tiger woods Archives • Page 10 of 15 • GolfStinks

Fans Love A Good Rivalry

February 14, 2011 | By Chris Chirico | 1 Comment

Ah…the rivalry games. You don’t have to be a baseball fan to understand the significance of Red Sox-Yankees. Just the same for Lakers-Celtics, Packers-Bears, North Carolina-Duke, etc… That list can go on and on.

There are the all-time great rivalries like those mentioned above. There are the rivalries that last for a few years while two teams are both hot. There are local or in-state rivalries that may not have a huge national impact, but mean the world to the fans of the two teams. The bottom line is…fans love rivalries.

But I just recently came across an old article (roughly two years old, the article is not dated) touting golf’s ten greatest rivalries. When I first came across this article, I felt I stumbled onto something interesting. Something that may help promote the sport to a new generation by focusing on or creating rivalries. Instead, I found the same old golf stuffiness. Seriously now…what is it about golf and golf writers that simply won’t allow the sport to advance into the future? What do I mean? Here, I’ll show you.

Moving through the list from 10 through 1:

#10 – USA vs. Sergio Garcia. For starters, this is not a rivalry. This is just a golfer who claims to dislike Americans. In return, many American golf fans dislike him. Further,Sergio Garcia is of relative insignificance. He has only two PGA Tour wins in the past five years and hasn’t won multiple tourneys since 2004. So who cares about Sergio? But, other than his comments about beating Americans and spitting in the cup…one of the reasons people don’t like him is his celebrations. I disagree here. I like the emotion. I would like to see more of it from other golfers. I’m tired of the “tip-of-the-cap.” Celebrate a great shot a little. Don’t rehearse it. I don’t want to see a T.O. But don’t be afraid to show a bit of emotion. Make the game more fun.

#9 – Pebble Beach vs. Augusta. Again, this is not a rivalry. This is like saying Yankee Stadium vs. Fenway. It’s great for comparisons sake – one is big, extravagant and new, the other quaint, traditional and full of character. But neither has anything to do with the games themselves. It would be Yankees-Red Sox even if the game was on a neutral field. Sure you could make the argument that playing in each other’s stadiums adds to the rivalry, but in golf, those two courses have nothing to do with an actual rivalry between players. They are just two courses. Albeit, two dream courses…but just courses nonetheless.

#8 – Robert T. Jones Jr. vs. Rees Jones. Once again…who cares? The average golf fan doesn’t give a crap about this. So two brothers don’t get along. OK, so it’s a family rivalry. But it has nothing to do with the sport itself. They just both happen to be golf course designers. Meaningless.

#7 – Sarazen vs. Hagen – Hey!! We’re four in and we actually have a player rivalry! It’s what golf fans care about! Although, they do only mention one match and it happens to be almost 80 years old. Otherwise…I’ll take it. They are after all, two of the greatest of all time.

#6 – Greg Norman vs. Tim Finchem – One is an all-time great golfer. The other is the commissioner. It’s two guys who don’t get along…but it’s not a rivalry! Not in the sense that I want anyway. Not only that, but it’s not exactly Pete Rose vs. Bart Giamatti.

#5 – Tradition vs. Technology – GET OVER IT ALREADY!! The game has advanced. It’s going to continue to advance. Just let it happen!! Equipment is going to become easier to use. Technology will make the game easier for some. Does that ruin the game? Of course not! Besides, isn’t it fun to think to yourself..”I know Tiger is great…but can you imagine what Bobby Jones would do with a set of Tiger’s clubs?” Oh, and by the way, “tradition vs. technology” is, once again, not a rivalry.

#4 – Jack Nicklaus vs. Tom Watson – No argument here.

#3 – Sam Snead vs. Ben Hogan – Ditto.

#2 – Arnold Palmer vs. Jack Nicklaus – My only issue with this one is, how is it NOT #1?!

#1 – Tiger Woods vs. Old Man Time – Oh…because Tiger had to be involved in the #1 ranking somehow. Sports Illustrated and Golf magazine were, of course, busy kissing Tiger’s ass. Tiger vs. Old Man Time? Are you kidding? He injured his knee!! How is that a rivalry???!!! Worse yet…how is that a better rivalry than Arnie vs. Jack?! What a joke.

See, I’ve mentioned before that I believe the PGA does a crappy job of promoting it’s players. No one, save the hardcore golf fans, has any idea who half the players on the tour are. Want to promote these players a little better? Then create some rivalries! Give us a reason to watch! Build up a match! Don’t give us a crappy top ten list that shows only four actual rivalries, and none of the current!

The PGA could do so much better…but they don’t. In the meantime…fewer and fewer people care. Fewer and fewer people take up the game. Fewer and fewer rounds are played every year. Fewer and fewer members of the younger generations show interest in the game…and #5 on the above list is part of the problem, not one of the “greatest rivalries.”

