I caddied at a local golf club one summer when I was in high school. I rather enjoyed the whole experience, but I could never really watch golf on television. It's not the same to me. Golf is a great game when you can watch it in person, but until Tiger Woods came onto the scene, watching it on TV was like watching grass grow. Now It looks like Tiger Woods is nearing the end of his career and I think he should be allowed to gracefully get on with the rest of his life. The other problem with TV golf today is that there is too much of it. There's no drama anymore in golf like there was when Tiger played his first Masters and won. It's time for the PGA to reinvent itself and move on.
1
To a great extent, the Tiger Woods phenomenon is tied to an undercurrent of racism related to male professional sports. Can a black man surpass Jack Nicklaus's record? Can a black man surpass Babe Ruth? Can a black quarterback win the Super Bowl. Will a black man surpass Joltin Joe's 52 game hitting streak? Can a white boxer defeat a black boxer? Can a black man win the presidency post-Obama? Will white professional athletes ever represent more than 10-20% of men participating in professional sports?
The networks, Mad Men marketers and political advisers know all about the the psychology of this interracial interest and how to drive it. The tension created thereby leads to greater viewership and revenue. Las Vegas will even give you odds so you can bet on the outcomes.
The networks, Mad Men marketers and political advisers know all about the the psychology of this interracial interest and how to drive it. The tension created thereby leads to greater viewership and revenue. Las Vegas will even give you odds so you can bet on the outcomes.
3
"Fades" ??? He's done, despite all media and fan delusions to the contrary. The golf media has gotten so lazy on reporting on almost/maybe/possibly Woods comeback that one, it's laughable, and two, takes away from some great up and comer stories. He is his own worst enemy, has been since he was outted as the non-super hero he made himself out to be that Thanksgiving night, may win a few more tourneys, but his major chase is over - right now he will have a giant task just to qualify for FedEx...
3
Tiger's brilliance, not his "athleticism," made him transcendent; he figured out how to hold and use himself to hit golf shots the likes of which no one had ever seen, way before the equipment manufacturers made the big game easy. Put the equipment and balls that were in play when Tiger arrived into current players' hands and let's see what they got; nickel says it would not be in the same universe of what they now show, Rory, Day, and Watson aside.
No doubt Tiger made watching a must, but the real problem is that the equipment manufacturers sold the watching public a lie, the game will tear you up unless you appreciate unwanted outcomes, now matter what gimmick club you swing. The game is about figuring out how to swing a stick with a head at the end, to create a swing to address the new puzzle that each shot presents. It is about playing with the stick, and learning from playing. No one likes being lied to, is all. No one.
No doubt Tiger made watching a must, but the real problem is that the equipment manufacturers sold the watching public a lie, the game will tear you up unless you appreciate unwanted outcomes, now matter what gimmick club you swing. The game is about figuring out how to swing a stick with a head at the end, to create a swing to address the new puzzle that each shot presents. It is about playing with the stick, and learning from playing. No one likes being lied to, is all. No one.
2
You can count me as one of the people who starting watching golf on TV when Tiger came on the scene. At first, it was to see who this Tiger Woods was with all the press he was attracting. Then, he started winning everything so it was fun to watch. After getting tired of seeing him to seemingly win all the time, I watched to see if someone could beat him. When he came back after he was dragged through the mud for his serial cheating, I watched to see if he could win again.
Since Woods has been out of contention or not playing at all, I never bother to watch golf anymore. I know many of those playing are great talents, but there is nothing about them that draws me to what I find is an otherwise boring sport.
Since Woods has been out of contention or not playing at all, I never bother to watch golf anymore. I know many of those playing are great talents, but there is nothing about them that draws me to what I find is an otherwise boring sport.
5
The PGA Tour is suffering from a case of over-exposure that is marked by under-exposure. The season is too long (over-exposure) and, as a result, the best players pick and choose how many and which tournaments they'll play in (under-exposure).
As a result, competition suffers on a week-to-week basis. Instead of seeing more or less continuous competition among the best golfers, many weeks we watch a bunch of swing mechanics in battles of attrition (who can hang on to win vs. who will make the move to win). And, when the so-called "leaders" do show up to play, their games are rusty and they are not capable of separating themselves from the pack.
Whether the game is dominated by a single person like Tiger -- or the consistent competition among a small group -- the Tour is a lot more interesting when it has a continuity of "drama" instead of the weekly episodes that it's now featuring.
As a result, competition suffers on a week-to-week basis. Instead of seeing more or less continuous competition among the best golfers, many weeks we watch a bunch of swing mechanics in battles of attrition (who can hang on to win vs. who will make the move to win). And, when the so-called "leaders" do show up to play, their games are rusty and they are not capable of separating themselves from the pack.
Whether the game is dominated by a single person like Tiger -- or the consistent competition among a small group -- the Tour is a lot more interesting when it has a continuity of "drama" instead of the weekly episodes that it's now featuring.
4
Once in a while a charismatic personality comes along in a sport and takes it to another level, that person was Tiger. He was the best of the rest at the time and nobody cared about his color or behavior and that is a wonderful thing. We were all fortunate to watch him at his peak. As for golf, it will survive, as all other sports have survived when great players fade away and another one comes along
4
Let's not get carried away here. Tiger Woods is still the greatest player to ever pick up a golf club. He still made millions after returning from his stupid extracurricular activity and he will continue to make even more millions when he returns to the game. He hasn't flamed out; he just needs to re-charge his batteries and when he does the game's pipsqueaks--McIlroy, Watson and the rest--will again be following in his wake. As for watching the game, surely it's a good deal less boring than football--a game that goes on forever and hardly moves an inch.
2
If Tiger ain't playen I ain't watch'in
3
Yes, and we're all sure you will be sorely missed. LOL.
6
What an excellent article! Many thanks.
What a terrific non story with a terrific attempt to make news and create a dialogue about nothing. Golf lived before and so it shall live again. Race baiters be dammed.
3
As a golfer, albeit a bad one, and, yes, I'm an old white man, I love watching with or without Tiger. The slo-mo swing analysis is better than ever, the announcers are better than ever at explaining each situation, so it gives me things to try to play better. The players, virtually all of them, are so talented and skilled that any one of them can get hot and win in a given week, and the difference between greatness and collapse is so slim that a player can be winning in a walk, then fall apart. This past week, a young guy ranked 200 plus won. He was so excited he could barely breath, and we learned his wife is having their first child in 2 weeks... nice time to win a million dollar check. Charming in every way. Loved the Tiger era, but the next one will be just as much fun. Helluva lot more interesting than watching a bunch of gas-guzzling machines go in circles, IMO. My only disappointment is that Fox will be a broadcaster: I hate to patronize the epicenter of right-wing propaganda. If anybody can screw up my love for the game, it will be them.
9
Tiger Woods has certainly made the game of golf more attractive to watch then it ever was. The amount of money involved in the game has grown. Woods has permanently enhanced the stature of golf. It will live on long after he is gone.
1
Woods is toast! That November encounter with his now ex-wife did something to him. Either physically or psychology. We will probably never know. Give him space...let him fade into obscurity.
