An Olympic Sham Revisited

Filed in archive Golf Wanderings on February 16, 2009

Olympic Golf circa 1910

Okay. I stand corrected. Partially.

Recently, I wrote about a site where interested individuals could cast a vote - yea or nay - on whether golf should be an Olympic sport in 2016.

That's when the IOC is opening the door to one new sport; golf is competing with five other sports for the honor.

I indicated that it appeared as if the website was simply a cunning way for a marketing company in New Jersey to acquire email addresses as it appeared that a "yes" vote could not be registered until an email address was given.

I contacted the marketing firm in question to inquire what they intended to do with the voting results.

I received a reply on February 9 and it went unseen until today (due to a family crisis and no access to a computer).

Here is what was said: "The results of the votes will be submitted to the International Golf Federation to help in the lobbying to show the outcome and support for this. Golfers have until September to vote, the decision will be made in October 2009".

Fair enough. I still maintain that part of the exercise was to acquire email addresses but if the votes are in fact passed along to the IGF, all well and good.