Belgian Golf

Seems to be a little of a new Golf miracle country? Both Pieters and Colsaerts, and now the guy that won the CT event. My picture of Belgium is as the poor cousin of the Netherlands. Maybe it's the EU center in Brussels has drawn some attention to golf?

Not like its a tiny country and they pretty much only have 3 good players. That being said, I'm an Illinois guy so love to see Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry do well!

Illinois has another Belgian kid recruited this year, but I don't think he's on the same level as Pieters and Detry. And his first name is not Thomas. :)

I am Belgian.

First, while it is true that they came with a lot of 50 year old rich guys, I don't see how the European institutions could have brought attention to golf.

I think it is very early to talk about a "miracle", Colsaerts certainly isn't playing like he used to, and both Thomas are at the very begininngs of their respective golf careers. 3 players isn't a lot and is probably just a lucky coincidence.

From my experience, there are some really good golf academies in Belgium and most children are in a system where they have weekly lessons etc ... But there simply aren't that many children that play golf.

The truth is that golf is not popular here. At all. Thomas Pieters was doing really well during the Olympics, but the media barely spoke about it. I don't even think that most golfers here know that he exists. You will never see golf on television, you will almost never hear about golf tournaments, even in the practice range or on the course.

Another thing is that it is probably much harder to turn pro here. Most golfers with potential will try to join an american University (Pieters and Detry did) because we don't have "college golf", no real way to survive as an amateur and train to become pro.

I suppose the situation is the same in every non-english speaking country, or quite close. So if I ever see another topic about "golf dying", I'm gonna ship you all to continental Europe !

(And I'm not even talking about the difficulties to find a good club fitter, the absence of public golf courses and local practice ranges, etc ... :p )

Belgian beer is bound to produce great golf.

I forgot to add that, on the other hand, I am super excited to see Belgian players doing so well. And I hope that they will bring a bit of light to belgian golf.

I am Belgian.

 

First, while it is true that they came with a lot of 50 year old rich guys, I don't see how the European institutions could have brought attention to golf.

 

I think it is very early to talk about a "miracle", Colsaerts certainly isn't playing like he used to, and both Thomas are at the very begininngs of their respective golf careers. 3 players isn't a lot and is probably just a lucky coincidence.

 

From my experience, there are some really good golf academies in Belgium and most children are in a system where they have weekly lessons etc ... But there simply aren't that many children that play golf.

 

The truth is that golf is not popular here. At all. Thomas Pieters was doing really well during the Olympics, but the media barely spoke about it. I don't even think that most golfers here know that he exists. You will never see golf on television, you will almost never hear about golf tournaments, even in the practice range or on the course.

 

Another thing is that it is probably much harder to turn pro here. Most golfers with potential will try to join an american University (Pieters and Detry did) because we don't have "college golf", no real way to survive as an amateur and train to become pro.

 

I suppose the situation is the same in every non-english speaking country, or quite close. So if I ever see another topic about "golf dying", I'm gonna ship you all to continental Europe !

 

(And I'm not even talking about the difficulties to find a good club fitter, the absence of public golf courses and local practice ranges, etc ... :p )

Good to get info straight from the source!

Regarding the situation for non-english speaking countries, Scandinavia has had a litte better situation than what you describe.

We DID have a quite substantial golf boom starting in the eighties. We do get golf on TV, When Stenson had his successes it was all over media, incuding the Social Democrat newspapers. A lot of people play, even though the "golf crisis" caused some drop of courses and golfers here. But it is still big, and most golfers are pretty well aware of the progress of the Scandinavian top Tour pros. The Nordea Tour and the Nordic Tour for young pros maybe do not make guys millionaires, but it get them started. As for the Belgian talents though, the top talents among the amateurs will go to US to play for some university. Scandinavia is NOT the US.

I'm Belgian too and golf is definitely not even a top 10 sport back home. More people in the states will know who Colsaerts, Pieters, Detry, or Leurquin is for sure as is mentioned before.

If you're in Belgium, forget golf, let's talk cobbles, Boonen, and the Koppenberg!!!!!!!

Big hitters those Belgians

Big hitters those Belgians

It's because of all those mussels they eat.

Well the greatest Belgian golfer is still Flory Van Donck by a mile.

http://youtu.be/gG1UT9op6t4

One can only hope that there will be a Clijsters and Henin effect, when they were the world's nr 1 in ladies tennis they gave a huge boost to youth tennis. Same could be happening through Pieters and Colsaerts.

What Pieters did yesterday is amazing, he's such a dedicated and focused young man, I think we'll see a lot of him this season.

His dedication and focus are out of this world. Still a long way to go till Sunday evening but who knows.

"Belgian Thomas Pieters leading in the Wimbledon of golf"

That headline says it all about how well known golf is in Belgium.

I think the situation with golf in Belgium describes every country in middle europe. Golf is a game of the old and rich here... the only time kids play golf, is when their parents do... at least most of the time.

To me the kid comes off as an arrogant jerk. He's got game, thats for sure. Maybe it's the Belgian personality that I'm not sophisticated enough to understand. Who knows...

He sure has another way of talking and thinking than (mostly) formated pga players and their boring words. Is it arrogant to say "to try to win every year" ?

what I call arrogant is when a player says "I'm a top 5 player" ; D

Few Comments:

It's too hard to play golf in wooden shoes.

Dr. Evil, a 5 handicap, calls Belgium home.

To me the kid comes off as an arrogant jerk. He's got game, thats for sure. Maybe it's the Belgian personality that I'm not sophisticated enough to understand. Who knows...

To me the kid comes off as an arrogant jerk. He's got game, thats for sure. Maybe it's the Belgian personality that I'm not sophisticated enough to understand. Who knows...

He's anything but a jerk. I had the chance to watch him up close for several hours during the opening ceremony of a local golf course. He took plenty of time to talk with people around him. I agree that tournament circumstances make him look very serious but that is just his focus I believe. To me he came across as an incredible athlete who lives 100% for his sport. He also has a severe pollen and grass allergy which is rather odd for a pro golfer.

Some more from the opening day....

http://youtu.be/Lv4RA5s1Ql4

I could watch Colsaerts swing all day.

Fingers crossed for a first US victory.

That putt he holed at 18 yesterday would have been 30 feet by if it had missed the hole. That thing was movin'!!

Pieters has a lot of game, but the personality of a rock. Colsearts is a whiner who cried about not liking playing in America. Maybe this Detry kid will bring more to the table lol.

I mean the us produces great players from individual states all the time, not different than Europe producing multiple from different countries.

Do you think Thomas Pieters and colasers eat Belgian waffles everyday? I bet that's how they hit it so far.

Colsarts seems like a great guy, Peiters on the other hand seems like a sour kid. Hopefully maturity will bring a better attitude

Illinois has another Belgian kid recruited this year, but I don't think he's on the same level as Pieters and Detry. And his first name is not Thomas. :)

Giovanni Tadiotto did have a good year for a Freshman.

Dear Belgium,

Please send us more golfers.

Yours Truly,

University of Illinois

Pieters has a lot of game, but the personality of a rock. Colsearts is a whiner who cried about not liking playing in America. Maybe this Detry kid will bring more to the table lol.

Detry strikes me as a quiet one. It's hard to believe he's six months older than Jordan Spieth.

He had a third in his first Euro Tour start as a member at St. Andrew's.

His best finish was a T2 at Munich in June.

Outside of that, he hasn't had too much success and sits #70 in the Race to Dubai.