2
Golf without Woods will be like tennis without McEnroe, Conners, Nastase, Borg, Villas, Agassi and Becker. Dull. Tennis has not yet recovered the loss of those personalities. Without celebrity, golf is a dull spectator sport.
1
Your celebrity worship is exceeded only by your celebrity worship.
Breath deep; get a life. Golf was invented as a game, not "spectator sport."
Breath deep; get a life. Golf was invented as a game, not "spectator sport."
4
America's middle class golf boom peaked about 15 years ago. Down here, some of the over one hundred golf courses in and around Myrtle Beach have gone to seed, allowed to go fallow, or else were turned into rental condos, or housing tracts.
The game is time-consuming, difficult to master (yes, believe this, even if you see it as 'the fat man's game') and expensive. It didn't take Tiger Woods to convince male buddies to hit the strip clubs and hookers after their day's rounds were over. They were doing this long before he decided to have groupies. Wives everywhere found out that more than just male bonding was going on during golf weekends, when shirts in the laundry returned with perfume, or lipstick on them.
It is still a viable business for many down here, but not like it was in the late 1990s. Woods' brand of muscular golf was a draw for golfers, but his downfall is hardly the only factor in the game's duffer decline, which began years before his manic trysts. There are fads in consumer sports just as there are in all human activities, including science and medicine.
2
Tiger finished? Best news of the year.
2
Imagine the NFL without the Dallas Cowboys? That's golf without Tiger.
Some people love the Cowboys. Some hate them. Doesn't matter, they're talking about football.
Not only is the popularity of the tour in question, but golf courses and manufacturers are in trouble. Tiger made it look easy, and everyone wanted to play. Truth is, golf is difficult to play well, and expensive.
Alas, I wish I would have sold my Tiger autographed ball about ten years ago.
Some people love the Cowboys. Some hate them. Doesn't matter, they're talking about football.
Not only is the popularity of the tour in question, but golf courses and manufacturers are in trouble. Tiger made it look easy, and everyone wanted to play. Truth is, golf is difficult to play well, and expensive.
Alas, I wish I would have sold my Tiger autographed ball about ten years ago.
Ah-Ha ... Finally some good news. And we only had to wait 18 [???] years.
2
The issue is that the American sporting press doesn't take very seriously sports that aren't dominated by blacks. That's explains the article's question:
"But for all the skill and social media savvy of players like Rory McIlroy and Bubba Watson, can they captivate as many people as Woods, who raised the level of athleticism in the game while remaking a sport known for its mostly white country-club composition?"
The golf tour had a fair number of black players in the 1960s through 1980s (five different black golfers won a total of 23 PGA tournaments from 1961-1986), but the 1/4th black Woods is the only (part) black player to win on tour in almost 30 years.
The rest of the world is less obsessed with African American athletes than are New York sportswriters, so golf's global prospects aren't all that dire.
"But for all the skill and social media savvy of players like Rory McIlroy and Bubba Watson, can they captivate as many people as Woods, who raised the level of athleticism in the game while remaking a sport known for its mostly white country-club composition?"
The golf tour had a fair number of black players in the 1960s through 1980s (five different black golfers won a total of 23 PGA tournaments from 1961-1986), but the 1/4th black Woods is the only (part) black player to win on tour in almost 30 years.
The rest of the world is less obsessed with African American athletes than are New York sportswriters, so golf's global prospects aren't all that dire.
1
What color is Vijay Singh?
3
The rest of the world IS obsessed with Black American players, ie, the NBA and NFL.
1
Suppose they gave a tournament and nobody watched? Consider what Woods and his predecessors like Palmer, Nicklaus, Player, Norman, Trevino, all had? They were giant personalities with unique stories and unique approaches to the game. Let's face it, watching golf can be boring - following a bunch of finely tuned technicians methodically consuming their 18 holes is not great TV UNLESs they are larger than life personalities. We want people who snarl, throw clubs, get emotional, and basically put on a show. Good luck to Fox and there $1.2 billion because without some showmanship and over-the-top personalities, they got nothing.
2
How refreshing it will be when the name Woods only refers to the club and not the flamed out player. The press relentless mention of his name in every golf article demonstrates that they and not the public are in such despair. It is well past the time to turn the page and focus on what is not what is incessantly politically correct. The tiger has been caged and will never again wear a green jacket or win a tournament and somehow golf will survive.
4
don't be so sure of that grant.....tiger had a pretty good year last year......great by anyone else's standards....although i agree that golf will flourish without him and the press has to get used to that
Not last year, the year before.
1
You are absolutely correct!
1
Woods in decline? I suppose so. Especially since golfers use mainly irons and drivers, anyway, saving the putter for last.
2
What in the world is this nonsense? With all due respect, I might expect to read this kind of contradictory faux-journalism on ESPN, but not in the Times. The network conglomerates were responsible for the marketing decision that made the game of golf about one player's exploits at the expense of the game, itself. ESPN, in particular, turned the sport of golf into the Tiger Show, ignoring all other players and all other narratives. If a player came out of nowhere and won a tournament on the day his wife had a baby, or the day his father passed away and tearfully dedicated the victory to them, the networks would ignore that story while obsessively following Tiger's failures on every hole. The reason there aren't more "stars" in golf is because, unlike in any other sport, they cover the player-product they have invested in instead of covering the winner. It's pathetic.
Golf is fine. The game will be fine, regardless of what some law professor at UCLA says. Who is he, that he merited being quoted like an expert?
Lastly, why no mention of Tiger's off-course problems? He has become an embarrassment to the sport. His physique is also of questionable origin as he has been linked to PED's, which is probably why he is experiencing physical problems now.
Golf is fine. The game will be fine, regardless of what some law professor at UCLA says. Who is he, that he merited being quoted like an expert?
Lastly, why no mention of Tiger's off-course problems? He has become an embarrassment to the sport. His physique is also of questionable origin as he has been linked to PED's, which is probably why he is experiencing physical problems now.
29
I think, even without Tiger, the future for Golf in the United States is still very bright! Americans are aging in great numbers, and it has been documented that we are becoming heavier, and lazier! Granted, that Golf is a skill sport, but it only requires the endurance needed for a long walk in the park! It's not like Americans are going out and buying tennis racquets, to pursue all the dexterity, endurance, and stamina, which that truly athletic sport requires! In fact it is tennis, which in ways has been held back by its historically being lumped incorrectly with Golf, that is the sport, that has a dim future, in our nation!!!
4
The fat and lazy would greatly benefit from a regular six mile and more walk on a golf course. Two fat and lazies can play each other in tennis and not break a sweat.
3
You can be fat and lazy and play golf, true, but you will not play good golf by any stretch of the imagination. Golf requires an incredible amount of flexibility and stamina. I'm 31, in reasonably good shape with a healthy diet and I am still exhausted by the 15th hole.
1
Here is a radical idea. CHANGE the format of most PGA tournaments. Cut the field in half each of the four days of the tournament. On the final day just the top 24 finishers play and divide them into 6 balanced teams of 4 players each who compete for individual and team prizes.
That will produce real EXCITEMENT for both TV and live audiences every time. And it will decidedly decrease the importance of individual supers stars carry the sport for fans.
How likely is it to happen. As likely as switching to yellow golf balls so the ball is more visible to those watching professional golf.
