Do golfers only play for money these days?
Golf is one of the most commercialized sports in the world. Sponsors from all industries flock to the sport and golf tournaments are among the greatest advertising and promotion avenues available to many organizations.
In the same vein, golf players are among the wealthiest sportspersons in the world. In addition to the hefty match fees, they receive a host of benefits from their sponsors.
Even amateurs players, who cannot accept monetary rewards for their wins, are compensated heavily by the tournament management and advertisers.
Golf events have become extravaganzas with expenses running into millions of dollars. The golf courses have become the most important real estate sites which carry price tags of billions.
All this money means that beneath the glitter of sportsmanship and fair-play, golf is a vicious economic endeavour that has grown into an industry of its own. Indeed, many financial analysts have started to use the term golf economy to refer to the huge
business of pro golf.
Does this merit the conclusion that golfers, particularly the professionals, play only for money?
Not really!
There is a segment of the golf world that is often not visible to outsiders. This segment is called charity golf. Not many people are aware of it, as it does not get the publicity on the same scale as a top golf tournament.
These events are not rare. Almost every month there is a tournament somewhere in the world that pledges a part or the entire earnings to a charitable cause.
These events are sponsored by the same mix of organizations that pay for professional tournaments. Local businesses are often the biggest supporters of these events and contribute large sums to the charity funds.
Many top sponsors take these charity events under the umbrella of corporate social responsibility, a concept that has gained popularity in recent years.
With the rise of an outcry against the irresponsible behaviour of many businesses, these activities under corporate social responsibility go a long way in maintaining goodwill among the public.
When it comes to players, playing golf for charity, there are two separate groups. The first group plays for the same purpose as the big sponsors - generate goodwill. The second group, comprising of the largest number of players, plays because it genuinely
cares for the cause.
Charity golf is not something new. It developed alongside the commercialization of golf. When golf reinvented itself and became something bigger than just a leisure activity for retired people with money, it started gaining popularity and became a well established
sport. This was when the idea of charity golf was born.
Players play in these events because their appearance attracts revenues in the form of entrance fees and sponsorships. This revenue is directly proportional to the number of top players participating in the event.
Like many sports personalities, golfers often donate their earnings to charitable causes. A recent example is the Japanese start Ai Miyazato. After winning the 2011 Evian Masters, she announced that she would pledge a part of her prize money to the victims
of tsunami that hit her native country Japan.
Talking about her pledge, she said, “I haven't decided yet what to do exactly, whether it'll be all the amount or a sum of it, but I'll definitely be making a donation from this earning”.
This is the spirit that almost all golfers, professional and amateurs share. The concept that golfers are a selfish bunch of players who care only for their money is just not right.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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