Golf Is Our Game
Greetings Golfers,
Well, professional golf is in the news. Looks like the PGA Tour has some new billionaire investors.
Of course Greg Norman is taking credit for it. He believes that LIV has boosted the PGA Tour out of its doldrums into the exciting world of modern sports.
Norman and LIV may well be responsible. But is that a good thing?
I don’t know. Not sure how this will evolve (or devolve).
However, I do know that the game of golf is healthier than ever. Last week the PGA Show in Orlando was fantastic. Obviously, I’ve seen a lot of highs and lows with golf and the PGA Show. But this is different. Golf is young and cool in a way it never has been.
Though I’m a traditionalist in a lot of ways … I never liked the stuffy, stodgy scene. Golf is better than that.
I don’t like gimmicks … and I don’t like cutesy. Golf doesn’t need it. Just pure basic golf is great. And it needs to be played for the fun and joy of it.
Young people are bringing that attitude to golf. And it needs it. I love hearing laughter on the golf course. I don’t get the somber funeral-esque attitude some people bring to the game. There’s a big difference between rudeness and someone not knowing every intricate form of golf etiquette.
And I know golf etiquette folks who are rude. They aren’t genuinely respectful of the people they play with. They use rules and etiquette the same way that sleazy lawyers misuse the law for advantage rather than justice.
Should professional golf follow the trends of amateur golf? Maybe. But I think serious amateur golf - US Amateur, State Ams, college golf, etc … should be pure and serious. And, the Majors - US Open, the Open, the Masters, and the PGA - should be pure and serious. Yet … there is room for goofiness like the Phoenix Open and even the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Maybe even stuff like the LIV team tournaments.
But is that a license for professional golf to get into bed with investors who just want to make money? I don’t think so. I hope professional golf keeps some integrity. Money shouldn't make everyone sell-out … but often it does. Thus the need for high-level amateur golf to remain pure.
What about recreational golf? I think it should be fun. Should it be pure amateur golf? Maybe once in a while … but certainly not daily. Should it be goofy like the Phoenix Open? Maybe once in a while … but certainly not daily. I think it should be mostly a game played with friends and family for the sheer joy of the game and the people you’re with.
And if that means golf carts and beverage carts and fun clothing and 50 inch drivers … go for it. But I still want 4 hour rounds and respectful people having fun in the process.
This isn’t rocket science.
Golf is a great game that is flexible … it doesn’t have to be rigid. But it shouldn’t lose the essence of the game through misguided people who always think “more is more”. Too often “more is more” junks things up. I always have to remind our Monday golf events about that. Hitting a marshmallow with a hockey stick doesn’t add enjoyment to a round of golf - it’s just annoying and slows down the pace-of-play … which is more than annoying.
What was good last week at the PGA Show? I’ll start at the west end of the convention center:
Driving range and simulator systems
Golf equipment
Golf carts
Signage, podiums, water-coolers, etc
Tech systems
Head covers and accessories
Shoes
Hats
Traditional mens clothing
Womens clothing (my staff assured me)
New, fun mens clothing
But especially good was the atmosphere. It was fun and enthusiastic and friendly and confident and optimistic.
The game of golf is in a very good place. Whether or not the professional game is in a good place … doesn’t really matter. Golf is a game to be played … by all of us.
Cheers!
Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com