Is professional golf becoming kind of corny?

[isaacbm]

On 11/25/2023 at 7:41 AM, bladehunter said:

Some of us ( im a  scratch to plus handicap player depending on my kids schedule ) just can’t play in a sim.  If I can’t see the ballflight.  It’s zero feedback for the next move.  I need to see what’s actually happening.  In a sim all I get is straight straight straight.  In real world I make it fall left or right with face angle.  I don’t trust a trackman indoors.  I only use it outside on a grass range.  On a mat , I see spin reductions that are equal to many many more  yards of carry.  Which is stupid to look at.  It doesn’t transfer  to the course. At all.

Agree mostly but you know what really doesn’t transfer to the course at all? Sitting in your room when it’s 32° below zero outside.

so I head out to the garage and swing a few into my SIM. At least it’s something….

[bladehunter]

2 hours ago, isaacbm said:

Agree mostly but you know what really doesn’t transfer to the course at all? Sitting in your room when it’s 32° below zero outside.

so I head out to the garage and swing a few into my SIM. At least it’s something….

Oh for sure.  I’m definitely speaking as a southerner , when cold is 40 degrees above 🤣.  I’ll play at 40. But most won’t.  So I definitely agree.  I just can’t seem to do it personally.    I said many times that if I didn’t have space and ability to practice this game on the farm at home , I’d a quit cold turkey.  I don’t see how folks do it , would drive me nuts ( nuttier 😂)

[Dan33185]

I've pretty much lost all interest at this point.

[GHIN n Juice]

Yeah, professional golf is so far off my radar these days I don’t even watch the majors.  I’d rather watch a college invite than a professional tourney.  

[sergizmo]

It's toast. With Rahm going to LIV the talent is really split, especially if he takes another 1-2 top 30 players with him. Only the majors will be worth watching. OWGR will lose credibility, rules will be changed to try to keep things relevant and the pro game will start to crumble.

 

Rory and Tiger's sim golf died before it started. 

 

No one cares about PIP $ except the players. They are already marketing themselves, their sponsors and their brand and making money off that. They need 10+ million on top of that for posting on social? And the "all about legacy" PGA tour is now constantly telling us how much the players are making (elevated events, fedex, pip), just like they criticized LIV for doing. Many people are struggling financially right now and pro golf is flashing money like a rapper at a strip club. Read the room guys.

 

And honestly the modern pro game is not really compelling. The equipment and tech has just taken over and the horse is out of the barn. There is often no penalty for going at driver 100% and missing. Courses are overly manicured with no undergrowth and perfect bunkers. There are virtually no more shot-makers: stock shots only. Aim point, fat grips and arm lock have taken the art out of putting. Stats, stats, stats. Pro golf has turned into an Excel spreadsheet. It has no soul.

 

[Dave230]

4 hours ago, sergizmo said:

It's toast. With Rahm going to LIV the talent is really split, especially if he takes another 1-2 top 30 players with him. Only the majors will be worth watching. OWGR will lose credibility, rules will be changed to try to keep things relevant and the pro game will start to crumble.

 

Rory and Tiger's sim golf died before it started. 

 

No one cares about PIP $ except the players. They are already marketing themselves, their sponsors and their brand and making money off that. They need 10+ million on top of that for posting on social? And the "all about legacy" PGA tour is now constantly telling us how much the players are making (elevated events, fedex, pip), just like they criticized LIV for doing. Many people are struggling financially right now and pro golf is flashing money like a rapper at a strip club. Read the room guys.

 

And honestly the modern pro game is not really compelling. The equipment and tech has just taken over and the horse is out of the barn. There is often no penalty for going at driver 100% and missing. Courses are overly manicured with no undergrowth and perfect bunkers. There are virtually no more shot-makers: stock shots only. Aim point, fat grips and arm lock have taken the art out of putting. Stats, stats, stats. Pro golf has turned into an Excel spreadsheet. It has no soul.

 

A cynical view but it's sadly mostly true.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

4 hours ago, sergizmo said:

It's toast. With Rahm going to LIV the talent is really split, especially if he takes another 1-2 top 30 players with him. Only the majors will be worth watching. OWGR will lose credibility, rules will be changed to try to keep things relevant and the pro game will start to crumble.

 

Rory and Tiger's sim golf died before it started. 

 

No one cares about PIP $ except the players. They are already marketing themselves, their sponsors and their brand and making money off that. They need 10+ million on top of that for posting on social? And the "all about legacy" PGA tour is now constantly telling us how much the players are making (elevated events, fedex, pip), just like they criticized LIV for doing. Many people are struggling financially right now and pro golf is flashing money like a rapper at a strip club. Read the room guys.