That will produce real EXCITEMENT for both TV and live audiences every time. And it will decidedly decrease the importance of individual supers stars carry the sport for fans.
How likely is it to happen. As likely as switching to yellow golf balls so the ball is more visible to those watching professional golf.
3
If golf were a stock, I'd short it. The numbers of people taking up the game are dwindling alarmingly. Courses are closing everywhere at a clip of something like one a day. Prolonged drought in the West makes watering them even more problematic. Face it, the audience is old white guys and they're dying out. Literally. Go short!
4
Not in my town. Anytime I try to play twilight the course is always packed.
1
When I started to hit range balls in Seoul, Korea in 1991, I heard about John Daly, winner of 1991 PGA Championship as the ninth alternate, through Korean radio talk-show. I first watched live golf on AFKN (American Forces Korea Network) in April 1992 when Fred Couples won the Masters with a par on 12th hole. I liked Fred's effortless, flowing swing so much that I tried to imitate every aspect of his golf swing (particularly, his full finish after impact).
I could see "videos" of Curtis Strange's winning 1988 and 1989 U.S. Open and Ian Baker-Finch's winning 1991 British Open at the driving range (not live because Korean TVs didn't broadcast golf at all).
I could not help but buy an expensive satelite dish (U$1,300) to watch golf via Hong Kong-based Star Sports. I used to wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning in Korea to see PGA Tour because of time difference of 13~14 hours.
I remember Tom Kite's 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Nick Price's 1992 and 1994 PGA Championship, Greg Norman's 1993 British Open, Corey Pavin's 1995 U.S. Open and Nick Faldo's last major win at 1996 Masters (along with Greg's collapse).
Then came Tiger Woods' win at 1997 Masters. What a shock and a joy to watch Woods's demolition of the entire field and the course! I have been completely hooked by Tiger's golf until now. I went to Royal Troon in Scotland in July 1997 to see Tiger Woods (Justin Leonard whom I followed the second and third rounds, won the Open). Still I like him.
I could see "videos" of Curtis Strange's winning 1988 and 1989 U.S. Open and Ian Baker-Finch's winning 1991 British Open at the driving range (not live because Korean TVs didn't broadcast golf at all).
I could not help but buy an expensive satelite dish (U$1,300) to watch golf via Hong Kong-based Star Sports. I used to wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning in Korea to see PGA Tour because of time difference of 13~14 hours.
I remember Tom Kite's 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Nick Price's 1992 and 1994 PGA Championship, Greg Norman's 1993 British Open, Corey Pavin's 1995 U.S. Open and Nick Faldo's last major win at 1996 Masters (along with Greg's collapse).
Then came Tiger Woods' win at 1997 Masters. What a shock and a joy to watch Woods's demolition of the entire field and the course! I have been completely hooked by Tiger's golf until now. I went to Royal Troon in Scotland in July 1997 to see Tiger Woods (Justin Leonard whom I followed the second and third rounds, won the Open). Still I like him.
11
Oh the humanity! Sponsorships without a cash cow? And some even call it a "sport".
4
I will miss Tiger. He was always stalking and a threat to win. If he was there but not leading, we still watched with the knowledge he would likely close on the leaders, make his move and threaten to win. There is no one as exciting as Tiger. Phil came in a close second and without them I don't bother to watch. The new names are just names.
5
Rory McIlroy is a much better golfer at his young age than Phil ever was... This coming from a guy who Phil was my favorite to watch.
1
Good Riddance...
Hopefully the tens of millions of hacks who picked up the game under Tiger's influence will soon put the sticks away for good too. Maybe we'll be left with golfers who replace divots, fix ball marks, play at a reasonable pace and show civility on the course.
Hopefully the tens of millions of hacks who picked up the game under Tiger's influence will soon put the sticks away for good too. Maybe we'll be left with golfers who replace divots, fix ball marks, play at a reasonable pace and show civility on the course.
20
Now that Tiger is out maybe the advertising rates will come down and networks like CBS can actually show some golf instead of commercials, network promos and swing vision analysis. It has become unwatchable.
15
I so agree. I haven't watched a golf tournament live except for the Masters which limits commercials for many many years. I DVR it and watch ONLY the golf which for a three hour telecast takes about 30 to 45 minutes. Further more, if a player is playing badly he ceases to exist even if in the last group. Most of us play like that all the time so watching a pro get par or bogey is just as entertaining as watching him get birdie.
I remember watching an early round in a British Open many years ago where the telecast featured about three or four players. Finally they went to the 18th green to see a player sink a 5 foot put as the announcer said, "and Alexander Čejka to tie for the lead." It was the only shot of his that we saw all day. I turned off the TV and went out to play golf.
I remember watching an early round in a British Open many years ago where the telecast featured about three or four players. Finally they went to the 18th green to see a player sink a 5 foot put as the announcer said, "and Alexander Čejka to tie for the lead." It was the only shot of his that we saw all day. I turned off the TV and went out to play golf.
2
Sergio is correct...the game survived and thrived when every great star from Jones to Hogan to Palmer to Niclaus left, and it will when Tiger leaves also.
7
As a person who plays quite a bit of golf but who doesn't really watch it much anymore, it seems that every tournament, save the majors, seem the same and monotonous nowadays unlike the ballyhoo that was such a big fuss whenever Tiger was playing. In his prime he was so much more better than his peers that it was a must watch even for casual fans of golf. No one is like that today.
6
``Next year, golf will make its modern Olympic debut in the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, introducing the game to a whole different audience. ''
A whole different audience? Ms. Crouse, where have they been hiding?
A whole different audience? Ms. Crouse, where have they been hiding?
3
What are we talking about here, the game of golf or the industry built upon it? Seems to me the wailing and gnashing of teeth comes from the loss of revenue resulting from Tiger's meltdown. That bothers me not one whit.
What does bother me is I cannot think of a sport so hideously difficult, and so resource-consuming as that played on vast swaths of otherwise useful land, demanding of ever more scarce water resources, doused with herbicide and pesticide, for the benefit of an ever-dwindling few hardy individuals capable of hitting a little ball with sticks.
Out here in the hinterlands, the public is losing patience with self-possessed park districts bent on wasting taxpayer money supporting money-losing golf courses in lieu of other, more popular, user-friendly things like swingsets and playgrounds, hiking and biking paths, basketball hoops and simple open land. Unfortunately, the tendency these days in our parks is to make everything look like a golf course - everything mowed and shorn and manicured - and desolate, just like the public-supported golf course I drive by twice a day, every day: devoid of patrons, shimmering in the sun, the flags waving forlornly in the breeze. What a waste! Everyone is home basking in the glow of their Facebook pages and twittering like the birds on the 16th green.
What does bother me is I cannot think of a sport so hideously difficult, and so resource-consuming as that played on vast swaths of otherwise useful land, demanding of ever more scarce water resources, doused with herbicide and pesticide, for the benefit of an ever-dwindling few hardy individuals capable of hitting a little ball with sticks.
