PGA Tour/USGA Growing the Game?

[raffcat57]

New here and my first post with some random thoughts and questions....

Wondering if the PGA Tour/USGA really wants to grow the game, at least in the US, then.....

• Why have a tour stop in Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Cancun? Hypothetically speaking, If I'm a parent in the states and have a kid interested in golf then I have to fly him/her to Bermuda, PR or Cancun to see a pro tournament?
• Why, again, do they have back to back US Opens scheduled in Pinehurst? This is coming from someone who lives one mile from the #2 clubhouse. This is only a money saving venture by NBC/USGA, nothing more. There are countless cities across the US that would kill for the Women's US Open but they choose to have back to back Open's here.
• Why does Augusta National not allow the Women's Am to play all three rounds at Augusta National?  I mean if your mission statement says 'grow the game' then why can't you give up your course for one whole week instead of just a practice round and the final round?
• 2022 Women's Open at Pine Needles.... Again, from a fan point of view, what was with the practice range setup at Pine Needles?  It was chopped up into three different sections, each divided by a large group of trees and building, which you had to walk around though heavy weeds and pine needles to get to the next section. On top of that no where to sit and watch them practice? Watching them practice is a great place to take a breather from the heat and get close to them to see them work on their game.

[iacas]

5 hours ago, raffcat57 said:

• Why have a tour stop in Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Cancun? Hypothetically speaking, If I'm a parent in the states and have a kid interested in golf then I have to fly him/her to Bermuda, PR or Cancun to see a pro tournament?

No, that doesn't make any sense to me. The vast majority of PGA Tour stops are NOT in Bermuda, Puerto Rico, or Cancun.

The counter-argument makes more sense: if the PGA Tour only hosted events in the same old places, how does that grow the game? By playing in Bermuda or Puerto Rico, they showcase not only the game of golf to residents of those areas, but they also show the kid in Columbus, OH (who can attend the Memorial every year) where the game of golf can take you.

5 hours ago, raffcat57 said:

• Why, again, do they have back to back US Opens scheduled in Pinehurst? This is coming from someone who lives one mile from the #2 clubhouse. This is only a money saving venture by NBC/USGA, nothing more. There are countless cities across the US that would kill for the Women's US Open but they choose to have back to back Open's here.

I don't think that's a true statement at all: "This is only a money saving venture by NBC/USGA, nothing more."

I think it was exciting to see the women play the sport on the same course as the men, and the women players have almost all said, universally, that they loved that U.S. Open.

Also, as you know, the USGA is moving their second (I bet it will become their primary) home to Pinehurst, so… it makes sense to host their national opens there more often, not at "countless cities across the U.S."

5 hours ago, raffcat57 said:

• Why does Augusta National not allow the Women's Am to play all three rounds at Augusta National? I mean if your mission statement says 'grow the game' then why can't you give up your course for one whole week instead of just a practice round and the final round?

Seriously?

Thirty years ago women by and large (except some occasional guests) didn't play ANGC at all. Then they allowed Condi Rice and others to join, then they created an event solely for the women. This has all happened in the last five years, but now you're complaining that they're not doing enough to "grow the game" because they're not playing all three rounds on the course only a few days before the Masters tournament?

And ANGC was instrumental in reviving and making Drive, Chip, and Putt what they are — where a hundred kids all get to show up and walk around Augusta National and meet Adam Scott and so on, and chip and putt and drive at Augusta National.

But, yeah, shame on those green jacketed people. They're not nearly doing enough to grow the game!</sarcasm>

5 hours ago, raffcat57 said:

• 2022 Women's Open at Pine Needles.... Again, from a fan point of view, what was with the practice range setup at Pine Needles?  It was chopped up into three different sections, each divided by a large group of trees and building, which you had to walk around though heavy weeds and pine needles to get to the next section. On top of that no where to sit and watch them practice? Watching them practice is a great place to take a breather from the heat and get close to them to see them work on their game.

Ummmm, okay. How does watching the range "grow the game?"

My hunch is that if you're super interested in watching LPGA Tour players (USWO players) practice or warm up, you're already into the game.

I've seen kids at golf tournaments. Except for getting autographs here and there — which female players tend to be GREAT about doing — kids don't care about the range. They want to see players hit shots, get carried around on dad's shoulders, eat some ice cream, maybe get a ball after a player putts out with it on a hole… whatever.

And non-golfers don't care about watching people at the range. How does watching people at the range — which you could still do, but which you found a little inconvenient — help grow the game, if anyone who cares to watch it is already into golf?

---

I admire the strong first post you made here, but I disagree almost entirely with what you've said in it.

[boogielicious]

On 11/6/2022 at 9:11 AM, raffcat57 said:

Why have a tour stop in Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Cancun?

I don’t these those tournaments as places to visit to watch the tournament for your kids. It see them as reaching out to new locales to get more exposure for the PGA Tour. I’ve played the course in Bermuda and get excited when this tournament airs. I especially like hole 16, that I parred from 180! It’s easy to dunk one in the Atlantic on that hole.

