Why Do You Watch/Care About Pro Golf?

[Jeremy26]

Several reasons. First and foremost is that I simply just love the game. Everything about it. The triumphs, the failures, all of it. Seeing the shots that the best in the world can create, is awesome. Trying to recreate those shots, is even better. I also like watching the juniors and collegiate tournaments. I enjoy the history of PGA golf and Ryder Cup, so with that being said, I don't have any interest in LIV. In my opinion it ruined the game. Dividing the worlds best players so they never get to play against each other, sucks to be honest. So I'll continue watching the PGA Tour every weekend as I have for decades, but I'll never watch a single LIV event.

[EnderinAZ]

I am in the NO category. All the stuff earlier posters say they watch golf for: How to get out of trouble, shot making, set up, club selection make up what 4% of actual televised golf? The rest of the time you get a 5 minute overhead view of 1, yes just 1 guy looping around the flag stick on a 22 foot putt only to see the ball roll by the hole.  Why not put some cameras around the green so we can see the subtly breaks too. Heck they hide cameras in the bases now in pro baseball. Then zoom you are on a tee box for a 12 second look at someone on a tee box. Whack they hit the ball, you see if fly and land. And suddenly we are on that camera overlooking yet another green watching another golfer circling endlessly around the flag, or we will spend two full minutes on a caddy/pro combination as they chat on the fairway. Are they talking about golf and the next shot or the caddies youngest son's birthday party they are missing tomorrow? Who knows? Might as well focus on a patch of the rough, you know right up close and see if you can watch it grow. 

[steve sisson]

Only the PGA and less of it. I am sure it will be early on more and later less, but Scheffler peaks my interest. I’ve seen great ball striking, Jack, Lee, Tom Both W’s, Short game Seve in my 72 yrs but consistency like Scheffler, NEVER. That’s why I watch, but screw liv. 

[SeniorGolfer]

As many others have stated the reasons are many. The earliest professional golf I watched was when Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf started in 1962. Prior to that you could only read the results in the newspaper. I was fascinated to see the players I had only read about. How their swings looked, their putting strokes, the clubs they used, even how they dressed. I also recall the attraction of vicariously visiting these great golf courses all around the world. It was these early broadcasts that helped to turn me into the golf addict that I still am today!

To address the question today…my reasons would still be the same. 

[MattWillGolf]

I used to enjoy professional golf for the skill of the players and the courses on which they played. Watching shots being pulled off of which I could only dream is pretty incredible. Watching tournaments like the Sentry because I’ve played that course and The Masters because of the beauty of Augusta and other tournaments because of a dream to play those courses was a draw for me. Walking Oak Hill for the PGA Championship was very cool as was seeing players like Rory, Collin Morikowa, Adam Scott, Tommy Fleetwood and Tony Finau up close was pretty special. The money has gotten so big and the advertising needed to support the tournaments started to detract from the viewing. But as the money grew, some players appeared more concerned about their cut than making the cut it began to turn me off. I will watch the Majors but I will be less inclined to watch regular tour events and have zero interest in watching any LIV event.

[Billy-Bo-Jim-Bob]

Same reason I watch any sport….its Live competition!!

[Fairwayguy2]

I watch pretty religiously but not as much since LIV showed up.  Still watch all the majors and full field competitions. I always watched the Thursday & Friday rounds but since most of them been moved to premium pay channels that has diminished.  I have no interest at all for the LIV format.

[Aim490]

I love to watch the pros play those beautiful courses.  Sometimes I just marvel at the consistency and ease they seem to swing with (Morikawa, JT, Scheffler, etc).  Their short games and sand play absolutely amaze me.  Their putting, even on a bad day, is great to watch.  Those are the things I, as an old hacker, can actually see myself learning to do better than I am doing.  

The poise and mental toughness the pros show under huge pressure knocks me out.  I’ll leave the monstrous drives to those who can do it. Very impressive to see.  Even if they’re approaching with 9i or wedge, vs my hybrid or 7i (for my 3rd or 4th shot ).  The Tour Pros are a different breed than me, but I can watch them on TV for hours when I have the time. 

The TV announcers say dumb stuff, overstate the obvious (however they’re miles ahead of football’s idiotic talking heads), and the directors & producers don’t show much coverage of those not in the top 10 on the board, but that’s where watching Thurs or Fri will show a lot of different pros battle their way to the weekend and it’s fun to see.  I might watch an hour or 2 at a time, or even total for the week, and I’m rarely bored (but my wife sure can be).  The Sunday finishes can be fabulous to watch and even my non-golfing wife will watch along with me.

 

[Sixft9]

I watch because I like the competitive story lines. The battles to make the cut on Friday, the competition amongst the leaders on the weekend and even the positioning for the playoffs that may occur further down the leaderboard. 
LIV does provide some unique aspects to this with everyone finishing at the same time and adding the team concept. PGA tour gives you the leaders all finishing on 18 which lets you get a feel for the finishing holes and building drama. PGA needs to show a few more players and not focus so much on big names that are out of the hunt. 