Out here in the hinterlands, the public is losing patience with self-possessed park districts bent on wasting taxpayer money supporting money-losing golf courses in lieu of other, more popular, user-friendly things like swingsets and playgrounds, hiking and biking paths, basketball hoops and simple open land. Unfortunately, the tendency these days in our parks is to make everything look like a golf course - everything mowed and shorn and manicured - and desolate, just like the public-supported golf course I drive by twice a day, every day: devoid of patrons, shimmering in the sun, the flags waving forlornly in the breeze. What a waste! Everyone is home basking in the glow of their Facebook pages and twittering like the birds on the 16th green.
4
By all means those golf courses should be converted to strip malls or condominiums.
2
Tiger was great for the game, as was Palmer and Nicholas. Sometime in the near future another golf legend will emerge..
2
Tiger Woods will compete again. Just as Ben Crenshaw, Greg Norman, Tom Watson, and Fred Couples won or came close to winning in a major tourney years or decades after their prime, so will Tiger. He has the talent and experience. What he lacks -- besides a pain-free lower back -- is the intimidation factor among young players who just don't know what they don't know.
2
The real problem golf has is that fewer and fewer people are playing golf. The game is difficult, it takes a long time to play and it is expensive. And, watching a golf tournament on television is like watching paint dry.
8
There are a multitude of reasonably priced county courses in NJ. As for equipment , purchase an excellent used set of irons for $200 or less and purchase four year old model driver and metals at a similar price. My father played golf every week on Sundays. He would be 91 now. Working class. No high school diploma, let alone college. Raised seven children along with my mother. He and I played pyblic courses together with people from all walks of life, even, egads, minorities. But that just doesn't fit the popular and convenient stereo type of golf as a game for rich white men.
10
90% of all rounds of golf played in the US are played on public courses.
1
I used to feel the same way about WATCHING golf, but then once I actually PLAYED the game I gained an understanding and appreciation for some of those shots on TV. To someone who hasn't played golf, it looks incredibly easy. Not the case. Golf is exceedingly difficult to play well. It is probably the most humbling sport ever invented.
1
No one was ever really interested in Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus....right? Wrong! Absolutely wrong! Tiger Wood was the best golfer of a decade, but his time is over, and golf is as big as ever. To claim that golf's popularity disappears with Tiger's inevitable ageing is like saying the NFL died when Dan Marino or Terry Bradshaw or Joe Montana ended their careers. Frankly, as much as I've enjoyed watching Tiger play, it feels refreshing to follow the stories now of McElroy and this young guy Spieth and others. Golf was popular a long, long time before Tiger appeared on the scene, and it will be long after he's gone, and all we remember are his titles and his marital escapades.
13
Tiger Woods and Brian Williams could commiserate because they have a lot in common. Both public figures deeply talented and deeply flawed. Each stood royally at the top of his game until falling faster than the speed of light in disgrace because of their own narcissism.
Tiger Woods' series of major injuries took a toll on his game. However, his life's catastrophe started with the head-on collision over public personal and moral disgrace. It was his ultimate downfall, and it pulled his golf game into the ditch along with him.
Tiger Woods' series of major injuries took a toll on his game. However, his life's catastrophe started with the head-on collision over public personal and moral disgrace. It was his ultimate downfall, and it pulled his golf game into the ditch along with him.
12
How many articles by this writer are we going to have read concerning the end of Tiger Woods' career? The phrase "the end of his long, lucrative run feels nearer than ever" is just the latest. Must I again remind the scribe that it was just over two years ago that Tiger was PRO GOLFER OF THE YEAR!!! I guess when you're so busy jumping on the Rory and Bubba Bandwagon it's easy to forget!!!!
7
"McIlroy’s candor on social media and in news conferences is central to his charm, but on occasion it can alarm. Last month, on Twitter, he posted support for Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, known for not directly answering journalists’ questions."
The only people alarmed by this are journalists.
And when Rory, or Spieth, or anyone else starts winning at the pace Tiger set, golf will have its viewership back. Thus far, nobody is even close.
The only people alarmed by this are journalists.
And when Rory, or Spieth, or anyone else starts winning at the pace Tiger set, golf will have its viewership back. Thus far, nobody is even close.
8
And it seems the public does not care...........
There is growing evidence that golf, in the US and elsewhere, is in real trouble. It is struggling to attract younger people, who, understandably, think the game is too difficult (that's why there's been some fierce debate about whether to enlarge the hole, among things), too complicated (rules), too long, etc. Tiger really did have an impact on weekend golfers or other hacks, as other commenters here have noted. Many of us can remember the '97 Masters as a seminal event in sports history, that twelve-shot victory by a 21-year old genius who did not three-putt once that week. Rory may win 10 majors, but it's not the same. Tiger at his peak was charismatic, terrifying to the field, even if, rather strangely, he has never once trailed on Saturday night and won a major. Golf's average spectator and participant are too old for the game's health. Tiger didn't just dominate his era; he changed TV deals and enriched everyone from PGA senior executives to the guys who just keep their card every year. Being a Top 75 men's golfer became much better than being a Top 75 men's singles tennis player in no small part due to Tiger's impact. The mid-tier events, let alone the lower-tier ones, may not survive the next economic recession.
15
Tiger Wood's Father coaxed Tiger into the game of Golf because his father, a mere Master Sergeant in the Army - felt that he wanted Tiger to gain fame and ardor from the worship of the Public...some one mentioned tHAT Tiger had charm - that wasn't charm - in most cases it was just his rebellion to the demanding public EVEN when he HAD TO SIGN AUTOGRAPHS...am sure that most of his associates learned all to quickly - that Tiger wasn't NICE...Tiiger's main obsession was to CLAIM NICHOLAS'S TITITLES..he didn't care about winning...just taking away all that Nicholas & Palmer claims to their earned fame.
2
A "mere Master Sargent" Joanzee? You no little about golf and nothing about the military. Among non-commissioned officers, a Master Sargent is an accomplishment. Many lifers don't care to become officers. Moreover, in special forces, there is little distinction between offficers and non-coms.
Wow. The haters are out in force today Ms. Crouse!
Wow. The haters are out in force today Ms. Crouse!
3
The game is challenging. It takes some effort. And if not atleticism, it does require some innate physical skill to play well - hand speed and strength come immediately to mind. It also requires honesty. And your daddy, or buddy, can't buy you out of or cover up your bad score. That is why younger people are not attracted to it. The rules are simple. Play the ball were it lies. Count every stroke. Lose a ball, stroke and distance (oh, very complicated). And when in a trap do not ground the club. And have the decency to rake the trap afterwards for the next guy.
If I did ever watch golf, I quit when Mr. Woods came on the scene. Can't really care. Won't miss him. One less self-important person in the public eye.
3
So you quit watching something you never really did in the first place? And Tiger Woods was the guy who caused you to quit this thing you never really did anyway? That's confusing...
6
If it keeps the hoi polloi away from golf courses, I'm all for it. Sorry Tiger, but you attracted far too many of those who had no business on the golf course.
7
As opposed to large gutted, pleated pants wearing middle aged men who conduct business on the golf course? You know. . . the one's who use the golf course as a place to make business contacts, treat clients and take a tax deduction for club dues? Deflate their handicapps? Take a mulligan per nine holes? Concede putts in medal play? Play like molasses because a Nassau is in the balance?
