BEYOND Covid
We’ve all heard the predictions of how the world might look as it creeps back toward some form of revised normality.
“Good riddance to 2020” will, suffice to say, be one sentiment but there will be unintended consequences, some of them perhaps worthwhile.
Golf will, as will every enterprise, be forced to question its direction and its future.
Professionally, the PGA Tour is going to be just fine. They have the prizemoney, the post-career pension scheme (appearance money by another name, paid after 55) and easy travel to attract the best players. The home players can compete without ever owning a passport.
The European Tour, essentially a world tour without the prescience quite yet to change its name, faces a more precarious future.
Its stars including Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood, Francesco Molinari and Justin Rose primarily play in the United States. It’s still a wonderful Tour with the advantage of a more diverse option of courses, cities, countries and players.
It’ll never compete with the PGA Tour if money is the standard but with the will it could become the professional beacon of first-class golf course architecture.
All professional golf is dependent on commerce and, despite the platitudes, the architectural quality of the courses is seen as being of
