Golf By Google’s Numbers

Golf’s In Need of Another New Star: Who Will it Be?

The history of golf is a rich one, steeped in the high hills of Scotland and dating all the way back to the 15th century. While this tradition and rich history have certainly cemented golf as one of the pinnacle sports worldwide, the sport retains a certain history of exclusivity, namely due to the infrastructure, equipment, and investment required to be truly immersed and involved in the sport. As of 2008, the availability of golf courses worldwide is at a record high, with over 35,000 courses worldwide, and pristine courses spanning across nearly every continent in a variety of different countries. However, in recent years, golf has experienced a downturn in popular appeal. The 35,000 courses worldwide are dwarfed by the fields and pitches of other sports, with some estimates for baseball fields going as high as half a million in America alone.

According to the National Golf Foundation, golfers in the US have dwindled in popularity, beginning as early as 2005, with a National Golf Foundation report indicating the number of golfers decreased 14% in a five year span, with a 33% decrease for those that played more than 25 times per year. This trend doesn’t stop in the States. For all of its pomp and history, the popularity of our beloved sport of golf seems to be hitting a record low. This is echoed by behavior online.
 

 
The graph above indicates the worldwide trend of the search term “golf” on Google from 2004 to present day. What’s salient to note is that despite the upticks in traffic, usually attributed to major tournaments in the summer months, searches for golf are at only 37% of what they were at their highest point throughout this time period–and that’s worldwide. Breaking down the data even further, Google shows what countries consistently searched golf-related terms:
 

 
Despite having more golf courses than any other country in the world, the US falls behind Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, and Bermuda in terms of a general trend for consistent golf-related searches. While this can be attributed to a number of factors, including a direct relationship with online magazines, news outlets, or other publications that keep avid golfers engaged without resorting to search, the data seems damning: Isolating the trend to just the United States shows a decline in tandem with the rest of the globe, with “golf” searches down to 34% of their highest performing search count.
 

 
  The compelling thing about data tracking trends in search is that it can provide a portal into recent history. Google’s inclusion of relevant news events alongside the crests in this graph helps us unpack the events events of the time–which as previously stated, revolve around tournaments like the US Open. During June 2009, Tiger Woods’s name was never far from the headlines, as his much anticipated return to golf after a lengthy time spent on the sidelines due to knee surgery. Woods’ failure to capture another Major to add to his career in this particular year–a first failure to do so since 2004, seemed to be an unfortunate precursor for his immediate future, but also the game at large. Woods’ return to golf represented the highest peak on the graph in the last five years. For all of golf’s major stars–Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and many more–perhaps no star has captured the imagination of America more than Tiger Woods. In addition to record-breaking seasons, his youth, charisma, and style helped engross the public with regular interest in the sport at large. Yet, searches for Woods’ namesake tend to yield a much different picture.
 

 

Woods’ spike in popularity comes merely from stories about his personal life, rather than the legacy he will leave on the game, which is unfortunate–not only for the Woods, his family, and the public, but also for the sport of golf. In the public zeitgeist at least, it appears as if Woods’ legacy will be best remembered not by his contributions to the sport of golf, but by the furore caused in regard to his personal life. The next peaks in golf’s search industry are adorned by headlines with Woods’ name nowhere near the top–in June 2011, Rory McIlroy was dominating the headlines for his win at the US Open, while other headlines cover Tiger Woods, his indefinite hiatus and return to the game, but never with the same zest, fervor, or sentiment that existed before. McIlroy in 2011 became a coup for the golf game, as it seemed the media and sports sponsors were quickly trying to shoehorn this talent into the hole vacated by Woods. With one of the most lucrative sports sponsorships in professional sports history, McIlroy, too, found himself making headlines for non golf-related reasons. Yet golf would have to wait. Though McIlroy has been brilliant, it would seem that the global attraction to his celebrity has failed to catch on at the same rate as Tiger Woods. In fact, McIlroy remains more popular in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The Northern Irishman receives the bulk of his attention from the Commonwealth, with the United States providing only 13% of the search queries for his name.  
 

 
Jason Dufner’s win at the PGA Championship last year also seemed to captivate the imagination of the American public, largely in part to Dufner’s presence in social media. From the mini-meme of “Dufnering”, to the laid-back demeanor of the celebrated golf star, Dufner was quickly celebrated as a different kind of professional golfer–one whose relaxed attitude and magnetic personality made him a fan favorite upon lifting the trophy. Dufner, an American, seems to have at least cornered the American market of those still interested in golf. The United States makes up the highest percentage of search traffic for Jason Dufner.
 

 
However, this win was his first Major, and as a result, he’s unlikely to step into the gap left by someone like Woods, simply due to his lack of silverware.

Yet, still, the fact remains that golf hasn’t seen a headline as high in popularity since Tiger’s departure from the national spotlight. So who will be golf’s next big star? It’s more than likely that the young, up-and-coming Dustin Johnson has both the talent and media charisma necessary to swing the pendulum back in golf’s favor. Johnson is one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour, and at 29, already has 10 professional wins under his belt. His long-game has garnered plenty of headlines, but in addition, he seems to retain the tenacity required to be a champion, and his game will only continue to mature as he gets older. To top it off, Johnson’s also been making headlines for some personal reasons of his own: Recently engaged to Paulina Gretzky, daughter of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky have become a celebrity sports couple whose names tend to be entwined in the public zeitgeist.
 

 

This relationship helps to cultivate a sense of celebrity not seen since Tiger Woods, and if Johnson can keep playing the way he has throughout the early years of his career, we can expect big things to come from Johnson in the near future.

While talented golfers of all ages abound in both the PGA and LPGA, challenging records of all sizes, it seems impossible to deny that Tiger Woods was the last true star that catapulted the global interest of golf on to a greater national and global platform. At Bird Golf, we’re always keeping an eye on the professional game, as PGA and LPGA professionals; but keeping the fire of the sport within our In order to see a resurgence in this momentum, the sport needs a figure whose talent and charisma exist symbiotically within their game, the aggressive ability to play consistent and competitive in even the worst of situations, and the tactical prowess to just keep winning. We need a golf thoroughbred with the media savvy of Dustin Johnson, a social media darling like Jason Dufner, or a world-reknown powerhouse like Rory McIlroy to retain the crown and the momentum, not only for the good of their own career but of the sport, as well.

 

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