[John S]

I love the game and enjoy watching the best in the world play at a level that is beyond the grasp of even the best elite amateur players.

This being said it is getting difficult to watch in this environment of constant conflict.  I blame "Commissioner" Monahan for totally mishandling the early and ongoing critical issue between the PGA and LIV.   First, he takes the "my way or the highway stance" and then vilifies players like Phil stoking division and setting up opposing "camps".   He uses a "dirty money" argument while he accepts all the funds possible from China.   In my opinion, Monahan could not have possibly handled this situation worse.  He elevated conflict in an environment where the PGA held most all the "cards"  This should have been a negotiation, not a WAR between players, fans, and ideologies.  The fans lost.  The product is now diluted probably permanently.  Remember DJ?  Is he still playing??

Watching the PGA is no longer an escape from day-to-day stresses, it is like watching politics on Fox vs MSNBC.  Brandel (one win) Chamblee did all he could to talk only about the  LIV conflict and this has further downgraded the product the PGA offers viewers.

I am hanging on by a thread, only due to my love of the game, however, I now watch routinely with the sound OFF.  

[MadisonGolfbum]

I still watch, but mostly Champions Tour, the guys I grew up watching. My interest in the PGA Tour, especially since the LIV mess, has definitely dropped off. The LPGA is still a good show and more relevant to the distance of my game than the young PGA bombers.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[Nick Vavoudis]

Not so much anymore. Still play 4-5 times a week. Still coach HS golf. So disenchanted with the treatment of LIV players and LIV tour. The hate  these players have been given has soured me on the PGA and critical media. I’m old so I’ve seen a lot of golf in 70 years, more then most of you. I remember Curt Flood and what he did for baseball, how the ABA brought us Dr. J, and how the AFL brought us so many great football franchises. This hate for LIV is stupid. Things change dump the hate. Work with it. Good things can come from new ideas. I hardly watch the PGA tour anymore because I have lost my respect for the way they treat LIV. I’ll probably only watch LIV events, the PGA major highlights and a few pga events. Ps leave the golf ball where it is right now. It is what it is.

[barney_bogey]

I have enough attention for the highlights. Love seeing what incredible shots the pros are able to pull off. Or I'll watch a particularly good round from a single golfer. I've been enjoying following Min Woo Lee of late.

All on YouTube. Too much going on to follow for four days on the couch.

B

[Parshooter36]

I use to watch golf religiously. This past year I watched very little outside of the majors.  There are 2 main reasons why I quit watching.

1. We dropped youtube tv when they raised their price again and I lost the golf channel.  The Peacock app has a lot of golf channel content, but it's not the same as having the live channel. I can however get all of the coverage when it is on NBC.   Paramount+ won't let me view the CBS broadcast unless I upgrade to premium, so I don't have access to the final coverage when it is on CBS.

2. The whole LIV thing has really soured me to the point that I just don't care as much as I use to.  Both sides can claim they have the best players in the world all they want, but the fact of the matter is they both have some of the best players in the world playing in events with weakened fields compared to what the PGA tour was before LIV.

[Willie T]

All good reasons to watch and not watch pro golf.  For me it’s been less in the past couple of years.  I grew up when golf was not as televised as it is now.  There was an aura of just who these athletes were.  Today the distances they hit, the precision around the greens has taken some of that away.  I have yet to watch a LIV event, still enjoy the Champions tour and the LPGA.  The migration of personnel to LIV has allowed players rise earlier to prominence.  So seeing new players rise sooner has been encouraging, still miss the bad boy moments in PGA.  I too would love to see better camera angles with fewer commentators endlessly babbling….

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming….

[Kevin W]

I love the game so it makes sense to watch the best and admire and respect what they're doing even though I can't relate to the level at which they play.

[eddiex72]

Like any sport I watch I enjoy great play and cheering for favorite players/goflers. I do love the game and play so at times I also watch to learn. No, I will not play at their level but I do feel like there’s something to learn from what you see. Something you may be able to emulate. 

[Hitnhunt]

I watch professional golf frequently, as well as the collegiate golf they televise.  I enjoy looking at courses I'll likely never be able to play, and enjoy watching the terrific shots they can hit.  I learn more watching the LPGA and seniors than I do the PGA.  Yep, they can hit the ball a mile and hit great wedge shots, but there's not a lot to learn about strategy when the most frequent strategy decision is which wedge they're going to hit into the green, and their games and mine are so different there's not much opportunity to apply their strategies.  It is interesting to listen to the discussions between player and caddie as to how they're going to play a hole.

