Golf Blogs and the Golf Industry

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 2, 2009 5:10 PM EST

Jon Show of the Sports Business Journal takes a deep look into the golf industry in this week's Sports Business Journal. He has a series of articles that we'll take a look at over the next couple of days here, but I wanted to start with his article on golf blogs in light of the vigorous discussion here and on other blogs about where golf bloggers see themselves going in 2009.

It's interesting to hear what people who are not golf blogging have to say about golf blogs.

Take, for example, the PGA Tour's Ty Votaw:

“Most other sports you have ‘a manager should be fired,’ ‘the coach should be fired’ or ‘a player should be benched,’” Votaw said. “You don’t have that in golf. You don’t bench Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson; it’s just ‘did he play well or not?’ (Golf) doesn’t lend itself to a lot of back-and-forth debate.”

More or less, he's right. The thing you're most likely to argue about is Phil Mickelson. I don't think there's much room for debate about Tiger's greatness. We have certainly found a number of interesting topics over the years, but there are very few true golf controversies. Though at times, we can certainly make a mountain of a mole hill.

And there are some seriously spirited debates about golf equipment and course design on the Sand Traps and Golf Club Atlases of the world.

Will Leitch, former head man at Deadspin, had this to say about the struggles of blogs pertaining to individual sports:

“The motor of online sports fandom is passion, and it’s hard to get passionate about individual participants,” said Will Leitch, founding editor of Deadspin. “This is also why tennis, swimming, NASCAR, so on, aren’t hugely popular online.”

Basically, with little geographic or team allegiance, it is tough for the sporting public to get into golf online. Makes sense. Also, it makes sense that I get a number of hits here for pics of Anna Rawson, Stephanie Sparks, Morgan Pressel, and other ladies. (I'm not offended about that, by the way.)

As a FYI to golf bloggers, the two most popular blogs inside of the golf industry are Geoff Shackelford's and Sal Johnson's Golf Observer. That's no surprise, really.

But, I was thrilled to see this part:

The golf blogs at SportsBlog Nation and Fanhouse are growing in popularity. SportsBlog Nation’s Waggle Room and a companion podcast, crafted by D.C.-based nonprofit associate Ryan Ballengee, regularly discuss off-the-course issues facing the PGA Tour and LPGA, and feature interviews with golf industry executives and members of the media.

Shane Bacon does a great job leading the charge at Fanhouse. And obviously I'm very humbled by the mention.

Anyway, do you agree with what Ty Votaw and Will Leitch said? What is the primary reason that golf blogging is behind in terms of coverage size and popularity?

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Comments

There are a couple ways to look at at

Are we talking strictly fan blogs? There are a ton of sub-niches within the topic of golf. As long as there are millions of computer-savvy golfers out there that want to improve their swings or read about new products or get more fit or debate the merits of Ben Hogan or talk about the latest happenings on Tour, then golf blogs will continue to thrive.

I personally will follow the same road I did for 2009. I think those guys might be wrapped up in the quasi-journalistic coverage type blogging. While those stated challenges may exist, there are tons of golf bloggers out there immune to periods of Tour bore.

by Double Eagle on Feb 2, 2009 6:09 PM EST reply actions

I think we have to define thrive

Jon is looking at this from the golf business perspective. That’s one kind of thrive. Another kind is simply to exist and post. Another is to have “quality” posts, whatever that standard is. Another is dependent on the size of your audience. So, let’s define that first.

Actually, I’d be curious to hear your answers to those standards – or what you think they might be. I think it’s a good topic.

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 2, 2009 6:26 PM EST reply actions

Hmmm...

I think you really have to define “thrive” as meeting the individual or company expectations for the blog, and a general stability or growth in golf blogging as a whole. I don’t think audience size necessarily counts for much because everyone’s goals and expectations are different.

Certainly, anyone can whip up a blog and start posting in five minutes and it won’t necessarily be any good and people probably won’t read it. I don’t really think hobby blogs can count in this discussion because there’s no measure of external success. As long as the person is interested, the blog thrives. Maybe they make a few bucks, but they don’t really care about the money.

You have a few of types of blogs left if you discount hobby blogs. Those that provide full-time employment, those that provide part-time employment, and those that are expected to provide full or part time employment in the future.

So, I would looking at thriving as the current trend continuing. People that are employed as bloggers (self employment included) will remain employed. People that are doing it part time will continue to do it because it is still financially viable. And of course, there will be up and comers moving up the ladder to make their blogging activities lucrative endeavors in the future.

Over time, better blogs rise to top. They develop large audiences and become lucrative. And they can come out of anywhere. Either someone notable decides to write a blog or someone anonymous develops a reputation over time.

Really, as I think about it more, I don’t see any contraction in blogging happening due to the medium or the subject matter. I think if it happens, it will be economy related. At some point, enough people will have been there, done that, that blogging won’t expand anymore. But there will always be room for good ones, the same as in any other business in the world.

by Double Eagle on Feb 2, 2009 6:53 PM EST up reply actions

Good points

Since blogging is essentially free, there’s no reason that people won’t do more of it. And since the economy is tighter, people will be spending more nights in front of a PC instead of out somewhere. That might just mean that an economic downturn means that blogging will grow even faster. Does that make any sense?

Thrive really does seem to be a relative word here. So long as they’re reaching their goals – whatever they are – then they’ll keep going. Makes sense to me.

