Running 2025 golf thread

[hondo]

I've watched the LPGA off and on for 40+ years. Went to the old Birmingham Clashic a couple of times. Watched the Kemper and Dinah occasionally. Kept up during my time with the newspapers.

Hardly anything has changed for them. Everything still is a struggle -- sponsorships, TV viewing times and ratings, money, appreciation, support in cities. I suspect trying to get "volunteers" to pay for working 3-5 days at an LPGA event is insanely hard. Probably moreso for the developmental tours, similar to a KFT event.

And then you see the opening or second round TV coverage even of a significant tournament or major, and there's only a smattering of fans. Weekends? Larger numbers, but still Meh for the most part.

Put them in the men's TV time slot? Wouldn't matter. Give them a Tiger-esque person to lead the way? Annika didn't make it happen. Nelly isn't really doing it now. Two or three youngsters battling and rattling cages? Fan perspective on that: "Who? Oh, yeah, they've been getting after it. But they'll probably have a baby in a couple of years and quit the tour."

It's been however many years since the campaign, but it's sad when your PR message of the top players in the world is "Hey, we're good! Really! Come see us, we're really good!" You're essentially begging for eyes and fans, and it didn't tick the meter.

@maumann posted about the Bradenton event. How do their events in golf-hotbed Florida not get more interest? And their schedule? They have tournaments in Orlando and Bradenton to start the year. Then they're off to Thailand, Singapore (at Sentosa, of course), China and back to California.

Hey, we're starting our awesome season! We're back! Woooo, the LPGA is back ... for two weeks, and then we disappear from your radar for three weeks in Asia. And then we're in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and it's baseball season and the NBA and NHL stretch runs and ... we're barely an afterthought.

That's insane. Two weeks in Florida and then they're gone for a month halfway around the world. Great planning.

I've been told that one of the problems, and I'm not going all anti-immigrant here, but many Asian players, mostly Koreans, are very unapproachable. They're sheltered, usually by their fathers, and do absolutely everything Daddy says to do, which I'm told is a Korean thing with their patriarchy. That includes the most extreme tunnel vision you'll ever see. No dating, no fun, no shopping trips, just practice, play, train and go back to the hotel room. Many of them speak pashable to good English but some pretend they can't to avoid interviews. Then there have been accusations that the fathers yell club selection to their daughters in Korean, which is why a previous commissioner wanted to make English training mandatory for international players, which got so much push-back she dropped it. No one can do anything about the fact that most of the good female players in the world are from Asia but they could use a Tom Kim or two.

 

[HanSenSE]

No, she really didn't.

The LPGA needs to worry about getting the attention of the average golf fan before going after people outside of the tent. That's their growth area.

A little late to the party, but one could make a case that her dad insisting she only play men's tournaments hurt the tour. Finally she told dad to scram, and not only had a good career but graduated Stanford.

 

[playthrough]

Aberg wins Genesis.
As I said early in this thread……he wins a major this year.

And four wins for Europeans in the last five Tour events including the big pelts at Pebble and Genesis. Lots to shake out between now and September but Europe looks awfully juicy as a 3-to-2 Ryder Cup underdog.

 

[playthrough]

Tiger went full middle-age weekend hacker last night on TGL. Had a prolonged conversation with Kisner over who had the coin to mark the ball ("I gave it to you!" "No you didn't!"), then later hit a 99-yard wedge when the distance was 199, having heard "99" from his team and not thinking like a pro.

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Tiger went full middle-age weekend hacker last night on TGL. Had a prolonged conversation with Kisner over who had the coin to mark the ball ("I gave it to you!" "No you didn't!"), then later hit a 99-yard wedge when the distance was 199, having heard "99" from his team and not thinking like a pro.

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

Golfers are terrible actors. That all seemed very, very fake to me. Manufactured moments to put on social media. I saw an IG post about it. "What's the biggest mistake of your golf career" or some such. Engagement farming.

This sim league is mildly interesting and good to have on for a bit of background noise. It's not gonna be a big hit or anything. It's for golf junkies who like the tech.

They lose me with fake stuff like pro wrestling to generate interest.

 

[qtlaw]

Tiger went full middle-age weekend hacker last night on TGL. Had a prolonged conversation with Kisner over who had the coin to mark the ball ("I gave it to you!" "No you didn't!"), then later hit a 99-yard wedge when the distance was 199, having heard "99" from his team and not thinking like a pro.

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

Distill TGL down to what it is; you're being offered the chance to watch pros play pretend golf.

Would you watch Soto hit in a batting cage?

Mahomes throw to a screen?

Curry shoot pretend baskets?

No thanks.

 

[playthrough]

This is the beta year so it is what it is (and it's not dying anytime soon with all the money and celebs behind it, plus ESPN), but if teams aren't added next year from LIV, LPGA and maybe even some YouTubers, then they can eff right off with telling me it's anything other than another annuity for the top PGA Tour pros.

 

[Chef2]

What will happen within the next few months (except for one scenario) is the following.
PGA/LIV will come to an agreement for next year whete LIV players (select, not all) will/can play in PGA Tour Signature events. They're already in all of the majors now since we can scrap that.
ESPN will extend the olive branch to LIV for TGL.
This will be interesting because even with all of the money involved, you will have tune-out factor at some point, and interest will fade.
LIV will cease to exist within 24 months.

 

[da man]

Distill TGL down to what it is; you're being offered the chance to watch pros play pretend golf.

Would you watch Soto hit in a batting cage?

Mahomes throw to a screen?

Curry shoot pretend baskets?

No thanks.

I heard about it because I had to write a little item about CarGurus becoming a sponsor of one of the TGL teams, and my first thought was, "This is ridiculous. Why would anyone want to watch it?"

Then I came across it flipping channels one night and stopped. After a few minutes, I thought, "This is ridiculous. Why would anyone want to watch it?"

 

[Webster]

I have the Mexican Open on as I'm doing work. This is not good golf.

 

[Cosmo]

What, you don't appreciate Brian Campbell hitting an absolute forking hosel rocket and getting a member bounce to stay in bounds then somehow making birdie to win his first PGA Tour event?

 

[playthrough]

Not exactly top-shelf play today but this is one of the best darn golf images I've seen in a long time. The journeyman and his longtime girlfriend, and a life-changing moment -- a very nice respite from the usual parade of Tour wives with perfect little kids.