What if the PGA Tour Went Extinct?

Remember the old philosophical question: If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, would it make a sound? Well ponder this: If the PGA Tour were to disappear tomorrow, would anyone really care?

A couple years ago, I wrote about the economics of golf, and how the pro tours only contribute a measly 1% to golf's total economic impact.

So from a financial standpoint, the PGA Tour could dissolve overnight without much monetary backlash to the golf industry. The golf equipment and apparel machine would still be cranking-out merchandise to supply millions of weekend hacks throughout the world.

But for how long? With the tour defunct, wouldn't the average golfer begin to dwindle in numbers? Well, I guess that depends on how popular the tour is with the golfing masses to begin with. For example, a decade ago I would have been laughed at for even suggesting a post like this one - after all, the hero on tour was one of the most recognizable athletes in all of sports.

Ah, but today he's barley the shell of his former self and as a result, the PGA Tour has taken one giant leap back into obscurity. Perhaps more detrimental is that no one has taken his place. Want proof? Turn on ESPN any given Sunday an you'll see them lead the golf segment talking about Tiger's third-place finish, rather than the poor schlep who actually took home the trophy.

With no face to the organization and television ratings that are basically nonexistent, it makes you wonder if it's all worth the effort? Rolling into a new city every week and setting up shop on some corporate sponsor's dime (could have donated that money to build a new cancer wing at the local hospital or something); trotting out a B-list of tour pros to go through the motions in front of a sparse gallery of spectators; turning on the HD cameras that broadcast to an equally paltry television audience. One has to ask themselves: Does the ends justify the means?

Sure, if the PGA Tour were no longer, some diehard fans would be disappointed (not to mention some of our fellow golf bloggers) and local establishments near tour stops would miss the boost in sales. But the top pros would head over to the European Tour (which would subsequently be broadcast more frequently here in the U.S.) and golf life for you and me would pretty much remain unchanged.

Not many golfers I know are quitting because they stink - no sir, we just keep on playing no matter what the game throws at us. And perhaps that's the most fundamental point - We don't play this game because the PGA Tour is so great, we play it because golf is great (if anything, watching the scratch players gives us more of a complex).

So, what if the PGA Tour went extinct? As long as the European Tour added a stop at The Masters, I'd be happy. So perhaps I should re-phrase my question: If the PGA Tour went extinct, so what?

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Why I'm Happy Tiger Didn't Win The Masters

Before anyone gets the wrong idea about the title of this post, I'll explain. It has nothing to do with Tiger as a person. Tiger as a person will forever be viewed as, lets say, not the nicest guy you've ever heard of. But that has no bearing on this particular post.

It also has nothing to do with Tiger's ego. You know, that ego that never just comes out and says, "He played better than me." Rather, the ego just makes excuses for why he lost. That also has no bearing on this post. Nope, it's none of those things.

What makes me happy about it is the fact that, for a few days anyway, the younger and/or lesser known players on the tour got a good amount of attention at a major! Whether the PGA knows it or not, this is just what they needed! Tiger made his charge, but Charl Schwartzel played out of his mind down the stretch! Despite his Sunday meltdown, Rory Mcilroy was the biggest news for the first three days of the tournament. Some nice performances by Adam Scott, Jason Day, Luke Donald and a good Sunday from Justin Rose may have helped the PGA out by helping to improve its deficiency in the player recognition department.

As we here at Golfstinks have said previously, too many golf fans have no idea who some of these great players on the tour are. So to see some of them withstand the Tiger Woods charge, and play right along side him, if not better, the PGA couldn't ask for anything more! Some of these players are the tour's future. These players are the guys people need to know about when a tour stop comes along that Tiger doesn't think he can win (i.e. he's not participating).

We all know viewership drops when Tiger isn't there. And turnout at the tour stop itself is considerably lower. But it would probably be different if these other players were promoted properly, or even half as much as Tiger. So maybe the PGA will take this opportunity and use these performance that are fresh in the minds of golf fans.

At some point, the PGA is going to have to realize that Tiger is not going to be around forever. Better yet they should realize, for one or two reasons, the landscape of golf is changing. Either Tiger is not the player he once was, or the other players have simply caught up and no longer fear him. Either way, it's time for the PGA to take advantage.

I'm tired of having to see where Tiger finished in every update. I see that Charl Schwartzel won, but immediately after that - Tiger Woods finishes fourth (-10). What about 2nd and 3rd? What about the two guys who tied for fourth with Tiger? This is exactly what I'm talking about above. It's time for the PGA, and the media, to jump on the bandwagon of some players other than Tiger.

Swing 'til you're happy!

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Super Bowl Hype For Golf?

So, much like 100+ million other people, I watched the Super Bowl this past Sunday. Another good game for America's favorite sport as, once again, the big game lived up to it's hype.

