Augusta Masters: Golf facing a disconnect with young fans, but sport not giving up without a fight

By Anand Datla

The first Sunday of April is when the festivities begin at the Augusta National Golf Club. Standing on the 18th green, just behind the iconic clubhouse, Conrad Chisman mustered the nerve to nail a 30-footer, right to left. With two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson watching, the kid kept his wits together to sink the next one from 15 feet to win the putting contest for 12-13 year old kids in the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship.

Chisman was one of 80 young children, between 7 & 15, partaking in a spring feast that sows the seed of dreams, hoping for a harvest of love. The DCP epitomizes golf’s intensifying efforts to reconnect with families and children even as the game faces an increasingly threatening midlife crisis.


A YouGov survey released in January this year suggested that golf was suffering increasing apathy. A sample of 1,616 adults rated the game, alongside cricket and American football as the most tedious to watch. Nearly half of the world’s 40,000 golf courses are in the United States.

But according to the National Golf Foundation, a premier source of golf intelligence, the number of active golfers in the US is around 23.8 million, down from a peak of 32 million earlier this millennium. Even more worrying has been a steady 30% decline among golf enthusiasts aged 18-34.

But conscious efforts by the Augusta National, USGA and PGA in America and the R&A in Europe might be doing just enough to tilt the needle back. In its 2017 report, NGF cited a 14% increase in beginning golfers from its numbers in 2015.

Bob Baldassari, director of youth development for the PGA of America is enthused by the joyous spirit that sur rounds the Drive, Chip & Putt Championships in Augusta. “The beautiful thing,” Baldasarri said, “is that it’s about every kid, every ability, everywhere. It’s bringing families together.

And it’s moving the needle for growing youth golf in America.” The reward for Chisman and several other children in attendance was the lingering scent of dreams in their lungs as they left the club feeling like champions.

“He made the last putt, how special is that?” asked Watson, moments after watching 8-year-old Taighan Chea make a brilliant 15-footer on the 18 green. “Twenty years, thirty years from now, rest of his life, he’s going to be able to tell everybody he made the putt, no matter if he plays professional golf or becomes president of the United States.”

Back in India, the Indian Golf Union is in a constant battle for resources as it attempts to strengthen the game in India. Shubhankar Sharma is a product of India’s fledgling youth system run by the IGU and sharpened by the PGTI Tour. As he makes his debut this week in the Masters, the 21-year-old could have a captivating influence on young children, especially if he can produce a memorable run in Augusta.

Ishwar Achanta, a council member of the IGU, believes that there is a pressing need for 3-hole and 9-hole courses across academic institutions in India. That wisdom is borne from a deep-rooted understanding of the paucity of resources for competition courses and a desire to introduce the game to young Indians.

As is the case with Test Cricket around the world, there is an increasing disconnect with weekend golf competition played over four rounds. Recent innovations such as golf sixes, played over six holes and the four-decade old World Long Drive Championship are finding echoes around the world.

As we have seen with Shubhankar, golf could also produce us new heroes. “First we need more Indians playing (the game). In majors, the conditions are different and the crowd is much more. Indians can win one in the next few years,” he said before leaving to play on the PGA TOUR.

Shubhankar can take us nearer that dream, if he can produce his A game this week.