The Masters Par 3 Contest… A Hassle?

[turtleback]

On 3/29/2016 at 11:17 AM, iacas said:

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/mar/28/rory-mcilroy-par-three-competition-masters-augusta

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I can see that. And though I watched the coverage the first year, I've not watched it since. It's boring, there's too much fawning over guys who play worse golf than I do at this point in their lives, and I get tired real quick of watching the kids running around. I can see how it could be a huge pain in the butt to a current competitor, and simultaneously really enjoyed by past-their-prime guys.

What do you think?

I think it should be an event for the former winners and other notables who are too old (or wise) to play the big tournament.

[skydog]

It's the Masters and Augusta so it's entertaining in my book and beats Dr. Phil if you're going to watch TV on a Wednesday afternoon. Although it's definitely an event better suited to the live spectators.

I have no problem at all if a player elects not to play in it for any reason...although I could have done without Rory using the verbiage he did when saying why he's not playing. Just say you're focusing fully on the tournament and leave it at that.

[Big Lex]

I've watched at least some of the par 3 tournament over the last few years, mainly when it happens to be on when I turn on Golf Channel, or highlights of it before or during the actual tournament.

Mainly the interest for me was seeing the actual par 3 course. A friend in the media who played the regular course told me the par 3 course was very pretty, so it was nice to see it on TV.

But at some point, either last year or a couple of years ago, I lost interest and stopped watching.

I think it's nice that kids get involved, that it's a fun event, etc., but I really don't like all the hoopla and attention over it. Having your kid play or putt wear the jumpsuit and caddy for you is fine, but it sort of ruins it and makes it smarmy to put it on TV and have announcers fawning over how "cute" and "special" it is. It was cute and special, until they started using it as a way to garner more attention or love for the tournament.

It's almost like they are spoiling something that is really fun for the older guys by making an "event" out of it. I wish they would just shut the cameras off and let them play it. Don't report on it, no clips, no showing the holes in one, etc. We don't have to see EVERYTHING.

[Wally Fairway]

I generally agree with the comments about over coverage, part of the mystique of the Par 3 tourney was that when I was young it would get some mention, then it got to where there would be and article and maybe a couple of photos, then there was some very limited video as part of the lead up but no actual coverage.
Then, like everything else, it goes to full coverage, hell even on course interviews and such - I'd say give it back to the players, but that bell cannot be unrung.

Maybe I'm overly sentimental, but I can still remember making time to watch the ceremonial starters getting some coverage when it was Sarazen, Nelson & Snead and thinking that it was awesome. And when some of them would play the front 9, which was cool, because if you were there and you could then why not.

[colin007]

So after saying I was pretty much "meh" about it, I find myself watching almost the entire thing.

[Wally Fairway]

1 hour ago, colin007 said:

So after saying I was pretty much "meh" about it, I find myself watching almost the entire thing.

After saying I was excited to watch it, I saw some of it and think that it was pretty "meh"
At least the TV/webcast of it

[newtogolf]

3 minutes ago, Wally Fairway said:

After saying I was excited to watch it, I saw some of it and think that it was pretty "meh"
At least the TV/webcast of it

Yeah, I watched it too.  It's fun because the holes are set up to increase hole in ones but only the tee shot matters, scores are really irrelevant.