It kind of makes you wonder why the Super Bowl is as revered as it is. What does the Super Bowl have that the World Series doesn't? Why are we all excited to tune into the Super Bowl, but not as much the NBA Finals, or the Stanley Cup Finals? And where does golf rank in this question?

Well, to get it out of the way quickly, my short answer to why the Super Bowl is so much more popular than the championships of other sports is...there's only one championship game. The whole season and everything a team has played for, comes down to one game. That right there is part of the popularity for two different reasons.

Reason 1 - The sporting reason - There simply is no second chance. The team has one chance to win. It's not a series. There is no game 2 (or 3,4,5,6 or 7 for that matter). You lose, you're done. It's exciting! What if there was no series in the World Series or NBA Finals. Would it have made Rangers-Giants or Lakers-Celtics even more exciting? My guess is yes!

Reason 2 - The entertainment/get-together reason - It's just so much easier to gather friends and family for one game than it is for, somewhere between, four and seven games. Who gets together for the entire World Series? Maybe a game or two...and a game 7 if there is one. But unless there is a game 7, then who knows when the last game (the actual championship game) will really be? See, the logistics of it are just too tough to figure out.

Now take golf...it's just a mess. The Maters, The PGA Championship, The Opens, The FedEx Cup, the money list, the rankings...what the hell?! Who's #1 and why? I mean, I can see who's ranked #1...but how did they get there? Especially if they haven't actually won any tournaments! Drawing on stinky golfer Pete's idea - there should be one single tournament to determine the season's champion!

But since it seems highly unlikely that the PGA would completely rearrange its entire structure to accommodate a complaint that a couple of hacks at a place called golfstinks have made, it seems the next logical step to add some hype to the boredom of the golf season is...halftime shows!!

Look, the Super Bowl is a huge draw every year. But ever since 1993, when Michael Jackson performed, it's obvious the NFL changed it's perspective on halftime and has made every effort to bring in big names rather than the college band theme they had been doing previously. And the result? One could argue that a significant part of the reason some people watch the game at all is for the halftime show! I would rank it with the commercials, but they seem to fall flatter and flatter every year. (On a side note, beer commercials used to be funny. Now, they are just awful).

So what better way to draw more viewers (and fans at the gate), whether fans of golf or not, than to book a kick-ass rock group for the Friday (halftime of a golf tournament) night festivities? It's working for the NFL, isn't it? MLB and the NBA are beginning to work it in at their all-star games. Why not give it a shot?

OK, so I'm really reaching again. But hey...I'm just trying to help. A little music and entertainment never hurt anyone. Just one request...if anyone involved in the PGA halftime entertainment division is reading this...please don't book the Black Eyed Peas. Was the halftime show a spectacle? Yes. But it was likely the worst music to ever make it to the Super Bowl.

Swing 'til you're happy!

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Get Some Wings & Beer, The Final Round Is On!

It's Sunday afternoon and Stinky Golfer Dog and I have just finished watching the Giants blow a huge lead and lose. To that I say...YAY!!!! Dog, a typical fair-weather Giants fan, does not agree with my sentiments.

But as we're watching the games, I start to realize it's almost every Sunday that either I have a buddy or two over to watch the football games, or I'm invited somewhere to watch them. Sunday afternoons watching the games by myself are few and far between.

But it's not like this for other sports. I'll get together with some friends to watch basketball once in a while. Some of the bigger rivalry baseball games will also call for the occasional gathering. But do you know what sport my buddies and I have never gathered for? Yup, you guessed it...golf. Not the Masters. Not any of the Opens. Not the Championship. Nothing. Why? Well, for me anyway, the answer is simple...because it's boring!

For non-golfers, it's easy to say the sport itself is boring and that's why they don't play. But we golfers know differently. Once we're out there on the course, it's far from boring. But that doesn't mean it's not boring on TV. I'm sorry, but it is. Golf as a spectator sport just doesn't satisfy my appetite for competition. Watching golf live is not bad, but on TV? It's like gathering your friends around the backyard to watch the grass grow. But what I haven't quite figured out is, why is it like that?

I enjoy the sport. I participate in the sport. We're watching the best of the best on the pro tour. So why do I have no interest? Why don't I call up the guys and say "Where are we watching the final round on Sunday?" I try to think of reasons, but I haven't come up with many:

Firstly, there's the commentary. It's dull. It's too quiet and reserved. It's....well...boring! Now I'm not saying I want early 80's John Madden style commentary. That's certainly not necessary for golf. But it couldn't hurt to spice it up a bit. Change up the tone on a great shot. I don't want to hear words like "useful" and stuff like that. That's just become more of a joke now. If you want to draw in a younger audience (and lets face it, the current core audience isn't getting any younger) then you have to make the sport more exciting to watch. Livening up the commentary couldn't hurt.