I've not watched any of the LIV golf, and don't intend to.  I watch the game, not the "stars".  They're all better than me, so they're all "stars" as far as I'm concerned.  Pretty sure that disappoints the golf industry sponsors, but that's how it is with me.  I'm not a fan of how the Saudis do things in general.  From my perspective (which I'm sure means absolutely nothing to any who have gone to their employment), it's essentially working for organized crime.  Both tend to kill people they find inconvenient, and try to maintain an air of legitimacy while doing so.  "It's just business" as they say in the movies.  What I've heard about their format and "entertainment value", I have no interest.  

[Beakbryce]

when I started playing I watched to see how I could improve. There was a lot more demo work during the broadcast which increased my understanding of the game. Now we are lucky to see one swing analysis and it's usually the driver.

I read a lot of golf magazines as well.

I still watch all year long. I watch them all btw, PGA, LPGA, college. I watch in fast forward. I slow down for good shots. To many commercials, too much talk from the talking heads. I really hate it when they are doing the best player to not win a major or best players not playing well. It's a 40 year career for these players. Slumps? I am surprised there aren't more slumps. There is a reason I really like the European announcers. Some light reminiscing and a little yardage work. None of this "it's an impossible shot" that a 10 handicapper could handle. Sure, some of them are really hard, but a lot of them are mere hyperbole. Especially out of traps.

Let's face it. They went from Venturi to Miller to Azinger to Immelmann. They all spoke the truth but it's a lot kinder and gentler group now days. VANILLA.

Kizner, now that should be fun.

Golf magazines are all about selling expensive golf crap. Nothing new there anymore.

Or maybe at 71 I have just lost my patience. There are better how to videos on you tube now than any telecast tries to provide. Thank you Quite The Chap. Want to grow the game? Show people how to play it.

Sure I want to watch the players going at each other. Love the pressure. It's amazing that out of a 156 player field one person ends up better when they are all good. I had 2 rounds this year where it felt like I couldn't miss. Must be how they feel day in and day out.

Would it kill them to show the really difficult shots from the day before, analyze lie etc, what options were available, and then demo the shot from the same location? They could do this before play the next day and intersperse those within the telecast. Say 2 an hour. I would rather see 8-10 of those than watch players wonder around the green looking at a 2 foot putt for what seems like 10 minutes. I mean, who needs the line on the ball lined up for a 2 foot putt? 

With todays greens, I would like to see a player have to putt out and get it done in less than 90 seconds. By that I mean when it is your turn, you putt until it's in the hole and you have 90 seconds. The greens look hard enough not to really bother if one is on someone's line. If they are soaked, then revert to todays way. Lets go. 

In fact, shot clock for everyone. Set up behind the green. Like football. 

 

[Fore67]

Still obsessed with this game 54 years in. I've been watching the pros play since the Masters in 1966 (I was 8). Currently I'm finding Dan Hicks, Trevor Immelman, Justin Leonard, Jim Nantz etal unwatchable, so I turn the sound down and just watch the swings and shots.

There is still nothing like the mental challenge of golf and the pros play a game that we are unfamiliar with, speed of greens, length of course, difficulty in pin positions, length of rough etc etc.

I tune in from time to time to watch the LPGA, as they play a game with distances similar to what I hit my clubs these days. Their short games and consistency are amazing.

I am saddened by the LIV uprising. Do not and can not watch some of the best pros throw their legacies away for the riches that are the Saudi $$.

What has Phil done in the 2 years he's been with LIV?? He had the Champions Tour by the tail with the start that could only be legendary, now who cares?

Can't wait for '24 to start, so many great stories for those playing in the Sentry Winners Only event. Rooting for Villegas and all the Canadians! 

[billybogey]

Watch: 1. PGA 2. LPGA 3.Senior's PGA 4. Men's/Ladies AM's 5> DO NOT WATCH "LIV"; period!!

Just Sayin'

 

[OdinSnipes414]

For me, I grew up with separated, parents, My, father and I used to spend time playing Tiger Woods golf on the Xbox when I was young and watching Tiger play. I’m from and still live in Milwaukee Wisconsin where tiger made his debut at the Milwaukee open. Are used to live two blocks from Brown deer Park. So quality time with my dad was revolved around Golf. He also set up lights for concerts so when he lived in California, we drove a couple times to Pebble Beach to set up stages. I got to meet some great golfers. No pictures because it was one of those in the moment type experiences. I watched pro golf to see some of the worlds best either play like humans or make incredible shots. And I feel the joy that Golf brings to me when I’m not able to get out and play but to watch others and enjoy playing the game that I love. 
 

thank you for listening to my TED talk

[OdinSnipes414]

On 1/2/2024 at 12:51 PM, billybogey said:

Watch: 1. PGA 2. LPGA 3.Senior's PGA 4. Men's/Ladies AM's 5> DO NOT WATCH "LIV"; period!!

Just Sayin'

 

I watch all golf, except for LIV because it’s never on the services that I’m watching but whatever Golf is on I watch it I follow the korn ferry tour because of the golfers using SUB70 clubs and I feel connected if that makes sense 

[billybogey]

Yep!! Watching more Korn Ferry Tour as well.