Women’s professional golf - does anyone care?

[shortgame]

If you think that then I'm afraid that just highlights how little you know about women's golf.

So you think the standard from the shallow field of professional lady golfers is the same or better from the much larger field of professional male golfers?

 

[AmandaJR]

I suggest you re-read the op, it’s about the demise of the LET.
Talking about the Far East or USA will not help in any way, shape or form get a young girl living in Newcastle get into golf.

To be fair I thought that was going to be the case but when I read it suggests it's women's professional golf full stop?

 

[Grant85]

I don't really think it matters where the standard of woman's golf is compared to the mens. In general it is good and it matters far more that there is a competitive field.

If you were to play at courses where distance wasn't as big a factor, then a few woman would / could be competitive but in general I think the physical advantages that men have will make it very difficult for most woman to compete, even at a non-contact sport like golf. And no one is seriously arguing for a combined tour or that that would be beneficial to either tour.

At the QBE Shootout over the weekend in Florida, they played as pairs. 2 rounds were 4 ball better ball and one round was greensomes (3 round contest) over 7,328 yards. Lexi Thomson played with Tony Finau in the event. They were in the mix on the second day, but the scoring yesterday was crazy low and they finished in the middle of the pack (albeit a small field). But they were ahead of some pairings of seasoned PGA tour pros.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

If you think that then I'm afraid that just highlights how little you know about women's golf.

Another example, the ladies English amateur was held at my club a few years ago and I watched the final. The winner stiffed a bunker shot on the 13th to a flag position where the green ran downhill from her, it was virtually an impossible shot and holed a downhill putt on the 15th that I have never seen a member get anywhere close to holing. That girl is currently trying to get her your card but is struggling as the standard is so high.

The comparison is not top amateur ladies golf v mens club golfer. I wouldn't watch your members play on tv so the fact that the ladies are better is irrelevant. It is about the best golfers full stop. Who do people want to watch? You can't force people to watch a sport, the sport has to make itself attractive to people. If it can't do that then it inevitably has to go back to amateur level, whether male or female.

 

[shortgame]

Indeed, like it or not though distance IS undeniably a major factor in the overall standard of play (whatever gender, age etc).

Physical ability aside, with such a bigger pool of players in the mens game the standard at the top is better


That's not to say the standard of the ladies game isn't excellent! It is! And it's improving!

Same for the elite girls/amateur ladies - I personally know shedloads who would all wipe the floor with me, easily, off any tees! But that's irrelevant!

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

The comparison is not top amateur ladies golf v mens club golfer. I wouldn't watch your members play on tv so the fact that the ladies are better is irrelevant. It is about the best golfers full stop. Who do people want to watch? You can't force people to watch a sport, the sport has to make itself attractive to people. If it can't do that then it inevitably has to go back to amateur level, whether male or female.

You should read my post again, it is about a lady who is trying to get her tour card and failing to do so despite playing the amateur game at the very top level. It shows the level required to get on to the tour.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

You should read my post again, it is about a lady who is trying to get her tour card and failing to do so despite playing the amateur game at the very top level. It shows the level required to get on to the tour.

There is no dispute that the level required is very high. It is not however, high enough to attract sufficient members of the public, male and female, to watch them play. That is hard to take but at the moment it is the reality.

 

[Grant85]

You should read my post again, it is about a lady who is trying to get her tour card and failing to do so despite playing the amateur game at the very top level. It shows the level required to get on to the tour.

The mental game is what stops people from getting their card, male and female.

All the players competing at that level can play to a very high standard, but when you have to play the final 3 holes in -1 when it really means something, some people have it and some don't.

I remember following the Sunday of the 2010 Ryder Cup via the BBC website as I was working on the Monday. I was shaking just sitting at a computer, not even watching it live. God knows how Graeme McDowell could actually hold a club, and not only play, but perform.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

To be fair I thought that was going to be the case but when I read it suggests it's women's professional golf full stop?

It can be read that way, but with the US Ladies Tour just doing a record breaking deal, I’d suggest no demise for them.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

It can be read that way, but with the US Ladies Tour just doing a record breaking deal, I’d suggest no demise for them.

My reading of the OP is also that he is talking only about the European Tour as well. That is what I am basing my replies on. There has been a lot of talk recently about problems within the European Tour as well in regards of getting sponsorship, prize money etc.

The US tour is in good health, as you mention.

 

[MendieGK]

Why shouldn't they have some events that are the same or similar?

Why shouldn't they play on the same courses?

