Five new developments in golf to come in 2020

While we may be five months into the year of 2020, many sports played professionally and for leisure have temporarily come to a stopping point altogether. Still, sports fans around the world are speculating on trends and implications for what will come about during their sport’s main season.

Golf is a sport that despite the negative energy surrounding, is under great scrutiny. Tiger Wood’s positive return last year brought a lot of fans out of the woodwork. It may have taken the superstar ten years to overcome the very public life issues he faced, but he came with a bang last year winning his fifth masters and impressing the world.

This major comeback is an exciting accomplishment, but even more-so it has the world talking an awful lot about the way that the sport of golf might just change this year. More amatuers than ever are dusting off their clubs and heading for the greens.

Ever since Tiger made his comeback, the sport has been a major topic of interest to sports fans and sports casters. According to the buzz, here are five trends that you may want to be on the lookout for in 2020.

Increased Technology

The Jetsons was a cartoon about flying cars set in 2062, so if we are going to live up to those expectations, we have a lot of work to do. All jokes aside, technology is a tool that is being utilized more and more often to make our lives easier. 

Contrary to popular belief, golf is an innovative sport that is fairly technology forward. While some of the older players may not welcome the new technologies available to the world of golf, there are many younger players who welcome and encourage technological innovation. 

There are a lot of ways that technology can help a golfer to improve technique without having to leave their living room. This is an especially attractive feature considering the current social distancing limitations placed on our world. There is a lot of training equipment that is being released that allows players to improve form and drive without actually hitting the golf range.

There are also technologies that can help golfers on the green. Instead of carrying your bag, imagine a hands-free driverless cart that can carry your bag along the golf course. Think of all the energy you could safe if you were not lugging that bag through 18 holes?

There are also apps and websites that can help improve your odds during PGA betting. As you can see, there are many ways that technology can improve the world of golf.

More Millennials Play Golf

We have already discussed that the sport of golf is attractive to far more than just the older generation. What might come as a bit of a surprise is that the interest that millennials have in the sport of golf is widely attributed to their interest in games like Wii sports.

There are already plenty of youth playing golf. Many high schools even offer a competitive golf team that is becoming widely popular. While everyone might not see this growth, it is actually a hugely positive change that we can expect in 2020.

More Women are Playing Golf Than Ever Before

Nearly 25% of those who play golf as a regular sport are women. This statistic is only expected to rise as 2020 continues to get closer to an end. Women have never been a complete stranger to the sport, but more women than ever are choosing to dust off their clubs and join on the golf cart for a ride. 

This is another one of our 2020 changes that can actually be credited to experience games. When technology allows people to experience golf in a virtual reality, women become far more interested in trying it out in person.

Amazon Will Be Your New One-Stop-Shop

This change has been one that has been coming for quite some time. Retail stores are suffering, the current state of the economy is certainly not doing them any favors. Unfortunately, stores that are highly specialized, such as retail stores targeted toward golfers, will be the first to go.

These retail stores cannot compete with the prices and the convenience of Amazon. Further, Highly specialized stores require a lot of highly specialized customers. With more and more customers turning toward online shopping, you can expect this to become the golfer’s new norm.

If you are lucky, your favorite store might consider moving to an online platform. This would be good for the store, but might also allow the continuation of highly specialized products purchased from a specialty store.

Golf Will Become More Present on Social Media

As mentioned before, there are a ton of younger millennials and even high school students who are interested in learning the sport of golf. Those same people are the ones who are consumed with putting their lives on social media.

Golf and the internet are not traditionally linked, but you can expect that social media and other media platforms will only increase in popularity in the world of golf. Whether that means that subscriptions become available to watch tournaments, or even that you might see more virtual tournaments, only time can tell. 

Final Thoughts

Whether you are a professional golfer, an avid fan, or even someone who simply plays around on the greens sometimes, it is time to acknowledge that the sport is changing. Our youth have a way of helping improve things that are already pretty great, and even though change is hard, sometimes it is necessary. 

The world of golf is changing rapidly and there is nothing that can be done to change that. Rather than fight it, we should embrace the inevitable. From the new technologies that will make golf easier and more accurate, to the young players who are falling in love with the sport. All of these changes have one goal in common: to help the game of golf live on.