tee boxes or whether there is a massive rush to gather around a sliced drive.

That drive went behind that tree 30 yards wide of the fairway. Quick, let's race to stand on top of it!

A couple of weekends ago (9/30-10/2) was the 2016 Ryder Cup, a competition held every two years between the best golf players in the United States and the top players from across Europe. It was fun watching the back and forth between some of the greatest golfers alive today and it was especially nice to see the Americans hoist the trophy in the end. This Ryder Cup brought a high number of spectators to the course, more than 50,000 people, and it showed on TV. Aside from physically seeing the people on TV, you could hear the people clearly. There was plenty of chanting and cheering and even some heckling.

Though would you want anything less from a crowd that looked like this?

The European fans on Twitter could not stop complaining about the crowd. All of the 'Yanks' were being loud, obnoxious, and classless, they said. Now I will be fair to the Europeans and agree to an extent. On occasion you could hear the crowd cheering whenever the European team made a terrible shot or someone would mock a player as they prepared to strike the ball or even in a couple of cases say some stupid insults crossed the line. Yes, there were a few bad apples in the bunch that deserved to be removed from the crowd. However, some of the European fans were just complaining because the audience enjoyed chanting "USA! USA!" and screamed loudly whenever the US players made a great shot. You can tell some of these Twitter fans haven't watched many PGA events before if they're surprised that some dork yelled 'Get in the hole!' or 'Bababooey!' at every hole. If that's the majority of what they had to complain about, then that is just a minor annoyance they need to get used to.

Because seriously, just look at these guys. This kind of stuff is anticipated, really.

These are the kind of frat boys you expect to shout 'Get in the hole!'

It's all about striking the right balance for watching golf in the contemporary time. Most people today who do not watch golf say that one of their main reasons is it's boring to watch. I think these people do not realize how much golf has in common with other popular professional sports you enjoy spectating at home. It has the same stop and start gameplay you find in football and baseball. It's got great narratives with underdog stories and colorful characters like you see being promoted in the NBA and the NFL. It even has all of the product placement and endorsement deals people enjoy in NASCAR and the NFL. Just because players have to take their time to travel to the ball and calculate their shots does not mean golf is that much slower than baseball and America loves watching baseball, whether at the stadium or on the couch.

Now again, just because golf should not be boring does not mean it should be boorish. There is a time and place for people to be quiet and they should be respectful enough to not heckle a player when they are attempting to swing the club. Vocalization and audience interaction is possible outside of standard etiquette moments. One of the things that made this year's Ryder Cup fun to watch was seeing the players interact with the crowd whenever they made a great play. On Day 2, Patrick Reed made a spectacular wedge shot to eagle a hole and was cheerfully getting the already roaring audience pumped up by shouting 'Come On!' to them.

Kinda like a Cam Newton of the PGA if you will.

Not to be outdone, Rory McIlroy also brought some heat and flare in his interaction with the crowd. He took the brunt of a lot of hate and noise from the spectators and instead of just crying about it, Rory would make spectacular putts and roar at the audience. Sometimes he even brought some hand signals into the mix just to taunt the audience even more, letting them know their noise and hatred only made him stronger.

Also kind of a Cam Newton of the PGA

The duel between Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy was some of the best golf seen on TV, not just because they were playing spectacularly well, but also because they would taunt and tease each other in celebratory fashion, similar to a touchdown dance or some other cheesy self-congratulatory behavior from NFL players (I guess what I'm saying is that pro golf and pro football are the same really...wait...). A lot of people speculated online that Reed and McIlroy would eventually get into a fight before the end of their round. However, just like immature drunken yelling, fisticuffs have no place in the world of golf.

Then again....

Now, let's bring back the idea of elitists versus the common man, rich and poor. Before, the stereotype was that golf is mainly for the rich snobs who could afford to do it on a regular basis. This meant that players and crowds were much more proper, gentlemanly, and rigid. The 'golf clap' became a symbol of the quiet elegance found in snobby bourgeois golf. Today, you see plenty of middle and lower class people not only playing the sport, but watching from the sidelines as well. These people come from a different set of rules and lifestyle where it's okay to be vocal and loose. This does not mean that they do not have any class, it's just that they fully understand that having fun doesn't mean having to be stiff.

It seems like perhaps there is just a traditional view on golf that is slowly adapting to new conditions. On the one hand, golf should not remain locked into this stereotype that you have to be completely silent, stiff, prim and proper at all times, whether you're a fan or a player. On the other hand, golf is still a more elegant and gentlemanly sport compared to others like football or hockey, so the crowd should not be getting drunk, screaming at every little thing, and generally acting without any common decency. Golf does not have to be boring to watch, but it doesn't have to be some crazy rave either. Players should be allowed to respectfully taunt and the crowds should be able to do some chants and cheering at appropriate moments. This upcoming weekend is the Safeway Open, the start of a new PGA tour season, and with Tiger Woods playing once again, you can bet there will be spectators in the audience chanting and cheering loudly. And I will gladly watch this entertaining spectacle if I can.