Olympic Golf: What Will Become of Rio’s New Course?

By Sam Belden | Dec 21, 2016

2016 saw some great moments for Brazilian golf, but what will become of Rio’s Olympic course in the years ahead?

It may be summer in Rio de Janeiro, but you wouldn’t know it from taking a look at the city’s Olympic golf course. We’re less than six months removed from Justin Rose and Inbee Park’s gold medal performances at the Summer Games, but a variety of circumstances have led to a flurry of questions surrounding the venue’s future.

According to a report from the Associated Press, the course is often relatively empty of players, and there are few amenities. To date, there are no club professionals, restaurants or pro shops. What’s more, the view of the course from the street is obstructed by mountains of cinder blocks and fencing intended for the “Riviera Golf” luxury apartments, which aren’t set to be completed until 2018.

The one attractive feature of the whole spread is the course itself, which drew rave reviews in the wake of this summer’s competition. But although it may present a fun and challenging test of skill, that’s evidently not enough to keep it afloat — according to the AP, Rio is a city of six million with just 1,500 golfers, and there were as few as four people playing the course one morning.

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“It’s not a popular sport in Brazil,” said Eduardo Paes, the out-going mayor of Rio de Janeiro, last year. “But there are some things you need to do when you deliver the Olympics.”

That’s true — every country that’s had the honor of hosting the Games over the years has had to be accommodating and build new venues in order to pull it off. But golf presents a somewhat unique challenge to organizers — it requires a massive amount of space, and what’s more, a golf course isn’t nearly as versatile as, say, a stadium. Add it all up, and using taxpayer money to build a new course in a country that lacks a golf tradition starts to look like a dangerous proposition.

Ultimately, this is a problem that goes back to the difficulties associated with getting into golf. The sport is time consuming, and tee times and equipment are expensive. Even with public access, the economic stratification in Rio is such that a huge percentage of the city’s population can’t take advantage of the new course.

Ultimately, Olympic golf was a resounding success, but at what cost? According to the AP, the city is still months behind in paying teachers and other public employees, and there don’t appear to be any clear solutions on the horizon.

“You know that it’s not going to be easy,” said Paulo Pacheco, head of the Brazilian Golf Confederation. “It’s challenging. It’s not easy to do. It’s very hard. I think it’s the only opportunity we have to improve golf in Brazil.”

One of the main reasons for golf’s inclusion in the Olympics was the desire to grow the game. Improving golf in Brazil is a noble goal, but more must be done to improve both the course and access to it. Otherwise, the opportunity will be lost.

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What do you think: should more be done to improve access to the Rio course? Let us know in the comments and keep it here at Pro Golf Now for more updates.