What will new Tour CEO mean for majors? Plus, latest Ryder and Walker Cup team news, Old Course work ahead of next Open, Tiger and Fred hit The Patch, slowing down other sports, This, That and Reads.
"A sports/business executive is a person who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." Thank god for the (non-PGA) Majors. The rest of pro golf is mostly nauseating. As a West Australian I watched a lot of the Women's PGA to cheer Minjee. But it was like watching slaves die building the pyramids in the hope that the goodie survives. Small recompense. When and why did pro golf become so joyless?
As a believer in the Neil Howe "Fourth Turning" thesis that the world only revitalises following collapse and crisis - I kept thinking of TS Eliot:
“And the wind shall say: 'Here were decent Godless people:
The sports psychologists have turned professional golf into a soulless sport. There is no joy emanating from these players. Sure the winner gets excited, we all do, winning a dollar from our buddies. When is the last time you saw a player gratefully acknowledge the fans(got to stay in the zone). These are no characters for the fans to identify with ( ignore the w. Clark asshat) .T. Hatton being an exception. Remember Harold Hennings wave? Tigers fist pump? Anyway just one observation. P.s. at least the women smile.
I agree, but I’d amend your comment to say the “hack” sports psychologists are the problem, or perhaps the way that players are taking on their advice. No good psychologist is going to tell you that you’ll play better golf if you suck the joy and gratitude out of your game. I think the money at stake now in the men’s game is probably as much to blame as anything.
Thanks Geoff, the great greedy landscape known as golf. Already overpaid, whiney, conceited, prone to temper tantrums and almost robots except for a couple of players. Oh let’s add in exceptional slow play as we analyze from every angle only to look at the club or ground in disgust that the ball doesn’t do what they want. Yep I’m sure Mr Football and private equity can only help. 🤭.
The only thing I hope he brings to the table is a shot clock. It has definitely helped baseball. Let’s cross our fingers. I’ll treat you to a fake hug and pat on the back per LPGA policy if it happens.
It really is something to behold watching all of these obvious issues not be solved and written off even, largely in the name of coddling player egos or protecting Acushnet bottom line or as one giant FU to fans. Even TV people for years disagreed about slow play because they could mask it. But now that they are regularly missing their windows by huge margins and the days are absurdly long, so maybe they will speak up.
"...overdressed men wearing shiny watches and pointing at dirt..." This description says more in nine words than most paragraphs and is one of the funniest and most perceptive phrases I've ever read, sports writing or otherwise. It's Mencken-esque. Twain-ish, with a dash of Jenkins. I literally L(d)OL. As to the new NFL suit, the fight I'd pay to see is a match between him and anyone from Augusta, including the cleaning lady (or gentleman) in charge of the Crow's Nest. No contest.
Love the shades in the "Fred and Tiger" picture! Notice Ridley's open body language and Tiger's closed body language. Probably reading too much into it, but it says a lot
Joe Ogilvie, boy genius from Duke, knows stuff about business! So did Wayne Levi, who was well known for his Wall Street acumen during his glory years. Levi won eleven times on the PGAT (Ogilvie won once) and played in the 1991 Ryder Cup but in twenty years never played in The Open. How is that? Anyway, the PGAT is on its way to Flush City (Kohler type) and has no clue. Ditto for the PGA of America but that is another story. Still, we have the Majors and a few international team events to care about. So we got that going for us. Which is nice.
Great dissection and not letting these organizations get away unquestioned. Yet other than the fight about rolling back equipment, which is not really happening, I have read nothing that will change the direction golf is going and that is similar to Tennis. The upside as it is now and the comments add to this, is very limited. In fact the only thing that would change anything now is ending the civil war which would at least bring the depth back to many more events. But the designated events have been a disaster.
Yep I don’t see much happening either other than after a week like last one where the issues were so blatant. Even the Travelers going to threes after a tiny little thunderstorm passed through showed what has to be done to get the round in for TV in the 4:15-for-twosomes era.
Well this is depressing. I can only imagine how this new sharp-elbowed suit is going to approach equipment regulation. A new line of pga tour branded spring-loaded drivers?
