Golf

@barbarian said in Golf:

@MajorRage said in Golf:

So winning means nothing to you in sport, and a stronger distribution of cash to the top names, regardless of how they play, means everything.

You used to be one of my favourite posters. What happened? This is just straw man nonsense.

You had bad taste in posters then.

I hate the LIV model and it brings out the worst in me. And your comment was you’d rather your cash went to the player you came to watch, not the bloke you don’t know. Is that a path of winning not being relevant? I think it is.

The vast majority of money is still distributed as event prizemoney. If a top player isn't winning they will fall down the pecking order as fast as anyone else. And by and large that's how it should be.

I don’t think it is. Majority yes, but not vast. Does any tournament pay 15mm to the winner? Did Rory even win 15mm in money this year.

But faced with the existential threat of LIV they upped their contribution to the top players, and this was how they decided to do it.

Actually they merged with them.

I find the whole thing sickening. Sad but true given I used to watch probably 20 tournaments a year on Sunday nights. Since all this, I’ve watched the Masters and that’s it.

Probably the only golf I have watched is LIV, the Majors and the Ryder Cup. Haven't watched a PGA tour event in years. I think most of the tournaments are boring. LIV is a new model and it will be interesting to see what happens in the upcoming year. I know the new demographics of golfers are less country club like and more average guy in the street type and I suspect they would be more attracted to the tunes, entertainment and beer holes that LIV provides. Recruitment is the big thing for LIV but taking golf around the world is a big positive. All in all I would rather play than watch anyway.

PS. Rory is annoying.

I don't disagree broughie.

I hate LIV though. There's a good idea in there somewhere - I like team golf, I like taking the game out of the US - but the product on TV is unwatchable. There's no juice. It's an exhibition.

Looks like a tonne of fun to be at the course, but realistically that's not going to sustain it long term.

@MajorRage said in Golf:

Actually they merged with them.

I find the whole thing sickening. Sad but true given I used to watch probably 20 tournaments a year on Sunday nights. Since all this, I’ve watched the Masters and that’s it.

Yeah no disagreement here. The whole thing is a mess and the PGA Tour are hypocrites of the highest order for pursuing a merger.

The only loser in all of this are the fans.

John Rahm is reportedly set to move to LIV for a shit ton of money. Rory will be livid

@canefan $600m US, hard to knock back...even if you likely already have 10s of.mill in the bank

@canefan anyone would take that money, especially considering he can still play in the majors.

It just makes me sad. How much money is enough to people? I can't be happy for Rahm, or anyone here.

The real losers, as always, are golf fans. As the landscape fractures further and for the worse.

@barbarian more so with the ball roll back rule...

It's much like many elite sport though isnt it, obscene sums of money on offer.

@taniwharugby said in Golf:

It's much like many elite sport though isnt it, obscene sums of money on offer.

At least with other sports the obscene sums are somewhat commensurate with added global interest.

Golf's pay packets are now so wildly out of sync with the actual popularity of the athletes its insane.

The facts...money talks.

This could even be the Masters for me now. Totally and utterly devoid of any interest in the professional version of this sport.

I don't blame Rahm, I'd do it all day if I was him.

Honest response about Rahm joining LIV from a former PGA tour player.

@barbarian said in Golf:

I don't disagree broughie.

I hate LIV though. There's a good idea in there somewhere - I like team golf, I like taking the game out of the US - but the product on TV is unwatchable. There's no juice. It's an exhibition.

Looks like a tonne of fun to be at the course, but realistically that's not going to sustain it long term.

I say it is in its' infancy. Give it time.

@canefan Rory is going to have a hard time deciding who to direct his anger at. I guess the Irish always end up gettiing the short end of the stick and my mums maiden name is Galway.

@barbarian Well at least the money is coming from PIF but tournament costs etc will go up. It will reach a point when the average guy can't pay the price of admission and economics will step in.

@broughie said in Golf:

@canefan Rory is going to have a hard time deciding who to direct his anger at. I guess the Irish always end up gettiing the short end of the stick and my mums maiden name is Galway.

Yeah, the guy took it way too personal and he lost out. I notice he's stated Rahm must play RC. A bit of a different message to that for the other (mainly US) golfers who already defected

@canefan I think he was manipulated into being thier puppet to an extent, and he bought it hook line and sinker.

@taniwharugby He should have realised the PGA are as much to blame as anyone, and hide behind so called custodianship of the game when in actual fact they were the cause of the problem

@taniwharugby said in Golf:

@canefan I think he was manipulated into being thier puppet to an extent, and he bought it hook line and sinker.

That will teach him from acting from a supposed moral high ground.

@broughie said in Golf:

@taniwharugby said in Golf:

@canefan I think he was manipulated into being thier puppet to an extent, and he bought it hook line and sinker.

That will teach him from acting from a supposed moral high ground.

Should have known better, it was always about the money

@canefan yea I saw a tweet from Westwood I think pointing that out, particularly years back when they got more TV money, increased purses and made that tour the preferred one, now they have competition for eyeballs and can't really compete dollarwise, they taken thier toy (OGWR)

@taniwharugby IIRC the players have quietly voiced concerns about the length of schedule, and prize money for some time. The PGA did nothing, which opened the door for LIV. Funny that many of the innovations introduced by LIV have been taken up in some form or another by the PGA

Great win by Lydia Ko and Jason Day in the GT Invitational this morning. Cool tournament setup actually and a pretty enjoyable watch. Day 1 was a scramble, Day 2 best ball, and then today's final round was a modified best ball where they play each others tee shots.

