Two-Sided Story

There are two covers for GolfWeek magazine. One is just a wrap-around cover that almost always advertises a new shaft, grip or something of the sort. The inside, or what I think of as the actual, cover unflinchingly has a picture of the most recent tournament winner, or biggest story of the week. I bring this up because really, all of the magazines  that I come across involving golf are not about golf anymore. They're about selling golf. They want to sell you a better game, a better golf course, a better (and you'll see this word used frequently throughout any golf publication) experience.

I have no problem with capitalism. I have no problem with advertisers. I just have a problem with what it does to the tweens and up who read these. Americans now expect to have the best clubs, the newest grips, the whitest belts, the most balanced golf shoes, and they expect these things to help them win every time they step on a course. What most American golfers that I come across, be it teaching or playing with, do not have is a hard work ethic. For those who practice hours upon hours each day, the newest advances in golf technology will almost certainly help. For those who spend only a few minutes on the range before going out to play, the latest club design or ball with a million dimples on it will simply not help you.

And that's the point, these magazines are preying on people who think that you can buy a better game. They're preying on the parents who think their kids can win more if they have better equipment. 

Now, about that "experience" they want to sell you. An experience on a golf course usually has very little to do with the course or the equipment you're using on the course. For a majority of players, the experience is enhanced by playing with good friends, and being competitive with them. I've had some of my most enjoyable rounds playing with ill-fitting sets of clubs on courses that surround camp grounds or even trailer parks.

The point is, I have yet to see a magazine selling me on the idea of getting a few lessons, using the clubs I already have, and picking my playing partners wisely in order to enhance my "experience". For the good of American kids and their parents this is exactly what we should be doing.

How does this tie into Nepal? Well, I doubt very much that any of the kids I'll be teaching really care about how they look or if they have the adjustable R11. I doubt that they will be annoyed if they have to play a course that's not in perfect condition. I'm guessing they'll be happy just to play and to be given lessons from a professional. Almost like it's a privilege and not an inalienable right. Imagine that next time you feel like you just have to have the newest thing on the cover of GolfWeek.