• Thanks to each and every one of you for being part of the Golf Monthly community! We hope you have a joyous holiday season!

How would you improve the Masters?

Backsticks

Assistant Pro
Banned
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
3,852
Visit site
Yes, the weak field is its achilles heal as a major and does devalue it compared to the other three. Maybe its the short light day that limits their scope. Could have moved it to May maybe.
 

SyR

Challenge Tour Pro
Joined
May 6, 2009
Messages
852
Location
Woking
Visit site
Bring it back to the BBC and extend the coverage. Being on a mainstream channel will expose the event to a broader audience.

The content they put out of their YouTube channel is actually really good, so more of that please.

Other than that, I'd like to see a sister event for the LPGA tour on the course.
 

ExRabbit

Club Champion
Joined
Aug 5, 2014
Messages
1,667
Visit site
The boiler suit stuff is just weird in this day and age.

As much as I like watching the Masters, there shouldn't be 3 of 4 Majors in the USA, so either ditch it or make a 5th Major. The new one should be a ROW rotation outside of the US or UK.
 

AussieKB

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 10, 2020
Messages
1,227
Location
Australia
Visit site
The boiler suit stuff is just weird in this day and age.

As much as I like watching the Masters, there shouldn't be 3 of 4 Majors in the USA, so either ditch it or make a 5th Major. The new one should be a ROW rotation outside of the US or UK.
As much as I would love to see that happen the PGA would not allow it, they think they are the ROW and look at the Greg Norman Tour, they are doing everything possible to kill it before it starts.
 

BubbaP

Occasional Player of Golf
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
5,730
Location
Oxfordshire
Visit site
Isn't the "major" term just a media thing really these days? It may be time to ditch it, there isn't a single body in total control with a proper definition to apply so each person can come up with their own view.
The are a load of tournaments, some players & spectators will rate some above others.
 

Golfnut1957

Newbie
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
1,792
Visit site
Isn't the "major" term just a media thing really these days? It may be time to ditch it, there isn't a single body in total control with a proper definition to apply so each person can come up with their own view.
The are a load of tournaments, some players & spectators will rate some above others.
You are right about the term Major being media derived and about there being no single body in control of them, which is why the term can't be removed, there is no one body to do it. The vast majority of golf fans, the controlling bodies and the media refer to these four events as the Majors, they will be ever thus.
You are also correct about the idea that individuals can rank events in any order they want, there are people doing that on this thread, ranking run-of-the-mill tour events above the Masters because they can. This is how Jay Monahan gets to sew the seeds for the Players to become the 5th major. He is desperate for the PGA Tour to own a major, so he pays a fortune in prize money, attracts the best "PGA Tour" field of the year and constantly talks of it as being the 5th major. Say it often enough and you know what? People will believe it.
So instead of ditching it we get a 5th, but then why not a 6th, or more even
 

KenL

Tour Rookie
Joined
Dec 3, 2014
Messages
7,700
Location
East Lothian
Visit site
I am astounded that people don't rate the Open. Head and shoulders above the rest. The only real major for me.

I enjoy the Masters, it looks good on TV and the crowd behave themselves. It does need to ditch the boiler suits and the rest of the bygone era cringe like the honking green jackets. ?

Uspga is not a major for me.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

Major Champion
Joined
Jul 24, 2012
Messages
33,484
Visit site
Play it on a course that doesn't just rely on ridiculous greens to stop players smashing up the course with low scores
That was precisely how Jones designed the course. Easy enough tee to green for the members for all but one week in April, in that week hope for hard greens and put the flag in the positions designed for them for that week. Means that more precision is then required tee to green and a player‘s short game has to be razor sharp.
 

Backache

Assistant Pro
Joined
Jun 26, 2015
Messages
2,693
Visit site
I am astounded that people don't rate the Open. Head and shoulders above the rest. The only real major for me.

.
Open is definitely my fave as well, love the courses, early starts and late finishes and never tire of watching links golf.
 

Depreston

Club Champion
Joined
Feb 25, 2017
Messages
999
Visit site
I am astounded that people don't rate the Open. Head and shoulders above the rest. The only real major for me.

I enjoy the Masters, it looks good on TV and the crowd behave themselves. It does need to ditch the boiler suits and the rest of the bygone era cringe like the honking green jackets. ?

Uspga is not a major for me.


I love the masters it's probably my favourite for the following reasons

Normally around the start of the golfing season in the uk
The times make it easier to watch. (even if the masters committee tries to make it as difficult as possible to watch the action)
Augusta is an amazing looking course on the tv
The green jacket pathetic really but i like the novelty :D

The open is a very close second though and its probably only down to the fact that i never seem to have the time to get as invested in the action. Summer is a busy time of year normally... I think the last open round i watched in full was stenson and mickelson (fantastic).

Rory's win was also a major factor in getting me on the course! was a hungover sunday and i watched every shot. the following weekend i went out and used my dads old howson clubs i'd bought a set of irons within a month and joined a club on a 18 month deal shortly after.

It's a quite sad state of affairs that the last part of my post wouldn't happen now! i wouldn't have been watching that Rory round behind the sky pay wall at that time of my life. The Open should be on free to air tele the final round at the very least. Sky do a great job on their coverage but it'll be to the detriment of the sport eventually just like The Ashes going behind the paywall.
 

sunshine

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2018
Messages
5,648
Visit site
The boiler suit stuff is just weird in this day and age.

As much as I like watching the Masters, there shouldn't be 3 of 4 Majors in the USA, so either ditch it or make a 5th Major. The new one should be a ROW rotation outside of the US or UK.

I thought there already was a 5th major? ?
 

timd77

Assistant Pro
Joined
Jun 17, 2013
Messages
1,471
Visit site
I personally absolutely love it, and although I love The Open too, the masters just edges it for in terms of excitement and anticipation. I think it goes back to my childhood, being allowed to take the portable telly up to my room and watch it in bed. Aside from the Ryder Cup, 2 of the greatest golf moments of the last 20 years were at the masters:

- Tiger’s comeback win
- The leaderboard being turned on it’s head in the space of 10 minutes when Willet won it
 

Bdill93

Undisputed King of FOMO
Joined
Jun 18, 2020
Messages
5,697
Visit site
When the "Tour Caddy Experience" bloke was on Rick Shiels podcast he said as a caddy, they all dream of putting on the white boiler suit at The Masters.

I know a lot of people seem to dislike it as it reflects on racism in history, which is totally justified - but I found it admirable that he spoke so positively about the honor of donning the white boiler suit. Its the pinaccle of a caddies career (apparently)
 
Top