Pro Tour Starts ’09 In Lackluster Fashion

Posted by John

January 30, 2009

The golf industry is an upsidedown pyramid balanced on a point that is the Pro Tour. It draws the fans, the sponsors, the equipment manufacturers and the amateurs who make up a multi-billion dollar global business. As of January 1, the industry was already sucking wind because of the dire situation of the world economy. With global recession a certainty and global depression waiting in the wings, the golf industry starts the new season with its back against the wall.

If you’ve been following the game this year, you know that some sponsors have started to drop out. Already a few tournaments are wondering whose going to pony up the prize money. Add to this the absence of one Mr. Eldrick Woods and it’s not hard to imagine golf following in tennis’s footsteps.

It would be a big help if the pro tour could generate some real interest this year. With Tiger being sidelined I had hoped that a couple of guys might see a golden opportunity and really step up their games. So far, there are no signs it’s going to happen. Geoff Ogilvy looked like the real deal at the Mercedes in Hawaii, but now it appears that he just had a good four days. Zach Johnson looks like he’s really worked hard on his game, but does he have what it takes to become one of the top five in the world. Right now Anthony Kim looks like the guy we saw last year, lots of potential but too many bad holes. And then there’s Phil. After day one of the FDR you begin to wonder if he’d make the A group in your industrial league.

Like our society in general, the pendulum for golf has swung way too far in one direction. You can make millions on the tour and never win. A new driver can cost more than $400 and have technology that Einstein couldn’t explain. A round of golf is considered fast if it only takes 4 and a half hours. Private clubs can’t sign new young members even with blue light membership specials. And the Wall Street hacks that spawned the gated course communities with their six figure initiation dues are more worried about the angry mobs in the streets than their putting.

Even if Tiger comes back and wins two majors on one foot and with one arm tied behind his back, it may not be enough. Golf isn’t a must have item when you can’t figure out how to pay for food, shelter and medical care. These are times of change whether we like it or not. Let’s hope there’s an industry leader out there somewhere who remembers what golf is really about and can lead the game in a direction that will keep it affordable and viable for another hundred years.