by Craig Lemley | May 18, 2020 | 19th Hole
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Different but the same — that pretty much sums up the return of live golf broadcasts. Driving Relief, which pitted Rickie Fowler and Matt Wolff against Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy in 2-man skins game benefitting the American Nurses and CDC Foundations, was a welcome sight for all fans yearning for competitive golf. Marquee names playing for *high stakes on a Sunday is what we’ve been waiting for ever since the mid-tournament cancellation of the Players Championship in March. But as great as it was to see the return of some of the world’s best players, one can’t help but think it was a missed opportunity.
After the Players was cancelled nothing but bad news followed for another month-plus, and the pain became all too real with postponement of the 2020 Masters. Dark, dark times. But then, far off in the distance, a faint light began to flicker. The Philly Mick v Big Cat rematch was confirmed — with the added star-power of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady — just enough to whet our appetites. Then came our first course, one of the first live professional sports broadcasts in the Covid-era, Driving Relief.
Everyone knew things would be different, for obvious reasons, but it was hard not to get a little excited. I honestly didn’t care who was playing, the format, the course or anything else. Knowing I’d be watching golf on a Sunday afternoon was enough for me, or so I thought.
Sunday cocktail in-hand, I turned on the broadcast. I thought I had kept my expectations in check, but after the initial high from seeing my favorite player (big Rickie guy here) and Co. live on tv wore off, I was left wanting a whole lot more from the event. It wasn’t the players or the the nonexistent crowd at Seminole Golf Club that let me down. It wasn’t the format, camera angles, or shitty audio, either. The biggest let down, really, was being force fed everything not happening on the course, and that there was too damn much of it, like always.
With the scant broadcast experience I do have, I understand there’s A LOT of down time to fill in between the action, even more so when there’s only four players in the field. The best broadcasters are those who make us forget there’s nothing happening for a moment and can keep us engaged until play starts again. The problem with the Driving Relief broadcast was how blatantly obvious they made it. It’s hard to stomach off-camera voices rehashing the same storylines and phone interviews that go on for way too long and interfere with the action we tuned in to see in the first place. (I don’t care if you’re a fan of President Trump or not, that phoner was fucking agonizing.)
It truly was an “unprecedented” event, in line with 2020’s new catchphrase. Not a minute went by when we weren’t reminded of these “unprecedented times’ during commercials and the broadcast, as if everyone watching had an infant’s grasp on the the state of the world. The only respite came when we actually got to hear the the players talking to each other on the course, though we didn’t get nearly enough of that. I wouldn’t even be typing this had there been more focus on the players in between shots, really.
In hindsight, the whole thing was pretty much a new look to the same ol’ golf broadcast — leaving viewers with too much filler and not enough action. Sure, we got to see the guys rocking shorts and casual shirts carrying their own bags down the fairway. We got to see every shot and some banter here and there, too, but every golfer I know will tell you some of the most memorable moments happen in between shots. That’s what I want to see — the self depreciation after a bad shot, the smack-talk, the jokes and everything else, all of it. I want to see and hangout with the characters behind the stats — guys with ‘staches like that are people I want to know. I don’t want listen to the same voices stretching for a new angle on the same story to talk at me about hour after hour when I know the players are having a different conversation.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the event and ready to watch more. But golf had a chance to give the fans, and the world, a completely new perspective of the game. I believe DJ, Wolff, Rickie and Rory were all prepared to play their part in that — look no further than Rickie’s outfit and Wolff’s handlebar mustache. The cameras were there and the mics were hot, but the networks whiffed. At a time when golf is one of the few sports allowed to be played you’d think the powers that be would take advantage of the opportunity and focus on drawing more people in to grow the game, not pandering to the Covid storylines and delivering a quarantine version of the same ol’ broadcast.
Golf gets a second chance on Sunday with The Match, and the opportunity to deliver something truly special is enormous. You have Woods and Mickelson, two modern day icons in the golf world in squaring off with two more iconic sports figures. This is a chance for the sport to produce something they haven’t been able to before, to reach a market it’s never had access to before, a chance to show a side of the game many haven’t seen before — the fun, everyman’s game. Give us more than the scores and analysis, give us more on-course banter and less broadcast filler. Stop giving us hope for a better tomorrow “in these unprecedented times” and make us feel like those days are already here.
