What A Difference Two Years Makes.
Story tools presented by Of course, the equipment companies have long known that professional golfers have a massive hold on the imagination of the public. Canada’s two key male professional golfers -Weir and Calgary’s Stephen Ames -both won in 2007 and had solid seasons in 2008. Both are increasingly involved in the game in Canada, with Ames taking an active role in junior golf, while Weir spreads his influence through his charitable foundation as well as a new golf course design firm. In determining this list, dozens of key industry figures, including many represented here, were polled for their thoughts. Note that no one involved with the publication of National Post Golf was eligible for the list. Further, only those born or living in Canada are included, negating, say, Tiger Woods’ influence on the game’s popularity here. The previous ranking of each top 25 personality (from 2007) is bracketed after each name. Arrows indicate whether their influence is on the rise, on the wane or status quo. 1 MIKE WEIR, PGA TOUR GOLFER (2) UP “Weir’s popularity and image in Canada have vaulted him into rock-star status,” says one industry insider. “With Weir Wine going in a new direction and a new course design firm on the way, Mike is slowly turning into a Canadian Greg Norman.”
Weir has always been popular, but as one respondent notes, his influence has been “all about willingness, which he has now.” Always careful about his choice of words, Weir now seems comfortable with his position as a senior spokesman for the game in Canada, speaking out on the Canadian Open and talking about the need for creating value-priced public golf courses through his design firm.