The 12 Days of Golf Christmas — Part 1
It’s been quite an interesting year, hasn’t it?
Early in 2021, it seemed probable that we were meandering back to normalcy, both for golf and a broader sense in general. I don’t know about you, but “normalcy” never seemed to pan out. In a strange turn of events, however, a second straight year of pandemic-plagued lifestyles were a major boon to the world of golf. Club manufacturers reported huge, record-breaking sales numbers. Golf courses across the globe reported record numbers of play. The sheer number of golfers who played at least one round increased by the largest net number in 17 years. And thankfully, many golf tournaments returned after lengthy hiatuses.
By any metric, golf had an incredible year in 2021. Without further adieu, here are 12 reasons to enjoy our 2021 merry-golfing-Christmas.
On the 1st day of Christmas, (golf) gave to me:
A 7.4 % annual increase in rounds played during 2021 according to the National Golf Foundation, beating 2020’s record numbers. Despite slight slowdowns toward summer’s end as the Delta variant wreaked havoc on the United States, huge increases in April and May put golf on track to smash former records. Even in slower months where golf lost rounds in comparison to 2020, there were 40 % increases versus 2019.
On the 2nd day of Christmas, (golf) gave to me:
The return of the Cleveland Heights 4ball. Scrapped due to Covid-19 concerns in 2020, the area’s largest tournament made a triumphant return in late March, boasting nearly 300 players. The layoff didn’t seem to bother Lakeland’s brother-brother duo of Brett and Logan Blondell, with the pair carding a record breaking -18 to win in dominating fashion. Their 5-stroke victory over Tiger Godwin and Jeff Fleeman bested a 29-year old tournament record held by Rick and Randy Sansing.
To put the Blondell tandem’s performance in perspective, if you scrolled (way, way) down the leaderboard on that final Sunday, you’d find this writers name. We lost by 18. That’s right — eighteen strokes. And we didn’t even get last!
On the 3rd day of Christmas, (golf) gave to me:
Speaking of Tiger Godwin, all he does is win the Bartow Youth Villa Classic every year. Despite being down 4 strokes to Florida Southern standout Adam Alvarez going into the third and final day, Godwin proved he is the best to ever play in the event, storming back to claim his 4th straight victory. Bolstered by a final round 68, Godwin posted a -9 total for the event to win by 2.
The Youth Villa was another tournament that took a hiatus in 2020 before returning this year. Godwin, who has yet to relinquish the Villa trophy for half a decade, will look to 5-peat in 2022.
On the 4th day of Christmas, (golf) gave to me:
Another year of The Club at Eaglebrooke’s incredible “Summer Sizzle” deal. If you’ve never given this short-term membership a whirl, it’s worth checking out. For $89 bucks per month (2021 prices) a family can join the south Lakeland club for 6 months, from May through October. The deal includes a
somewhat limited golf membership, access to the club pool, tennis, and yoga classes. It was the best $89 bucks I spent each month this summer.
On the 5th day of Christmas, (golf) gave to me:
Massive sales numbers for club manufacturers. 2021 was good to companies like Callaway and Acushnet, which owns golf companies like Titleist and Foot-joy. Acushnet’s second-quarter net sales in the U.S. grew by more than 100%, fueled by Titleist golf ball sales and a 111% increase in Titleist golf club sales. Sales in the U.S. have been up over 75%.
On the 6th day of Christmas, (golf) gave to me:
The return of United States dominance in the Ryder Cup.
In this writer’s opinion, there’s nothing like the drama of team golf contested by the best players in the world. With apologies to the Masters in April every year, which is almost a different sport entirely, the Ryder Cup is the best television a golf fan could ask for.
In the 2021 rendition, 3 years removed from the USA team’s drubbing in Paris, a decidedly young group of rising American superstars absolutely destroyed the European squad led by Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm. While world #1 Rahm enjoyed a strong week, going 3-1-1, McIlroy was a dud. The normally dominant Irishman started 0-3 before finally getting his first victory in the final day’s singles match. In his postmatch interview, McIlroy swore, cried and gushed over how much he loves the Ryder Cup.
“The more and more I play in this event, the more I realize this the best event in golf, bar none," McIlroy said. "And I love being a part of it. I can’t wait to be a part of many more. I don’t think there’s any greater privilege than playing on one of these teams. I’ve never really cried during anything I’ve done as an individual. I couldn’t give a (expletive deleted). But what it feels like to be a part of this team …. I’m obviously disappointed by the outcome, but I’m so happy to be a part of it.”
Returning next week, the second six days of (golf) Christmas.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: The 12 Days of Golf Christmas — Part 1