Second, and we've touched on this before, who the hell are these guys that we're watching? Most of the players in these tournaments are unknowns to the casual golf fan. If I don't have a vested interest in the players or a reason to follow them, then why would I care to watch? I'd much rather just go out and play myself!

But that's about all I can come up with. I don't get excited to watch a golf tournament on television, whether Tiger is playing or not. At most, I check in just to see what's going on and who's leading. I'll stick around for a few shots, but not much more. Apparently, my golfing buddies all feel the same.

So if I'm a participant in the sport, and my buddies are also, but collectively we just don't care all that much about watching it, the PGA may have a potential problem on their hands in the future. Because if that's the situation for me and my buddies, I'm sure there are all too many more like us out there.

Swing 'til you're happy!

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A Fitting Farewell To A Golf Buddy

Recently, a friend of mine (and fellow hack) had unfortunately lost his father. You see, his dad was an avid golfer and the game was a big part of their lives. Not only was he his father, he was also his first and best golf buddy. A lot of their issues were discussed and resolved on the course. Needless to say, it was almost therapeutic for them to be out there together.

As an advocate for the game this means a lot. This is something that goes above and beyond winning a tournament. The more I thought about it the more I realized that a loss of this magnitude is life changing. Don't get me wrong, if there was a slight a chance that I could win the Masters that too would be life changing but, I'm referring to something that is much more significant than a green jacket.

When my buddy's dad would hit the course, it was "Big Bird" and "Lady Luck" that would come through for him in the clutch. "Big Bird" was his Big Bertha driver and "Lady Luck" was his lucky #7 iron. According to him, these were his essential clubs that he relied on so much almost like a safety blanket. He was confident with those two clubs.

I'll never forget my friends ultimate tribute to his dad and favorite golfing buddy. A couple days after his father passed, we took him out for a quick round to help him get his mind off of what was going on. As he placed his bag on the cart, we all noticed something different...there stood "Big Bird" and "Lady Luck".

Hit'em Long...yell FORE! Enjoy the game.

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Are There Too Many Golf Courses?

Now that The Masters is over I have to tell you, I am all golfed out. Honestly, I may have watched about a half-hour, in total, of the tournament. But between all of the coverage on ESPN and various other sports networks and news shows, specifically the Tiger coverage, I feel like I was in the galleries all four days! I don't think I can watch another five minutes of a tournament for the rest of the year!

However, that does not curb my desire to get back out onto the many courses which my home state of Connecticut has to offer. But a couple of stories in my local news lately have me wondering...are there too many golf courses?

The obvious answer for one who loves to golf, especially those of us who enjoy playing different courses all the time, is "not a chance." How can you have too many golf courses? After all, the old saying "variety is the spice of life" indeed equates to your golf life also. Maybe the more appropriate question wouldn't be to ask if there are too many golf courses, but instead to ask, is a new golf course really necessary? Or, is there a better use for that land?

In my current hometown, a town of about 45,000, we currently have two nine-hole courses. Recently, the idea to use a piece of undeveloped public land to build another nine-hole course, was proposed by a local developer. The Economic Development Committee approved the proposal, but many spoke out at a recent Common Council meeting. In favor of the course were some local business owners hoping the course brings more people into the city. However, many spoke out against the course. Some concerns were tax and rent payments (or lack thereof), privatization of public land, outside investors and the plan meeting environmental standards. However, one major concern asked, what if the course fails? You are left with nothing more than carved up land, which would make later development more challenging, and the city expected to foot the bill. One can see where the concern would be.

My personal opinion? There are already two nine-hole courses in town. Additionally, there are four eighteen-hole courses within ten miles. Is another nine-holer necessary? As for bringing people into the city, how many golfers regularly travel to other towns to play nine-holes, especially when the surrounding towns have eighteen-hole courses? Add to that the fact there are already two nine-hole courses in this town, then how much more business is the course actually going to generate?

This reminds me a bit of a situation from the town in which I used to live. My former hometown, population of about 60,000, was home to one eighteen and two nine-hole courses. But when the idea to build a new middle school on the grounds of one of the nine-hole courses was proposed, it was met with some hostility. The course in question was, to put it lightly, a bombed-out disaster of a mortar range which I had the displeasure of playing exactly once and swore to myself to never play again. It was in fact, with no exaggeration, that bad.

But, the course was very popular with the senior crowd. It was flat, wide open and an easy course to walk if you chose. And not too mention, cheap. Due to its low (if any) maintenance costs and the popularity with seniors and first-timers, I'm sure the course made some money for the town. But the question actually was: what's more important, keeping this crappy course around to satisfy a few people who have other options, or building a new, better, safer school, in a better, safer neighborhood for 1,200 students year-in and year-out?

To me, the answer here seems obvious - kill the course. But I guess there are some of us who believe the future of our children isn't as important as having to spend an extra six bucks to play a different nine-hole course.