For many, golf was already an escape from the cruelties of reality, and even more so today — now’s the time to offer it to a larger audience.
by Craig Lemley | Feb 4, 2020 | 19th Hole, News
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? That’s essentially what the proposed Premier Golf League (PGL) needs to figure out if it hopes to make good on its lofty goals.
Plans for the PGL have been in the works for years, but after the World Golf Group recently announced it hopes to launch the league in January 2022, it’s back in the headlines. “Rivaling” the PGA and European Tours, the PGL aims to host 48 of the world’s best players at 18 tournaments over eight months around the globe. The purses would be huge — $10 million per event, according to reports — with no cuts. Along with individual scoring the PGL would integrate a team format as well, ending the season with a team playoff event.
Here’s a quick look at the why, according to the WGG statement:
“If you want the world to watch, you have to showcase your best product, week-in-week-out. Golf doesn’t do that currently. … We believe we’ll succeed because the league is what fans, sponsors and broadcasters want — and the best players deserve. It will revitalise [sic] the sport for this and future generations.”
Fair enough. But now for the bigger question: How?
Recruiting “48 of the world’s best players” is a lot easier to say than it will be to do. A $10 million dollar purse per event isn’t a bad start, but then things get a little more complicated. For the PGL to become truly successful in the long term it also has to court broadcasters and major sponsors. Hard to imagine doing that with a yet-to-be filled roster of players the fans will tune in to see, and it’s hard to imagine filling that roster without broadcast and sponsorship backing. It’s the classic chicken and the egg dilemma from your intro to philosophy class.
Considering the year-round broadcasting schedules we already enjoy thanks to the PGA, LPGA, Euro, Korn Ferry and other tours, air time for an additional 18 3-day events seems scarce to begin with. And who knows how much more broadcasters would be willing to shell out for the rights of a brand new tour when the aforementioned are only growing more popular, and expensive. Sponsors may be easier to come by — may be — but that still hinges on what, or rather who, they’re sponsoring. Don’t expect much buy in if those names don’t include the actual best players in the world.
So it seems it’s all about who’s playing in the PGL, and it’s been a priority for the would-be tour to figure it out.
At the Farmers Insurance Open, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson confirmed talks have been going on for years, though both were far from offering an endorsement.
“I’m still quite a traditionalist, so to have that much of an upheaval in the game I don’t think is the right step forward,” McIlroy said during a press conference at Torrey Pines. “But I think, as I said, it might be a catalyst for some changes on this tour that can help it grow and move forward — you know, reward the top players the way they should be, I guess.”
Mickelson told reporters he doesn’t know enough about the proposed tour to comment publicly, but McIlroy also noted the PGL is “exploiting a couple holes” in top-level golf as we know it, recognizing it’s become just as much about the entertainment as it is the competition. That bodes well for the no-cut and team formats that would give fans more reason to stay tuned in, again if we’re actually the best golfers in the world.
The PGL will have no help from its predecessors in courting top players to its ranks, either, try as it might. The PGA and European Tours won’t even acknowledge its existence let alone allow their players to double dip. That leads to the question of what top-50 ranked player would want to join the un-tested PGL at the sake of losing their other tour status.
The PGA is one looking forward to its largest broadcasting windfall yet, and golf as a whole is in the midst of an upswing in popularity thanks to, you guessed it, extremely talented and young players. Credit where it’s due, they’ve done a lot to reach this point and shouldn’t feel obligated to share it with the new kid on the block. What’s more, like McIlroy said, established tours could simply implement PGL-like changes themselves, thus making a new tour totally irrelevant from the get go (I added that last part).
So what comes first, the league or the players? The WGG told everyone to mark their calendars and the countdown to 2022 is on. We’ll have to wait a see who’s first on the tee, if there even is one.
by Craig Lemley | Jan 22, 2020 | 19th Hole
*This post is written in soft whispers. Read accordingly.
I’ve always considered ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) to be some kind of weird fetish — like who’s out there getting turned on by the sound of folding towels? But now I totally get it, thanks to this video of Tiger’s practice session surfaced.