It ought to get really interesting around here because the NFL is the sports/media bully in the industry. And now the PGA Tour is going to be run by one of its acolytes. Only problem is the boys at the major championships aren’t going to be pushed around, especially at Augusta. I wonder if the commercial load on these telecasts are going to get better or worse. We all know where that’s headed.
Yes it will be fun to see the outsider try to tell Augusta he wants compensation for using his players, if indeed that’s the kind of revenue generating nonsense they pursue. More ads seems likely but they have cut back at CBS and telecasts are better for it. I’m mystified by the lack of creativity in finding was to get impressions for sponsors without over showing commercials.
Thank you for another excellent issue, from a Quadrilateral Brit. Concerning the impact of equipment on baseball and tennis, do you know if the equipment manufacturers reacted negatively to change? Did Slazenger and Yonex resist the change in tennis? It would be interesting to find out.
I watch tennis and golf, although I stopped playing tennis decades ago. Equipment ads are all over golf broadcasts but not so much in tennis. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an ad for tennis balls. I probably have but didn’t notice. Like golf, speed data is all over tennis broadcasts but I don’t get the sense of messaging that I too can hit a 130 mph serve if I use the same racket as Sinner. Unlike golf, where the players are pressured to change models annually (because we recreational players also need to upgrade), top players in tennis use the same racquet for years. Golf equipment is big business. Tennis seems more of a cottage industry. You only need 1 or 2 racquets, shoes and apparel. And the balls are disposable.
I’ve investigated the ball changes at the Grand Slam events and it is quite a secretive thing, which suggests some industry ire or discomfort about the topic. But nothing like what we deal with in golf. Plus, they got their way on racquet size. Of course the golf manufacturers routinely get their way and still complain, lie, and take clubs to the edge of conformity at the possible risk of a violation like we saw at the PGA.
Colin Dibley had the biggest serve in all of tennis history, more than fifty years ago (clocked at 148 mph), with a standard issue Dunlop racket that is the exact analog of the MacGregor driver Big Jack used for all but perhaps the last of his 20 Majors, And IIRC the 3-wood that hit the ball around the corner of the 13th in 1986 was the same club he was using 25 years before that. At the highest levels tennis still has room for artistry of all kinds. Professional golf would do well to pay attention, because their current artistry is the exact analog of AI generated pictures.
I really enjoyed doubles and mixed doubles in person at Indian Wells this because it felt like there was some incredible shotmaking (but also ridiculous plotting before each point that took way too long). As with golf and the driver, it would be fun to see how a slightly smaller racquet head changes things (if at all).
I’m probably overdoing this comment thread but the type of tennis ball in play probably conveys more advantage than in golf, where all elite players use high performance balls with similar characteristics. In tennis, slower balls favor certain players. Arthur Ashe talked about Wimbledon using slower balls the year he beat Connors in the finals. Connors had routed Ashe in the Queens final before Wimbledon, with balls Ashe termed “Slazenger bullets.” Connors hit harder than everybody else because of the T2000 racquet, so fast balls gave him a real advantage. Geoff: the Grand Slam’s secrecy may be less about the manufacturers and more about the players. How would Sampras have responded if they took away his serve and volley advantage at the height of his career, rather than after he retired.
Not at all, because as you note there are a lot of parallels (and also a huge difference given the relative cost and meaning of the tennis ball compared to golf). I did sense that the ball stuff was kept quiet because they didn't want to be seen targeting a player even though it was obvious to anyone that the sport was dull and had quickly become one-dimensional just a few years removed a far more artistic game. And I didn't know that about Connors. Which is ironic because it was his late career tennis that was so dynamic to watch because he wasn't about power and still used a smaller racquet. There was nothing quite comparable to those Connors night matches at the U.S. Open!
"A sports/business executive is a person who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." Thank god for the (non-PGA) Majors. The rest of pro golf is mostly nauseating. As a West Australian I watched a lot of the Women's PGA to cheer Minjee. But it was like watching slaves die building the pyramids in the hope that the goodie survives. Small recompense. When and why did pro golf become so joyless?
As a believer in the Neil Howe "Fourth Turning" thesis that the world only revitalises following collapse and crisis - I kept thinking of TS Eliot:
“And the wind shall say: 'Here were decent Godless people:
Their only monument the asphalt road
And a thousand lost golf balls.”
Roll on Portrush.
