What Would It Take to Fix the LPGA's Issues?

[ControlJunkie]

I'd like to know what you think it would take to get the LPGA rolling in the right direction. I was listening to the PGA Tour Network on XM yesterday and this morning, and I started thinking about this question, but very little immediately came to mind, with the exception of a re-creation of the scene from Old School that's right before Blue dies.

Seriously though, it seems like the players are fed up with the direction that the LPGA is heading in. I think it's cool to see them taking matters into their own hands and drafting that letter to the LPGA board. Getting a quality commissioner would be a huge step in the right direction, but I still think they would need more than that to attract more sponsors.

I thought of a few things that could help bring some attention to the LPGA players, but I'm not sure these are good ideas.
- Some sort of rivalry between two or three of the more well known players like Creamer, Pressel, Gulbis, Wie, etc. I'm not talking Jerry Springer style, but something that's more heated than the media-inflated Tiger/Phil rivalry.
- Some sort of televised and hyped event that ties some of the LPGA players in with some of the PGA players. I think for this to work though, participation by the biggest names in both is a MUST. Each team consists of either 2 or 4 players, 2 guys and 2 girls. Use some sort of points system, maybe similar to the Ryder cup. Like I said, having the biggest names is the key. Tiger, Phil (here's hoping that his mom and Amy get through these tough times well), Padraig, Sergio, Perry, Creamer, Wie, Pressel, Gulbis, Ochoa... you get the point. I the casual sports fan doesnt realize how good these girls are, and this may open some people's eyes if they tune in to watch Tiger and they see Ochoa hit a bomb. I think the LPGA is still light years ahead of the WNBA in terms of talent and watchability.

Anyway, I wanted to get your opinions on this. What do you think would help get them back on track? Obviously, there's not a lot that most of us can do, but IMO, it's an interesting topic.

[uttexas]

The LPGA player's primary strengths are their looks and swings. They need to be on the cover of Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, etc. Their swings are so rhythmic and wonderful to watch, they need to be on The Golf Channel Playing with the Pros, the Learning Center, the Golf Fix, etc.

The weaknesses--Their best player of the past 20 years was an introvert that had a difficult time smiling freely. She learned to be more animated later in her career.

Their tour schedule sucks http://www.lpga.com/content/LPGA2009Schedule.pdf
Half of their tournaments are not in America. Many of their tournaments are in smaller towns, and there's far too many in the midwest. I like how the PGA has a west coast swing, then Florida, then Arizona, then Southern swing, then makes it's way up north.

[RCF]

I guess the obvious answer is more TV coverage. I don't understand why the golf channel coverage is so lacking. It seems womens tennis gets better air time both on the tennis channel and network
TV.

[ControlJunkie]

It seems womens tennis gets better air time both on the tennis channel and network TV.

Good call, very true. I guess maybe that's why the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova seem to be bigger stars than most anyone in the LPGA. As much as I like Natalie Gulbis, I've never seen her on a national commercial campaign for Canon cameras.

I havent seen Paula Creamer do an ad for HP either. My point is there are players that are marketable and appealing, yet someone somewhere has dropped the ball.

[Lemay427]

More Gulbis', Creamers', etc and less Korean players. I hate to be like that but we all know what sells in America...sex.


I appreciate a better golfer more than looks when it comes to LPGA, but most don't. It doesnt look good for the LPGA in America....

[uttexas]

Agree with more tournament coverage. I'd rather watch LPGA than Champions Tour any day. They also need a good commissioner for a change.

[RemyM]

I guess the obvious answer is more TV coverage. I don't understand why the golf channel coverage is so lacking. It seems womens tennis gets better air time both on the tennis channel and network

Golf Channel takes over full LPGA Tour coverage next year. ESPN2 has been showing many of the tournaments recently.

[ControlJunkie]

Golf Channel takes over full LPGA Tour coverage next year. ESPN2 has been showing many of the tournaments recently.

Still seems like little to no NBC/CBS/ABC/Fox coverage though, as opposed to seeing womens tennis on the big networks a little more frequently. More coverage on The Golf Channel and ESPN2 is definitely a step in the right direction though.

[iacas]

I guess the obvious answer is more TV coverage. I don't understand why the golf channel coverage is so lacking. It seems womens tennis gets better air time both on the tennis channel and network

Because those were the TV contracts they had. IIRC, they end this year and they have a 10-year deal with the Golf Channel starting in 2010.

So we should see more coverage then. But the problem is you could show every LPGA Tour event and golf fans still might not know when they're on because that Tour has more two-week breaks than Bush's presidency.

