Holly Sonders recalls "Worst day" of her life

[Chief Illiniwek]

The difference which everyone either forgets, or more likely ignores in our pc world, is that women’s sport is rarely sport at its highest level. Which isn’t to say you need to watch the absolute best play to enjoy watching sports. But it usually takes an extra intriguing aspect. For instance college football isn’t the elite playing, like the NFL, but when you add in the alma mater, our state vs their state, etc it still finds a niche. Quite frankly most women’s sports niche involves some sex appeal to boost ratings.

[PowderedToastMan]

But the criticism isn’t the same kind of criticism men get, that’s the point. Rick Shiels criticism is that he’s a terrible golfer. Paige, Holly, Blair get the criticism that they are terrible, have no personality, and get by on their looks (to put it nicely). Yet they all do similar things.

A Paige Spiranac course vlog should not be judged any differently than a Rick Shiels Vlog, yet they are. Truth is both players are likely to shoot high 70’s most days.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

I don't necessarily disagree but I wouldn't mention Holly is the same sentence with those others. Holly is completely off the rails. Probably on her way to much darker things such as adult movies, drugs, more radical and bizarre plastic surgery etc. We've seen stories like this before and it doesn't end well.

[Bushwood Country Club]

Since Paige is now in the convo, is she still engaged?

 

[PedronNiall]

You're wrong there. When BK decided to go on some weird sex appeal? thing in his purple thong he got laughed at for it and called out for the foolishness of it when he's supposed to be known for golf, not his body. If Tiger and Rory started rocking muscle tees I'm sure they'd get mocked as well. Elliot gets ridden all the time for his too small for a 6 year old cutoff tops he wears around after Cowboys games. You act like a clown you get laughed at regardless of your gender. You make your image about your body instead of your skill and people are going to talk about your body instead of your skill.

 

Many women choose to play on their sex appeal to get ahead then act surprised when people don't look past the giant facade they rode all the way to infamy and stardom hiding behind. That's on them.

[bubbagump]

LOL, pretty ignorant, albeit comical hot take.

[Ironman_32]

I think women's golf/sports is played at its highest appeal. I don't think there are a group of women not playing pro golf who dominate the sport, many one or two individuals.

The question is, is that what the viewers want. Do you want to see women shooting 65, or models shooting 80? Why was Natalie Gublis the most famous LPGA player at a point when she had one/zero wins ? To me, the LPGA is a cross between the champions tour and PGA tour in a way. They want the familiar faces, but also the competition, tough to do.

However, that's any sport. Take the NFL, they figured out more fans like seeing the ball being thrown, so they re-geared the game toward that. People would rather see Tom Brady throw passes than myself, or another rookie QB with the same skill.

[PowderedToastMan]

Then I’d say to go back to her Golf Channel days. Criticism was still the same.

[Ironman_32]

I had to google Rick Shiels, I found his youtube page. It looked like it may have tried to play pro golf, or says hes a pro golfer, but didnt have good scores (didn't do enough to confirm that).

 

Just from a quick glance, Rick Shiels look like he's about golf first, other stuff second (dunno if he had other stuff). If you're clicking on his page, he wants to show you golf stuff, you're there for golf stuff, that's it. These women were talking about seem to have golf as the second horse, but are trying to tell me its the first. If they could find a way to make more money from darts or billards, they would prob drum of a dart career in their past.

 

It's kinda of like cooking. You can say Guy Fieri isn't a great chef, but if you tune into his shows you're going for food stuff, that's basically it, that's the transaction. Blair/Holly/Paige are basically in bikinis throwing a lean cusinine in a microwave and calling themselves a chef. Right or wrong, that's how we operate sometimes when it comes to women. I'm not saying its right, but you use attractive women to sell stuff. I haven't watched one Rick Shiels video, but I think it would be difficult, not impossible, to replace golf equipment reviews. I feel I could find a model and teach her Holly's job in a day.

[GeorgeHWB]

Agree 100%. If Rick Shiels made videos with him hitting trick shots in a speedo he would never hear the end of it.

 

 

Now take a moment to imagine that video...

 

[Aces-6]

Okay...I have cleaned this up quite a bit. Please, let's keep in mind that not only men read and interact in this forum. We have ladies and impressionable young people who also participate and view our content. I will leave this up for now but it will be closely monitored. Please conduct yourselves in a respectful/decent manner.

