Our latest podcast examines the dramatic changes coming to amateur golf

As the NCAA undertakes the process of allowing student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness, the USGA and R&A have begun working on their definition of amateur status as well. While the conversation around money and amateur athletes is complicated for every sport, the conversation might just be the most complex for golf. How do we make changes to fit the realities of what amateur golf is now, while maintaining the ideals that we still value for amateurs of the past?

Related: NCAA to allow college athletes to profit from name, image and likeness

In the latest episode of our Local Knowledge podcast, we talk about amateurism: What it meant to be an amateur in the past, what golf is like for amateurs today, and what being an amateur could look like in the near future. The USGA shares what they’re looking at when they’re considering the changes that need to be made to amateur status in order for the new definition to fit with the current Instagram era. And we get input from those in the amateur game to get an understanding of what implementing these changes could mean for amateur golf.

Whether or not to allow amateur athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness is a legal conversation, but it’s also a philosophical one. How do we encourage the game forward, while maintaining the foundation that has made it great?

You can hear the full episode below, or you can subscribe to Local Knowledge on Apple Podcasts.