There’s just something different about a golf tournament in the United Kingdom. Over the past couple of months, the DP World Tour has been in Birmingham, Belfast and London and the events have been spectacular.
The number of spectators that come out to support at those events is simply staggering. Which got me thinking, why does it seem like South Africans don’t come out to the same level?
South African golf fans are among the most passionate in the world, yet we don’t often get thousands of supporters at our premier events, like the SA Open.
It never really made sense to me. But, after some thoughts, I’ve got a few contributing factors.
Mainly, SuperSport. SuperSport is the best sports TV production in the world, that’s a simple fact. You can watch almost any sport, from any league around the world. But, this does make it difficult for sport fans to leave the comfort of their own homes. Why would they, if they could watch the English Premier League, rugby games, cricket matches and the golf while sitting on their comfy couch.
But there’s nothing like being there in person. Seeing the skill level of the world’s top professionals, whether they’re cricketers or golfers, is truly impressive. The energy that a fan can feel when they’re within touching distance is something special.
Another factor, simply put, is that golf is a hard watch. Physically that is. It’s tough to watch everything, all at once, like you would when watching on TV. It’s not like being in a stadium where you take your seat and all the action happens right in front of you. But again, I feel like watching golf allows spectators to get that ‘sideline seat’ feeling over and over again. Which is unique to golf.
Maybe this is somewhat selfish of me, but I wish every single golf fan would turn up at the Sunshine Tour’s premier events. The tournaments are truly spectacles. The standard of golf is impressive. But above all else, the appreciation that the players feel and reciprocate is completely different to any other profession.
Imagine being able to speak to Siya Kolisi in the middle of a Springbok Test match. Well, in golf that could happen. Spectators are never more than 30 metres away from the player that they’re watching. Sometimes, like I said earlier, within touching distance.
Looking at the upcoming schedule, with the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour co-sanctioned events, I truly hope that South African golf fans come out in their droves. The history of our events, the quality of our golfers and the standard of the events themselves is truly something one needs to see in person. So I hope to see you all soon.
– This column first appeared in the October 2024 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine.
Photo: Stephen Pond/Getty Images