On 11/6/2022 at 9:11 AM, raffcat57 said:

Why, again, do they have back to back US Opens scheduled in Pinehurst?

I like this too. It shows how the approach to the course changes for different distances off the tee. Considering my distance is closer to the LPGA, I get to see how I would have to play the holes versus Rory. Plus, women fans get to see the same thing.

On 11/6/2022 at 9:11 AM, raffcat57 said:

Why does Augusta National not allow the Women's Am to play all three rounds at Augusta National?

Considering that members don’t get to play the course the whole year, I understand why it is one round. 

 

On 11/6/2022 at 9:11 AM, raffcat57 said:

2022 Women's Open at Pine Needles

I’m not familiar with this course. At The Country Club, the practice area had a bleacher behind it, but it was kind of dull watching them from the bleachers. I think other courses have either better or worse practice areas for viewing. Also, I think I would rather follow the players on the course.

[woodzie264]

On 11/6/2022 at 9:11 AM, raffcat57 said:

New here and my first post with some random thoughts and questions....

Wondering if the PGA Tour/USGA really wants to grow the game, at least in the US, then.....

• Why have a tour stop in Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Cancun? Hypothetically speaking, If I'm a parent in the states and have a kid interested in golf then I have to fly him/her to Bermuda, PR or Cancun to see a pro tournament?
• Why, again, do they have back to back US Opens scheduled in Pinehurst? This is coming from someone who lives one mile from the #2 clubhouse. This is only a money saving venture by NBC/USGA, nothing more. There are countless cities across the US that would kill for the Women's US Open but they choose to have back to back Open's here.
• Why does Augusta National not allow the Women's Am to play all three rounds at Augusta National?  I mean if your mission statement says 'grow the game' then why can't you give up your course for one whole week instead of just a practice round and the final round?
• 2022 Women's Open at Pine Needles.... Again, from a fan point of view, what was with the practice range setup at Pine Needles?  It was chopped up into three different sections, each divided by a large group of trees and building, which you had to walk around though heavy weeds and pine needles to get to the next section. On top of that no where to sit and watch them practice? Watching them practice is a great place to take a breather from the heat and get close to them to see them work on their game.

To your first point about tournaments elsewhere, I agree completely with @iacas and @boogielicious, I’d argue they ARE trying to grow the game by having tournament in parts of the world where it isn’t as common…your point falls flat on its face 

 

To your issue with playing the Womens’ US Open in the same venue as the Men’s, many people like this as Scott pointed out since it shows the course set up and consequently played  differently than the men. 
 

Regarding the ANGC, ditto Erik’s point. They’ve done a lot to grow the game. It’s absurd to accuse them of not doing enough…keep in mind they’re a private club and isn’t required to do any of it. They’re being very generous with their facility IMHO

[DaveP043]

When I think about "growing the game", I think about bring new players to golf.  So I look at the USGA website, and I see support for Drive Chip and Putt, getting young people involved in local, regional, and national competition.  I see support for the First Tee, a program that brings young people to golf.  I see the LPGA/USGA "Girls Golf" program, and for Adaptive Golf, including the first edition of the Adaptive Open.  Every one of these programs targets a different segment of the population, to give people the chance to experience the game.

To the OP's specific points, sure there are PGA Tour stops in Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and Cancun, and other "tourist destinations".  There are also Tour stops in Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota.  Add to that Korn Ferry Tour stops in Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, Kansas, Maine, Utah, and Indiana.  We could go on to look at the LPGA and the Champion tour stops, but you can see my point. Your fictitious parents certainly don't have to put their kid on a plane to see really high-level professional golf.

The Men's and Women's US Opens at Pinehurst were a very interesting experiment, we've never before seen women and men competing on the same course at essentially the same time.  But its not a regular occurrence, those events get spread around pretty well.

Augusta National has changed their policies quite a bit over the past decade or so, but they're not the USGA or the PGA Tour.  I think they're pretty generous in giving up their golf course already, especially since the course is only open for play for a few months of the year.  

I wasn't at Pine Needles for the tournament, but that property isn't exactly spacious.  I'm sure they did the best they could given the limitations.  

[Aguirre]

On 11/6/2022 at 9:11 AM, raffcat57 said:

New here and my first post with some random thoughts and questions....

Wondering if the PGA Tour/USGA really wants to grow the game, at least in the US, then.....

• Why does Augusta National not allow the Women's Am to play all three rounds at Augusta National?  I

Augusta National, nor The Masters Tournament, are run by the PGA Tour or USGA.

[WUTiger]

On 11/6/2022 at 8:11 AM, raffcat57 said:

Why have a tour stop in Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Cancun? Hypothetically speaking, If I'm a parent in the states and have a kid interested in golf then I have to fly him/her to Bermuda, PR or Cancun to see a pro tournament?

FYI, Puerto Rico is a territory of the USA, and Puerto Ricans are US citizens. Plus, a PR gentleman named Chi Chi Rodriguez did a lot to grow golf in the Caribbean.

Also, maintaining the game - engaging current fans and golfers - is just as important as growing the game. "Growing" implies a net gain in golfers, which is difficult to do if you're losing current golfers.