Why Pro Golf Is In Trouble (& It's Not Because of Tiger)
by Ryan Ballengee on Jan 26, 2010 4:03 PM EST
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PrintThe current meme being floated around in golf circles is that the sport is in serious trouble. The 11th hour miracle of acquiring a title sponsor for the Torrey Pines event aside, much doom and gloom has been cast on the sport in light of Tiger Woods' self-imposed absence from the sport.
In fact, the Wall St. Journal published a piece today entitled "PGA Tour Feels Absence of Tiger Woods From Golf." The article talks about the blow that Woods' absence may have on the sport in the short term. But the title is misleading because it explores the realities that the sport has to face other than the fact that Tiger Woods will one day leave the game - either today, next year, or ten years from now.
As Jerry Foltz and I were saying on last week's podcast, golf needs to prepare now for a future without Tiger Woods. Simultaneously, golf needs to cope with the reality that globalization of communications and the sport are barriers to the game's prosperity.
The WSJ article pointed out that the average audience for golf is less now than in '99 - near the peak of Tiger's popularity in our culture. That '99 number, though, was actually less than the average audience from 1994. Translation: Tiger had a big impact on the sport's popularity, but even he could not stem the tide of a shrinking audience.
Part of that has to do with the fact that Americans have more entertainment options than ever. On TV alone, many Americans get in upwards of 100 channels through cable or satellite providers. Network TV - particularly on the weekends - is just another option on the docket. In other words, there is little incentive to remain on network television. Distribution of network TV is still to the largest audience possible, but with a wide variety of options, most Americans will look elsewhere rather than accept what is broadcast over the air.
The PGA Tour's 15 year deal with Golf Channel for early round coverage actually turned out to be a decision made ahead of its time. The Tour has an established place for its coverage - something the networks and ESPN cannot provide. The proliferation of single sport or single league networks is an indicator that the future of content is in customization, not generalization. Massive TV audiences for commonplace events will become a thing of the past. There are simply too many options for someone with a clicker in their hand.
Simultaneously, there are way more channels through which to interact with golf than ever. Social media, broadband delivery of audio and video, and the proliferation of constant content through blogging mean that the golf world needs to change the way that they view reach and ROI. Though it is difficult to monetize - and therefore measure - these new delivery methods, they will be crucial for the future of golf and sport in general. Golf will have to continue to find new ways to reach consumers.
At the same time, the golf world is falling victim to its own aims for globalizing the growth of the sport. This is especially true in the professional game. The stock example is unfolding before our eyes over the next few weeks. The competition for best players between the European Tour's Desert Swing and the PGA Tour's continental start is a telling example of how globalization can hurt (and help) the game.
With ultra-powerful management group IMG taking ownership of so many big events around the world, they are likely to have a lot more sway over where premiere tournaments are staged. After all, they can guarantee prize money and appearances by their clientèle. With the development of a 90 minute golf program done in conjunction with the European Tour, IMG is tipping their hand that the sport is in their hands in many ways. They single-handedly have the resources to stage their own Tour featuring their players with their sponsors and their tracks. And they have the media savvy and reach to get it in front of millions around the world.
The European Tour especially trusted IMG (and Octagon, too) to create a global schedule that brought in great talent on a regular basis. IMG did just that. Where IMG is not present, the lack of buzz and contrast in field depth is apparent. Usually when IMG is not involved, the PGA Tour has a decisive edge. For someone like Scott McCarron to complain about IMG client Anthony Kim's loyalty to the Tour exhibits McCarron's lack of understanding about where the real influence lies in the game.
Ultimately, a lack of central influence and authority in the sport actually hurts the game. It has created a turf war, largely fueled by the notion of appearance fees, that fragments the sport's ability to present a consistent global schedule of excellent events. Instead of competing for the same resources (i.e., players), the sport will have to find a way to identify how best to present its global talent while still being able to showcase its developing or declining talent in a meaningful way.
Call in the Champions Tour Plan. The PGA Tour is still searching for a way to market adored talent that is on the decline and aging. It is still searching for the hotness that the Champ Tour experienced when Arnie and Jack were the winning headliners. Now, the PGA Tour and European Tour may need to conference on how to keep golf hot on a weekly basis instead of competing for global attention.
