Fan appreciation at PGA events

I thought I'd post this after reading through the "Is Phil Fake" thread:

I'm not a huge PM fan, but at least the guy seems to appreciate the fact that he is paid MILLIONS for doing something that the rest of us have to pay to enjoy. It may be "fake", but Phil is always slapping the hands of people who come to see him, waving at folks in the gallery, and generally seeming to be appreciative of the folks who are there.

I know Tiger is legendary for his ability to focus on the task at hand, but would it kill him to be a little more personable to the fans? And I'm not just dumping on Tiger.....in most of the tournaments I've seen in person, nearly every pro seems obvilous to the fans.

Am I the only one who thinks this?

No I understand where you are coming from, but it is their job. Do you want people to come into your work place and ask for autographs while doing your job? I know they make millions and all and should be appreciative to their fans, but I can see why they won't do it sometimes...

I understand the sentiment and truthfully golf might be a little easier to sell to the masses were golfers more open to the fans. But you have to put their performance/behavior in context. They're walking up the fairway with fans 3 deep the whole way trying to get their attention etc all the while they're trying to stay in their game because it is their job. To put it another way, can you imagine an NFL quarterback getting hassled by fans during a 4th quarter drive? No way. I tend to give the pros the benefit of the doubt.

I've attended two professional tournaments.

The first was 2007 Mark Christopher Classic at Empire Lakes (NWT). I followed Ricky Barnes and Jon Mills on their Sunday final round. While the crowd following them was small, Barnes and Mills seemed to interact with the crowd regularly and Mills' caddy even had a short conversation with a girl who was outside the ropes while waiting for a green to clear.


The second was the 2007 Target World Challenge. I followed Steve Stricker and Luke Donald on Saturday. They were in the hunt, but still found time to smile and wave at the fans. On the 18th, as they approached the green, I found a spot and watched the rest come in. The rest who came in - including the big 3 of that tournament (Singh, Woods, Furyk) waved at the crowds as they approached the green.

On tournament day's they have to be all business and concentrate on the game. Maybe try going to a practice round or better yet the pro-am day to see these guy's when things are not as tense.

the person who is most appreciative of the fans is steve williams. everytime a young kid yells at him he waves. he is also known to hand out tigers used gloves and some golf balls. hell, for all we know, maybe tiger tells steve to appreciate people and hand stuff out so he does not have to lose his focus. very cool





i dont try to get any of the pros attention because i could care less if they wave at me, im there to watch good golf and if waving and acknowledging people hurts their game/concentration, please refrain from it lol

"i dont try to get any of the pros attention because i could care less if they wave at me, im there to watch good golf and if waving and acknowledging people hurts their game/concentration, please refrain from it lol"


Well said! I think along those same lines and when I see a pro at a tournament I never initiate conversation unless they say something first and even then I keep short. At the BMW last year when the players were walking across the cart path to the first tee a couple preppy 20 year olds were making commets too almost every player and it was quite obvious some were losing concentration. A few years ago at the John Deere on the 18th hole a young mother had a young kid maybe 3-4 years old going ballistic just behind a mound behind the tee box. The mother thought she was alone scolding the kid pretty harshly and unknown to her a few hundred people and some pro golfers were waiting for her to finish- all three golfers put their balls in the tree's.

I guess it depends if you are the home team or not. Football fans are brutal especially in the fourth quarter to all opposing players particularly to field goal kickers. Basketball games are even worse. When a golfer lines up a putt, everyone is quiet. I realize that this is not what you meant, but I think that it really puts golf in context to other sports. There is no place as quiet as a golf course when someone is over a winning putt.

The one thing that makes me cringe is when I hear a professional golfer say something like "this is my office, I don't come to your office and watch you work." Give me a break. The only reason that you have a career is because the fans line up every week to come to your "office" to watch you "work". The little inconvenience of having to deal with the fans that make you famous is the price you pay not to be one of them. I don't feel sorry for them, they chose this life (and we would all trade places with them ). I think most Pros, if not all, are grateful that they can have such a career. But let's face it, not everyone that is a Tour Golfer has a public personality. I appreciate that when I see Tiger, he doesn't make eye contact with people. If he did people would go nuts. I don't think he is rude, just focused. If Tiger started cracking jokes it would get chaotic. JD can and has hammed it up as has Chi Chi, Lee Trevino and even Jack. Heck, me and my friend were sitting on a par 5 dogleg at the Seniors Championship and bam, a ball out of nowhere hits the cart path 10 feet from us. The next thing you know Jack comes up and asks if we saw his ball. I said yes, you hit the path and it is down there. He said, well I guess its a par four now, made another comment and thanked us (the ball had jumped about 120 yards past the others leaving him 80 yards to the pin). I became a JN fan that day. Now, I don't go to tournaments and expect anyone to go out of there way to do anything, but don't be a doink. I have seen that happen and then it gets ugly. Monty comes to mind and so does Rory. Be pleasant, tip your hat, and play your game.

I'm a firm believer that athletes are conditioned to ignore the fans. The ones that don't are constantly criticized when they don't win, their team fails, etc. As if saying "hello" or asking someone if they are enjoying themselves is going to effect your play. I'll give you an example:

Two years ago, a NY Met hit a game tying home run. When the inning was over, he slapped hands with about 10 fans. I know, I was there. He was crushed by the media the next day. Called a "hotdog", told to "act professionally."

Basically, I just believe that a little acknowledgement is not going to effect you. I'm not asking you to become the four girls on "The View."