On the one hand was the unedifying spectacle of the launch of the LIV Golf Tour, highlighted by the sight of its main proponents squirming under awkward questioning regarding the source of the circuit’s funding.

As unseemly as that was – and as bad for the game’s image among non-golfers – there was simultaneously unfolding a moment that reminded what is really important in the game.

That came in the form of a 13 second video of a seven-year-old girl, captured while out playing with her dad on a cold Sunday afternoon at a public course in Melbourne.

Matilda likes golf and is part of the Junior Tiger Golf programme (first lesson free) run at Northcote Public Golf Course, in the city’s northern suburbs.

Matilda and her dad Lincoln were out last Sunday afternoon and played through a four ball that included Bill Jennings.

Bill is the spokesperson for the Northcote Community and Golf Hub, a group formed to save the course when it was threatened with closure following the Covid lockdowns of 2020.

(That fight continues, see May 30 column for details HERE)

Lincoln shared with Bill the video of Matilda hitting on the 8th hole – unicorn themed ear-muffs and all – and Bill posted it to the @northcotehub twitter feed.

Not surprisingly, it went a bit viral and by Monday morning had ticked over 60,000 views, right around the time Minjee Lee was putting the finishing touches on a remarkable U.S. Women’s Open victory in North Carolina.

Hearing from Bill how many views the video had, Lincoln signed up for a Twitter account to see for himself. When he told Matilda how many people had seen the video, she had only one question: “Has Minjee seen my shot yet?”

The following morning, she got her answer: a tweet from Minjee herself.

“Great shot Matilda,” the two-time major winner Tweeted. “What an awesome swing.”

It would be fair to assume the whole episode has created in Matilda both a lifelong golfer and a lifelong fan of Minjee Lee.

But Matilda’s story is also a timely reminder of what matters about golf, and specifically public golf, and is the story we as golfers need to get better at telling those who don’t play.

All the mainstream media headlines of the past week have been about Greg Norman’s new venture, where the money is coming from to fund it and who are the high-profile names to have joined.

Matilda’s story will never replace those headlines, but the truth is it is the more relevant of the two because it tells us why golf (as opposed to professional golf) matters.

It highlights that golf is a game for all ages, from seven to 97, and is an outdoor activity that can be enjoyed across generations (unlike most sports).

"It would be fair to assume the whole episode has created in Matilda both a lifelong golfer and a lifelong fan of Minjee Lee. But Matilda’s story is also a timely reminder of what matters about golf ..." - Rod Morri.

It tells us that golf provides large tracts of public green space and the environmental benefits that go with that (more than most parks).

It reminds that golf not only contributes to the physical and mental health of the community but can – if managed well – make a financial contribution as well (unlike parks).

Golf is a legitimate recreation and services a broader cross section of the community than almost any other sport.

Governments have as much responsibility to make golf accessible to their constituents as they do other recreations.

To not do so punishes those like Matilda and it’s difficult to see how that is of benefit to anyone.