The Masters to the Rescue?

The folks over at someecards.com really have a way with words. But all sarcasm aside, the above graphic isn't too far fetched. For the last few months, everyone tied to the golf industry has looked at this Tiger situation with a weary eye.

From the pro tours down to the golf retailers, the thought of a season without the sport's golden child was troublesome to say the least. No Tiger meant no ratings, which would inevitably lead to lower sales and less interest - all this piled atop an already slow market do to the current economic climate.

Meanwhile, those of us in the golf blogosphere have had a field day as the public gorged themselves on all the lusty details. Yet even the non-traditional media harbored an ominous feeling for the golf industry in general - once the gossip hounds digressed, would our readership digress as well?

But then came the announcement that Tiger's eagerly anticipated return would play-out at the most renowned golf event of the year - The Masters. With this news, the power-players in the golf industry breathed a sign of relief - the prodigal son had returned. But will it matter?


OK, this graphic may ring less true. I think people will watch this tournament - and I think many will be virgin viewers, who have never watched a golf tournament before. They will look intently at every move Tiger makes - diagnosing not his swing, but his demeanor.

What will his body language tell them about his frame of mind? Has he been mentally compromised? Is he truly sorry for what he did? These are questions people want to know the answers to - despite the fact they may never learn those answers. So yes, in a way - The Masters has inadvertently come to the rescue of golf in its time of need. But what about next week?


The good news is, eventually golf (especially the pro tours) will return to normalcy. The bad news is, golf (especially the pro tours) will return to normalcy. Pondering some foresight, November 2009 - April 2010 will just be a spike on the graph of golf's timeline - a swirling media buzz that brought widespread interest to an otherwise niche group of fans.

The trick is, for the golf industry, to capture that media buzz on a more frequent basis...albeit without the scandalously delicious plot.

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