Women’s professional golf - does anyone care?

[Deleted member 15344]

Would that be a problem? If you look at the Mens European Tour they play in Australia, S.Africa, Middle East, North Africa and occasionally in Europe itself. Any tour has to do whatever it needs to do to survive.

It would become extremely expensive for young aspiring pros to play on due to the level and cost of travel around Asia

Currently they can get to a number of the events with small travel and accommodation costs - add Asia into it and without sponsorship or backing from an OEM those costs spiral. You then also have events without would be struggle to be televised within the UK because a telly company isn’t going to pay much to show golf in a time zone that is across the night in the UK.

So ultimately over the next 5 years I see the amount of Ladies Events in Europe reduced to - British , Scottish , Evian and maybe the odd one other being seen

 

[Dibby]

I think you have forgotten why I posted any of the stats, D4S and BIM was saying that the standard of play in the womens game was as good as the mens game, and I personally thought they would have been, but the available stats are saying they are not(can not find strokes gained for the LPGA that you mention).

When I posted up some stats they changed to 'standard of play', and now it is talking about 'skill and you are talking about strokes gained and excitement'

I am only providing the stats I can find, to try to back up the statements that D4S and like are saying like they are FACT, but cant really back up by stats available, which as I say is disappointing. Sadly not enough people want to watch or sponsor the womens game and that is the problem, you need to deal with that major issue.

The women need to up their game, get more youngens in the game, created a better feeder system, get more sponsors, market themselves better, get more people watching, all the normal stuff that is easier said than done and I hope they do, as I watch it, as like just watching golf.

Anyway I am certainly not anti-womens game(amateur or professional), and all for it, watch it, even play most of my golf with women and so on, so think I will bow out of this now as the discussion is heading in a direction I do not wish to be shown associated with.

The biggest facts are that for better or worse, women's events get less media coverage and less money.

However, the unknown is whether perceived skill level disparity (whether it exists or not) has any impact on this or not.

What is more interesting would be why women trail men in these skills. Most likely it's just talent pool, so how do you increase the talent pool, when there are not many people inspired to be the next generation of talent. It's very chicken and egg.

On a slightly related topic, I'm also surprised there aren't more women long hitters. There are plenty of very strong and athletic females from sports like gymnastics where there is no money at the top level, if you could channel these into golf, with the lure of a relatively lucrative career compared to a poorly funded sport, you might be able to make progress.

 

[Jacko_G]

It's indicative of golf in general world wide. Ladies European Tour has taken the hit but look at how poorly England has supported the men's professional game in the last 10 years.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

It's indicative of golf in general world wide. Ladies European Tour has taken the hit but look at how poorly England has supported the men's professional game in the last 10 years.

In what way ?

 

[Jacko_G]

In what way ?

Lack of sponsorship, professional events dropped off the tour.

Obviously.

 

[AmandaJR]

The good news is that the OP doesn't care but 6 pages of debate (not just replying "no") suggest many do

 

[Lord Tyrion]

LP - A number of responses to that would be the same for the mens game. Bad time zones, costs of going over etc. It is something that the mens game deals with and if the UK ladies want to make a go as a pro then they may have to deal with as well. The alternative is likely to be the US or nothing.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Lack of sponsorship, professional events dropped off the tour.

Obviously.

Which can also be pointed at many other countries - currently ( outside Majors ) Wales have no events , Ireland one event , Scotland two events , England three events

Events in Scotland and Wales have also dropped off the tour

 

[Deleted member 15344]

LP - A number of responses to that would be the same for the mens game. Bad time zones, costs of going over etc. It is something that the mens game deals with and if the UK ladies want to make a go as a pro then they may have to deal with as well. The alternative is likely to be the US or nothing.

The men’s game get giving a hell of a lot more sponsorship and financial backing including from media companies - it’s easy to say they deal with it when they have the backing to do it.

 

[AmandaJR]

An interesting read from Meghan MacLaren who is from my club. She's a superb writer (and golfer!) and makes some valid points - not least that a disparity in quality can be down to this "Playing regularly is the best possible way to improve".

https://megmaclaren.com/2018/05/03/equality-disparity-and-the-2018-reality/

 

[Jacko_G]

Which can also be pointed at many other countries - currently ( outside Majors ) Wales have no events , Ireland one event , Scotland two events , England three events

Events in Scotland and Wales have also dropped off the tour

Not to the extent of England where for years they struggled for one event. Given all (vast majority of) Britain's wealth is in London it tells a huge story.

Scotland and Ireland have consistently held their national Opens.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

The men’s game get giving a hell of a lot more sponsorship and financial backing including from media companies - it’s easy to say they deal with it when they have the backing to do it.

