THE 19TH HOLE | OPINION
I
was listening to Johnny Vaughan on the
radio and he made a very salient and
erstwhile point about golf. In particular
about how hard it is for young golfers to get
into golf. OK, he wasn’t talking about golf.
Johnny, as far as I know, doesn’t play golf. The
point he made was about how smoking and
drinking, or as he put it, “accessing your Dad’s
gin stash”, isn’t a difficult ‘in’.
His argument is equally valid when looking at
how to get more kids into golf. Highlighting
the impotent attempts of the R&A and USGA
in attracting new people to the game.
Advertising Offers Kids An Easy
‘Gateway into Smoking & Drinking’
It all kicked off when Johnny was a discussing a
recent news item regarding young people and
E-Cigarettes and the increasing trend of their
conversion into full-time cigarette smokers
within a year.
Drink, Smoke or Playing Golf?
Which leads us into the problem of how to get
more of these alcohol-drinking, ciggie-toking
youngsters out from under the flyover and
onto a golf course. Perhaps we need to borrow
from the drink and tobacco industry to get the
next generation hooked on golf.
According to the Australian government alcohol
is a major contributor to violence, which would
suggest encouraging our young to get into golf
whilst clutching a can of Fosters and a bagful
of fighting sticks, isn’t such a good idea.
But, dig a little deeper into the bunker of
advertising influence and we could well be on to
something.
How The Drinks & Tobacco Industries
Advertise
E-Cigarettes, Johnny said, was clearly a
‘Gateway into Smoking’. And he likened it
to how the drinks industry also had an easy
‘Gateway into Drinking’.
Not only is there an increasing variety of soft,
hard and bizarre alcoholic concoctions, all
ready to serve any newbie-drinker’s palate
a suitable choice, there is also the age-old
option of liberating a few swigs from the 15
year old Warninks Advocaat you found in the
Christmas Cupboard while Mum and Dad
weren’t looking.
It’s surprising that two of the biggest health
problems we face today have relatively easy
(and encouraged) gateways into them. And
golf, which offers exercise, fresh air and social
interaction, doesn’t!
These two industries are absolutely spot
on when it comes to marketing. Despite
health and placement restrictions being in
place for the tobacco industry and the ‘drink
responsibly’ mantra looming ever larger on the
drinks manufacturers, they are still thriving.
Drinks adverts are becoming increasingly
glamorous, one of them actually includes
David Beckham quaffing whiskey with his