For golf to succeed in the future at a professional level, it needs to find a way to present a united front in a world of fragmented delivery methods. If it can agree to do that for the USGA's motto of the good of the game, then the future of professional golf can be healthy - if not stronger than it is now.
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If IMG controls the talent and the venues of the events, then they are guiding golf towards a future not drastically different than boxing.
In fact, pretty much everything you write in this article reminds me of the path the Sweet Science went after Mike Tyson had his troubles.
That’s a great analogy, OMP. In fact, perfect.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroomryan, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Jan 26, 2010 5:35 PM EST up reply actions
OMP
I spent 11 years in the ring and have been involved with the boxing community for a loooong time and Boxing is quite Alive and Well. In golf the “Fringe Fans” made up part of the audience because of Tiger. In boxing the “Fringe Fans” are those that only watch boxing when the Heavy weights are on. The core audience for boxing is alive and well worldwide. The TRUE boxing fan watches all weight classes and supports Golden Gloves as well. This is a golf blog so I won’t carry on too much but, in England , especially Manchester, almost all fights are Sold Out, to crowds of 30,000 or more and the same holds true in Germany, Italy, and the Chech Republic as well as many other countries. ALL Fights that take place in Las Vegas no matter what the weight class are always sold out albeit usually 10,000 as thats the most the MGM and Mandalay Bay will hold seating wise. As for Mike Tyson, he was just another good fighter that had his heyday and when his trainer Cus Damato died, that changed his entire life. The UFC and Ultimate fighting has taken away a little of boxings core audience, but very little. Now back to the golf gang. ;o) jumpn / progolf / the wrecking ball
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
Boxing may be "alive and well’ but in the US, compare how many times a week boxing is on television versus MMA. Most people couldn’t tell you a single boxing champion or contender, heavyweight or no. On the other hand a lot of people certainly know the names of Brock Lesner, Chuck Lidell and Kimbo Slice, among a few others.
Boxing may retain a core audience, but that plays exactly into my point: it has lost the mainstream and the core is so small relative to the popularity that it once enjoyed that it is now for all intents and purposes off of the map in the cultural landscape. Golf is in danger of suffering the same fate.
by Charles Boyer on Jan 26, 2010 4:50 PM EST up reply actions
I still don’t understand this focus on the peak of popuarity. Nothing ever stays popular forever. Even the Beatles and Elvis declined with age. Tiger took golf to new heights of exposure, popularity, and money – but expecting that level to maintain indefinitely is not rational. At some point, there has to be a drop off to a maintainable level before growing again…or falling. Depending on a peak is inviting a crash. Enjoy it while it lasts – but be ready for the slide back down.
Unfortunately, we don’t learn this lesson very well.
Interesting thought on the boxing world. You don’t want a company having control over who is allowed to play tournaments. The tournaments probably wouldn’t be fixed, but the field would be. Talented players not under the corporate flag would be kept out.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Yeah, that’s why I wrote this. To peg golf’s success (or demise) on Tiger is inaccurate and dishonest. It’s a much larger issue.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroomryan, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Jan 26, 2010 5:36 PM EST up reply actions
Boxing on TV OMP
“ESPN Friday Night Fights” hosted by Teddy Atlas 44 out of 52 weeks per year. “HBO Boxing After Dark” usually hosted by Lennox Lewis is on second Saturday of every month at N/C. “HBO PPV Boxing” is on once a month. “Showtime Championship Boxing” is on the first saturday of each month at N/C. Showtime also hosts one PPV each month. The Versus channel has boxing on at least once a week. Also, “ShoBox the Next Generation” is on Showtime once a week and I could go on. OMP " you also stated that Most people couldn’t tell you a single boxing champion or contender, heavyweight or not. That might be true , however those same people couldn’t name one golfer other than TIGER or PHIL or maybe Ernie. jes sayin. “stay thirsty my friends”
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
Lennon a lummox
as a boxing announcer. But, man, did he handle Tyson.