Swing ’til you’re happy…and find your own top ten reasons to do so.

Golf Course Bankrupt? Blame Tiger Woods

January 26, 2011 | By Greg D'Andrea | 1 Comment

In this recent recession, some big investment banks were rescued from a mess that company spokespeople claimed they didn’t need to be rescued from. Nevertheless, they were labeled as “too big to fail” and were pulled to safety on the public’s dime.

Meanwhile, golf courses have been buckling under current economic conditions those aforementioned banks had a hand in creating. The last five years have not been kind to courses in the United States. But recent data from the National Golf Foundation (NGF) suggests golf facilities in general are holding their ground fairly well.

A preview of The NGF’s Golf Facilities in the U.S. report, 2011 edition (which will be released in February) reveals course closures from 2006-2010 represent just 1.5 percent of courses overall. In 2010, the figure was less than half of one percent. These statistics prompted the NGF to state the following: “Considering the severity of the recession, one could argue that golf has held its ground reasonably well.”

However, despite NGF’s positive spin, the raw numbers still reveal a glaring issue: Every year since 2006, more golf courses have closed in the U.S. than have opened. For example, last year saw 107 18-hole courses bite the dust, while only 46 were born. But does the recession deserve all the blame?

Remember the days (late 1990’s and early 2000’s) when new courses were sprouting up like daisies? And these weren’t shabby municipal tracks either – many were high-end daily fee courses that featured sharp grooming and sweet facilities. I remember one such place in my area – Pistol Creek Golf Club. It was a great course (see photo at top) with a good layout, awesome grooming and a dandy club house. It opened in 2001 and closed in 2005. Why?

If you’re observant, you’ll note that the year it closed (2005) is well before the current recession even started. Even 2006, which is when course closures began outpacing course openings in the U.S., was a full year before the effects of the subprime market started taking hold. So it’s obvious golf courses have been suffering for a while – certainly longer than the current recession.

The NGF gives a clue as to why in the headline of their press release: “NGF 2010 Openings/Closures Summary – Market Correction of Supply/Demand Imbalance Continue.” Simply put, they built too many damn courses for the number of golfers out there! So the next appropriate question would be; why?

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it has something to do with Tiger Woods. Now I don’t have any data to back this up, but imagine it’s 1999 and you want to build a golf course. I’d give good odds that Tiger would be mentioned somewhere in your business plan or your pitch to the city council: “It’s this Tiger Woods, man! He’s changing the game!”

But did the golf industry over-estimate the impact of the Tiger phenomenon? Sure, he was good for the game, but perhaps his presence caused too many investors, architects and designers to jump on the bandwagon and simply overdo-it. Of course, this is all just speculation, but it seems entirely plausible.

So if the juggernaut that Tiger Woods once was compelled shiny new golf courses to be stacked upon the proverbial camel’s back, then the recession was only the proverbial straw. Golf, after all, is a luxury. And luxurious things are usually the first to go when money gets tight. Still, losing only 1.5 percent of courses over the past 5 years isn’t terrible. But it sends a clear message: “Market Correction of Supply/Demand Imbalance” is just a nice way of saying the golf industry is shrinking, not growing.

The Breaking of Golf’s Color Barrier

January 17, 2011 | By Chris Chirico | Leave a Comment

Breaking down racial barriers. Isn’t that what it was all about for Martin Luther King? So in celebration of Martin Luther King Day, why not take a look at the PGA Tour’s breaker of the color barrier?

Contrary to what many believe, know, or understand, the PGA color barrier was broken long before Tiger Woods ever hit the scene. Over 35 years earlier to be a bit more specific.

In 1961, Charlie Sifford became the first African-American to receive full PGA Tour status (In 1928, Dewy Brown was the first African-American to play in PGA Tour events, but was not given full status until the mid 1960’s). But it wasn’t until after nine years of playing in qualifiers and non-PGA Tour events, even winning one, that he was given full status. Sifford went on to win two events in his career, plus a Senior Tour victory.

But here we are, 50 years later, and almost no progress has been made on the tour, especially when compared to the other major sports in the United States.

Since the most famous sports color barrier of all was broken by Jackie Robinson in 1947, the result is that currently 1 in every 10 MLB players is African-American. The NFL color barrier was broken in the 1940’s, and currently 65% of the NFL’s players are African-American. In 1950, the NBA’s color barrier was broken and currently 82% of the league is African-American. Even in the NHL, whose color barrier was broken (albeit incredibly briefly) in 1958, about 5% of the league is African-American.