Enjoy.
by Craig Lemley | Jan 4, 2020 | 19th Hole
It all started when one fan asked Max Homa to “critique my swing like Gordon Ramsey critiques shitty food,” during Presidents Cup week. Homa did not disappoint, and it’s now become an early contender for the best golf social media trend of 2020. It doesn’t matter whose swing it is, from everyday hackers to celebrities and even Tour players, Homa isn’t holding back — and the results are hilarious.
Some of the best come courtesy of the average folk with no disillusions concerning their game.
But it gets a little better when egos are on the line.
And who doesn’t love a little celebrity ribbing.
Homa very well could be the Tour analyst the world needs.
Of course, all is fair in love and the Internet, so Homa himself is playing along too.
by Craig Lemley | Jan 3, 2020 | 19th Hole
First things first: If you’re looking for an unbiased opinion on marijuana’s place on (or off) the golf course, go somewhere else — you outta know where we stand.
Weed’s already legal in some form in 22 states in this country, fully legal in 11 of them, and adding more to the list with each election cycle. The NHL doesn’t punish players for using it, the MLB has removed it from its list of banned substances, too, and hoards of athletes, including some golfers, have begun citing the benefits and even promoting the use of cannabis products. Yet some powers that be still believe a drug is a drug is a drug — and drugs are bad, mmmkay.
Robert Garrigus learned the PGA Tour’s stance on the issue last March after he was suspended for testing positive for “elevated levels” of THC. The 22-year Tour veteran lives in Washington State (where weed is legal for medicinal and recreational use), reportedly owns a weed farm himself, and uses it to treat knee and back pain as prescribed by his doctor. While he’s no stranger to the drug culture, having checked himself into rehab in 2003 and speaking publicly about his struggle with substance abuse, he’s still a far cry from your standard “pothead” stereotype. He tried his best, with the help of his doctor, to stay within the tour’s limits and play by the rules to no avail, and it cost him 12 Tour events.
If anything, Garrigus should be heralded, not punished, for overcoming his past of alcohol and drug abuse and speaking publicly about it. After all, anyone remember what Tiger Woods went through?
After his return at the 3M Open in July, Garrigus’ stance on marijuana hasn’t changed, and it’s a familiar tune that mirrors some of the common sense that’s allowed for marijuana legalization to become so widely accepted.
“I could be on OxyContin on the golf course and get [an exemption] for that. I think that’s ridiculous. The Tour can talk to me all they want about it but that is a double standard,” Garrigus told USA Today. “The fact that it is socially unacceptable for cannabis and CBD right now blows my mind. It’s OK to take Oxycontin and black out and run into a bunch of people, but you can’t take CBD and THC without someone looking at you funny. It makes no sense,” Garrigus said.
Let’s play a quick game of Would You Rather. Would you rather you or a loved one take pharmaceutical substances proven to be highly addictive and often lead to overdose, or smoke a plant? (In case you haven’t heard, we’re in the middle of an opioid epidemic in this country that’s being fueled by pharmaceuticals like OxyContin.) Next round: Would you rather you or a loved one take OTC drugs proven to cause liver and kidney damage with prolonged use, or smoke a plant? And for the bonus: Would you rather athletes and their doctors be able to decide what’s best for them to be able to perform, or leave it up to the business people representing a sports brand?
I know my answers.
“[The Tour] had to deflect. They have an image to protect and uphold.” Garrigus said after meeting with Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan at the 2019 John Deere Classic.
Let’s talk about that image for a second then. Alcohol and golf often go hand-in-hand, and the likes of Arnold Palmer, John Daly and others made smoking heaters and stogies a fixture in the highest levels of the sport. There’s no controversy there, no sponsorship money lost or anything close to suspensions. Why is recreational marijuana so much different? The question still stands outside of recreational use: Why can’t a player use a legalized, prescribed medication to treat themselves off the course?
It’d be one thing if changing its stance on marijuana meant the Tour would be overrun by weed brands or whatever else it deems unsavory to its image, but that’s not going to happen — the NHL and MLB are certainly no worse off. At the end of the day, it’s not even about upholding the sanctity of sport, or upholding an image at all. PEDs and “hard” drugs aside, who the fuck cares what people do in their off time so long as it’s not affecting the results on the leaderboard?
Really, as legalization becomes even more widespread, the Tour’s just setting itself up for more stories like that of Garrigus’. It’s an issue that’ll keep on growing, like a weed.