Remember Sly Stallone’s line after the first Tyson-Holyfield bout: “Holyfield should only fight vegetarians.” Classic.
once again...
Read what I wrote:
“compare how many times a week boxing is on television versus MMA”
The answer is “a lot less.”
by Charles Boyer on Jan 26, 2010 6:37 PM EST up reply actions
True OMP
But remember, Professional Wrestling got a lot of face and TV time as well and it was short lived. Boxing goes waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back before golf , before wrestling, before UFC and as a matter of fact before almost every sport, with the exception of Roman Wrestling. At the end of the day BOXING is still around and always will be , with or without Ali, Foreman, Tyson and my good friend Arturo ( Thunder ) Gatti, RIP
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
Boxing has been ruined by
the fact you could have 5 champions at 1 wieght. Don King ripped off so many as well. Watching the UFC, you get non stop action and the politics in boxing has become unbearable. Great champions in boxing are still there to marvel at, but the total fighting in the UFC is far more exciting to watch…even the missus likes it too !
In most industries now, "niche" is the buzzword...
Specialization is where the money is now. That’s why most mega-companies seem to struggle while newer and smaller companies jump in and become successful. Add to that all the new outlet options Ryan mentioned, and you’re looking at a brave new world that very few know how to exploit. The Internet has made it possible for an unknown to become known worldwide in a very short period of time.
I don’t think the golf market has declined so much as the recognized outlets for golf are losing ground. Just one example of where I think we’re missing the boat: Ryan mentioned “broadband delivery of audio and video” as one of the alternative delivery systems today. While Sony and others are talking about 3D broadcasting and such, relatively low-resolution broadcasts are all that most people can reliably receive online. The equipment for such transmission is pretty inexpensive, and a delivery system to a worldwide market (the Internet) is already available. But has anyone even considered creating a web-based broadcast station that would provide coverage of tournaments that aren’t available elsewhere?
The money to be made in niches may be less upfront, but it also requires less upfront cash… just a little imagination.
Mike Southern
www.ruthlessgolf.com
I think we’ll enter into the new world of “mini-conglomerates” – where a company has a sprawling presence, but in very small chunks.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroomryan, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Jan 26, 2010 5:42 PM EST up reply actions
That's the basic idea behind "affiliate marketing" that's so popular now, after all...
Make small quantities of money from a large number of sites. And if the big guys aren’t willing to do the juggling required, smaller entities will probably step up and claim the pie for themselves.
Mike Southern
www.ruthlessgolf.com
by Ruthless Mike on Jan 26, 2010 5:47 PM EST up reply actions
the sky is falling, the sky is falling...
Ryan says:
For golf to succeed in the future at a professional level…
In the days between superstars (Jack to Tiger), professional golf did just fine. It was in a gently slopping valley, not the steep-faced canyon plummeting to the bottom. Today, somewhere in the world, a child hit a golf ball for the first time. That child has the potential to move the sport even higher than Woods.
How does it feel to live on the edge of fear, Ryan? You’ve chosen golf journalism as your career, so I understand your desire for continual unlimited growth. But as you stated in your piece, golf media is in flux. I think that fact is irrelevant. What is relevant is that there will always be women and men with the talent and desire to tee it up week after week in pursuit of the number one ranking. As long companies think they can increase market share by sponsoring tournaments, professional golf will succeed, it will survive.
Cue Gloria Gaynor.
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
Diane, I can't speak for Ryan, but...
I don’t think anybody should fear for the future of golf… it’s just a question of who’ll be in charge. If the big guys falter, some small guys with a vision will just step in and reshape the whole thing. That’s the same in every industry these days, don’t you think?
Mike Southern
www.ruthlessgolf.com
by Ruthless Mike on Jan 26, 2010 6:17 PM EST up reply actions
I think you have really mistaken what I meant by that line. Golf today is drastically different than the era of the big three. Yes, the sport is basically the same, but how people experience and interact with it is very different. And, like anything these days, is in a constant state of flux. Golf needs to be able to respond to the reality that the way media and society were in the era of Jack and Arnie is long dead. Golf will figure it out in time, but it should be PROACTIVE not REACTIVE.