Are you one of those guys Dave? I'll take the new breed who don't "have any business on the golf course."
Are you one of those guys Dave? I'll take the new breed who don't "have any business on the golf course."
5
It appears that we are just watching a lot of spoiled white guys playing golf. If you like golf you will watch, but the thrill an excitement left with Tiger Woods. The people touting golf are people connected with it, not people who don't play but watch. Popularity is waning and the millennial audience could really care less. Did you notice the golf club makers are doing very poorly, Golf stores are hurting (Golf Galaxy closed) and it's just a matter of time before ratings cave ad golf is relegated to cable. Things don't look good.
3
I suppose the majority of PGA players are white but why do you suggest they're spoiled? Do you have any concrete examples?
Consider this...the big name players make a lot from sponsorships but the majority of players - white or not - if they don't win or finish high they don't get paid. Would you consider that being spoiled?
Consider this...the big name players make a lot from sponsorships but the majority of players - white or not - if they don't win or finish high they don't get paid. Would you consider that being spoiled?
1
I started watching golf after reading about this young player, Tiger Woods. He seemed confident and cocky and peaked my interest. I've never been a golfer but I watched golf regularly for several years just to see him play. Now that Tiger is no on top, I won't watch any more. He made it an athletic, competitive nail biting sport. I enjoyed seeing him rattle other players as he came thundering up behind them.
5
Tiger Woods was not a come from behind player. He won one of his majors from behind on the last day. All of his other major victories were won when he was in the lead or tied for the lead on the first hole of the last day. But the fallacy lives in the minds of the casual fan.
1
In 2015, the world and our pastimes are jazzed by electronica. With so many choices and so many platforms, what we love and how we consume it are changing fast. The slower pastime like Golf and Baseball seem clearly headed for niche status. I love both but they ARE slow and to commit 5 hours and 100 dollars to either is fast becoming habitually improbable. This is not to suggest that in the future they will not still be popular but they must adapt to this both financially and culturally. Though both sports are monkeying with changes like larger holes in golf and faster play in both, I'd suggest that short-term gimmickry may lure in a younger viewer but over time, this will also alienate their core audience. If instead both sports went lean financially and accepted their niche market future, they can remain a viable choice of pastimes no matter where entertainment's future lands?
I use computers, social media, etc all the time...frankly, i enjoy a few hours on the golf course where i can get away from it.
Eighteen holes of golf sould be played in four hours or less, whether walking or riding. Over the last twenty years, even before the Tiger era, with the emphasis on riding in a golf cart because the thought of breaking a sweat is anthema to fatty America, drunken yahoos and yahoos in general began to take up the game for a few rounds per year. The Tiger era added to it and the emphasis became one of power and three, four, and even five hundred dollar drivers. And even with that technologically advanced equipment the yahoos would play from the shortest tees possible. Thankfully, that era is ending. And equally thankfully, Tiger did open up the game of golf to be considered by minorities. And there are more minorities on the golf corses now than prior.
Every time Tiger Woods played, it was assumed he would be competitive; part of what won him fans was his obvious work ethic and desire to win every time. These days, the bright, young, healthy players seem to win one and then come in 45th or miss the cut in the next tournament. College teams seem to produce skilled players who are clones of a model rather than individuals with distinct personalities or styles. This is one reason players such as Bubba Watson or Dustin Johnson have fans; they are different from the mass of generally accomplished young players.
Frankly between the LPGA, the International tours covered live in the middle of the night and the always comforting Champions tour, there is a lot of golf to watch that doesn't include Tiger Woods with announcing teams that are more interesting than the basic network coverage.
The network golf programs will have to work harder without a single player like Tiger; the programs will have to have features to satisfy the hard core golf addict as well as the one who follows the game. So far I don't think any of the current network teams have found a winning formula for covering golf without Tiger or a Tiger-like player. Maybe the match play and President, Ryder Cup style golf will attract more audiences than same old, same old tournament style. This time of year, I must admit I watch for the scenery in Hawaii.
Frankly between the LPGA, the International tours covered live in the middle of the night and the always comforting Champions tour, there is a lot of golf to watch that doesn't include Tiger Woods with announcing teams that are more interesting than the basic network coverage.
The network golf programs will have to work harder without a single player like Tiger; the programs will have to have features to satisfy the hard core golf addict as well as the one who follows the game. So far I don't think any of the current network teams have found a winning formula for covering golf without Tiger or a Tiger-like player. Maybe the match play and President, Ryder Cup style golf will attract more audiences than same old, same old tournament style. This time of year, I must admit I watch for the scenery in Hawaii.
This story 2 years from now: With Water Supplies in Decline, a Sport and Its Sponsors Ponder the Future.
2
I was tired of Mr. Woods long before his departure from golf . . . his narcissism, personally and professionally, was truly off-putting.
14
To be commercially successfully, golf needs a following among non-golfers. Players whose celebrity transcends the sport and reaches into the mainstream are indispensable. The game itself has drama and character but it also has the flaws complained of about baseball. Bottom line, public interest in Tiger is off the charts and if he retires golf will suffer immensely.
6
The decline of Tiger is a true sports travesty. He appeared to be a sinch to break Jack's record of 18 majors. Perhaps he can muster a come back. However, it was Tiger's weightlifting that ultimately did him in. A rumored 400lbs bench press - what for, other than to look muscular and ripped for the media and build up the hype. The lifting did nothing for his game. It ultimately destroyed his back and caused a loss of feel for his swing. He hit the ball with more power and authority but still under control when built like a whippet when first on tour.
I will not miss the hype and praise the golfing media lavished on Tiger, all for greater sponsorships and industry growth and subsequent dollars in their pockets. And even better, the dis-interested golfing public that was destroying the enjoyment of the game are now gone, gone forever and I rejoice!
I will not miss the hype and praise the golfing media lavished on Tiger, all for greater sponsorships and industry growth and subsequent dollars in their pockets. And even better, the dis-interested golfing public that was destroying the enjoyment of the game are now gone, gone forever and I rejoice!
1
Bob Dorfman, the executive creative director of Baker Street Advertising
Who is this guy? Does he have some expertise in marketing golf?
Who is this guy? Does he have some expertise in marketing golf?
Something about Tiger, really attracted non-players like me to watch golf on TV. No wonder the rating were great when Tiger was/is around. Love him or hate him, Tiger still attracted attention and sadly Golf will take a hit until he returns or someone else takes his place. Right now I don't see anyone standing in the sides, about to jump in.
2
This article is almost fully correct....golf enthusiasts like me will watch no matter what, another dominant player will come along, the game is more global.....the problem is that people aren't playing golf, courses and country clubs are closing. I love to play, but can't afford 5 hours....time, not money, is what is "pricing" people out of the game, and it's a vicious cycle. That, to me, is the biggest threat to TV ratings.
2
the average golfer would benefit from playing so-called "executive" courses. more fun, less money, quicker rounds, and more ecofriendly. and they will test your skill. Also, golfers who can't hit a 7 iron 150 or more on the fly, should be playing a forward tee. course marshalls should start from the 18th green and work back through the course. any group two or more shots behind the group in front should be made to pick up and get in place.
