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Do You Pay To Attend A Golf Tournament?

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Travelers Championship (photo by Bröder Media Group on Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

This weekend I attended the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands for probably the fourth or fifth time.  And for the fourth or fifth time, I attended without forking over any money.  As a matter of fact, so did a few other co-workers as well as some of my company’s clients.  So that got me to wondering, how many people who attend golf tournaments actually pay to get in?

I would imagine that I’m somewhat in the minority.  But when I know I never paid to attend, the people I brought with me also didn’t pay to attend and, honestly, I can’t think of a single friend or family member who has ever paid to attend, then the minority probably isn’t so minor.  So for a golf tournament, is the gate more of an afterthought?  Now I have no idea how a tournament actually runs, but I would think with sponsorship money, then yes, it probably is.  I would imagine the gate is almost like a bonus.

Now I came across the tickets because the company I work for provides the tournament with some items they use in their off-the-course events and tents.  We give them a pretty hefty discount, and in exchange we get tickets and parking passes.  But the tournament is still paying us a good amount of money AND giving tickets away, not really “making” money.  In total, the tickets I received along with a parking pass, were valued at roughly $235.  Now I understand this isn’t The Masters, but still….that’s not exactly chump change.  And I was only one of several people in or associated with my company to receive tickets and parking passes.  I’m sure other companies do significantly more work with the tournament than mine does, so I would think they receive more tickets and passes than my company as well.  So considering all of the money that goes into everything surrounding the tournament, not too mention the $6.5 million dollar purse, how can they afford to let all these people in for free?

Well, maybe they don’t care about the gate.  Maybe they just want people there walking the course.  Maybe they just want the crowds to look good on TV and they’re willing to sacrifice the gate to make everything else look nice.  I understand that because I think about myself.  I love playing golf, but I’m not much of a fan of watching golf.  So chances are slim that I’m going to pay to watch it.  And when you consider it’s going to cost me a minimum of $39 to get in the door before you factor in parking, food and drinks, the chances drop to almost zero.  And double the ticket price if I want to get into a sponsors club!  Now compared to some larger tournaments, this may not seem like much.  But again, for someone who doesn’t watch golf to begin with, that’s no small amount.

But there’s one aspect where I’m going to give a lot of credit to the Travelers.  I’m not sure how many other tournaments do this, but they let all kids, 15 and under, in for free.  I like this for two reasons – 1. When most places have a “kids free” thing going on, it’s 12 and under.  So they’re extending this by three years.  2.  Allowing kids in for free is more motivation to bring your kids along and expose them further to the game.  In order to keep this great game alive well into the future, we need to keep the kids interested.  And if you can do it for free, then you have no excuse not too.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

The "Excitement" Of A Golf Tournament

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This past Friday I had the opportunity to attend game three of the Heat vs. Celtics playoff series.  It’s been a while since I’ve been to an NBA game, and even longer since I’ve been to a playoff game.  I forgot how much fun it is.  The intensity of the crowd, the players, and not too mention the game itself.  It’s a great experience and lots of fun.  It’s also something that’s missing from golf.

Now I’ve been to golf tournaments, but never a major.  So I may be a little off in my view here.  However, I have to say, in comparison to even a regular season NBA game, there is simply no comparison. 

Part of the draw for fans to any sporting event is how much fun and how exciting it is going to be while there.  And even though it’s not my favorite sport, a basketball game is where it’s at action-wise.  I love football, but there’s a lot of down-time.  I read somewhere once that, on average, a two-and-a-half hour baseball game has less than ten minutes of actual game play.  So you can see how baseball could be a little too slow moving as well.  But both of these pale in comparison to the “excitement” of a golf match. 

Talk about slow moving. I love the sport of golf, but watching it?  I’ve had people tell me they’re not interested in going to a tournament unless it’s free.  I’ve even had free tickets that people have refused!  If someone hands me tickets to a football, basketball or baseball game…count me in!  And that goes the same for most sports fans I know.  But golf? All of a sudden people have to mow their lawns.  They have some work to do around their house.  Or they have a birthday party to attend.  What’s the deal?

Well, when you take a sporting event at which half the fun of attending is going to the beer tent…you can see the issue here.  The excitement of standing still and being as quiet as possible, while absolutely riveting for some, is mind-numbing for others.  How do you talk someone who’s not really a golf fan into going to a tournament?  “Hey, it’s gonna be great!  Over-priced beer, sub-par food, wander around the course for a while and stand quiet as a church mouse.”  Yeah…good luck. 

I understand why people have to be quiet during the shots.  I also understand that the draw to a golf tournament is seeing the best of the best.  But that doesn’t make me want to attend a professional chess match!  So I guess I can understand why people feel the way they feel about a golf tournament. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not one of these people.  I will attend a golf tournament if I have the opportunity to do so.  I like the sport.  I want to see the guys who are the best at it compete.  But I can also understand how people find it dull and unentertaining.  Especially when you compare it to a sport like basketball where there is non-stop action and the only down-time is between quarters and during time-outs.            

