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Golf is a sport that lives and breathes statistics. If it is possible to measure something, it will be measured – from the length of a putt or a drive, to the average number of sand saves from greenside bunkers, or the number of euros required to save a player from dropping off the European Tour. If there’s a stat to be had, you can be sure that somebody, somewhere is recording it for posterity.
Order of Merits, Money Lists and leaderboards dominate media coverage, with points lists for the Ryder Cup providing a never-ending object of fascination. Who’s going up? Who’s on the slide? Who cares? Well, quite a few of us actually.
The facts and figures remain unquestionable and for many they are not subjects that require much debate, but we golfers love a list that is based on far more subjective terms. Whether it be the Top 100 Golf Courses or the Top 10 Collapses in the Final Round of a Major. Here are subjects that are a matter of personal preference, and thus open to much conjecture.
George O'Grady and David Chu are among the most powerful figures in world golf
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The annual golf course lists, produced by a growing number of magazines looking to cash in on the concept, is the source of intense debate, especially for those clubs that miss the cut. However the real venom is saved by those clubs that drop down the rankings or, heaven help the editors of these lists, are ranked below a much hated local rival.
As a former member of a judging panel for one of these course rankings, I fully understand the impact these lists have on clubs (some are still using rankings from outdated lists published in the 1980s such is the kudos attached to them), but in the grand scheme of things whether your club is ranked 56th or 71st is not a deal breaker as far as most golfers are concerned. In fact, as a golfer, I’d rather see lists of the ‘best value’ golf clubs or ones that exceed expectations, rather than those that are, for the most part, over priced (perhaps, bizarrely, on the basis of their ranking).
How big is my ego? - Faldo's course design business is expanding at a rapid rate
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On the subject of subjective lists, I recently came across ‘The Top 25 Most Powerful People in Golf’ in the October issue of an American business title called Golf Inc. Now, being an US-based publication, I was not surprised to discover a distinctly ‘Uncle Sam’ bias to the rankings, but then again, there is no doubt that the increasing globalisation of golf is clearly reflected, with a smattering of international figures featuring high up the charts.
A lot of the names will mean nothing to the average golfer. Who, for instance, is Dana Garmany, who takes a lofty second place in the list behind four-time consecutive winner Jack Nicklaus? He is, for the record, the founder of Troon Golf, a course management company that runs golf operations at The Grove in Hertfordshire, as well as over 200 other clubs around the world. Mr Garmany was closely followed by another club company executive, Eric Affeldt, who looks after ClubCorp. Both these ‘suits’ kept Tiger Woods languishing in fourth place – a sign that the world’s best player’s sphere of influence only extends so far, especially when it comes to selling golf equipment. After all, if America can win the Ryder Cup without him, then perhaps the Woods Inc stock is suffering a downturn. Given that Nicklaus, Greg Norman (11th) and Gary Player (13th) have pretty much got the course design business sewn up, there might not be many places left to build a course when Tiger eventually hangs up his spikes and looks for other things to do. But then again, I suppose he could always be America’s second black president.
Playing by the rule - R&A chief executive Peter Dawson is a major player in world golf
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The first non-American to makes the grade was Chinese businessman David Chu, who came in at ninth. He’s the owner of the magnificent Mission Hills Golf Club in China, which boasts no fewer than 12 championship courses and is home to the World Cup for the next 10 years. Talking of China, The European Tour’s growth in the Far East is down to one man, and that’s the Tour’s chief executive, George O’Grady, who makes his first ever appearance in the ‘power list’ at 19th. His ranking looks sure to rise next year, as more PGA Tour golfers cotton on to the golf and life experiences to be enjoyed outside the US.
Another rookie to make the top 20 is none other than six-time major winner and recent Ryder Cup losing captain, Nick ‘My Way or the Highway’ Faldo. He shot in at No.20 on the back of his burgeoning course design business and his globe-trotting Faldo Series. Nick’s influence on the world of golf is growing by the minute and anyone who says his hosting of this year’s Faldo Final in Brazil and last year’s in China was a cynical exercise in winning hearts and minds in these fast-developing golf resort needing nations deserves a slap.
New Nike boss Cindy Davis is the only woman in golf's 'Power List'
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The only other Brit in the pack was R&A top bod Peter Dawson, whose efforts at curbing the worst excesses of the equipment companies (who needs more distance and more spin?) has brought him very much into the limelight. His master plan to prevent pros getting too much spin with their wedges comes into play in 2010, so enjoy getting the ball to stop on the greens while you can, as Dawson is determined to take the fun out of the game for all us hackers.
What does the list say about the game of golf? Quite a lot, really. It’s dominated by people who decide where we play, what we play with and how much we pay. There’s only one full-time player in there, and he’s only part-time, and there’s only one woman (Cindy Davis, who’s just been made CEO at Nike Golf). Everyone, bar Woods, is over 40, and all, bar Woods again, is white. Wow, golf is really moving with the times.
Right, I’m off to make a list of my own. Milk…..bread….eggs….oh, and a life.
If you’re lucky enough to be a member of a club that has ever appeared on a Top 100 list I’d be interested to know whether you agree with the ranking, or whether you thought it was under or over-rated. A topic for a thread, perhaps?
Discuss this story
i was in the top 6 in the world light jock championship in 2000. not sure the exact postion there was 6 people in the semi finals and 3 got through sadly a bomb scare meant i was late my frame of mind was gone and performed badly. i could have finished 4-6, but i will always say 6th as i thought i deserved nothing more on the day This is a reposnse to the article on the front page and not me blowing my own trumpet btw! 
Posted: 30/10/2008 19:15
does it mean people who live nearest the border? Guys in the highlands or lands end have no chance but if you live near hadrians wall you can enter the Jock Light champs If there was a trumpet icon i would be playing it
Posted: 31/10/2008 17:25
lol or a shandy drinker!
Posted: 31/10/2008 17:44
the reason for that advert is the level of iron in the drink - think it has changed! MMM IRN BRU
Posted: 31/10/2008 19:50
HAHAHA thats funny never heard anything like that before! (serious) Well a Light jock is someone who does the lights. when you see a concert with all the lights flashign or, on tv like millionaire or weakest link you see them lights thats a light jock, or the guys that do lights in a theatre. its most commenly used in night clubs as you get a DJ (Disk Jockey) and a LJ (Light Jock) alot of Djs start off as light jocks. They are also refered to as lighting enginners. and are genreally the technical guy in a night club/theatre. doing all the video editing programming the lights. setting up all the equiptment etc. The LJ championships used to be held in the late 90s early 00. contesents got 6 minutes to do 2 light shows and they had to program all the lights from scratch in 2 hours. The furhter you got in the competetion the more pretigous the club you did the competetions in.
Posted: 31/10/2008 22:16
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