Nice piece, Ms. Crouse. Sergio Garcia is right: "At the end of the day, the game will still be there.” But that's the problem. If only the game will be there then it's back to mediocrity as far as golf's entertainment value goes. And that's really what we're talking about. For a whole bunch of reasons Tiger Woods galvanized the serious and casual golf/sports fan into picking a side. Remember, for every viewer who tuned in to watch Tiger trounce the fat-man, frat-boy competition there was a viewer who tuned in to pray to see him lose. 25% victory rate in the PGA is astounding maybe the greatest sports statistic ever. Even if Rory can match that dominance would it ignite the same kind of impassioned excitement and bring the public to the TV to watch him do it week after week? It doesn't feel like that. Something would be missing. Dare I say, it would need something polarizing, the same thing Tiger brought to it. Rory the Irishman battling it out with a Bubba Watson self-taught good ol' boy Floridian or an impatient, cussing Jordan Speith or yesterday's Gangnam-dancing winner James Hahn? I don't think so. And it certainly won't be Sir Nick Faldo or Zany David Feherty or hang-gliding stunts or noisy garbage-mouth Waste Management Opens either. The best the PGA and the PGA players can do is go global for scale and thank Tiger Woods for having been there. Unless of course he makes a comeback...
7
I don't think the NBA has ever regained the popularity it had in the Jordan era. The league is kind of a joke.
2
One problem is that the networks like to hype up a young player as the next Tiger, and then the young player falls short. This has also happened in tennis. Along with thinking about ourselves as having the right to pursue happiness, we also think of ourselves as being the best in the World at everything. To think less is to be unpatriotic. By assuming that we are competitive we have lost our competitive edge.
Too bad Tiger tarnished his legend so badly with his off-course indiscretions. As a result, many are glad that he has declined and is now nearly irrelevant in the game he once dominated. The odds were always that he would decline early, due to the damaging effects of long-term PED use and the immense strain a naturally thin man put on his drug enhanced body every time he swung a club so hard. PEDs turn the body to mush over time, and now is that time for Tiger. Really bad for him now that he chose to use PEDs in order to excel, as he would have been great anyway and much better off over a much longer career if he did never touched them. Ah, the wisdom that (sometimes) comes with age.
3
I am not convinced Tiger used PEDs. The heavy lifting destryoyed his swing and body for golf with or without the PEDs. With or without PEDs the lifting was all ego, not to help his game.
I love Tiger. But I think he is pretty much finished. I was in the mode of "if Tiger is not playing, I don't watch". Still am but now watch just to see professional golf swings to help my game. I don't give a hoot who wins the tournament. TV ratings speak for themselves and the sponsors who pay the big bucks. The big bucks are going away but not enough to hurt the PGA. Golf sponsorship is the game of big Republican companies CEOs. There will always be a company CEO who will sponsor a tournament just to hang with the professionals. But no Tiger, no TV ratings. Maybe when he gets older, turns 50 and makes a comeback, things will be different.
I find it a little peculiar that Woods body is breaking down so early... Seems like a Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire.
In any event... Golf started in Europe... The European tour has been playing a lot in Asia.. Why? Asia is where the money is now. Just ask the NBA... Oh and as to the "post Jordan years"... MJ has been retired a long time now... Sales of his sneakers still dwarf every active player - including Lebron James. Not even close.
In any event... Golf started in Europe... The European tour has been playing a lot in Asia.. Why? Asia is where the money is now. Just ask the NBA... Oh and as to the "post Jordan years"... MJ has been retired a long time now... Sales of his sneakers still dwarf every active player - including Lebron James. Not even close.
2
I liken what's happening in golf to men's tennis when John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors retired. It has never recovered. That has nothing to do with technical skills, it's simply that none of their designated heir apparents had any discernible personality. Golf is about to find out how that works. Again, there's never been a deeper talent pool, but when it comes to attracting the casual fan, none of these guys come close to lighting the lamp. You can tell how desperate the PGA is to anoint the next Tiger by their incessant pimping of flavor-of-the-week guys like Jordan Spieth. Good luck with that.
1
Again - that is a US centric view... Tennis is very successful worldwide... As is golf. Both are faltering in the US... Increasingly though - money flows freely. The richest sport is soccer - which has very lotter following in the US. Even cricket is becoming more and more lucrative - and most people in this country don't even know it exists.
2
Good riddance.
His boorishness, boringness, soullessness and lack of humility as a human being won't be missed.
Tiger Woods is one of the worst champions the major sports have ever had.
His boorishness, boringness, soullessness and lack of humility as a human being won't be missed.
Tiger Woods is one of the worst champions the major sports have ever had.
42
Well, that's just silly. Tiger had more impact on golf and its growth than anyone else by far. Farther than Arnie, Jack it al. When he plays, I watch, when he doesn't I don't unless I have nothing else to do. But I am changing as I realize that Tiger's days (and Phils) are over and I just better watch and learn as to the young players and the games they play. And as to his soullessness and lack of humility, well, you may be right but that is the norm with extraordinary people. Look at Babe Ruth and other great BB players. Look at Michael Jordan and his mysterious "I am going to quit BB and play BB" ridiculous charade (a cover story for his gambling on BB games). Anyway, if you wish him ill, then you will be happy to know that he is his own prisoner. No such thing as a perfect swing. Even thou he tries to find it. No such thing as a 100% winner and if you don't win you feel bad. In his case he is feeling real bad and its screwed up his head. So be happy about that.
1
Boorishness: OK, Tiger swore a few times and it got caught by the TV mics. Other players swear, too, they just don't have 24/7 coverage during a tournament.
Boringness: If you were bored by Tiger what were you paying attention to him for? If you're bored that's on you.
Soullessness: You only see him in the media. Any assessment like this is pure projection.
Lack of humility: If there is one thing Tiger has consistently shown it would be his humility. As a man with such enormous talent it would be easy for him to be arrogant but I've never seen it.
So I really don't get your comment except that you just don't like Tiger Woods.
Boringness: If you were bored by Tiger what were you paying attention to him for? If you're bored that's on you.
Soullessness: You only see him in the media. Any assessment like this is pure projection.
Lack of humility: If there is one thing Tiger has consistently shown it would be his humility. As a man with such enormous talent it would be easy for him to be arrogant but I've never seen it.
So I really don't get your comment except that you just don't like Tiger Woods.
5
At least part of his decline is based on his loss of confidence. A confidence he got through his false sense of exceptionalism. Arrogance, being a byproduct of that.
All it took was a slight wound to his self esteem and his whole game fell apart. The injuries, and layoffs, all an excuse to just not even being involved in the sport. Instead of picturing that perfect drive in his head as he steps up to the tee, he's, just not as sure anymore.
The ridiculous performance of him apologizing to a televised audience and his family after his transgressions were found out. He would have been far better off if he just admitted that he really didn't want to be married.
All it took was a slight wound to his self esteem and his whole game fell apart. The injuries, and layoffs, all an excuse to just not even being involved in the sport. Instead of picturing that perfect drive in his head as he steps up to the tee, he's, just not as sure anymore.
The ridiculous performance of him apologizing to a televised audience and his family after his transgressions were found out. He would have been far better off if he just admitted that he really didn't want to be married.
