Sports Quote by Tom Watson

“Golf will grow so long as it’s fun” is Tom Watson doing something rare for a legend: stripping the sport of its self-seriousness. Coming from a man whose career helped define golf’s aura of prestige and difficulty, the line reads like a quiet corrective. Watson isn’t selling tradition, purity, or “growing the game” as an institutional mission. He’s making growth contingent on pleasure, not pedigree.

The intent is almost managerial in its simplicity: if you want more people, make the experience worth repeating. But the subtext is sharper. Golf, especially in its post-Tiger era, has spent years wrestling with barriers that aren’t about athleticism: time commitment, cost, dress codes, etiquette policing, the vibe of exclusion. “Fun” becomes a proxy for accessibility and modern relevance. It implies shorter rounds, friendlier entry points, less gatekeeping, fewer rituals that read as tests of belonging.

Context matters because Watson’s voice carries authority with traditionalists. He can say “fun” without sounding like he’s cheapening the sport; he’s giving permission to loosen the tie. There’s also a subtle rebuke to golf’s tendency to confuse suffering with authenticity: the long grind, the punishing course, the moral righteousness of frustration. Watson suggests the future won’t be secured by making people earn the right to enjoy it. It’ll be secured by remembering why anyone picked up a club in the first place.