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 2, 2009 7:18 PM EST up reply actions

Economy

With the economy tightening, I was thinking more along the lines of less monetization for bloggers as advertisers tighten up and so on. I think we might see a surge in hobby blogs, but if the economy gets worse, the pros might be stunted for a while.

by Double Eagle on Feb 2, 2009 10:30 PM EST up reply actions

Passionate blogging

First of all congrats on the mention. It is well deserved. “Thrive” is definitely relative. For me, it is mainly about watching my audience grow and finding a connection with my readers. I found Leitch’s comment on passion interesting. I think the best blogs are fueled by passion, even though that is taking his comment out of context. I think it is easy to identify those who are passionate about what they write and those who aren’t.

by realwomengolf.com on Feb 2, 2009 8:08 PM EST reply actions

I think that's definitely true

It really does shine through, though I cannot imagine doing this kinda thing if you didn’t really enjoy it :)

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 2, 2009 9:49 PM EST up reply actions

this is one a them thinkers

If I can get to it as (relatively) quickly as I got to your LPGA Commish for a Day thought experiment invitation, Ryan, I’ll be really happy. How am I so far behind only 2 weeks into the semester?

by The Constructivist on Feb 2, 2009 10:24 PM EST reply actions

Haha

BTW, I loved your subsequent answers to that question – they’re very thoughtful and thought provoking.

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 2, 2009 10:51 PM EST up reply actions

Interest, passion, and time...

I think golf can have many levels of interest and passion – players, equipment, courses (locations), Tours, business, fitness, etc…and with such a wide audience and varying levels of interest I think it’s hard to find a net big enough to capture a large following of readers.

How lucrative can blogs be? Are they making money on ads? Or do they have sponsors?

I personally like some of the hobby blogs out there that are based on personal passion or interest . But I also like to get the latest golf info – that’s why I like this blog so much!

by red tees on Feb 3, 2009 7:52 AM EST reply actions

I do think there's a place for

the hobby blog out there, particularly if they write well, with a lot of vigor. They shouldn’t be disregarded if they don’t seek to keep a Rolodex of industry contacts or attend events. I actually spotted a couple of blogs like that yesterday that I didn’t notice before and enjoyed em a lot.

As one of Geoff’s readers pointed out, head over to Golf Club Atlas if you want to see a debate between hobby writers, professionals, and historians about golf courses. That’s a fun fight to see.

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 3, 2009 9:44 AM EST up reply actions

Hobby Blogs

They certainly shouldn’t be discounted as sources of good reading (especially since my own is essentially a hobby blog that makes a few bucks ;-) ) There are some great ones out there. It’s just that in this debate, they don’t figure in to the debate about thriving because as red tees said, they subsist on interest, passion, and time, not on money or readership.

by Double Eagle on Feb 3, 2009 11:00 AM EST up reply actions

Absolutely true

If WR had to be categorized, it’d probably fall into the latter (money & or readership) but I would like to believe that I have as much interest, passion, and time as any blogger. I think my measure of success is how many people come here and get engaged in good conversation about golf news. I think that is the part I love best about this space. If I were doing this kind of writing in a more professional setting, I don’t think it would be as rewarding unless I could interact with a community like this one on a daily basis.

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 3, 2009 11:04 AM EST up reply actions

Excellent Point

Interest, passion, and time are necessary ingredients of every blog on every subject. Otherwise, it becomes a tedious bore for the writer and it comes through in the content. Then you just add money and readership for the pros to measure success by. Though, I suppose continued interest, passion, and being able to still find time are also just as important in measuring success. If those things diminish, it’s over for any blogger.

by Double Eagle on Feb 3, 2009 11:22 AM EST up reply actions

Interaction

Ryan, one of the reasons I really like this blog is because you do interact with the readers/posters – some blogs that I read allow comments, but there really isn’t ever a “discussion”. Folks that have an interest/passion or maybe a “bee in their bonnet” want the opportunity to talk through typing – that’s a definite plus in my book.

But on the other hand, there are some that I read because I like the writing style or want to find out things and really don’t need to have a conversation. But what I’ve found is that everyone likes to be appreciated – it’s nice to know that people are reading by seeing the web hits, but I bet it’s just as nice to hear it, too.

by red tees on Feb 3, 2009 11:45 AM EST up reply actions

damn skippy...

…well said, red (hey – that rhymes…am I too sexy for my shirt ?…ok – enough free association)

WR does stand out for all the interaction.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Feb 3, 2009 12:04 PM EST up reply actions

I agree

I really love that there are so many people who come here with great opinions. You all challenge what I have to say, or bring up things that I didn’t even consider. It really helps me in writing.

And, from time to time, I like to dip into those long-prose essays. It’s my chance to write out what I’ve been thinking. I try to keep them few and far between because I can get a little long winded sometimes. :)

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 3, 2009 12:26 PM EST up reply actions

Is Golf Observer a blog?

Unless I’m missing something, there is no interaction between Sal and GO’s readers. What GO really is to me at least is a golf information clearinghouse/Drudge like website that has a little bit of commentary. A blog is waggleroom, Geoff, Hound Dog, Mostly Harmless etc etc. Do any of you note what’s missing between those and GO?

by Bill Jempty on Feb 3, 2009 3:35 PM EST reply actions

Yeah

Calling GO a blog is a bit of a misnomer, though Sal does put together some blog-type features. He just doesn’t have the user comments feature on the site, though you can email him.

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 3, 2009 4:21 PM EST reply actions