Slaves did not build the pyramids in Ancient Egypt.
ok, like watching peasant farmers die
The sports psychologists have turned professional golf into a soulless sport. There is no joy emanating from these players. Sure the winner gets excited, we all do, winning a dollar from our buddies. When is the last time you saw a player gratefully acknowledge the fans(got to stay in the zone). These are no characters for the fans to identify with ( ignore the w. Clark asshat) .T. Hatton being an exception. Remember Harold Hennings wave? Tigers fist pump? Anyway just one observation. P.s. at least the women smile.
I agree, but I’d amend your comment to say the “hack” sports psychologists are the problem, or perhaps the way that players are taking on their advice. No good psychologist is going to tell you that you’ll play better golf if you suck the joy and gratitude out of your game. I think the money at stake now in the men’s game is probably as much to blame as anything.
Gordon - Spot on.
Thanks Geoff, the great greedy landscape known as golf. Already overpaid, whiney, conceited, prone to temper tantrums and almost robots except for a couple of players. Oh let’s add in exceptional slow play as we analyze from every angle only to look at the club or ground in disgust that the ball doesn’t do what they want. Yep I’m sure Mr Football and private equity can only help. 🤭.
The only thing I hope he brings to the table is a shot clock. It has definitely helped baseball. Let’s cross our fingers. I’ll treat you to a fake hug and pat on the back per LPGA policy if it happens.
It really is something to behold watching all of these obvious issues not be solved and written off even, largely in the name of coddling player egos or protecting Acushnet bottom line or as one giant FU to fans. Even TV people for years disagreed about slow play because they could mask it. But now that they are regularly missing their windows by huge margins and the days are absurdly long, so maybe they will speak up.
And thanks to Peter for the T.S. Eliot quote.
Geoff was the interchangeable usage of Rolapp / Rolaff a mistake or were you trolling us? Either way, bravo.
"...overdressed men wearing shiny watches and pointing at dirt..." This description says more in nine words than most paragraphs and is one of the funniest and most perceptive phrases I've ever read, sports writing or otherwise. It's Mencken-esque. Twain-ish, with a dash of Jenkins. I literally L(d)OL. As to the new NFL suit, the fight I'd pay to see is a match between him and anyone from Augusta, including the cleaning lady (or gentleman) in charge of the Crow's Nest. No contest.
Love the shades in the "Fred and Tiger" picture! Notice Ridley's open body language and Tiger's closed body language. Probably reading too much into it, but it says a lot
The photos definitely look that way but thankfully the vibes are much better in the video.
Very distracting read with the constant misspellings of the new CEO's name. I started to wonder if there were two people and I was missing something.
Sorry about that.
Grow the effing game until you just can’t stand it. Frisco might just be the field to plow for that harvest.
Joe Ogilvie, boy genius from Duke, knows stuff about business! So did Wayne Levi, who was well known for his Wall Street acumen during his glory years. Levi won eleven times on the PGAT (Ogilvie won once) and played in the 1991 Ryder Cup but in twenty years never played in The Open. How is that? Anyway, the PGAT is on its way to Flush City (Kohler type) and has no clue. Ditto for the PGA of America but that is another story. Still, we have the Majors and a few international team events to care about. So we got that going for us. Which is nice.
Great dissection and not letting these organizations get away unquestioned. Yet other than the fight about rolling back equipment, which is not really happening, I have read nothing that will change the direction golf is going and that is similar to Tennis. The upside as it is now and the comments add to this, is very limited. In fact the only thing that would change anything now is ending the civil war which would at least bring the depth back to many more events. But the designated events have been a disaster.
Yep I don’t see much happening either other than after a week like last one where the issues were so blatant. Even the Travelers going to threes after a tiny little thunderstorm passed through showed what has to be done to get the round in for TV in the 4:15-for-twosomes era.
Well this is depressing. I can only imagine how this new sharp-elbowed suit is going to approach equipment regulation. A new line of pga tour branded spring-loaded drivers?
God only knows (RIP)
Nothing would surprise me!
Geoff ... you mentioned Tom Fazio is involved with the Patch project ... only mentioned. Are you biting your tongue/keyboard?
It’s ceremonial but still ridiculous since he’s but exactly Mr. Public Golf or particularly noted for his work in the affordable golf world.