[sam004]

Thanks to the OP and others after that for weighing in.
I have been frustrated with the TV coverage. Can't seem to find much about the LPGA even on the golf channel. I would settle for replays of tour events during the week instead of Big Break, or Charles Barkley.

I enjoy watching for many of the same reasons discussed in other threads here. The problems with the LPGA [at least here in the US] seem to be

- Lack of decent TV coverage.
- Sponsors seem to be dropping off lately.
- Other media coverage in print, Golf Digest, Newspapers, ect.
- Apathy among PGA fans.
- I don't think the US fans related well to so many S. Korean players.
Don't want it to sound 'un-PC', but it is also echoed in posts above and elsewhere.

I think the LPGA needs a top notch PR person in there. Also a few of the top players need some personality. Perhaps TW's niece can help draw some interest.

Also agree with cross promoting between PGA and LPGA to help bring the LPGA some media coverage.

[RandomRaiderTTU]

I think my issue with the LPGA right now is their lack of marketing the top players.

I am watching more PGA tour golf this year and even a little Champions and LPGA when I catch it on the TV, but whereas I can tell you the big names on the Champions and PGA tours, I couldn't tell you who was top dawg on the LPGA.

This will sound terrible, but what the hell is the difference to me in Jiyai Shin or Yani Tseng, or whatever. I don't know these people. I'm not asking them to not win, just wishing that the LPGA or someone would market these winners and get their names out there.

Maybe it is because there are a lot of international winners on the LPGA and language barriers are keeping them from being marketed (interviews, print media, advertisements), but something has to change there.

I know about Gulbis, Creamer, Pressel, etc, etc. Now, I probably know about them because they're all good looking women and in the USA, you can market that, but at least they are getting their name out there.

All I'm really saying is that if I knew more about them, some of their accomplishments, maybe I'd watch more.

The PGA is all about getting story lines out there. We know about swing changes, missed cut streaks, repeats, three-peats, etc, etc. I see their interviews on the golf channel all the time.

Give me a reason to watch.

[ControlJunkie]

Thanks to the OP and others after that for weighing in.

I think TGC can balance it's time better between stuff like BB:PEI and Project Barkley. I personally liked both of those shows because I think you can pick up some pretty good tips from both shows. Gerina and Blair were hot too

. But what I'm getting at is that I think they could pull some of those dumbass infomercials and not run some of the repeats quite as frequently in order to make room for some LPGA air time. I also think that some of the top players have a good bit of personality, it's just the problem goes back to what you said about the lack of PR - no one promotes any personality that these players do have. And I knew they lost a lot of sponsors for some of their bigger tournaments, but I never heard why. Does it all fall back to the current commish? Did she drop the ball on the negotiations for the renewals of these sponsors, or does it all fall back to the crappy economy?

[RAD3]

Well, Paula Creamer was at the Phillies game last night to toss out the first pitch and she did a nice interview on the pre-game radio show so someone is trying a little bit. Obiously this was in conjunction with the Open. I wonder how many Phillies fans at the game had any clue to who she was.

[RCF]

Reading in between the lines, the issue is settled.

The Sand Trap should take over the LPGA with Iacas as the commissioner.

Seriously, I interested in Golfgal's thoughts on the subject. I think she's a marketing / media consultant.

[Leftygolfer]

I think there TV coverage is poor. To get a share of the market like they want they need to cover golf better than the men. I would love to watch if they would edit the show, condense it into an hour show and just show shot after shot after shoot. I hate down time and listening to people talk. I think real time is too slow to keep us interested.

[ControlJunkie]

Reading in between the lines, the issue is settled.

+1

As long as it gets negotiated in that I get to work the announcers booth. I can promise you I'll be more interesting than most all of the annoucers out there!

[CarlSpackler]

It doesn't matter to me. If there is golf on TV and I am not on the course, I will watch it, much to the dismay of she who must be obeyed. I think it is interesting when they "mic up" players like they did with Christina Kim a few weeks back. Of course now I think she is totally insane now.

Perhaps if the ladies played on Monday-Thursday, I would have something to watch.

[iacas]

But what I'm getting at is that I think they could pull some of those dumbass infomercials and not run some of the repeats quite as frequently in order to make room for some LPGA air time.

They can't show what they're not allowed to show. ESPN has the rights this year. They aren't allowed to show LPGA golf.

The Sand Trap should take over the LPGA with Iacas as the commissioner.

Does that mean I'd get to work closely with Paula Creamer? If so, I'll take the job. If not, I'll hold a raffle to see who wins the gig. Donated money would go right into increased purses.