 

And honestly the modern pro game is not really compelling. The equipment and tech has just taken over and the horse is out of the barn. There is often no penalty for going at driver 100% and missing. Courses are overly manicured with no undergrowth and perfect bunkers. There are virtually no more shot-makers: stock shots only. Aim point, fat grips and arm lock have taken the art out of putting. Stats, stats, stats. Pro golf has turned into an Excel spreadsheet. It has no soul.

 

Good post! I haven't watched any golf aside from the majors. All the talk about money is a complete turnoff. Then all the commercials make watching completely intolerable. 

Edited December 8, 2023 by BlackDiamondPar5

[ColinKelvin]

5 hours ago, sergizmo said:

It's toast. With Rahm going to LIV the talent is really split, especially if he takes another 1-2 top 30 players with him. Only the majors will be worth watching. OWGR will lose credibility, rules will be changed to try to keep things relevant and the pro game will start to crumble.

 

Rory and Tiger's sim golf died before it started. 

 

No one cares about PIP $ except the players. They are already marketing themselves, their sponsors and their brand and making money off that. They need 10+ million on top of that for posting on social? And the "all about legacy" PGA tour is now constantly telling us how much the players are making (elevated events, fedex, pip), just like they criticized LIV for doing. Many people are struggling financially right now and pro golf is flashing money like a rapper at a strip club. Read the room guys.

 

And honestly the modern pro game is not really compelling. The equipment and tech has just taken over and the horse is out of the barn. There is often no penalty for going at driver 100% and missing. Courses are overly manicured with no undergrowth and perfect bunkers. There are virtually no more shot-makers: stock shots only. Aim point, fat grips and arm lock have taken the art out of putting. Stats, stats, stats. Pro golf has turned into an Excel spreadsheet. It has no soul.

 

Regular week in week out tour golf is in a terrible mess, and I agree with you about the tech, the drivers, the stock shots and the boring manicured courses.   It was astonishing when McIlroy hit that stinger 2-iron into a par 4 on the 72nd at the Scottish Open this year - not just because it was a shot of genius but because it's so rare that a pro would be asked to do that.

 

Fortunately, for many (most?) golf fans, the four majors are where it's at.  I don't see that changing while everyone clutches their pearls about money and the Saudis. And as far as I know, the PIF can't buy those four events, so the core of the game remains intact.  Most recent majors have been pretty entertaining (except this year's miserable Open at Hoylake) - although the USO setup this year was criminal and the USGA got the wide-fairway "giant slice off the 18th tee" winner they deserved...

[me05501]

Every business in the sport got addicted to the money that started sloshing around when TW was at his peak. Evidently they'll do absolutely anything to try to keep the party going. 

 

Honestly I think the PGAT's best move at this point would be to get back to basics and be the adults in the room. 

[GHIN n Juice]

Golf died the day LIV got a few names.  Those first few took all the heat and now those with thinner skin can make the move for $ without all the hate.  Not to mention the sport’s controlling bodies are now attacking the amateurs with their ball rollback.  The pros only want $, and the people who enjoy playing are getting screwed by unwanted rule changes.  I can see courses closing all over the country in the next 5-15 years.  

[Dan33185]

9 hours ago, sergizmo said:

It's toast. With Rahm going to LIV the talent is really split, especially if he takes another 1-2 top 30 players with him. Only the majors will be worth watching. OWGR will lose credibility, rules will be changed to try to keep things relevant and the pro game will start to crumble.

 

Rory and Tiger's sim golf died before it started. 

 

No one cares about PIP $ except the players. They are already marketing themselves, their sponsors and their brand and making money off that. They need 10+ million on top of that for posting on social? And the "all about legacy" PGA tour is now constantly telling us how much the players are making (elevated events, fedex, pip), just like they criticized LIV for doing. Many people are struggling financially right now and pro golf is flashing money like a rapper at a strip club. Read the room guys.

 

And honestly the modern pro game is not really compelling. The equipment and tech has just taken over and the horse is out of the barn. There is often no penalty for going at driver 100% and missing. Courses are overly manicured with no undergrowth and perfect bunkers. There are virtually no more shot-makers: stock shots only. Aim point, fat grips and arm lock have taken the art out of putting. Stats, stats, stats. Pro golf has turned into an Excel spreadsheet. It has no soul.

 

 

Spot on, and that last sentence could be said for baseball as well.

[Dave230]

4 hours ago, ColinKelvin said:

Regular week in week out tour golf is in a terrible mess, and I agree with you about the tech, the drivers, the stock shots and the boring manicured courses.   It was astonishing when McIlroy hit that stinger 2-iron into a par 4 on the 72nd at the Scottish Open this year - not just because it was a shot of genius but because it's so rare that a pro would be asked to do that.