Now don't get me wrong, being a golfer, I'm always looking forward to a new course and feel a new course is usually a great idea. But, we also have to consider the cost. Be it a risky investment at the cost of the taxpayer, environmental issues or the future of our young students. All of these issues, and then some, have to be addressed before we can truly learn the value of a golf course.

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Record Broken at The Masters..

No, it does not consist of how many women a golfer has slept with. As a matter of fact, Tiger is not even involved in this. Check out this tidbit the AP reported:

"Italian 16 year-old Matteo Manassero became the youngest player to ever make the cut at the Masters, sinking three long par putts on the back nine Friday to finish at 3-over�right on the cutline. Manassero has now made the cut at both his majors, having tied for 12th at last summer�s British Open. �I always want to stay levelheaded since that�s the education that my parents gave me,� he said. �My parents help me also in this period to stay more level. But I dream for something like the Masters.� So do older golfers, and they don�t have his track record.

Manassero, who last summer became the youngest winner in the 124-year history of the British Amateur, shattered Augusta National�s previous record for youngest player to make the cut. South African Bobby Cole was about a month shy of his 19th birthday when he made it in 1967. Manassero is also the first amateur to play the weekend since 1999.And he�s the lone teenager out of the four in this year�s field to make the cut."

Now, I'm not knocking Tiger's return or his warm welcome by the fans. It's just that I noticed how this feat by Manassero got pushed to the back burner because the prodigal son has returned. You know last time I checked, there weren't too many 16 year olds making there way around Augusta National for a crack at the green jacket. Know why? BECAUSE IT'S THE FIRST F%@$IN' TIME...EVER!

Kudos to you, Matteo! From one Paesano to another, in bocca al lupo!

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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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Are You Betting on Tiger to Win The Masters? Or Just Betting?

Are you like me? Do you think a little wager makes every sport a bit more interesting? No? Well, you're wrong. It does. Let's say you're watching a football game between the Browns and Rams. Unless you're a fan of one of the two, most people don't care about the result, right? Well, put $50 on it. Now what?

Throughout every individual sport's season, there are all kinds of games that don't matter to a casual fan. But once the chance to win some money enters the equation, suddenly an all new interest becomes apparent. Think about the Super Bowl. The boxes get passed around the office and even the people who think the Lakers played the Yankees in the Stanley Cup Finals last year are scribbling their name into three or four empty slots. They're dropping $20 or so, on a game they don't know the first thing about, in the hopes of winning a couple of Franklins. NCAA tournament time is another great example. I don't follow college hoops all that closely, but year in and year out, I'm filling out at least one bracket! Between all the boxes, brackets, pools and, who could forget, fantasy sports, a little wager makes watching the game(s) all the more interesting.

However, some of the greatest wagers you'll find come from Vegas around Super Bowl time. Fun, out of the ordinary bets such as, "Will the Colts and Saints combine for more points than the New Jersey Nets?" or "Will Kobe Bryant outscore the Colts?" or "What color hat will Peyton Manning wear on the sideline, blue or white?" Some of these bets have almost nothing to do with the game, but they simply provide some fun to either a fan or non-fan. It gives everyone at least a bit of a reason to tune in.

Sparked by the return of Tiger, some of these off-beat wagers are now becoming popular in the golf betting world. According to Bodog Sportsbook Manager Richard Gardner, betting on the Masters has doubled from last year. Included in all of those extra wagers are not only the old "Who will win The Masters?" and "Where will Tiger Woods finish?" Now we're seeing wagers a little more, dare I say, fun? Let's take a look at some examples:

What color hat will Tiger Woods wear in Round 1?

Black 5/4
White 7/4
Red 7/2
Blue 11/2
Any Other Color 8/1

Will Tiger Woods be Heckled after Addressing the Ball and Step Away?
Yes -120
No -120

Will Elin Nordgren be Seen on Camera?

I hope you already placed your wager on this one since Tiger has already given away the answer.


Will Tiger Woods cry during his acceptance speech if he wins?

Yes -120
No -120

Thank goodness for the world of sports gambling. Without it, for many people who aren't all that interested in the PGA Tour and have lost interest in the Ringling Brothers & Tiger Woods circus, this is just another golf tournament. But for people who partake in the gambling side of things...there's more to it than the tournament itself. There's the prospect of winning (or losing) some money. There's the idea of looking at things in the tournament that, normally, you would pay little to no attention. And the PGA should be happy also, as this brings in more viewers who normally may not have paid any mind.

Don't get me wrong, the amount of wagers is not exactly approaching Super Bowl standards. But to have the amount of wagers double, that alone shows, thanks to Tiger, the amount of interest generated for this years Masters. Me personally, I never do much more than quickly peek in to see what's going on. This year will likely be no different. Although, I'll most likely be peeking in with the hopes Tiger dons a red hat on day 1.

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