In more ways than one, 1904 was a historic year in St. Louis. Not only were the Olympics in town that summer, but so was the World's Fair. It was, as most know by now, the last time that golf was contested as an Olympic sport until its return this summer in Rio de Janeiro.
Golf is a game with global roots, though that sometimes can be difficult to remember since more than half the world's supply of golf courses are in North America.It is clear that part of the intent of golf's governing bodies in working to get the game sanctioned as an Olympic sport for 2016 and 2020 (Tokyo) was to spread its footprint, and Brazil provided the perfect opportunity.
Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by population with 200 million people, and, according to the World Bank, is growing at a rate of nearly 1 percent per year. Whether the games have their intended effect of bringing golf to the masses in the southern hemisphere's largest country remains to be seen, but, golf is a global game, and organizers are looking far beyond South America to expand it. From a participation standpoint, it appears they are succeeding, according to statistics released by the National Golf Foundation.
Here are some facts about Olympic golf, according to NGF.
> 88 percent of the 208 countries competing in all Olympic sports have golf facilities;
> 74 percent of the top 50 golfing countries were represented in the Olympics;
> 29 of the top 30 golfing countries were represented;
> the top 25 golfing countries all had golfers in the Olympics;
> five nations outside of the top 50 in golf supply were represented Paraguay, Bangladesh, Russia, Hong Kong and Israel;
> the United States had the most golfers (7) in the Olympics, and has the most golf facilities in the world;
> 23 of the 120 golfers in the Olympics represented the top five countries in golf supply (U.S., Great Britain, Japan, Canada and Australia);
> Israel, which sent golfer Laetitia Beck to the Olympics, has only one golf facility;
> Paraguay, a country with seven golf facilities, had two Olympians in the field - Fabrizio Zanotti and Julieta Granada;
> countries of origin for the men's medalists (Great Britain, Sweden, United States) represent 55 percent of the world's golf course supply;
> Countries of origin for the women's medalists (South Korea, New Zealand, China) represent 4 percent of the world's golf course supply;
The International Olympic Committee will decide next year whether golf will continue as an Olympic sport beyond the 2020 games in Japan.