By Alan Prescott
September 10, 2021
In my last article, I mentioned that I would ask for your opinions concerning the PGA Tour. Having been involved in professional golf tournaments during most of my adult life, I am interested in preserving and improving golf on all levels from beginner to amateur (including tournament play) to the PGA Tour. To bring the readers up to speed, the PGA Tour is a separate entity from the PGA Club Professionals.
In the Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player era, the era of the “Big Three”, professional golf has grown in popularity. Golf events on television have been an integral part of that growth. When Arnold Palmer won the United States Amateur in 1954, a star was born. During the next 50 years, golf’s popularity grew exponentially. Tournament competition was intense. The players, of that era, were very colorful and very respectful of the game and the fans who supported them. Of course, there were friendly challenges between players, and there were others, like Johnny Miller, whose egos occasionally got in the way. Compare Wayne Levi, a Touring Professional who I played tournament golf after we both graduated from The State University of New York at Oswego, New York. Wayne was always very humble, even when he won 7 PGA Tour events in one year, in comparison to Johnny Miller, who was somewhat of a braggart.
All of that began with the :square groove” controversy of Karsten Solheim, the owner of the Karsten Manufacturing Company, makers of PING golf clubs. Karsten could have financially broken the United States Golf Association (USGA). But, a compromise was reached, thus ending the controversial debate in the manufacture of permitted golf clubs and golf club designs. For me, that tarnished the image of golf forever. It could have been avoided if Karsten wasn’t so greedy. As I have mentioned in a previous article, changes could have preserved the integrity of the game. There is no reason to “not play by the rules” in any sport, especially golf. However, perimeter golf allowed for the expansion of the number of golfers and for their enjoyment of the game.
The game of golf continued to expand. Then came Tiger Woods and his playing prowess. Along with Tiger came His tournament and endorsements with lots of money. In addition, there was a feeling of invincibility. And, for me, a lack of respect for marriage vows as well as for the game. Golf equipment changed dramatically. With these “easier to hit” golf clubs came lower scores. In my opinion, more and more people started to play golf (a good thing). However, the lack of respect of the game and the verbal assaults on the Tour, both between tour players and also between tour players and fans is disgusting. Take, for example, Bryson DeChambeau, who after heckling by a fan, threw the “f-bomb” at the fan. No excuse, a true golf professional wouldn’t have responded in that manner.
So, I ask you, how do you feel about the lack of the players’ respect for both the fans and for each other and how this affects and/or changes the game.
I am, as always, Alan Prescott. I write these articles because I want to preserve the game of golf long beyond my lifetime, and, for all time. I can be reached at [email protected]. Be safe and please stay healthy.
Hi Alan, having recently crossed the boundary of 70 my perspective is formed mostly by the Big Three and how they conducted themselves on the course. I have been watching the Golf Channel since its inception, and I loved the old Bobby Jones “instruction” videos. I have expanded my golf knowledge through watching interviews of Ben Hogan and have read a lot of golf books, both old and modern. And I come from a pure baseball background. So golf to me is unique, somewhat unapproachable because of its affluent country club roots, but more importantly a game for life. In today’s world golf reflects today’s world. It has become overly commercial, overly tied to gambling on line and otherwise, and overly driven by golfers looking for air time, clicks on social media, and video numbers. Yes, it does drive purses but with every passing generation of new coming greed I fear what the next in thing will be. I do believe that Earl Woods ruined Tiger from the time he was leaving his diapers. Arrogance is taught, learned, and approved by example. Tiger has arrogance beyond almost a 99 percentile representation of the population. Were Jack, Arnie and Gary perfect? Nah, far from it. I am quite sure we don’t know the half of their outside the ropes adventures, and my suspicions about Arnie and Gary are even a little more heightened than what I suppose about Jack. But having said all that, baseball today is basically an ego exercise with zero team/city loyalty save for very very few players. The NFL and the NBA are basically unwatchable and NCAA football, my present favorite is probably soon to follow in the negative trend. My wife and I have been volunteers at many golf tournaments, and most players are cordial and respectful. We also attended the 2018 Ryder Cup in France. The European players were friendly, happy, treated ALL fans with respect, and signed and did selfies with Euro and American fans alike. Conversely, the American players were arrogant, no time for autographs, did absolutely zero for American fans who spent a LOT of money just to be there. My wife was interviewed by a Paris radio station and she flat said that she was so upset with the American golfers that she was rooting for the Euros. Oh, did I mention that we are both retired Air Force? You can color me, slightly less than optimistic.
Alan, no question that the professional golf game has changed in so many ways over the last couple of decades. The late, great Arnold Palmer played in just over 700 tournaments in his career winning 62 PGA events earning $1.8 million. Bryson DeChambeau earned $1.7 million just for winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this year. And Patrick Cantlay pocketed a cool $15 million for winning the PGA Tour Championship. The leading money winner on the “junior varsity” golf tour (Korn Ferry) earned $750,000+ this year. And let’s not forget the old guys on the Senior Tour – Bernard Langer earned $2.5 million playing in 31 tournaments. Of the 250 players participating in a PGA Tour event, 167 of them won more than $500,000 this year. And then there is all the product/company endorsement money. Very big rewards for the players good enough to make the Tour.
The technology of clubs and balls has advanced to the point that it is making a number of courses obsolete. The PGA’s and USGA’s only defense seems to be making the rough taller and hole placements more daunting and difficult. The coarsening of society overall has unfortunately found its way into the golf tournaments as you mention. Abuse and profanity from fans has long been present in football, soccer and baseball for quite some time, but the “gentleman’s game” avoided this until recently. Sergio Garcia has long been a target of fan expletives and one can argue if he and others have brought this on themselves by their temperamental conduct on the course or in post tournament comments. Arnie and Jack became known for their philanthropy post career and that has vaulted them into earning great respect not only for their golf career but as benevolent individuals. Many of the top players have their own foundation although you don’t hear much about them.
I don’t know that I agree with your comment about “lack of respect” for the game. Sure there are a couple of players that have played a bit loose with the rules, but as others have found, the TV cameras and cellphones present today capture almost everything. Some players use the rules creatively to their advantage such as Phil picking up a ball while it was still moving knowing his 2-stroke penalty was the lesser problem. Bryson wasn’t the first play to hit tee shots on adjacent fairways to provide better angles to the green.
I think it would be interesting if you have the information, to write about the financial aspects of a PGA Tour players ascension to the Tour. How are their early days financed? What is the role of their agent or management company? How do they pay their entourage of instructors, health advisors, etc.