Golf Premier League: stroke of genius?
- Tuesday, 15 January 2013
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Shiv Kapur [Getty Images]
Early February will see a new innovative golf tournament showcased to the world from India.
The competition, titled the Golf Premier League, is a product devised by ex-European Tour golfer Shiv Kapur, who told the media that the development of his idea was heavily influenced by the IPL.
From the perspective of a committed spectator of sport, I can't help but consider the mass appeal of the IPL and the effect it has had upon cricket when I think about this new golf competition.
However, as somewhat of a cynic, it is also niggles me that it's another attempt to compress and simplify another great sport.
Whether this is the intention or not, the GPL promises to be an interesting phenomenon and the fact that Sri Lankan international cricketer Mahela Jayawardene has bought into the lucrative competition will only add interest.
The day/night shortened rounds (14 holes) of strokeplay will also mean that people can tune in after work and not miss any of the action.
If golf, like cricket, can take note of the manner in which people's working hours clash with major tournaments and find a way around it, it can only be a positive thing.
However, the gimmickry of switching conventions has been tried multiple times, PowerPlay Golf being a good recent example, and no major developments have occurred from it.
Therefore, whilst I wait with a great deal of curiosity and a bit of excitement for the tournament, I am not certain of how much it will ultimately change the way we view the game.
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