Olympics Golf 2016 Wrapup

All I can say is wow!  Golf in the Olympics was so much better than I thought it was going to be.

Everything from the course, the play, and the drama was wonderful.  Many aspects of the competition were noteworthy and I want to give them each their due.

Let’s start with the course.  Gil Hanse created a really interesting course for tournament play.  I saw a lot of shades of Boston Golf Club while I was watching the competition.  Be looking for that post in the future.

The lack of rough and firm conditions gave the players options and made them think.  I usually enjoy this type of play more than hacking it out of the rough.  One worry about the course was that it wouldn’t be resistant to scoring.  I think the scores were right where they needed to be for Olympics golf.  And hey, who doesn’t like seeing birdies?
Next up is the quality of play.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get to watch a lot of the women’s tournament.  This was totally schedule based.  I have gained a much greater appreciation for women’s golf in recent years and I wanted to watch more.

The Wednesday start and work prevented me from seeing much.  I got to see more of the men’s competition and I was thoroughly entertained.  The final day was filled with tension and the emotion all the medalists showed was infectious.  I also have to say I was very taken by Gerina Piller’s display of emotion after she failed to medal.  You could tell it really mattered to the players and that was what we were all wondering.  They cared and it showed.

The whole proceedings went off exceedingly well in my opinion.  I can say that I am super excited for Olympics golf at Tokyo in 2020.  I can only hope the vote next year for golf’s future in the games will turn out positively.  Let me know what you thought of the competition.