Thanks for your consideration!

[bubbagump]

It feels too much is really being made of their career, or feigned attempts at being "pros" etc as if it was some sham or them some frauds. That trio, all played considerably higher end D1 golf so they are accomplished in that right than about 98% of us, and afterwards a couple dabbled with the next level until ultimately flaming out and settling into careers in or around the industry that they had been involved with probably most of their lives to that point. Its no more or less authentic than say a D1 baller, dabbling in the D league then deciding to do announcing, or hosting a podcast with his boys etc. To be making money and a career off a sport you played for a long time, its not a necessity that it "golf first, other stuff second".

 

[Jack Pearsall]

It has to be difficult for most women to be taken seriously in anything if they have a rather stunning appearance.

 

[ExTrumpet]

 

You should be bant for conjuring up such a mental image!!

[dlygrisse]

You mean zero street cred and only a somewhat stunning appearance?

[Ironman_32]

Its not about accomplishments, its about upholding the game. I would say men get the same credit. Look at Brandel, every comment on the guy is "only 1 win, whose he to tell XYZ major winner their swing if off", but Brandel does his homework, right or wrong. Or look at Feherty/Nobilo, they had to stop playing and found ways to parlay it. But its all golf focused.

 

Theres a big difference between a guy listening to Brandel strictly talk about golf, and Blair O'Neal doing Cobra ads in a bikini holding a golf club commanding being respected (dunno if I can post the pic here or not).

 

Look, I'm not saying that ads bad, I'm just saying you have to understand your hierarchy in golf, and realize you're only getting attention for your looks. You're a golf model, that's fine, just call it what is it.

[bubbagump]

What does "upholding the game" even mean? And who is the person who decides that threshold is met or matters? You're forcing a comparison of apples to oranges unnecessarily, just to try and make a point that isn't there. What makes somebody a qualified, or good announcer isn't the same as what makes an advertisement successful. Rickie Fowler in bright colors and cool swag swinging colored clubs pandering to the younger crowd is no more or less the same concept as o'neal in a yoga outfit swinging the same club or TM saying +20 each year, its simple marketing and just targeting demographics to sell sh*t. We all know, fame, money, sex, beautiful sells....always has.

There is no correct resume for somebody in order to announce, comment on sports, or just have a podcast or be a "celeb". Tony Romo never winning a SB has no bearing on the fact that hes probably the top play by play dude in the booth, and Jim Nantz never making a NFL team or the PGA tour doesnt discredit his his ability to announce. Essentially for the most part, its all just opinions and hot takes to fill air time along a broadcast of an event or show for the purposes of entertainment....its not some biblical production thats meant to be taken so seriously. Holly Sonders sideline reporting, is no worse than Booger Mcfarland, Clinton Portis, or Emmitt Smith's attempts...

People making a buck by exploiting talents or abilities, whatever form those are in....is what we all do to make money and its nothing new lol. Just because Paige/Blair/Holly etc have previously or currently used their looks to maximize exposure etc, doesn't mean they don't understand that nor does it negate the point Paige was trying to make that there is very well known double standard both in golf, and society.

[Fairways_and_Greens]

Not sure why this is in Tour Talk or why anyone cares.

[bubbagump]

Right. A portion of Golfwrx have always been very obsessed and triggered about Holly Sonders .

[BlackDiamondPar5]

There’s been many threads dedicated to criticizing her male counterparts at The Golf Channel. What's any of that have to do with her recent lifestyle?

[bscinstnct]

 

i remember a meeting like 20 years ago. There were like 20 of us from different companies there. We were waiting to get started and one person was late.

 

This woman walks in, looks like she’s 26 years old, very attractive, and says we can get started.

 

This one older guy is like, “we’ve been waiting for you?” Emphasis on “you?”

 

She looked at him for a few seconds, I mean she incinerated him with this look. Then she got up and left without saying a word.

 

Turns out she was the “big dog” for the whole deal, lol.

 

Shes like worth a billion dollars now or something.

[bscinstnct]

 

That’s exactly it ?

[GeorgeHWB]

I don't see Paige MacKenzie get this kind of blowback and I think it's for two reasons: 1) she played on the LPGA for several years (and her career was cut short by injury); and 2) she conducts herself modestly.

[SheriffBooth]

Thread's been cleaned up and is now closed.

/thread