LIV Golf

[ColchesterFC]

Interesting viewpoint from the outgoing Pelley, who is another voice behind unification of the game as a global operation.

I think it's becoming pretty clear that there are a few names from the PGAT that would like to keep it as it was, a domestic US based tour - but surely that ship is at the very least, getting ready to sail?

‘This is a global game’: outgoing DP World Tour golf chief takes dig at US

Keith Pelley, the soon-to-depart chief executive of the European Tour Group, has warned the PGA Tour and its members they must embrace the ‘global’ nature of golf

www.theguardian.com

This is one area where I think that the argument for LIV and growing the game is weak. Do you really think that if the interest and money had been there for the PGA Tour to take their events global they wouldn't have taken that opportunity and grabbed the cash? The reason that the PGA tour is and has remained US centric is because that's where the interest and the money is.

All the talk of LIV growing the game and taking it to new markets is complete nonsense. LIV has 12 regular season events this year. Five of them are in the US, one in UK, one in Spain and one in Australia - so that's two thirds of their events in established golfing markets. Their other 4 events are in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Singapore - I know that it is of no interest to the owners of LIV but is there really enough interest in golf in those places to make them profitable for events in the longer term?

 

[Pin-seeker]

lads you’re making the same points over & over again.
Imagine some of your post counts on a thread about a tour youve no interest in,yet can’t stop talking about
Probably same on Twitter??

Surely there’s more to life

 

[SteveW86]

lads you’re making the same points over & over again.
Imagine some of your post counts on a thread about a tour youve no interest in,yet can’t stop talking about
Probably same on Twitter??

Surely there’s more to life

That could very much be said for people on both sides of the argument. Without naming names, I think we all know who the guilty parties are

 

[WGCRider]

This is one area where I think that the argument for LIV and growing the game is weak. Do you really think that if the interest and money had been there for the PGA Tour to take their events global they wouldn't have taken that opportunity and grabbed the cash? The reason that the PGA tour is and has remained US centric is because that's where the interest and the money is.

All the talk of LIV growing the game and taking it to new markets is complete nonsense. LIV has 12 regular season events this year. Five of them are in the US, one in UK, one in Spain and one in Australia - so that's two thirds of their events in established golfing markets. Their other 4 events are in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Singapore - I know that it is of no interest to the owners of LIV but is there really enough interest in golf in those places to make them profitable for events in the longer term?

This is so spot on. Economically the only place it makes sense to stage golf tournaments (outside the majors) is the eastern half of the United States. There really are few exceptions - may Pebble beach and Phoenix??

 

[wjemather]

This is so spot on. Economically the only place it makes sense to stage golf tournaments (outside the majors) is the eastern half of the United States. There really are few exceptions - may Pebble beach and Phoenix??

This was covered in the media during COVID. They can pretty much hold tour events anywhere and barely lose any money if no fans turn up. Income comes from corporate hospitality, not average joe paying on the gate.

 

[ColchesterFC]

This was covered in the media during COVID. They can pretty much hold tour events anywhere and barely lose any money if no fans turn up. Income comes from corporate hospitality, not average joe paying on the gate.

Doesn't most of the money come from TV deals? And the biggest current market for that is America. Advertiser's aren't going to pay a lot for a tournament held in the middle of the night for their biggest target audience.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

...Advertiser's aren't going to pay a lot for a tournament held in the middle of the night for their biggest target audience.

Important point

 

[Mel Smooth]

Why are people still entrenched in the view that the US market is the only one that matters?

 

[SteveW86]

Why are people still entrenched in the view that the US market is the only one that matters?

Ask the LIV team, they seem to agree. If the Championship Finals are in the US (which I imagine they will be), thats 8 out of their 14 events on American soil.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Why are people still entrenched in the view that the US market is the only one that matters?

Because it’s the biggest market that brings in the money to sustain the tours

If the other markets were able to sustain big events outside the US then why haven’t they ?

Most of the money is from those US markets , all the other markets even including Europe don’t have the same appeal to gain the level of media interest , media deals with the US dwarf any other deal - why do you think LIV host the majors of their events in the US

 

[Slab]

Isn’t it weird how televised sport (inc golf) has a commercial shelf live measured in hours, while the shelf life of a movie or TV sitcom can extend for years

 

[BiMGuy]

Why are people still entrenched in the view that the US market is the only one that matters?

Who said it was the only one that matters.

It’s currently the biggest market where most sponsorship and TV revenue comes from.

If there was any real interest in playing all over the world it would already have happened.

The difference now is someone with deep enough pockets that the players could be convinced.

Even LiV play the majority of their events on the US continent.

Phil Mickleson had no interest in playing anywhere but the US prior to joining LiV. What do you suppose changed his mind?

 

[Hoganman1]

It's hard to tell where all this is headed. I assume LIV will stay as it has been (54 holes, shotgun starts and team scoring) this year. Also, do they have a TV contract? I've never watched an event so I'm in the dark on when and where they play. I watch most PGA Tour events, but I love the majors. As long as those don't change I'm happy. I guess I can learn to liver with whatever they do to blend LIV and the PGA Tour as long as it's 72 holes.

 

[Slab]

It's hard to tell where all this is headed. I assume LIV will stay as it has been (54 holes, shotgun starts and team scoring) this year. Also, do they have a TV contract? I've never watched an event so I'm in the dark on when and where they play. I watch most PGA Tour events, but I love the majors. As long as those don't change I'm happy. I guess I can learn to liver with whatever they do to blend LIV and the PGA Tour as long as it's 72 holes.

I'd like to see the big 4 played over 90 holes with a cut at day 2 and day 4
72 holes is just a bit samey with regular tour events

 

[BubbaP]

Quality global golf does seem to be the flavour of sound bites & interviews currently.
The financial side based around the US is well known, and is the low risk option. Who really knows how things might shift over a period of time though.

 

[SteveW86]

It's hard to tell where all this is headed. I assume LIV will stay as it has been (54 holes, shotgun starts and team scoring) this year. Also, do they have a TV contract? I've never watched an event so I'm in the dark on when and where they play. I watch most PGA Tour events, but I love the majors. As long as those don't change I'm happy. I guess I can learn to liver with whatever they do to blend LIV and the PGA Tour as long as it's 72 holes.

They have one of those zero hours contracts with Youtube.

 

[Hoganman1]

I think global golf is inevitable. Time zones do cause a problem for the US TV networks. I actually enjoy watching events on the DP tour in the morning. One of my favorite things is getting up really early to watch The Open. As with almost everything today, money will rule.

 

[wjemather]

Doesn't most of the money come from TV deals? And the biggest current market for that is America. Advertiser's aren't going to pay a lot for a tournament held in the middle of the night for their biggest target audience.

Golf staged in the US misses US prime time broadcast slots.

 

[WGCRider]

I think global golf is inevitable.

Why? It hasn't happened so far and every attempt has failed.
But yeah this time it's different. Also the next soccer world cup is really going to tip the balance and that's going to be the biggest sport in America as well.

 

[WGCRider]

Golf staged in the US misses US prime time broadcast slots.

Yeah, that makes sense. It's why the PGA tour has so few viewers.