 

Fortunately, for many (most?) golf fans, the four majors are where it's at.  I don't see that changing while everyone clutches their pearls about money and the Saudis. And as far as I know, the PIF can't buy those four events, so the core of the game remains intact.  Most recent majors have been pretty entertaining (except this year's miserable Open at Hoylake) - although the USO setup this year was criminal and the USGA got the wide-fairway "giant slice off the 18th tee" winner they deserved...

McIlroy's shots at the Scottish Open were some of the best of the year, even though some people would consider it "unfair" wind took 50 to 60 yards off his drive and second shot. He's the longest driver on tour and it took a driver, 2 iron to hit it 430 yards. Meanwhile, he hit drives longer than that entire hole in calm conditions and it's a bit like "meh" by comparison. That's why people shouldn't get caught up in the numbers.

Edited December 8, 2023 by Dave230

[PedronNiall]

On 12/8/2023 at 2:31 AM, sergizmo said:

It's toast. With Rahm going to LIV the talent is really split, especially if he takes another 1-2 top 30 players with him. Only the majors will be worth watching. OWGR will lose credibility, rules will be changed to try to keep things relevant and the pro game will start to crumble.

 

Rory and Tiger's sim golf died before it started. 

 

No one cares about PIP $ except the players. They are already marketing themselves, their sponsors and their brand and making money off that. They need 10+ million on top of that for posting on social? And the "all about legacy" PGA tour is now constantly telling us how much the players are making (elevated events, fedex, pip), just like they criticized LIV for doing. Many people are struggling financially right now and pro golf is flashing money like a rapper at a strip club. Read the room guys.

 

And honestly the modern pro game is not really compelling. The equipment and tech has just taken over and the horse is out of the barn. There is often no penalty for going at driver 100% and missing. Courses are overly manicured with no undergrowth and perfect bunkers. There are virtually no more shot-makers: stock shots only. Aim point, fat grips and arm lock have taken the art out of putting. Stats, stats, stats. Pro golf has turned into an Excel spreadsheet. It has no soul.

 

On top of the constant chatter about money from everyone already making it in spades while many won't have kids because they can barely afford their current lives, the completely unneeded controversy of the rollback adds to the portrait of golf as a game where those at the top have zero concern for the people who make all those dollars possible. All this talk of doing it for sustainability when a change will inevitably lead to a trending topic featuring a dumpster full of nonconforming balls that somehow escaped resellers and will now be on its way to clog a landfill forever. Harping on sustainability when many of the featured courses needing "protection" from big drives are over watered to avoid even the hint of brown, over treated to kill of unsightly natural foliage, and over manicured to the tune of removing thousands of trees a la Oak Hill is the joke of jokes. Harping about the ball going too far then still setting up your "classic" venue's fairways to roll for days like any normal Tour stop is hilarious. The U.S.G.A. and R & A clearly know how to put on a farce. 

 

Golf is in a more precarious place than the people currently trying to pad their wallets or preen their feathers realize. There is zero reason, rationality, or calm discussion to be had when a social storm takes hold against something these days, and golf's loudest "ambassadors" are doing a very good job of setting the game up to be the focus of such a tempest. 

 

Sad to see, because between casual tangents like TopGolf and celebs happily showing their love for the game, golf would otherwise be well-positioned to stay in a healthy place for a long time to come. Again, despite the best efforts of some, it is actually considered much cooler to play than it ever was in the pre-Tiger era. 

[SurfDuffer]

On 11/23/2023 at 11:34 PM, nikegolfer93 said:

What happened to just playing golf? I don't want to come off as a gatekeeper, which I probably might and probably am to some extent, but some of the stuff they are doing right now is a straight bastardization of the game (e.g. the Netflix Cup and Tiger's Sim League). 

I actually love the fact that more people are into golf more than ever. I'm the first person to encourage others to pick up the sport. However, there should still be some respect to the integrity of the game of golf. 

Imagine in tennis (another sport that I think has a beautiful history) they start doing gimmicky stuff like having Djokovic playing with his feet tied together or having Nadal put on a VR headset playing virtual tennis and broadcast it to live TV. 

Throw in the childish way the PGA Tour, its mouthpieces and a few players like Rory have acted with regard to LIV.  Its all become a cartoon.

[golferdude54]

Once the old school lower class caddies-turned-pros players died out, upper middle to upper class country club nerds took over.

[golferdude54]

2 minutes ago, golferdude54 said:

Once the old school lower class caddies-turned-pros players died out, upper middle to upper class country club nerds took over.

 

 

Replace karate with golf and there you have it.