I wouldn't argue against that but the point is what is the alternative? It may be that European players will have to spend 2-3 months of the year in Asia in the same way as they may play in the US. They have to go where there is a pro game and if that is not Europe then they need to take the next best alternative.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I wouldn't argue against that but the point is what is the alternative? It may be that European players will have to spend 2-3 months of the year in Asia in the same way as they may play in the US. They have to go where there is a pro game and if that is not Europe then they need to take the next best alternative.

And for a lot of aspiring pros that not going to be financially possible for them so they won’t chase the dream and it will be down to lack of opportunities

The Ladies Pro game within Europe is at a very critical stage - someone needs to step in and bring something to the plate , if they don’t it’s going to have a detrimental affect on the game within the UK

If young girls know there are big hurdles in the way to become a tour pro golfer then they aren’t going to start that journey.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I think you have forgotten why I posted any of the stats, D4S and BIM was saying that the standard of play in the womens game was as good as the mens game, and I personally thought they would have been, but the available stats are saying they are not(can not find strokes gained for the LPGA that you mention).

When I posted up some stats they changed to 'standard of play', and now it is talking about 'skill and you are talking about strokes gained and excitement'

I am only providing the stats I can find, to try to back up the statements that D4S and like are saying like they are FACT, but cant really back up by stats available, which as I say is disappointing. Sadly not enough people want to watch or sponsor the womens game and that is the problem, you need to deal with that major issue.

The women need to up their game, get more youngens in the game, created a better feeder system, get more sponsors, market themselves better, get more people watching, all the normal stuff that is easier said than done and I hope they do, as I watch it, as like just watching golf.

Anyway I am certainly not anti-womens game(amateur or professional), and all for it, watch it, even play most of my golf with women and so on, so think I will bow out of this now as the discussion is heading in a direction I do not wish to be shown associated with.

Please show me where I claimed my comments were facts.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Not to the extent of England where for years they struggled for one event. Given all (vast majority of) Britain's wealth is in London it tells a huge story.

Scotland and Ireland have consistently held their national Opens.

I’m not sure the level of “wealth” in London has any relevance.

England have held one event consistently for years with the PGA at Wentworth , same as Scotland and Ireland had their opens. Over the last 4 years the number of events in England has increased. When you also add in the Challenge Tour events and Euro Pro tour events - England Golf has done a lot to help promote the game and backed the game.

England don’t have an English Open - Scotland don’t have the Jonnie Walker Classic , Wales lost all events

 

[Homer]

I’m not sure the level of “wealth” in London has any relevance.

England have held one event consistently for years with the PGA at Wentworth , same as Scotland and Ireland had their opens. Over the last 4 years the number of events in England has increased. When you also add in the Challenge Tour events and Euro Pro tour events - England Golf has done a lot to help promote the game and backed the game.

England don’t have an English Open - Scotland don’t have the Jonnie Walker Classic , Wales lost all events

Exactly what have England Golf done out of interest?

 

[shortgame]

Please show me where I claimed my comments were facts.

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

 

[Deleted member 18588]

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.

I suggest that you have a look at John Huggan's interview with Dottie Pepper in the latest Golf World.

Reasonable to believe that she knows more about the ladies' game than either of us and she seems certain that there remains a significant gap in the levels of skill in the two games.

 

[Jacko_G]

I’m not sure the level of “wealth” in London has any relevance.

England have held one event consistently for years with the PGA at Wentworth , same as Scotland and Ireland had their opens. Over the last 4 years the number of events in England has increased. When you also add in the Challenge Tour events and Euro Pro tour events - England Golf has done a lot to help promote the game and backed the game.

England don’t have an English Open - Scotland don’t have the Jonnie Walker Classic , Wales lost all events

PGA is a world event co hosted by European Tour.

Fact is England has failed to invest in it's golf, it took Donald, Poulter, Westy etc and some huge Sky money to get it back, now it's taken Fleetwood and a terrible position on the schedule to keep it going this year.

Europro and Challenge Tour, geez a break.

I may as well try for bonus points and tell you that the Scottish Ladies Open has been a consistency as has been the Challenge Tour event at Spey Valley.

Sponsorship is tight and it's indicative of the sport(s) worldwide.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

PGA is a world event co hosted by European Tour.

Fact is England has failed to invest in it's golf, it took Donald, Poulter, Westy etc and some huge Sky money to get it back, now it's taken Fleetwood and a terrible position on the schedule to keep it going this year.

Europro and Challenge Tour, geez a break.

I may as well try for bonus points and tell you that the Scottish Ladies Open has been a consistency as has been the Challenge Tour event at Spey Valley.

Sponsorship is tight and it's indicative of the sport(s) worldwide.

And Scotland has invested in golf ?

At the same time that those events in England were started up again the Johnnie Walker was being stopped in Scotland, one event in Scotland requires it being a pro am to keep it going with the other relying on it being right before the Open , if you are going to point a sole finger at England then ensure you look at home first

If golf events in Scotland were increasing then you would have had a point to single out England but they aren’t.