Nice to see Lydia playing a bit better too. Expected a huge year from her but its been super disappointing after getting off to a pretty good start.

I thought this was a great article about this whole mess.

Particularly this par:

I will almost certainly continue to follow professional golf — it is a big part of my job, after all — but I am not so sure about the dozens of people I play with regularly. They aren’t deeply entrenched in the pointless daily arguments of Golf Twitter. They don’t really care about OWGR points and certainly couldn’t name members of the 4 Aces. They like to squeeze in rounds when they can, have fun and give each other shit, drink a few beers during or after a round, and flip on football when they’re finished. It’s not a choice between supporting the PGA Tour or LIV, it’s a decision to ignore both. They might gamble a little, but a light bulb has gone off recently, and many fans have begun to wake up to the idea that almost no one involved in this Corporate Game of Thrones thinks about them at all.

That's modern elite sport in a nutshell

Some sports are better at the lip service "for the fans" but there is an enormous disconnect between guys making not even enormous amounts of money, and the schmucks on the other side of the fence.

Just realised why I am slow, always get good advice on here. I a real hacker who has somehow got the bug for the game lately, and as getting on , I am a little worried about holding up boys at club during comps etc. Now everyone say no nworries, but by the end of 18 holes I struggling a bit walking at reasonably speed, so looking for a ride on something, as I may stick around playing for a few years now I have started.
The question is has anyone seen anyone using these fourstar golf cruisers around their course or know anyone who has one, to tell me if they any good?
Last couple of weeks have been using a mates little moped and towed my traundler around, great fun, but if I get a moped won't fit in car, and don't have room for trailer etc. I know fourstar will fold down and fit in car etc, just don't know anyone who got one.

@Dan54 cant help too much, other than I have seen a couple around and they move along pretty well, never had anyone in my playing group use one though...look like fun.

@taniwharugby Thanks mate, just trying to get any info like that, I have never seen one or heard anyone say if they any good. Can I ask if the course you saw them on had a few hills etc? I do like they fold up and fit in a SUV so would suit me down to ground.

@barbarian said in Golf:

I thought this was a great article about this whole mess.

View embedded content

Particularly this par:

I will almost certainly continue to follow professional golf — it is a big part of my job, after all — but I am not so sure about the dozens of people I play with regularly. They aren’t deeply entrenched in the pointless daily arguments of Golf Twitter. They don’t really care about OWGR points and certainly couldn’t name members of the 4 Aces. They like to squeeze in rounds when they can, have fun and give each other shit, drink a few beers during or after a round, and flip on football when they’re finished. It’s not a choice between supporting the PGA Tour or LIV, it’s a decision to ignore both. They might gamble a little, but a light bulb has gone off recently, and many fans have begun to wake up to the idea that almost no one involved in this Corporate Game of Thrones thinks about them at all.

I don't think it's possible to nail my position any better than this. Excellent stuff.

Time will tell how many are in sync with me though. No doubt I'll have a long discussion with my Dad about it over the next couple of weeks & will report back. He just retired from being president of a golfing society in NZ (age, not because of LIV), so his thoughts will be telling.

I guess I'd be typical in that I play a round of golf vastly more than I'd watch it. In fact I'd really only make an effort to watch the Majors. Putting aside the soft diplomacy (sports washing) inherent in the funding, I can't blame Rahm et al. from taking the cash. I'm certain I would.

Rory's trying to walk it back

What a fucking bellend. Hatiest Golfer ever.

@canefan not entirely true, i thought it was more acceptance of the inevitable.

If you listen to the section he spoke on LIV I thought he came off reasonably well, you still get he doesn't agree with alot of LIV, although he did say say the competiton is good, felt some of the talk of growing the game would make more sense if some money went to 'grass roots' stuff instead of the eye watering sums thrown about to individuals.

He also said he never engaged with them, so has never been offered an obscene sum to turn down.

He was very vocal when it all went down. Got made to look a fool when the PGA did the deal behind his back

@canefan he was, and for the most part I don't think his stance has changed, he just knows he is fighting something he can't win.

I think he got plenty wrong in his approach, but it is what it is and i feel a bit much is made of some of the cherry picked comments.

Like he also said, the fans don't care about the money, they just wanna watch the best players play golf.

@taniwharugby said in Golf:

@canefan he was, and for the most part I don't think his stance has changed, he just knows he is fighting something he can't win.

I think he got plenty wrong in his approach, but it is what it is and i feel a bit much is made of some of the cherry picked comments.

Like he also said, the fans don't care about the money, they just wanna watch the best players play golf.

He was pretty firm in his stance until Rahm defected. Then he seemed to accept it very quickly

@canefan acceptance of something being inevitable is a bit different though than him changing his opinion or views on it.

@canefan Good for him. He is slightly more tolerable now.

Yeah, his position was forced by the PGA.

I feel for him a bit, but then I remember he's just another golfer with 100mm+ who will probably see this balloon 3-400% now and slip back into care factor of zero.