Can The USGA Ever Compete With The Masters, And If So, How?

[megrover179]

What makes the Masters great is that it has been televised all over the world years before any other tournament, besides the beauty of the course. How many times have we seen people who made the tourney from Europe or Asia interviewed who talked about Dad waking them up at some ungodly hour in the morning to watch the tournament.

[ilikegolf26]

The idea of a US Open ball is ludicrous. In the 80's and into the mid-90's, the US Open had a reputation as an event dominated by short, accurate players due to the harsh setups that were used. This resulted in champions like Scott Simpson, Andy North, Tom Kite, etc. Aside from Curtis Strange's repeat, it was a pretty boring time for US Open golf IMO.

 

The best players in the world today hit the ball really, really far. If you want TV ratings, the last thing you want to do is make it less likely that your event will be won by your star power. An old-school, traditional golf fan might like a change that could bring a Pavin-like champion back into the mix, but the casual TV golf fans will not tune in.

 

While it's true that The Masters has a huge leg up on the other events due to the event being held on the same course, there's an aspirational aspect to The Masters that is impossible to replicate. At a time when half of the country is just starting to play again in the spring, seeing Augusta National in pristine condition just gets the mind racing and ready to play golf. Add to that the fact that most people know this is their only chance to see the course since they'll likely never set foot on the grounds and you end up with a very special tournament.

 

I don't have a great answer of what to do, but I think the USGA should at least consider to moving to a rotation of well known Open courses as an effort to establish some sort of consistency and expectation amongst golf fans. Oakmont this year will be great, but Chambers Bay last year and Erin Hills next year? Does anyone really get excited about them unless you played the golf course or live in the area? I doubt it. They'll use the "grow the game" argument as to why they like to move around, but I don't think that holds water.

 

But when you're watching a golf event on TV you can't really tell how far they hit it (other than when a graphic is put on the screen). Distance is all relative on TV. I think seeing the ball hit close to the pin or a long putt going in creates more excitement on TV anyway as opposed to watching a guy hit driver and then waiting to see it bound down the fairway.

[NaBUru38]

There's also a US Open in Tennis and guess what it's held at Billie Jean King every year. Sometimes having it at the best possible venue is more important than moving it around.

 

All tennis courts are the same. There's grass, clay, DecoTurf, GreenSet, Plexicushion, and that's it. There's no point in hosting the US Open around the country if all courts are the same.

 

Golf courses are unique, and there's thosuands in the United States.