1
The break down and subsequent fall from grace of Tiger Woods makes one wonder if PED(s) played a role and whether or not the PGA turned a blind eye.
Was Tiger Woods just that good? Apparently not.
Was Tiger Woods just that good? Apparently not.
31
According to Victor Conte, the founder of the BALCO steroid lab who has spent years observing and studying the effects of performance-enhancing drugs on athletes, steroids can weaken connective tissue and ligaments and leave athletes more prone to injury.
“In the late 1990s we tested the blood of a number of elite athletes using steroids and found that a significant percentage of them were also depleted in the element copper,” said Conte, who adds that he does not have specific knowledge of A-Rod’s injury and does not know if it is related to steroid use. “The need for copper in the biosynthesis of bone and connective tissues and their maintenance is well-established. … So, while the use of anabolic steroids may increase muscle size and strength, they may also weaken connective tissue and make athletes more prone to these types of injuries.”
Also, http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=bloc/040303
“In the late 1990s we tested the blood of a number of elite athletes using steroids and found that a significant percentage of them were also depleted in the element copper,” said Conte, who adds that he does not have specific knowledge of A-Rod’s injury and does not know if it is related to steroid use. “The need for copper in the biosynthesis of bone and connective tissues and their maintenance is well-established. … So, while the use of anabolic steroids may increase muscle size and strength, they may also weaken connective tissue and make athletes more prone to these types of injuries.”
Also, http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=bloc/040303
Boy, a Tiger Woods article wouldn't be a Tiger Woods article unless someone was accusing him of using PEDs and then acting as if their view is fact.
*sigh*
*sigh*
6
Hold on a second...in your first paragraph you speculate if Tiger Woods used PEDs. OK, so far. But then you come to the conclusion that Tiger Woods apparently wasn't as good as we think he was because you suddenly considered your assumption to be true.
IOW, what evidence do you have that Tiger Woods used steroids other than your speculations?
IOW, what evidence do you have that Tiger Woods used steroids other than your speculations?
5
Unless it is a Major, no Tiger, no watch.
13
Until Tiger came along I was not much attracted to the professional golfing world, represented by men who seemed kind of pompous, self-important, wealthy, exclusive, and Republican. When I first started hearing about the black kid who was beating these guys by wide margins I watched my first televised golf match. Tiger won by 5 strokes. I was hooked. I increased my own athletics (biking, hiking, kayaking) inspired by Tiger's concentration on training.
He stood out gloriously. His imitators have reached his once unique level so that one of them cannot dazzle and beat the system and captivate viewers like me.
He stood out gloriously. His imitators have reached his once unique level so that one of them cannot dazzle and beat the system and captivate viewers like me.
22
The other number #1 golfers before Tiger were Vijay Singh, an Indian guy from Fiji, Ernie Els, a large and genial South African, Greg Norman, a handsome Aussie, and Ian Woosnam, a short and hot-tempered Welshman. None of them seem to fit your description.
9
Tiger considers himself mixed (which he is)... He doesn't consider himself "black".
Jonathan
Good point. After my immersion in the actual professional golfing world, I became aware than my erstwhile impression had been mostly wrong. I have enjoyed watching and/or hearing about those you named plus many others on the tour and have come to appreciate the athleticism and ethics of the sport. I probably should have mentioned that. Thank you for the occasion to do so now.
Good point. After my immersion in the actual professional golfing world, I became aware than my erstwhile impression had been mostly wrong. I have enjoyed watching and/or hearing about those you named plus many others on the tour and have come to appreciate the athleticism and ethics of the sport. I probably should have mentioned that. Thank you for the occasion to do so now.
1
The business of golf is in a precarious position. Television ratings for golf are likely to drop off a cliff in another generation unless young people learn to enjoy playing the game to the degree of the last two generations. That doesn't seem likely to me. The younger generation doesn't have the patience or inclination to devote half a day to play golf nor four hours to watch it on tv. Just look at the lack of growth in sales of golf equipment and the number of under utilized golf courses around the US.
17
There has to be some consistent winning on the part of top tier golfers to sustain the TV viewers week after week. The big money flows from TV rights and advertising just like the NFL. When you see golfers winning tournaments by 10/15 strokes you are no longer watching a "sport" event, just a so so golfer having a good day.
1
Golf is a dying game.
5
I agree and it's a very expensive game to play. It's costs at least $60 to $70 a round to play plus the cost of the clubs, balls etc. Not too many young kids are taking it up. The only people playing at our muni course are seniors and then only because of carts. The weekends attract a few more. The PGA First Tee is a joke- golf is just too expensive.
2
I yearn for the day when golf coverage in all media ceases to be all Tiger, all the time. There are many, many talented players on tour, whose skills and hard work are appreciated by this mid-handicap golfer, and who on a weekly basis execute some pretty amazing shots. I just watched Sergio hit one of the greatest golf shots I've ever seen: from a downhill lie in a bunker, he threaded a cut four-iron under and between trees to a spot just short of the green, whence he got up and in for par. (http://www.pga.com/news/golf-buzz/watch-sergio-garcias-unreal-sand-save-....
It appears that most casual fans watch on TV or in person to see a celebrity who may be far from the best golfer on the course that day or that week. This indicates that those fans want to see a star, not necessarily great golf.
While he may be very popular in the clubhouse, his on-course demeanor and boorish and arrogant behavior, when combined with his known personal failings (e.g. serial adultery), make him far from a golf hero in my eyes. He aspires to break Jack Nicklaus's majors record, but he has so far failed to demonstrate Jack's grace and class.
I've heard many folks say they won't watch if Tiger is absent; I won't watch if he is not.
On a side note: Dear CBS, you don't have to play obnoxious music every time you break for a commecial or display a graphic on the screen. You are making the telecasts just about unwatchable with that ceaseless racket.
It appears that most casual fans watch on TV or in person to see a celebrity who may be far from the best golfer on the course that day or that week. This indicates that those fans want to see a star, not necessarily great golf.
While he may be very popular in the clubhouse, his on-course demeanor and boorish and arrogant behavior, when combined with his known personal failings (e.g. serial adultery), make him far from a golf hero in my eyes. He aspires to break Jack Nicklaus's majors record, but he has so far failed to demonstrate Jack's grace and class.
I've heard many folks say they won't watch if Tiger is absent; I won't watch if he is not.
On a side note: Dear CBS, you don't have to play obnoxious music every time you break for a commecial or display a graphic on the screen. You are making the telecasts just about unwatchable with that ceaseless racket.
19
Yes, like in many other areas of life these days, many people pay attention to the celebrity rather than any actual accomplishment.
During the Olympics when I was watching sports such as water polo and handball where there are no celebrities and, even WORSE, the US does not dominate, many people asked me why bother? To see great athletics and a thrilling sports contest of course!
During the Olympics when I was watching sports such as water polo and handball where there are no celebrities and, even WORSE, the US does not dominate, many people asked me why bother? To see great athletics and a thrilling sports contest of course!
3
Jim Nance and his smarmy promo's for upcoming CBS programming, coupled with Gary McCord's idiotic, inane, self absorbed chattering, make watching golf on CBS unbearable.