Your vision of golf’s certain future doesn’t take into account just how quickly sponsorship and marketing is changing. My day job is to be a social media manager. That job didn’t exist anywhere 2 years ago.
And, for the record, journalism is not my current career. Maybe my desired career but I’m not now.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroomryan, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Jan 26, 2010 11:44 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I just re-read the title of this piece. It says “Pro Golf” as if all tours are behaving identically when it comes to social media. The FUTURES Tour is entering at least its third year making use of whatever the latest “hot app” happens to be. That Tour may not be on the tip of everyone’s tongue, but a lot more people are familiar with the product today than a few years ago because they’re making an attempt to be on the leading edge.
The LPGA has also adopted social media as part of its marketing strategy. Even Bivens understood the value of connecting directly with fans, without the media filter. So, both women’s tours in the US , including many players, are using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and whatever else to stay connected.
What you really meant to say was PGA Tour, right?
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
Young Guys
Is there any young guys, whether it be from college, or somewhere else in the world, that you guys have heard of that could generate some excitement for the game of golf when Tiger is gone? I’m not saying they have to replace Tiger, cause that will never happen, I’m just curious if there’s someone who could generate somekind of buzz around the sport when Tiger is gone.
If you look at the history of the game...
A new talent shows up about every 10 years. My guess is that he’s already playing, we just haven’t seen him bust through yet.
Mike Southern
www.ruthlessgolf.com
by Ruthless Mike on Jan 26, 2010 6:18 PM EST up reply actions
Actually, I'm thinking Pros...
Could be either one, but I think it’s going to be someone like Ishikawa, McIlroy, Lee, Fowler, or someone their age already on the big stage. Tiger made it a bit earlier than most; historically, the “next big thing” has been near their mid-20s when they broke through. Those guys still have some time yet.
Lee stumbled a bit in 2009, but I think it’s temporary. I’m really liking all four of those guys I named.
Mike Southern
www.ruthlessgolf.com
by Ruthless Mike on Jan 27, 2010 4:26 PM EST up reply actions
I don't think that the speculation
about the future of professional golf is much different than the speculation as to where Tiger is, or the speculation as to the marriage, or speculation about what exactly happened or most of all….. speculation about when he will be back. It’s all been created by UNCERTAINTY. What if Tiger had died when he hit the tree? What would have happened to the PGA? Would it have just stopped and reorganized, while waiting for the next ONE…..I don’t think so. Golf would have continued, probably in some form, not much different than the way it is now. Golf and the PGA are bigger than any one person.
The Saints are in the SUPER BOWL....WHO DAT!
Tennis.......
like golf is a niche sport. at one time tennis was more popular than golf world wide, and may be again soon. The Davis Cup was bigger than the Ryder Cup. Laver, Rosewall, Connors, Borg, McEnroe, Evert, Navratilova, Graf, Seles, et al. grew Tennis to a pantheon that it could not sustain. Now as a cyclical fact, tennis is not quite where it once was as far as popularity. The game has great champions, and is played at a very high level, but it is just well….different. Equipment/technology has changed the sport just like um……Golf. Golf has transitioned in that direction, and the purity of the game has been sold for shock and awe. As for all the getting along without tiger talk, the rumbling you hear right now is the sound of golf without a dominant, exciting figure. As far as the general public who watch which ever sport is popular and exciting at the moment; “These Guys are Good” really means "who are these guys. So, the true golf fans will have their hallowed game back, and it will return to it’s place in niche’dom, and that aint all bad. TGC will continue pairing down its staff (firing useless commentators). Heck maybe professional golfers will learn (again) to play for championships, instead of just cash. Pride over pounds, or euros, or whatever. I miss golf, in it’s truest form. I miss the rivalries, the battles. Yes, i miss tiger, but he moved golf into unfamiliar (in more ways than one) territory, and golf seems uncomfortable. Players lost hope of beating the guy, and settled for fame and forturne. The “true golf fans” certainly are uncomfortable with the attention, and the ahem…….modernization of their beloved “game”. When golf became a big money sport, and much more than the game of kings. Golf as the story suggests is now being taken over by the money men, who could give a damn about the spirit of the game. Cash rules everything around them, and the game must conform to the bottom line. Bottom line. I suggest golf is like NASCAR. The good ole boys are gone, Earnhardt, Allison, Yarbrough, Petty, and now the names are Montoya, Hornisch, Gordon, Busch, and a bunch of other “outsiders.” The true race fans have to root for people who are unfamiliar to them. Such is golf. Can you "true golf fans adjust to the new golf. It will never return to it’s former self, and you will never see the game you knew and loved again. Golf is a sport now, and the game is cash.
