Martin Kaymer walks the road to success
Martin Kaymer’s triumph can be seen from the number of endorsements and advertisements he is getting nowadays but most of all the impact his victory has on the golf industry in Germany is remarkable.
Martin Kaymer got a massive push in his career when he took home his first Claret jug of the major title at the US PGA Championship that took place at the Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, last Sunday. Kaymer is the Golf sport ambassador of BMW, and he has recently signed contracts with Taylor-Made, the golf line of sportswear-maker Adidas, Rolex and the clothing firm Lacoste.
According to Martin Kaymer, he is trying to make golf more popular in Germany, by inspiring teenagers, and if he succeeds in it then the German marketers and advertisers, who have pulled their hand back from golf, shall be the next target. The major reason behind the golf slump is lack of high-profile golfers in the country, so with the increase in the number of players in Germany, the sport will also expand.
The 25-year-old has given the Golf fans and associations a little hope that finally the dusty image of the sports will be shed off from the German minds. According to Christoph Meister of the German Golf Association, it is a big opportunity to boost the popularity of the sport, as more than 0.6 million Germans are registered in the country's 800 golf clubs, depicting a growth rate of 4 percent a year.
However, many Germans perceive golf to be the game for elites such as lawyers and doctors who have a lot of spare time and loads of money, according to a research conducted by the association. Therefore, to change the perception, local organizations have started a campaign by the name of "Play golf & have fun," in which they are trying to rebrand the sports as an affordable sport, which the whole family can play. However, there is still a lot to do especially in a country which is ruled by football.
The local marketers have also started noticing the game. However, they still haven’t considered the game on the same footage to broadcast it live. Although the German papers were excited about Martin Kaymer's major tournament victory but Germans without pay-TV could not witness the live event, which was yet another disadvantage for the sports. The most ironic fact is that Bernhard Langer was the last German to win at The Masters tournaments in 1985 and 1993, even then the popularity of the game could not take a break and today Langer's name is much better known in the US and UK than in his home soil.
According to the analysts, after a long gap golf's fate has started to change as 4.2 million Germans are finally taking interest in the sport and are thinking of pursuing it as a career. Its fame is likely to grow by 2016, when every person would have access to playing golf. More the less, German media has finally started writing about golf, making the Germans feel comfortable with the game.
On the whole, the credit of this phenomenal growth and changing attitude of the media and people goes to the 25-year-old Martin Kaymer who not only won the USPGA championship that took place at the Whistling Straits but also brought hope to his people, making golf accessible to them.
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