Since the late 1990’s, the sport of golf and the sport of bowling have gone in opposite directions. The Tiger Woods era has vaulted golf into one of the more talked about sports today. When it comes to bowling, numbers have declined over the past 15-20 years and big time media attention seems to be a thing of the past. Bowlers have often compared the two sports when trying to find a solution to the steady decline in participation on the lanes. While it is understandable that golf and bowling are two completely different sports with different ways of creating money and tournaments, I think the real comparisons should come between the players themselves.
This past weekend, I found myself tuning in to the U.S. Open golf tournament at Chambers Bay. The challenging course left many players questioning the USGA. Between the condition of the greens and the changing of score to par, many players voiced their displeasure over social media and through mandatory post-round press conferences. It may happen more often than I am aware of, but this was the first time I have seen players become visibly and vocally upset in regards to the conditions on the PGA Tour.
At this point, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to the sport of bowling. The constant complaints about the greens reminded me of all the bowlers complaining about the shot being to easy or to difficult, or how technology has ruined the game (among many others). We have all done it, myself included.
Following the completion of the golf tournament, U.S. Open Champion Jordan Spieth sat down with the press to discuss the event. Towards the end of his press conference, one media member tried to bait Jordan into complaining about the course conditions. The 21 year old then gave an answer that I wasn’t expecting. “Everyone has to play on the same conditions and, at the end of the day, someone has to win. The quicker you come to accept that, the more prepared you are going to be and that will give you the best chance to win.”
Following Jordan’s press conference, I thought back to my days as a junior bowler. Once one tournament was over, my radar was already locked in to the next one. Nobody ever complained about the conditions, we just wanted to win. Winning was the main objective and that fueled each and every one of us to work on our craft to get better. It made me realize how my thoughts on bowling have changed since my days as a junior bowler.
It’s like the desire to win has faded in our sport. Aside from the coveted eagle that is given to USBC Open Champions, I can’t recall another tournament that means that much to bowlers to simply win. Our sport has gotten so caught up in money (or lack thereof), that it has forgot what it truly means to win something. Ask yourself, when was the last time you bowled a tournament because you simply wanted to win it and the money involved didn’t matter? Ok, I get it, golf has much much more money involved and that makes winning even better, but I’m sure every golfer will tell you that the best part of winning the Masters was the green jacket and what it means to win (history involved, champions dinner, ect). The meaning behind winning on the PGA Tour is also what garners most of the media attention. It creates stories and interest for fans.
Is it any surprise that two of the most successful areas of bowling are Junior Gold and Collegiate bowling? The desire to win and the meaning it brings (team titles, Junior Team USA spots) will always fuel bowlers to want to get better. The questions is, how do we increase the desire to win in all levels of bowling? Once we do, more bowlers will be involved and the sport will grow accordingly in the media. As Jordan Spieth said, everyone plays on the same conditions and at the end of the day someone has to win. Don’t complain about what is and isn’t, simply shoe up and bowl to win.