I, like many of the other golf bloggers who are out here supporting Golf the best we can, am getting asked by many golfers and non-golfers how much effect Tiger Wood’s antics in his personal life has effected his profession of Golf.
My answer flat out is..nobody knows exactly how much damage has been done to Golf from the actions of Tiger Woods but all can agree he did not help Golf at any level.
I will leave the golf economics and the tangibles related to the dollar signs that are effected to the economist but there is no getting around the fact that from all indications the PGA Tour will see significant reduction in TV viewers. There is no doubt the business of golf has been hit a hard blow. Bloomberg: Golf Inc. Pays for Tiger’s Affairs With Lost Ads
In the PGA Tour, fallout for Tiger’s troubles is being felt the most. These troubles in golf is for sure to trickle down to the rest of golf as soon as the sponsors of the PGA Tour see the value of their sponsorships go down with the reduction of viewers on TV and at the event. Tiger’s troubles may be silver lining for sponsors
In recent interviews I have had with a few of the PGA and LPGA teaching professionals I know, all say it is too early to tell how the Tiger effect will have on their lesson bookings. Since this is the traditional slow season for teaching professionals in this area it will be after the first of the year when they will be able to tell how much reduction they will see in people wanting to get into playing golf. They all feel there will be a down turn, but several differ in how long they see the down turn in the interest in golf. Some say the interest will pick back up at that its traditional peak right before the Masters. Other say it will be next Fall and a few who have been around the block a few times feel this could take a few years.
In the retail part of the Golf industry, no significant impact has been felt as of yet primarily because of the difficulty in determining what is caused by the economy. Seasonal issues also make it difficult to determine if there is any slow down or indication golfers are not buying anything due to the Tiger effect.
In the investment world, naturally those who are invested to the hilt in Tiger like Nike and his golf course develop businesses are going to say they are going to move forward with business as usual. What else are they suppose to say publically?..that they are trying to find loopholes in their contract with Tiger or looking for buyers for their part of the business with Tiger..I don’t think so. Dubai says committed to Tiger Woods golf resort
In the small business world it also is too early to tell how these business owners will react. The entrepreneur and small business owners play a bigger part in the survival of golf than most people will give them credit . Since most of these business men and women fly under the radar of the huge media wonkies they can shrug off Tiger’s image and do their own thing. This attitude of playing golf because they like to play golf runs solid through the business golfer world more so than the recreational golfer or the fashionable golfer who play because of Tiger. The business golfers could be what keeps golf going until the dust from this meteoric hit to the world of golf can settle. This may take a long time and even a restart for the new age of Golf if what some so call experts says happens to golf from the Tiger Effect takes place.
What is a solutions or what will it take to keep golf alive at a cost effective level? Those are the questions Dave Bisbee and I will be digging into over the next few weeks. We hope to find the Good News in all this and work on doing what we can to help golf survive as we know golf today.
