Though Tiger Woods—scandals and all—may be the face of professional golf, the stereotypical amateur golfer in many people’s minds is still a stodgy, middle-aged businessman. However, a pair of glamorous young actors might go at least a little way towards changing this.
Oliver and James Phelps are real-life twins who play the Weasley twins (George and Fred respectively) in the big-screen adaptations of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. Along with other young thespians like Daniel Radcliffe and Sean Biggerstaff (if perhaps to a lesser extent), the Phelps brothers attained some degree of heartthrob status from their connection with the films. As they stated in an interview, their handicaps are 20 and 22, respectively. Of course, said interview is a few years old, so the statistics may well have changed by now.
It also appears that the Phelps twins have been spreading their love of poker and golf to their ever-so-slightly younger cast members. It was rumored on Harry Potter cast gossip sites within the past few weeks that the twins are/were planning to challenge Rupert Grint and Tom Felton to a golf match. As many fans of the film know, Grint and Felton play Ron Weasley, younger brother to the twins, and Draco Malfoy, a wealthy young villain, respectively. Somewhat earlier than this tidbit, there was also news of the Phelps brothers and Grint watching a golf tournament. Perhaps the twins wanted their fictional younger brother to watch a few experts before playing himself? Fortunately, the rumors about the golf match turned out to be a reality. Images have surfaced on the Internet showing at least two of the four young actors on a golf course.
At first glance, the content of this article may seem rather fluffy and irrelevant. However, it today’s culture, the influence of celebrities—particularly those popular with teenagers—can be very important. Promotion from youth-oriented celebrities, whether or not it is intentional, can help to fan interest in a particular sport. So far, there are no reports of fan girls or fan boys of the Phelps twins descending on golf courses in droves so as to learn the sport, the very fact that the twins are not shy about their love for golf does wonders for its image. They help to show that golf is not just a sport for “old people,” but is something that the youth can also enjoy.
Of course, just because a celebrity you like does something is not a good reason by itself to take said activity on as a major hobby. However, there is nothing really wrong with deciding to try something out for that reason. Perhaps some young people who would never really have considered taking up FullTilt Poker might decide to try a few putts, and surprise themselves by enjoying it. This would be some great news for golf enthusiasts everywhere. They may be annoyed by the presence of young, inexperienced prayers. However, continued or increasing interest from young people is what any sport needs in order to survive. Without necessarily “campaigning” for golf, the Phelps twins may help fan this kind of healthy interest.