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Every Golf Tournament Could Be An All-Star Game

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So we all know by now that the NFL’s Pro Bowl has become more of a side-show than an actual competitive game.  Defenses haven’t really shown up since 1998.  Star players opt out.  Super Bowl players don’t participate.  The rules are changed to make the game “safer.”  It’s a sham really.  It’s bad football, but it’s still football nonetheless, so I usually watch.

Like any all-star game in any sport, the potential is there.  It has the chance to be such a great game!  How could a game featuring all of the league’s best players at their respective positions not be fantastic if played as hard as the game should be played?  But with the risk of injury, the changes in rules and lazy play, it becomes just the exhibition game that it actually is.  But all of the pieces are there…it’s just missing that meaningful game feel.

But this is an area where the PGA Tour has a leg up on every other major sport.  They have the ability to put together an “all-star” lineup at every tournament if they would simply shake-up their tournament schedule a bit. 

I’ve said it several times before, but the PGA Tour needs a real championship at the end of their season.  Enough of the money leader.  Enough of the ranking system that no one understands.  The players need to battle it out on the course.  And if there was a smaller, more streamlined schedule in which players were required to play in order to qualify for the championship, then every required tour stop would result in a star-studded field.  If this was the case you’d have to imagine the TV ratings would rise, as would the gate.   

But you can’t expect every player to play all of the tournaments, right?  Of course not.  Only a certain amount of the stops would be required – maybe in the 15-20 area.  The rest would be their choice to play either for a shot at the purse, the chance to make some more money or just to keep the competitive juices flowing.  But certain stops would be required to qualify.  Play all of the required stops and you play in the championship.

The point is, the PGA Tour has the ability to field an all-star game every time out.  What if every meaningful tournament featured all of the top players on the tour?  No one skipping out on tournaments because if they did, they wouldn’t qualify for the championship.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t watch golf on TV very much…but an idea like this would certainly get me more interested.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Nike Golf’s Dynamic Duo Party Put On Hold

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If that picture to the left doesn’t speak for a look of frustration, then I don’t know what does.  It’s not that they’re in trouble, but let’s just say Nike’s new dynamic duo is off to a bad start.  After promoting Tiger and Rory leading up to their first tournament together as the brand’s stablemates, things couldn’t have possibly gone worse for Nike.  Once both were sent packing before the weekend, questions immediately began piling up.   

Now I know there are simply Nike-haters out there.  Many people call Nike bullies, say that they make an inferior product or that they charge too much money simply because they can, not because the product is worth it.  Those people have got to be laughing their butts off right now.  But it’s certainly a bit early to write them off, no?

I think Nike had a couple of ideas in bringing on Rory.  More than just signing the current top player as well as what should be considered the future face of the tour, I’m sure they also know that Tiger’s skills and dominance are certainly fading.  So now’s the perfect time to transition the face of Nike golf from Tiger to Rory.  Tiger put Nike Golf on the map, and now it will be Rory’s job to keep it there.  In the meantime, while Tiger is still one of the top players, why not get the most out of both of them while they can?  But when both fail to make the cut in their first tournament, one can see how many would begin to question the Nike product, especially when Rory has already supposedly tossed aside the Nike putter and gone back to his old one.

But one tournament is certainly not enough to judge anything.  It’s not like either of them hasn’t missed a cut before.  And they certainly will miss more.  It’s simply the timing and the fact that they both missed the cut in the same tournament.  So what do you say we give them a little more time.  But if this somehow becomes a pattern, then you can start to say that something is wrong at Nike. 

Swing ’til you’re happy!             

Is The Demand For Tiger Woods Waning?

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About a year ago I was first made aware of the “appearance fee” some golfers (in this case Tiger Woods) will charge just to show up to a tournament.  I was on the fence about the idea at the time, and still am a year later. 

Back then I wondered whether this was a good idea.  I wondered if the tournament could be taken seriously if you have to pay players just to show up.  But I also wondered, if the PGA is never going to put together a meaningful tournament schedule with the ultimate goal being a season ending championship, would this be a good idea for many smaller tournaments with the intention of drawing bigger crowds?   One would think it could certainly help.  But if events from last week are any indication, maybe some tournament organizers are shying away from this practice.

Tiger Woods’ game may not be what it once was, but the name still carries much weight.  Having Tiger at your tournament would obviously draw bigger crowds therefore collecting more at the gate.  But how much is he going to cost?  And will his asking price be worth it?  Apparently, the organizers at the Qatar Masters have decided no, it isn’t worth it. 

