Why Growing The Game Is Increasingly Important

During the acrimonious split between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf one phrase that consistently reappeared was ‘growing the game’. Those behind the breakaway league would often use it to explain how, initially at least, the shortened format behind LIV was going to open golf up to a new army of sports fans.

I could see their point but could also understand the collective eye-rolling from many quarters as the players simultaneously pocketed vast sums to make the switch. I’m not going to write about the validity, or otherwise, of that argument but instead I want to comment on why growing the game is becoming increasingly important for all of us.

Here, I’m going to use the phrase ‘growing the game’ to refer to how we increase the number of juniors playing golf. To my mind, this is becoming increasingly important, not just because as the Editor of Golf Monthly I’d like to see golf thrive, but because playing golf offers a sustained break from the virtual world.

Quite simply, the combination of smart phones and social media has transformed the experience of childhood. Building a strategy that enables kids to consistently engage in the ‘real world’ is a challenge that most parents are grappling with. This is where sport, and golf in particular, comes in. Spending hours outside, safely competing with friends feels like the perfect antidote to the increasing level of digital-world creep.