How does the saying go? Give Fazio an unlimited budget and he will exceed it?
That was the saying for a long time!
It ought to get really interesting around here because the NFL is the sports/media bully in the industry. And now the PGA Tour is going to be run by one of its acolytes. Only problem is the boys at the major championships aren’t going to be pushed around, especially at Augusta. I wonder if the commercial load on these telecasts are going to get better or worse. We all know where that’s headed.
Yes it will be fun to see the outsider try to tell Augusta he wants compensation for using his players, if indeed that’s the kind of revenue generating nonsense they pursue. More ads seems likely but they have cut back at CBS and telecasts are better for it. I’m mystified by the lack of creativity in finding was to get impressions for sponsors without over showing commercials.
"...try to tell Augusta he wants compensation for using his players..."
And just wait until ANGC requires Masters invitees to use a 'shorter' golf ball.
Thank you for another excellent issue, from a Quadrilateral Brit. Concerning the impact of equipment on baseball and tennis, do you know if the equipment manufacturers reacted negatively to change? Did Slazenger and Yonex resist the change in tennis? It would be interesting to find out.
I watch tennis and golf, although I stopped playing tennis decades ago. Equipment ads are all over golf broadcasts but not so much in tennis. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an ad for tennis balls. I probably have but didn’t notice. Like golf, speed data is all over tennis broadcasts but I don’t get the sense of messaging that I too can hit a 130 mph serve if I use the same racket as Sinner. Unlike golf, where the players are pressured to change models annually (because we recreational players also need to upgrade), top players in tennis use the same racquet for years. Golf equipment is big business. Tennis seems more of a cottage industry. You only need 1 or 2 racquets, shoes and apparel. And the balls are disposable.
Thank you, very interesting.
I’ve investigated the ball changes at the Grand Slam events and it is quite a secretive thing, which suggests some industry ire or discomfort about the topic. But nothing like what we deal with in golf. Plus, they got their way on racquet size. Of course the golf manufacturers routinely get their way and still complain, lie, and take clubs to the edge of conformity at the possible risk of a violation like we saw at the PGA.
Colin Dibley had the biggest serve in all of tennis history, more than fifty years ago (clocked at 148 mph), with a standard issue Dunlop racket that is the exact analog of the MacGregor driver Big Jack used for all but perhaps the last of his 20 Majors, And IIRC the 3-wood that hit the ball around the corner of the 13th in 1986 was the same club he was using 25 years before that. At the highest levels tennis still has room for artistry of all kinds. Professional golf would do well to pay attention, because their current artistry is the exact analog of AI generated pictures.
https://presearch.com/images?q=colin%20dibley#view
I really enjoyed doubles and mixed doubles in person at Indian Wells this because it felt like there was some incredible shotmaking (but also ridiculous plotting before each point that took way too long). As with golf and the driver, it would be fun to see how a slightly smaller racquet head changes things (if at all).
I’m probably overdoing this comment thread but the type of tennis ball in play probably conveys more advantage than in golf, where all elite players use high performance balls with similar characteristics. In tennis, slower balls favor certain players. Arthur Ashe talked about Wimbledon using slower balls the year he beat Connors in the finals. Connors had routed Ashe in the Queens final before Wimbledon, with balls Ashe termed “Slazenger bullets.” Connors hit harder than everybody else because of the T2000 racquet, so fast balls gave him a real advantage. Geoff: the Grand Slam’s secrecy may be less about the manufacturers and more about the players. How would Sampras have responded if they took away his serve and volley advantage at the height of his career, rather than after he retired.
Not at all, because as you note there are a lot of parallels (and also a huge difference given the relative cost and meaning of the tennis ball compared to golf). I did sense that the ball stuff was kept quiet because they didn't want to be seen targeting a player even though it was obvious to anyone that the sport was dull and had quickly become one-dimensional just a few years removed a far more artistic game. And I didn't know that about Connors. Which is ironic because it was his late career tennis that was so dynamic to watch because he wasn't about power and still used a smaller racquet. There was nothing quite comparable to those Connors night matches at the U.S. Open!
I recommend you submit this issue as an example of your excellent and exceptional and exciting and educational reporting.
I recall the comment of Bobby Jones after the 1965 Masters-“ he (Jack Nicklaus) plays a game with which I am not familiar “.