Well-known author and speaker, Malcolm Gladwell, recently released a podcast that was among the harshest attacks on golf we've heard. The second episode of this season's, Revisionist History, "A Good Walk Spoiled" was dedicated to his contempt for golf. It was filled with hyperbole, bias, limited and misinformation.
Following the episode's release, Golf Digest released an article by Joel Beall "Here's where Malcolm Gladwell misses the mark with his take on golf" that covered some areas where Mr. Gladwell's podcast failed to provide the complete story. We greatly appreciate the retort from Golf Digest. Our CEO, Jay Karen, felt additional coverage was needed to more fully neutralize Gladwell's attack. Gladwell has a strong following in popular culture and the business world, with nearly half a million Twitter followers, and sold millions of books (Outliers, Tipping Point, Blink, etc.). Due to his high profile, we felt response is warranted.
In an effort to further detail the misinformation provided by Mr. Gladwell's podcast, Jay released an article, "Fixing Malcolm Gladwell's Shank". We encourage you to read Jay's response as it is a strong defense of golf and breaks apart Gladwell's arguments. We also hope you will share this with those in your community and in your communications to help the stereotypes and biases, and the positive impact golf has on our communities and the overall national economy.
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Ronnie Miles
Director of Advocacy
NGCOA
Daniel Island SC
(800) 933- 4262
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