So with that being said, I encourage everyone to at least give a tournament a shot if you haven’t before.  I plan on doing this myself in a couple of weeks at the Travelers Championship here in CT.  It’s only about 10 minutes from my house, so how can I pass it up?  Now, I’m just waiting for my boss to pony up a few tickets…    

Swing ’til you’re happy!
                

Why Don’t We Tailgate For Golf?

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I don’t know about you, but to me, going to a football game goes hand-in-hand with tailgating. I almost feel that if I go to a game and I don’t tailgate, somehow I’ve missed out on something. As a matter of fact, it’s been a good five or six years since I went to a game and I didn’t tailgate.

But to clarify, I don’t get the chance to go to many games, so it’s not like I’m a tailgating pro. On the contrary, a few times my buddies and I have managed to turn our big day into a comedy of errors! But, it’s still a good time nonetheless.

But it’s strange how tailgating seems to go only with football. For instance, I’ve never tailgated at any baseball game I’ve ever been to. Same for basketball, hockey,etc… Why is that? Is it a parking situation? I think that might have alot to do with it. It seems for football games,I’ve parked in lots. But for all other sports, I’ve been in a parking garage, took a train to the game or parked on the street somewhere. None of these are really conducive to tailgating. But you know what sport is? Golf.

Think about it. When you go to a golf tournament, the opportunity to tailgate is tremendous! Here in the northeast, golf season occurs during grilling season anyway, so the weather is probably on the nicer side. Also, I’d say that chances are you’re not parking in a garage, taking a train in, or parking on a busy city street. Any golf tournament I’ve ever attended had me parked in a large field/lot…perfect for tailgating!

So why has tailgating never taken off with golf? If it’s such a fun tradition for football, then why not find the time to do it during a summer sport as well? I think I may try to start up a little something new next year. The Travelers Championship will be taking place in the area next June. Maybe instead of my buddies and I bringing just a pair of comfortable sneakers, we’ll pack up some burgers, dogs, a grill and a few brews!

Maybe we can start a new tailgating tradition. A summer tailgating tradition. Maybe we can start up a whole new trend! And hey, even if it turns out to be not all that great, it sure beats being stuck inside paying $7 for a beer and $6 for a pathetic looking burger wrapped in aluminum foil, right?

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Golfers Dressing the Part

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This weekend, the PGA Tour passed through Connecticut with a stop at TPC River Highlands for the Travelers Championship. Through a connection at my job (not my wife’s for a change!) I was able to grab a couple of passes. So I took one of my boys and gave him his first taste of professional golf.

We spent a few hours wandering the course on Sunday, stopped at some greens, sat at a few tees and watched from the fairway sidelines. But all along, I couldn’t help but notice something other than the golfers and their shots.

I noticed, and found it strange, that it seemed like so many of the people there to watch the tournament looked like they were about to step out on the course at any second! I mean, I don’t think I’ve seen so many shorts (yes, I know the pros don’t wear shorts) and polo’s since the last time I walked into Golfsmith! Now I understand that a golf outfit, for many, is no different than their everyday wears. But I still found it to be almost comical. I swear I even heard the clicking of spikes a few times!

I began to try and equate it to other sports. I thought of the last time I went to a baseball game. I don’t recall anyone dressed in full baseball garb. Of course you see team jerseys spread throughout the crowd, but that’s about as close as it comes. I also stopped to remember the last basketball game I attended. Same thing…a few jerseys sprinkled throughout the crowd, but nothing more. But at a golf tournament, any one of these guys could have walked down the fairway, and no one would have known the difference! But thinking even further, I begin to recall my trip to the CT Golf Expo where I witnessed the same thing!

But anyway, what I also found to be quite interesting was the difference in the dress of these golf fans. Looking at the older crowd, I noticed more of the classic golf look – plain, khaki shorts and classic, or old-school, polo shirts. But looking at the younger guys, I see more of a casual style – cargo or plaid shorts with an untucked polo. Of course, there’s always that group of the younger guys who look like mannequins that just stepped out of some combination of GQ Magazine and a pro shop. Those guys kill me. They look like they couldn’t possibly be more uncomfortable…and they’re just watching!

So what is it about golfers? Why do golfers dress the part when they’re just there to watch other golfers? Worse yet, why do golfers do this when they are just wandering through countless demos and product booths? Are they just trying to show everyone that they are golfers? Is that like doctors wearing their white coats to to a conference about the latest advances in brain tumor treatments? Or carpenters dressing like they’re on the job each time they walk into Home Depot?

I don’t know, maybe these things do happen and I’ve just never paid attention before. But, I guess as long as people are playing the game and paying some attention to it, then what does it matter how they’re dressed?

Swing ’til you’re happy!

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