Does the Tour need an offseason

[Hellstorm]

As I sat in my living room last night, I saw a live PGA tour event on Golf Channel. Hmmm....I tuned in just in time to see Sneeeeedeker choke away a 5 shot lead. It was riveting television to be sure. But then I thought to myself, do we really need a wrap around season? I just invested a lot of energy watching the PGA....then the playoffs....then the Ryder Cup. I don't really need to watch several weeks of second rate tournaments with B-list players basically playing an extension of the Web.com tour. Pretty soon, it will be snowing here and I for one don't want to spend my weekend watching guys golf in some beautiful weather...even if there is some drama. I know Golf Channel is a year round TV channel and they need something to fill up those hours and hours of programming, but I need a break too.

 

If the PGA Tour won't give me a break, I will give myself one. No more golf tournaments on TV until the Spring....or at least until some of the guys in the top 150 decide the tournaments are important to them. If they have Spieth and Reed duke it out MMA style, I'll watch that. If they uncover never before seen footage of the US Team's behind the scenes when Tiger is told he will be paired with Patrick Reed, or just video of Tiger's face when he first heard Reed say the US lost because he didn't play enough after Tiger played a 4 ball pretty much by himself...I'll watch. The Mickelson/Woods match....on PPV.....forget it. I'm not sure I would even want to watch that mess for free.

 

I'm going to enjoy my PGA off-season.....even if nobody else does. Bring on hockey season.

[ray9898]

So turn the channel.

[golfandfishing]

I haven’t watched nearly as much golf the last 2 years as I had in the past, but I will say this. If you don’t want to watch - don’t. It appears you realized this is an option, good, there’s lots more to do than watch tv. But I would rather have the option of watching a tour event than not having one available. Complaining about too much golf on TV is like complaining about The Cheesecake Factory having meatloaf on the menu - I never order it, why is it even there?

[MattyO1984]

I think pretty much every sport needs, and should have, an off-season.

 

For the PGA Tour that is pretty much the period between the end of November and December these days. It is a little silly in that it's 6 weeks into the season now but there is some down time and a pretty decent period of the year as well for it to happen. I think most observers view Kapalua as the real start of the season even if the PGA Tour doesn't acknowledge it.

[Hellstorm]

I realize there are options and some people probably enjoy watching, but it just seems like they are forcing things a little. It smells of desperation.

[Ferguson]

The silly season was great when Fred Couples, back at the tail end of his PGA career, played in the Skins Game.

It was the only time they showed him on TV. He always played well. It was fun TV.

 

 

Fred handled himself well and took the end of his "real career" in stride.

- never saw him play golf in a dress shirt

- never heard him make excuses

[puttfordoux]

For guys that are independent contractors having to play to earn a living, versus other sports where players are bound by contracts, the wraparound season is almost a necessity. Sure its not the likes of the elites week after week, but above all, it is more about player survival than if we watch or don't watch, as much as the Tour would like to spin in that it is about the fans above all else.

 

This time of year its about the Kevin Tway s of the world looking to gain the two-year exemptions, so they don't have to be referred to as the Kevin Tways of the world ever again. You're still seeing top-level golf, although they may not be top-level names.

[FairwaysToHeaven]

as a fan of golf...i'll never complain about having more golf to watch, especially when its cold a gray outside in the winter. seeing things from the players perspective, i don't think it would be a bad thing to take a few weeks off. i'd like to see a week off between the fed ex final and the ryder cup. then at least two weeks off between ryder cup and start of new season. wish the pga had little more hype to start a season. as it is now, most don't even realize we just kicked off the 2019 season.

[FootWedge16]

I actually enjoyed watching parts of the Safeway, so I’ll go with no.

 

I’d say the Fed Ex Cup needs a major overhaul though.

[imakaveli]

Usually the offseason is from the PGA Championship to the Masters, exception for the Ryder Cup years.

There are some big or small money grabbing events in the US and around the world for the enjoyment of the WRXers but de facto that's the off season.

[Hawkeye77]

All hail Finchem's reach around season for the excitement of more $ and stroking of certain sponsors and climax of FedEx Cup!

 

I get why some of it makes sense, but only if you compare it to a fiscal year, lol, and . . . . no surprise that worked for Tim.

 

Season starts at Kapalua and even last January the announcers kept slipping up and calling it the start of the new golf season. They know.

[FairwaysToHeaven]

Usually the offseason is from the PGA Championship to the Masters, exception for the Ryder Cup years.

There are some big or small money grabbing events in the US and around the world for the enjoyment of the WRXers but de facto that's the off season.

 

i don't know. i wouldn't call it the offseason when so many players rely on good performances during this 'offseason' to keep their pga card. when you don't know how the year will turn out, for many, these weeks are crucial and a must play to get a head start on the money list.

 

i guess it depends on who you ask. Dustin Johnson would probably say season starts at Kapalua. Sam Saunders...now is definitely not the offseason

[SkiSchoolPro]

I think hosting a PGA Tour event is good for local golf (and some charities) in the area, even if all the big names don't show up. Increased off weeks means fewer communities benefit.