6
On the off-chance that someone from CBS golf looks at these comments, in my opinion their golf coverage has become abysmal since their long-time producer left the program a few years ago. The incessant interruptions to analyze swings using the "Konica-Minolta Biz Hub Swing Analyzer", aka "camera", guarantees that I will hit the remote fast-foward, and that I'll never buy a Konica-Minolta product. If I want golf instruction, I'll go to my local pro, buy a DVD or watch Golf Channel. Instead of analyzing swings, how about covering the tournament, like showing more than four shots by Jordan Spieth the entire day, a player that missed the play-off by an inch or two?
13
As a player, who is able to play once a week, Tiger was the ultimate figure and foil for the golf lover along with the casual fan. Viewers not only watched to root but also root against. Similarities along the big bad Yankees, or maybe now the disliked Patriots. I had my own restaurant / bar and patrons might come in for a cocktail and with the TV on in the background would ask, "Whats Tiger doing?" trust me more then half hadn't picked up a 7 iron in years or ever. It will be tedious waters for the golf sponsors to recapture those "Lucrative years" when Tiger was the king of the golf jungle.
6
My wife loved Tiger Woods like a son (or a paramour) but she's transitioned. Dustin Johnson is now the coolest dude on the links.
5
What really does a non-golf playing fan bring to golf? Nothing.
9
Eyeballs on the tv screen, which translates into advertising dollars, which is the whole point.
1
For all pro sports today, the casual, non-playing fan is the most important. While a serious golfer will watch a televised tournament for the golf, and be a potential customer for the golf equipment advertising, a casual 'Tiger' fan will watch for the golfer, and be a potential customer for everything. Golf's advertising base expands with the casual fans, and therefore golf's TV money grows... and that's the key element in all pro sports today. Without television money, pro sports is 'pro curling' or 'pro frisbee' - an oddity on ESPN19 at 3AM. With television money the purses, salaries, and hype expand enormously, and Tiger attracted television and TV money from the first. Golf's challenge in the post-Tiger era is to find a way to keep those TV money fountains flowing, and those casual viewers watching, or fade to second-tier status again.
3
Lets see, so why do Chase, Ameritrade, Coors etal advertize?
For the eyeballs, anyeye ball is money, not golfing eyeballs, golfer or not irrelevant , except on thursday friday that is on the PGA channel not Fox.
For the eyeballs, anyeye ball is money, not golfing eyeballs, golfer or not irrelevant , except on thursday friday that is on the PGA channel not Fox.
2
Golf will be fine. Fowler, Spieth, Reed, McIlroy, and Day are just some of the young guns ready to take over the sport. When Tiger departs he will take with him the fans who were not really golf fans but Tiger fans. Much like the Jordan fans who were not really NBA fans. While this article focuses on the PGA Tour, golf is booming around the world. The LPGA with its young stars is enjoying its most popular time in history. Golf is much bigger than one man.
13
Not booming in the US.
How many back surgeries? How many "alternative" treatments? How much HGH? How much steroid treatment? Does he have some degenerative disorder?
Would like to see him win again, but he'll always have that weird perv stain on his name.
Would like to see him win again, but he'll always have that weird perv stain on his name.
8
My personal opinion is that our country is very shallow in its thinking. I have never been a Woods fan, and I never understood why he was such a fan draw, and I have always believed that a large part of it was circumstance: the right time, the right game, the right age, the right skills and above all the right name. All other things being equal, if he had not been cute and talented as a very young child, and had not been pushed onto the public stage, and if his name had been John Dooley or some non-attention grabbing name, he would have been just one of the group. But then, fame is usually a coming-together of many different circumstances. There will be many others.
5
The biggest problem for Tiger was that his father set unrealistic expectations of what he would accomplish. For all he did he fell short of his father's predictions of greatness beyond golf. Golf and the larger world will be better off without him as the star. Tiger himself will hopefully find a better personal life away from golf.
12
14 major titles is what Earl predicted as well as transformation of the game, and the most recognizable athlete/celebrity during his reign. And these things have all happened.
1
Tiger Woods was the sporting equivalent of striking oil. Fantastic wealth while it lasts, but you need to realize it won't last forever. Nobody playing today has the charisma, talent and background to draw in American audiences the way Tiger did in his prime. That's not a knock on any of these other players, just the way it is.
21
If I were advising Rory McIlroy I would tell him to shut his Twitter account immediately. There is simply no good that can come from it. As much as I love sports the inner thoughts of most athletes are insipid so why run the risk of angering people, which, when it comes to Twitter, is inevitable? Stop tweeting and play golf. That's what creates fans.
36
I think that is good advice for most of the population....
6
Agreed. The best thing he can do is shut off Twitter, and keep winning.
3
And Rory needs to ease up on the weightlifting. He already hits the ball far enough. The flexibility you have in your 20's doesn't last forever. Tiger is an example of a player doing too much on the fitness side. The golf swing eventually wears out your back and shoulders and hips. Sam Snead was competitive well into his 50's thanks to his great flexibility. I don't think he spent much time in the weight room.
My guess is that all the talk from Tiger and his camp that he was back at the top of his game was only to appease sponsors. By making those claims (though, not showing it in his play), he keeps himself relevant and paid.
4
I find this story quite laughable. The media's obsession with everything Tiger over the past 18 years at the expense of the other 150 other players on the tour in any given year has created this vacuum. The networks and the sponsors, even the Tour itself, have only themselves to blame. It is unfortunate that the Tour will suffer some short term difficulty, but it will come back. Professional golf is a great sport, and still one of the very few where true sportsmanship exists. As long as golf stays true to its traditions, it will be fine. Maybe with the emergence of future stars, McIlroy being the glarring current example, the media will learn not to put all its eggs in one basket.
28
I agree with you. However, the Tiger effect is real. Ratings and attendance rise with his presence whether he's winning or six strokes back. Without Woods, the sport's footprint is much smaller.
6
[[chouseworth
Raleigh, NC
I find this story quite laughable.]]
Yes, but you clicked and commented, so you've done your part.
Raleigh, NC
I find this story quite laughable.]]
Yes, but you clicked and commented, so you've done your part.
Right. Why would they focus on Tiger Woods when they cold have been covering Fred Funk and Duffy Waldorf?
BTW, this isn't the media's problem. If it's a problem at all it's the PGA's.
BTW, this isn't the media's problem. If it's a problem at all it's the PGA's.
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This weekend's Northern Trust PROVED that the PGA has many talented players, from 18 years old to 52-year old Vijay Singh who led this tournament (on his 52nd birthday) until a rainy deluge accompanied by WIND caused seveal of the leaders to drop a few points - but not twenty year old Hahn...he won the tournament in a 3 person playoff with Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey.
Vijay is a member of the Champion Tour, but has skills to win in both leagues..
Tiger spoiled his own play with his spoiled child attitude...these players have to recognize that they are all aging...but their own fortune will make all a winner again.
Vijay is a member of the Champion Tour, but has skills to win in both leagues..
Tiger spoiled his own play with his spoiled child attitude...these players have to recognize that they are all aging...but their own fortune will make all a winner again.
9
James Hahn was born on November 2, 1981. That makes him 33, not 20.
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