Chciałbym przedstawić wam, krótki wywiad/historię i opinię na temat golfa osoby, która w głównej mierze zaraziła mnie golfem. Nasz kolega, choć serce ma polskie, tajniki gry i większość życia spędził w Kanadzie. Tam zaraził się golfem i pomimo polskich warunków nie odpuszcza…
Jego historia została opisana w języku angielskim, choć mówi dobrze to polska pisownia jest ponad jego siły:) Również dowiecie się jak rozwinął się golf w kanadzie, co miało na to wpływ i czego może nam jeszcze brakować….
Golf story by Dan
Foregolf: What do you think when you go back to Canada and Golf?
Dan: Canada is a Golfer’s Dream.
F: How did you start playing golf?
D: I first started playing golf at the age of 13. I had several friends at my elementary school who started playing golf at this age as well. I bought my first starter set for under $100 and started playing at Lyndebrook Golf Club, a 9 hole course that was less than a 15 minute drive away and only cost $12 to play. Of course our parents had to drop us off at the course and pick us up several hours later as we were still years away from acquiring a driver’s license.
F: What inspired you to play golf?
D: At around this time, a 21 year old Tiger Woods began dominating the PGA Tour. Never had such a young player achieved such success playing a game that was traditionally dominated by old, white men. I believe this event alone caused many young people to begin playing golf. With time, golf courses started appearing everywhere. It would be completely normal, and common, for a teenage foursome to step into a clubhouse, pay for their green fees and begin their round.
F: How do you compare Polish golf vs. Canada experience?
D: If we look at the present, there are nearly 6 million golfers in Canada who play at least 1 round a season, with nearly 1.5 million of those playing 9 rounds or more. Within my group of friends, it’s hard to find someone that doesn’t play golf. The game has been opened up to the masses due to the accessibility of courses and the cost to play. When I’m in Canada, I reside in the suburbs of Toronto, where there are several dozen golf courses available to play at that are no more than a 20 minute drive away. I typically pay around $40 to play a round of 18 at a standard level course. We don’t use a green card system in Canada either. Anyone can walk onto a course and play the game as long as they have a set of clubs. If any middle class person wants to play golf, they easily have the opportunity to do so.
F: What is your experience of golf in Poland?
D: My experience in Poland is that golf is a game reserved for the elite. The high end cars you see at the driving ranges and golf courses reveal something about the type of people that play there. The cost of a round of golf around Warsaw prices a lot of people out of the game. For me, living in Warsaw means that I have a solid 1 hour drive to get myself to the nearest golf course. There are several driving ranges around the city, but they aren’t located in the most convenient locations. None of this stops me from playing golf while I’m in Poland, but I’m certain that it’s stopped many people from ever attempting to even try the game out.
F: What do you think stops Polish golf to boom vs. Canada experience?
D: My point is that there are large barriers when it comes to expanding the game in Poland. The cost, accessibility and general attitude and perception about the game are things that will continue to limit the development of golf in Poland. This doesn’t have to happen. If golf is to experience the same mass appeal as it does in many other countries around the world, the game needs cater to the masses, and not only to the elite.
Poniżej mapka dostarczona przez Dana pokazująca ile pól golfowych miał w swojej okolicy. Obecnie mieszkając w Warszawie ma do wyboru. Godzinny dojazd na Sobienie, 40 minut na Rajszew lub 50 minut na Lisią….Niestety 20 tyś zarejestrowanych golfistów w 39 milionowym kraju, gdzie 3,5 tyś gra aktywnie (dane dzięki ulotce zdobytej na PZU Press cup). To i na polach pusto…więc nowych inwestycji brak.
