PGA – HOW TO BRING BACK THE FANS
As a fan of the PGA, I may be an anomaly.
I love watching golf not just on Sundays, but on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, too.
I enjoy the small tournaments, all the way through to the majors.
Even European Tour golf is not beyond my scope.
And, I’ll even do it with or without Tiger Woods in the mix.
But, that’s just me.
I love the game and even enjoy looking at the quiet, natural settings where most events occur.
This is not the case for many other Americans, as TV ratings for most PGA Tour events are down to their lowest levels in decades.
America’s participation in golf is slacking too.
There may be several reasons for the PGA’s decline, but one probably includes the fact that golf is perceived as being outdated or boring.
There may simply be a generation gap.
It got me to thinking… In order to drum up new interest, I propose that we find new ways of making the game of golf more fun for fans to watch.
Why don’t we mix up the traditional and predictable way of playing and have pro golfers add some non-customary amusing variations of the game like these:
1. All Caddies must tee off for their golf pro on one hole (but no more than once), before the cut. The hole would be chosen by the golf pro.
2 .Golfers actually get to use 1 mulligan (but no more than 1) during the tournament, on any day or any hole they choose.
3. Any golfer who tells the best joke on the Saturday of the week during the golf tournament, as voted on by Twitter fans, gets to add 100 yards to his 1st tee shot on Sunday.
4. For those risk-takers: If a player can pull off a “trick shot” on 1 hole during the tournament, it will be considered a hole in one on his scorecard. If, however, the golfer fails to make the trick shot, he will be assessed a double-bogey for that hole.
5. Instead of sponsors awarding a car for a hole-in-one at some tournaments, $50,000 is donated by the sponsor to the charity of the golfer’s choice.
6. During every tournament, John Daly gets to choose the pants any player of his choice wears on the Saturday of play that week. But, he cannot repeat the same player in that year, or the same pants.
7. For one par 5, 500+ hole during a tournament, players will be barred from using their drivers. The tournament director will determine which hole.
8. If a player hits into the rough more than once on any given day, someone from the gallery has to bail him out. The other player or players in the grouping will decide which person will do the bailing. But, the person must not be a professional in the golf industry.
9. For one hole during each day of the tournament, each player has to play the entire hole from their non-dominant side (and only use their original clubs).
10. For those players who miss the cut at any tournament during the year, each will be required to do the Miguel Jimenez warm-up routine (including the cigar in the mouth) in its entirety on camera.
11. If a player gets an “albatross” during the tournament, he can choose to remove from a player’s bag in his grouping any club of his choice for the day (except the putter).
12. If a player scores a triple bogey during his round, he has to use a range ball on the next hole.
13. Whichever player’s ball in a grouping is farthest from the hole on the putting surface, the player has to dance the “Nae Nae”.
14. For a player who wins a tournament, he gets to heckle (in a friendly way) the player of his choice during the next scheduled presser event.
15. During each tournament, one bunker must be set up for a player to hit a target from the tee. If successfully pulled off, it is considered a hole in one. (Suggestions include a dunk tank with Bill Murray in it; a basketball hoop; or safely designed exploding target.)
So, do you have any other suggestions? Let’s hear them!
Tweet me: @holt_shelly
Sources :
Wall Street Journal - A Game of Golf? Not for Many Millenialls: http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-game-of-golf-not-for-many-millennials-1406159228
Sports Business Daily - PGA Tour viewership numbers tumble across all network partners: http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2014/12/08/Media/PGA-Tour-viewers.aspx
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