 

As others have said, the pros are ICs who benefit from more work opportunities. For many, a well played week at the Safeway will net more $/pts than a similar performance in a tournament with a top field.

 

 

[Superbrit]

I think its good, you actually get to see some players that normally wouldn't get 1 mins broadcast time.

 

also if its a bit of a bore i'll just turn it off

[imakaveli]

Usually the offseason is from the PGA Championship to the Masters, exception for the Ryder Cup years.

There are some big or small money grabbing events in the US and around the world for the enjoyment of the WRXers but de facto that's the off season.

 

i don't know. i wouldn't call it the offseason when so many players rely on good performances during this 'offseason' to keep their pga card. when you don't know how the year will turn out, for many, these weeks are crucial and a must play to get a head start on the money list.

 

i guess it depends on who you ask. Dustin Johnson would probably say season starts at Kapalua. Sam Saunders...now is definitely not the offseason

 

100% agree, but I care about top players, of course other players are ready this week, but Rory will target Augusta ;)

[Golfer4Life]

I don't know if they need an off season, but I know I do from them, lol...

[Konklifer]

I simply don't watch much golf from now until Kapalua.

[bscinstnct]

Ever notice how all they show on the Golf Channel is golf?

 

 

[Need4spd]

In short, yes, but if you stop and think about it they’ve never had much of one. In the 90’s the Tour Championship was much later in the year. Then there were “silly season” events. In my mind, and this still has not changed, Kapalua is still the unofficial start of the season.

 

I just find it really odd to hear them talking about the start of a new “season” immediately following the huge buildup to the Tour Championship. Imagine watching the Super Bowl and then having another new season start a week or two later. Bizarre.

 

I do enjoy watching golf though so if I need something to get my fix I suppose these events do serve that purpose.

[gvogel]

Usually the offseason is from the PGA Championship to the Masters, exception for the Ryder Cup years.

There are some big or small money grabbing events in the US and around the world for the enjoyment of the WRXers but de facto that's the off season.

 

Next year the offseason is going to be from the Open Championship to the Masters (or possibly the Players). Which is everything that is wrong with the PGA switch to May.

[Jagpilotohio]

As much as I enjoy watching golf on TV, I must say, I think having an actual true “off season” , say about 2 months, Is a good idea.

 

Let all the goofy smaller warm weather venues start in mid November just before thanksgiving. Let all the players rest, recharge, take care of family business, test new equipment, etc., for a couple months, then get back to it.

[imakaveli]

Usually the offseason is from the PGA Championship to the Masters, exception for the Ryder Cup years.

There are some big or small money grabbing events in the US and around the world for the enjoyment of the WRXers but de facto that's the off season.

 

Next year the offseason is going to be from the Open Championship to the Masters (or possibly the Players). Which is everything that is wrong with the PGA switch to May.

 

Terrible choice indeed, but they are not new to them.

[Hawkeye77]

Ever notice how all they show on the Golf Channel is golf?

 

 

 

Glad the office coffee is terrible so I'm not spitting it out!

[MidwestGolfBum]

I enjoy being able to flip on a tournament to fill time between other things, but I certainly don't watch with a ton of interest. This is a way to "get to know" some of the smaller names that are around the Tour, which I find interesting. Though, as somebody who watches a lot of the web.com stuff, a lot of the names are still familiar. Given that a lot of the higher ranked players set their schedules around the majors and WGCs these days, I know which events I have to watch to see the bigger names and that's okay with me. This is the "offseason" for a lot of the household names since they just shut it down unless they want to travel all over the world to play, which is fine with me. Gives me a chance to focus on things like college football, the waining golf season here in Wisconsin, playoff baseball, NHL, NFL, and fall activities that my social director plans for me.

[Matt97GT]

Season starts at Torre for me.

 

 

Crowning a FedEx cup champion, then kicking off a season 2 weeks later is kinda stupid in my opinion.

[2putttom]

well lets see, Raiders are 0-4 Niners are 1-4 A's are out and so are the Giants. So that leaves the wrap around season for which I am grateful . There's a lot of good talent that moved up from Web.com tour and frankly I play year round so my season never ends why should theirs.

[Hawkeye77]

And when I say the season starts at Kapalua, I'm talking PGA Tour.

 

I'll still be enjoying the winding up of the Euro Tour season.

[BrianMcG]

Would you rather be watching Shotmakers reruns?

[Ignatius Reilly]

Finish the season with the playoffs culminating in the Tour Championship.

 

Then a fun spectacle like the Ryder Cup.

 

Then an off-season, like every other sport. Give the audience a chance to miss it and crave it.

 

Then kick off the next season with a special event in a special place. Kapalua!!! (but keep changing the tournament name every few years so no one knows what they're talking about (It will always be the Mercedes for me)).

 

We all have the choice to watch or not. Mine is easy. Looking forward to January.

[buckeye440]

For guys that are independent contractors having to play to earn a living, versus other sports where players are bound by contracts, the wraparound season is almost a necessity.

 

This is the crux of it. I bet all the players that fight every week for their card and paychecks want a wrap around season. If the players did not want it, the PGA Tour would not have it.