Like I said, there would clearly be interest in a Ladies US Masters, and there are literally no valid reasons for not having it - other than sexism.

surely the interest in a womens masters would be purely because of the golf course? that in itself further proves the issue.

would i watch it? yeah probably. why? because its at Augusta

 

[MendieGK]

I think some of you need a reality check about the standard of womens' golf. Did any of you see the skins game years ago when Sorenstam took on 3 of the mens Major winners that year and guess what....she played off the same tees and beat them!

They might give up 30 yards off the tee but every other part of their game is as good as the men.

Edit; Apologies just googled it, she actually came 2nd behind Couples but she beat Mickelson and O'Meara.

i'm in no doubt of the standard and i purposely didnt mention it in my post.

people just arent interested in it.

this scenario for me -

Womens golf on Skysports golf
Europro highlights on the red button

i will watch the highlight 101 times out of a hundred. and unfortunately i think most people would

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

i'm in no doubt of the standard and i purposely didnt mention it in my post.

people just arent interested in it.

this scenario for me -

Womens golf on Skysports golf
Europro highlights on the red button

i will watch the highlight 101 times out of a hundred. and unfortunately i think most people would

Excatly this for me, if people want to watch ladies golf, rugby etc then great but it should be their choice, if there isn't the desire to watch it at a professional level then it should not be propped up artificially.

 

[Slab]

With the correct management/leadership/marketing etc you could sell 2 hours of paint drying on pay per view & Joe & Janet public would watch. However if it handled poorly folks will switch over to watch grass growing instead

Look at ‘sports’ like snooker & darts getting hundreds of hours of airtime. Jeez there’s even televised Poker (you actually just sit and watch people playing cards!) and then there’s channels dedicated to watching adolescents play video games!

This tells me airtime has squat to do with gender or the relative skill within genders and if there’s not enough people who care about it as the OP suggested then that’s not the fault of the skill or gender either, but of poor management, positioning and presentation of the product

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

i'm in no doubt of the standard and i purposely didnt mention it in my post.

people just arent interested in it.

this scenario for me -

Womens golf on Skysports golf
Europro highlights on the red button

i will watch the highlight 101 times out of a hundred. and unfortunately i think most people would

I know you didn't mention the standard of women's golf but kellfire jumped straight in with it the first reply. I agree the issue is to do with marketing and sponsorship etc, anyone who thinks they are not as good is wrong.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

I know you didn't mention the standard of women's golf but kellfire jumped straight in with it the first reply. I agree the issue is to do with marketing and sponsorship etc, anyone who thinks they are not as good is wrong.

Do you really believe the ''not as good is wrong ' ?

Do you believe if the top women were placed in the top mens tour playing those courses, would perform and win week in week out ? Surely you don't believe they can given the difference in length between the top 10 men players vs top 10 women players? Yeah I think they probably could earn a living on the mens tour.

The top woman hits it 275 yards on lpga, that's like 190th on the mens tour giving away 30-40 yards every week on a number of tee shots/fairway, is a lot. Cant see many mens names at that driving distance and below in the top 10 male players or that win very regularly.

I am someone that watchs womens golf and enjoys it but have to be honest, I don't think the women play to the same standard, some to do with physical differences between male/females.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Do you really believe the ''not as good is wrong ' ?

Do you believe if the top women were placed in the top mens tour playing those courses, would perform and win week in week out ? Surely you don't believe they can given the difference in length between the top 10 men players vs top 10 women players? Yeah I think they probably could earn a living on the mens tour.

The top woman hits it 275 yards on lpga, that's like 190th on the mens tour giving away 30-40 yards every week on a number of tee shots/fairway, is a lot. Cant see many mens names at that driving distance and below in the top 10 male players or that win very regularly.

I am someone that watchs womens golf and enjoys it but have to be honest, I don't think the women play to the same standard, some to do with physical differences between male/females.

I have stated quite clearly that women do not hit the ball as far but other than that the standard is as good. If women played alongside the men from a set of tees proportionately shorter to the difference in length then I believe they would be competitive.

Or to put it another way, if the men are 10% longer and played a 7000 yard course then the women could compete playing the same course but with tees at 6300.

 

[funkycoldmedina]

I think golfers need to look at this in a different way. Giving young women role models of their own sex will only help participation. Golf clubs have only really connected with middle aged men in the past. As other women's sport is increasing its profile on TV and the rest of the media can golf really afford to be behind?
This shouldn't be about getting middle aged men to watch it it should be about reaching new audiences. Cricket in particular has done really well in this regard

 

[shortgame]

Um distance is, like it or not, a MAJOR factor of the standard of play!

 

[shortgame]

other than that the standard is as good.

You forgot to add 'FACT'