Tiger Woods wants $3 million just to show up to the tournament.  So whether he gives a half-hearted effort or not, he gets that money anyway…even if he doesn’t even make the cut!  So maybe Qatar just doesn’t see the value in Tiger anymore. They’re not willing enough to shell out the money to have the game’s most polarizing figure there. 

I’ve heard it mentioned that a country (or state) as small as Qatar can’t afford to spend that type of money for one player.  But this is an oil-rich country with one of the highest GDP’s per capita in the world.  They can afford it.  So what then?

Maybe they really don’t see the value anymore.  Maybe they don’t want the media baggage that comes along with Tiger.  Maybe they simply don’t want to shell out the money for a guy who may not want to be there to begin with.  Maybe a trend is starting…

Swing ’til you’re happy!             

Do Golfers Know Bo?

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Last week I got into the idea of the multi-sport athlete being a golfer.  But I really focused that on the idea of an athlete from another sport taking golf as their “other” sport.  So what about a golfer becoming a multi-sport athlete?  Could a PGA Tour pro make it in another sport?  Well, I guess that would partially have to do with what the other sport is.  But at the same time, there are reasons why I would have to say the answer is, quite simply, not a chance.

It’s not that I’m of the school of thought which believes golfers are not athletes, because I do believe they are…to an extent.  However, I do also believe that it most certainly does not take a finely-tuned athlete to be a professional golfer.  After all, just take a look for yourself.  But if you look at the athletes in some of the other major sports, you can see the conditioning, strength, durability and endurance shining through.  By comparison, most golfers look like they couldn’t handle a day of practice in another sport. 

Take a look at this list of multi-sport athletes – if you were to scroll down to the golf section you’ll find one name – Babe Zaharias.  The only other sport on the list with only one athlete listed is Netball…and I’m not even sure what that is.  So that should be your first clue.  Otherwise, I remember back when John Daly first began making a name for himself, the Indianapolis Colts had talked about possibly bringing him in for a tryout as a kicker, but that never actually came to fruition.   
But another reason I believe there are no multi-sport athletes in golf is due to the fact that golf is just too hard of a game to master.  Do you think a player can make the tour if they spend half of their time playing or practicing another sport?  I don’t care how superior an athlete you are, I just don’t see that happening without dedicating just about every waking hour available away from your other sport to golf. 

But as mentioned last week, with all of the money and big contracts floating around, another Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders is not realistic in this day and age.  But imagine what a multi-sport athlete could do for golf, especially if it was primarily a golfer who took up another sport.  At the very least, it sure would put a dent in that “golfers aren’t athletes” argument.

Swing ’til you’re happy!       
  

Can You Stomach The Belly Putter Argument?

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Ah, the belly putter.  Throughout generations of golfers and golf fans it has been a lightning rod of controversy.  No greater battle between two schools of thought has ever been documented.  Families have been divided.  Friendships dissolved.  Countries have gone to war.  World powers have crum….OK, I’m going a little overboard.  Actually, I’m going way overboard.  As is the heckler getting on Keegan Bradley’s case. 

So let me try to understand this.  Most people haven’t given much of a crap about the belly putter in the past.  It was more of something to poke fun at than anything else.  Maybe some hardcore fans look at it differently.  But to the average or passing golf fan, we don’t really care.  It’s within the rules, so it’s fine. 

But now the belly putter will be banned in a few years, so suddenly anybody using one is a cheater.  Well, at least according to the heckler.  But this reminds me of a similar situation a couple of years back involving Phil Mickelson.  Quite simply, if the rules allow it, then it’s not cheating. 

Like it or not, the belly putter is a part of the game and, for the time being, it is allowed.  So to heckle someone for using it and to call them a cheater is not only rude and uncalled for, but it’s just plain stupid.  Now, if Bradley tries to sneak one into a tournament three or four years from now when they are banned, then you can say what you want.  But until then, to refer to him as a cheater is insulting.  I mean, we’re not talking about a corked bat here.  We’re not talking about steroids or PED’s.  We’re talking about a golf club that is entirely inside the lines of the golf rule book. 

Me personally, I don’t care.  If it’s in the rule book, then it’s OK with me.  If he’s cheating, then he’s cheating.  But that clearly isn’t happening here.  So let’s not insult him like he’s doing something he shouldn’t be doing.  It certainly isn’t the gentlemanly thing to do.

Swing ’til you’re happy!               

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