The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Social media popularity contest a step too far. Eric Nicolson’s Last Word -
Golf’s brave new world seems to have got pass marks at the weekend.
The razzmatazz will have appalled some traditionalists, but the GolfSixes event is aimed at the everincreasing number of sports viewers who have an ever-decreasing attention span. I would imagine it, or its offspring, will be here to stay.
Not every departure from the norm deserves to be applauded, though.
Organisers of an LPGA Tour event last week decided to put a sponsor’s invitation spot at the mercy of a social media popularity contest.
One of the four competing female golfers chosen for the gimmick was Perthshire’s own Carly Booth.
The winner of a Twitter vote gets the chance to potentially transform their career at a big-money tournament. But at a time when equality in golf is a high-profile issue, is this really the sort of image the women’s game wants to portray?
Booth has won two European Tour events and set records in junior golf that have still to be surpassed. It’s a proper golfing CV.
When celebrity friends like David Haye and Denise Van Outen are “campaigning” to get her into the ShopRite LPGA Classic, and she is posting clips online in support of her claim that are a cross between a girlband video and a shampoo advert, it’s no surprise that Judy Murray’s reaction to the whole thing was less than enthusiastic.
She commented on Twitter “All about ££££ these days – sponsorship, TV rights, branding, image. What about growing the love of playing, teaching + watching the game?”
Booth and the other three ladies reaching out for social media love may not find this process demeaning, but you can understand why their peers and the wider female sporting community might see it differently.
Not every departure from the norm deserves to be applauded