The Economics of Golf
The David McWilliams Podcast
David McWilliams
4.5 • 693 Ratings
🗓️ 22 September 2025
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What does golf tell us about money, power, and the way economies work? From billion-dollar sponsorship deals to the rise of LIV Golf, from Tiger Woods to Trump’s golf courses, the fairways of golf are lined with lessons about globalisation, soft power, and the business of status.
In this episode, we tee off on the economics of golf, how a game that looks leisurely on the surface is actually a high-stakes arena of geopolitics, big business, and class.
Along the way we explore why Ireland punches above its weight in the sport, why golf courses matter for land use and housing, and why golf has always been about more than chasing a little white ball around a field.
This is a special bonus episode from Sky Sports. Watch all 3 days of The Ryder Cup exclusively live on Sky Sports. Upgrade today or Stream live with NOW - Available without a contract
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Just before we start, today is a big. |
| 0:02.9 | In fact, it's a massive week. |
| 0:04.4 | It is the week that Kilkenomics tickets go on sale. |
| 0:07.5 | Kilkenomics is on 7th to 9th of November in Kilkenny. |
| 0:10.9 | Tickets on general release from Thursday 18th. |
| 0:15.0 | Tickets at kilkenomics.com. |
| 0:17.3 | Get online because those tickets, they go fast. |
| 0:20.1 | And we'll see you in Kilkenkenny 7th to 9th of |
| 0:22.7 | November. To understand the economy you have to understand human nature. This podcast is powered by |
| 0:33.5 | ACAST. |
| 0:44.5 | This special episode of the podcast is brought to you in a partnership with Sky Sports and now, |
| 0:50.8 | because John, we're going to be talking about one of those rare sporting events that transcends the sport itself, the Ryder Cup. |
| 0:54.4 | Yeah, I mean, it's not only golf fans to get excited. |
| 1:00.2 | The Ryder Cup has become one of those global spectacles, like the Super Bowl or the World Cup, where suddenly everybody's talking about it, even the people who wouldn't normally |
| 1:04.8 | sit down and watch 18 holes. |
| 1:07.0 | Absolutely right. |
| 1:07.7 | And the timing couldn't be better for Ireland because golf has never been stronger. |
| 1:11.7 | We've had Rory McElroy's master's win, but he's just won the Irish Open at the K Club. |
| 1:17.0 | And the grassroots participation is booming. |
| 1:20.3 | From kids golf camps to women taking up the game in record numbers. |
| 1:24.8 | Even those new social driving ranges, you see, popping up are packed. |
| 1:29.4 | Exactly. Golf is buzzing in Ireland right now, and the Ryder Cup is the jewel in the crown. |
... |
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