But the PGA continues to lag. Of all current PGA Tour players, only one, Tiger Woods, is African-American…and he is actually bi-racial. So where is the breakdown? Why has no progress been made? Has it actually taken a step backward? These are all questions for another time. But I will say, it’s tough to blame the PGA. Between organizations like The First Tee, among others, the PGA has certainly attempted to expand their brand, as well as the sport itself, among the African-American community.

But with February almost upon us, Black History Month would likely be a good time to spread the name of the PGA’s first man to break the color barrier. If not to help promote the game and the tour, then to help more people learn about one of the most important historical figures in golf’s modern era – Charlie Sifford.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

No Such Thing As Bad Press

January 7, 2011 | By Pete Girotto | 1 Comment

As I watch the snow fall outside and gripe about shoveling, I received an interesting news feed – It looks as if Mr. Woods has lost another endorsement; This one coming from Golf Digest. CNBC reported:

NEW YORK – Tiger Woods will no longer be writing a monthly column for Golf Digest, ending a long standing sponsorship that adds to a growing pile of dropped endorsements for the golfer. “We have decided it’s now time for a break,” Woods said in a joint statement with Golf Digest on Thursday. The decision comes on the heels of Procter & Gamble Co’s Gillette brand not renewing its contract with Woods at the end of December.

Accenture, AT&T Inc, PepsiCo Inc Gatorade have all ended sponsor deals with the golfer. Electronic Arts, however, announced this week it was planning to release a “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12″ video game”

How ’bout them apples? At least he’s got a video game going for him…oh…and his billion dollar net worth according to Forbes.com. And all that hoopla about his ex taking him for half is pretty much B.S. Rumor has it that The-Golfer-Formerly-Known-As-Eldrick has short arms and deep pockets*.

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!! Now where’s my snowsuit…?

Get Some Wings & Beer, The Final Round Is On!

December 20, 2010 | By Chris Chirico | 1 Comment

*_{Why don’t more folks gather for wings and beer while watching golf? (Photo via Pixabay)}*

It’s Sunday afternoon and Stinky Golfer Tom and I have just finished watching the Giants blow a huge lead and lose. To that I say…YAY!!!! Tom, a typical fair-weather Giants fan, does not agree with my sentiments.

But as we’re watching the games, I start to realize it’s almost every Sunday that either I have a buddy or two over to watch the football games, or I’m invited somewhere to watch them. Sunday afternoons watching the games by myself are few and far between.

But it’s not like this for other sports. I’ll get together with some friends to watch basketball once in a while. Some of the bigger rivalry baseball games will also call for the occasional gathering. But do you know what sport my buddies and I have never gathered for? Yup, you guessed it…golf. Not the Masters. Not any of the Opens. Not the Championship. Nothing. Why? Well, for me anyway, the answer is simple…because it’s boring!

For non-golfers, it’s easy to say the sport itself is boring and that’s why they don’t play. But we golfers know differently. Once we’re out there on the course, it’s far from boring. But that doesn’t mean it’s not boring on TV. I’m sorry, but it is. Golf as a spectator sport just doesn’t satisfy my appetite for competition. Watching golf live is not bad, but on TV? It’s like gathering your friends around the backyard to watch the grass grow. But what I haven’t quite figured out is, why is it like that?

I enjoy the sport. I participate in the sport. We’re watching the best of the best on the pro tour. So why do I have no interest? Why don’t I call up the guys and say “Where are we watching the final round on Sunday?” I try to think of reasons, but I haven’t come up with many:

Firstly, there’s the commentary. It’s dull. It’s too quiet and reserved. It’s….well…boring! Now I’m not saying I want early 80’s John Madden style commentary. That’s certainly not necessary for golf. But it couldn’t hurt to spice it up a bit. Change up the tone on a great shot. I don’t want to hear words like “useful” and stuff like that. That’s just become more of a joke now. If you want to draw in a younger audience (and lets face it, the current core audience isn’t getting any younger) then you have to make the sport more exciting to watch. Livening up the commentary couldn’t hurt.

Second, and we’ve touched on this before, who the hell are these guys that we’re watching? Most of the players in these tournaments are unknowns to the casual golf fan. If I don’t have a vested interest in the players or a reason to follow them, then why would I care to watch? I’d much rather just go out and play myself!

But that’s about all I can come up with. I don’t get excited to watch a golf tournament on television, whether Tiger is playing or not. At most, I check in just to see what’s going on and who’s leading. I’ll stick around for a few shots, but not much more. Apparently, my golfing buddies all feel the same.

So if I’m a participant in the sport, and my buddies are also, but collectively we just don’t care all that much about watching it, the PGA may have a potential problem on their hands in the future. Because if that’s the situation for me and my buddies, I’m sure there are all too many more like us out there.