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Jan 26, 2010 8:30 PM EST reply actions
F's & G's......Haven't heard from you in awhile........my, you sure saved up a lot of words......lol
The Saints are in the SUPER BOWL....WHO DAT!
Individual countries tours (PGA,Euro,etc)
will have to bow to a world tour eventually, it will best determine the best players. It’s a natural evolution other sports are doing or have done that are played worldwide. It might take another 10 years, but it’s enevitable.
easing:
Over there on TGC you’ve got a World Tour disciple.
PBA
Once upon a time the Professional Bowlers Association was a regular part of ABC sports programming, I believe it was on Saturday afternoon. The PBA Tour moved from city to city. The very well respected Chris Schenkel anchored the broadcast with Nelson Burton Jr. The PBA moved from ABC to ESPN, then to ESPN 2…. I don’t know if it’s on regularly anymore. I don’t fully understand why bowling lost it’s network TV time. I’ve sensed a certain complacency here about the potential decline of golf. It’s like, “No big deal, you can’t be popular forever.” I wonder if MLB or the NFL feel that way?
It's just the cycles thing again, Ping...
Did you see ABC news last night? Bowling got several minutes of airtime. Let me bring you up-to-date real quick, then say what I think it says about golf.
I guess it was 2 or 3 years ago, the Women’s PBA folded and it was decided that the women should be allowed to compete with the men. Fastforward to Sunday (and I’m happy to say I was watching when it happened): The first woman to win a men’s event made it a MAJOR! She didn’t back into it, either — she bowled a 265 to seal it. Kelli Kulick won the 45th Tournament of Champions.
There’s going to be a little buzz around the PBA now. Whether the powers-that-be capitalize on it or not, we’ll have to see.
It’s the same way with golf. It gets big, then it falls off, then something happens and it surges again. Like Diane said, it’s just natural cycles. As long as a core audience remains, and they can find a way to keep up with the sport, it’ll survive the low spots and then, without warning, BOOM! It’s the big thing again.
You don’t sense complacency so much as confidence. There will need to be some innovation before we get the next big push — that may come with the Olympic golf buildup, a bonafide rival for Tiger, or something else — but the dedicated fan base is too big and the available technology is getting cheap enough and widespread enough for golf to find a way to survive and thrive. Everything is going to have to resize because of the economic situation; this has been coming for 15-20 years now, but people just ignored it because credit was plentiful. The current economic struggles aren’t a sign of flagging demand, just a shocked reaction to an ignored reality. We don’t need panic, just innovation.
Mike Southern
www.ruthlessgolf.com
by Ruthless Mike on Jan 27, 2010 4:44 PM EST up reply actions
Tiger & Golf
As the tournament begins at Torrey Pines, several pro’s have gone on the recond saying in effect golf needs Tiger Woods, and that includes last year’ winner and Phil Mickelson. In fact other than here on waggleroom, I haven’t read anything suggesting the Tiger Woods is not important. It reminds of a joke Joey BIshop told: A man comes home and find his wife in bed with another man. He looks at her and says, "Are you going to believe me our your own eyes? I know it’s a bitter pill for many here to swallow, but Tiger IS important, like him or not…..
I don't think anybody thinks Tiger isn't important...
A lot of people are just tired of heaing nothing but rumors about Tiger. When you get tired of hearing about something over and over, the natural human reaction is to say “Who cares?” That’s all I think it is.
Plus, it may be a way of dealing with Tiger’s absence. My own thought has been that it’s all up to Elin. If she leaves him, I suspect Tiger will show up at the Masters; but if he has a chance to save the marriage, we may not see him until next year because it will take all his attention to “patch things up.” (An admitted understatement, but I can’t think of an appropriate phrase right now.) For some folks, it’s easier to deny that golf needs him to think about the game without him.
Mike Southern
www.ruthlessgolf.com
by Ruthless Mike on Jan 27, 2010 4:51 PM EST up reply actions
A lot revolves around that word "important"
there’s also the “will golf survive” thing… Of course golf will survive, but a great deal of money will be lost in his absence. According to the AP, there would have been 1000’s of more people at Torrey Pines today with Tiger in the field…Of course it will be pointed out that without the Buick sponsorship, it would be unlikely Tiger would have been there anyway. But let’s fast forward to the Accenture World Match Play that’s a few weeks away. Accenture was one of the first to cut Tiger loose, so he’s not going to be there. Turns out Phil won’t be there either. The attendance and the TV ratings will define what “stars” mean to professional golf.
No argument there, but that IS the point...
It’s the potential for profits that everybody’s nervous about, not golf itself.
Mike Southern
www.ruthlessgolf.com
by Ruthless Mike on Jan 27, 2010 7:01 PM EST up reply actions
You both make good points..
I think it depends what kind of golf fan one might be. I probably play 80-100 times a year, all weathers. Here in Britain, on TV, I am lucky enough to see golf from all corners of the globe and look forward to the majors every year. Some fans who watch golf have never tee it up. Do they love the game ? I don’t think they do, otherwise they would play the game. They love following the winner. Ratings, purses, Tiger this and that, “oh we need him” is not golf. That is economics. As we all know, that is never stable for long. This “panic” some seem to have about Tiger not playing is really irrelivant in the long term. Golfers, who are fans, like myself who play all year, love the GAME. I marvel at Tiger’s skills, but I couldn’t care less what the PGA tour thinks or the European tour for that matter. I want the pro game to prosper, but frankly if the winning purse was half of what it was that would be no bad thing. And when broadcasters lick Tiger’s spikes just because he got an up and down and he’s 10 off the lead on Sunday, because the networks want it, I switch off. They have a responsibilty to show all the top 20 that day and they have failed. Now we have greedy pros who say ’we need Tiger" because appartently, winning 3 million dollars without winning might become 1 million without Tiger. Those pros, TGC, Nike and anyone else that makes money off the back of Tiger remind me how Don King used boxing for his own ends. Golf is fine thank you. It is the people that run the tours for their own ends who are rotten. Golf is bigger than any player or any tour and will go on as long as the human race does. No need to worry.
Exactly! Very well said.
100 rounds per year and all the golf on the telly you can handle? How do I get your job, Easingwold?
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
yeah but,,,
who’s gonna save golf from the sharks, and turn the tour(s) around. Us recreational golfers will always have the game, but what we see on the old telee is not the game or competition we want. It’s a popularity contest, and a promo op. There’s blood in the water, and the taking over of the tours is going to make things worse. Golf is going through growing pangs, and if it doesn’t watch out, it will go through a serious recession. Good or bad. Then maybe we’ll see who the true Pros. are. TGC’s emergence as the televised home of golf does not help either. imho.
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Jan 29, 2010 12:25 AM EST up reply actions
What Phil Really said, part of his statement
His statement was ::::: Mickelson says he’s had limited communication with Woods’ family over the last two months.
He says while no one can replace Woods, golf still has a lot to offer and he hopes to get into contention quickly to "provide some excitement of my own."
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
Phil also stated:
Phil Mickelson says no one in golf can fill the void of Tiger Woods and the sport needs its No. 1 player to return.
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
That's right PG...
Everyone on the planet has drunk the Tiger “kool-aid”…
it might have been Kool-Aid. It certainly wasn’t the Tiger Gatorade… ;-D
Mike Southern
www.ruthlessgolf.com
by Ruthless Mike on Jan 27, 2010 6:57 PM EST up reply actions
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