All sports have been impacted by Covid-19 with golf being no exception. The announcement from the PGA suspending the season after the first round of the Players was not a huge surprise, saving TJ from a ton of embarrassment over his Tommy (78, T140 after the first round) Fleetwood pick to win, and the LPGA, Champions and European Tours all followed quickly.
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Golf does feel like the most likely sport to come back quickly in a world of social distancing. We have tentative new schedules in place for all tours, and a special made for TV Tiger / Peyton vs Phil / Tom match (date TBA) to look forward to, but there are many questions to answer.
 | Is it too soon to expect events to start again? Testing is needed to ensure everyone is covid free and estimates are that 1M tests would be needed to run the proposed PGA schedule alone. Is that feasible in a world where there is vast need and limited availability of tests? |
| How can the players safely travel to the event? And can they even travel? Flights are being cancelled and airlines on limited schedules. We know some of the players can use private jets but not everyone is Tiger or Phil….. |  |
| How can we be sure the players and staff are safe at the event? Testing question again… |  |
 | Will the players even want to play? The players are private contractors after all, and they aren’t obligated to play. Yes, many of the lower profile players will be desperate to play and earn a living but will the top players believe it is safe to play and show up? If they don’t, will we watch? |
| When will fans be allowed in again? We know not for the first 4 events but when will it be allowed, and safe, again? From a safety perspective, we don’t want fans getting the virus just to watch some golf. Ticket sales are a big part of the revenue stream for an event. Lack of fans, and ancillary sales on things like food, beverage and souvenirs will drive the economics of the events down. Without those revenues’ events may soon find they are losing too much money. It will also have a significant impact on all the charitable donations these events generate, one of the great benefits of professional golf tours. |  |
 | Are majors really majors if the fans can’t be on the course? Even bigger question – can the Ryder Cup, known for partisan fans, be the Ryder Cup without the fans? While this is definitely a sport that can be played without fans it seems that watching the Masters without the back 9 roars on Sunday or the Ryder Cup with the Ole Ole Ole Ole chants will be eerie viewing and could even lack drama. |
The Golf Away team will be tuning in and watching the new golf season but only time will tell whether we will enjoy it and we wonder if these viewing experiences will it impact future viewing. If the viewing experience is not up to standards we expect that it will not impact we diehards but we are concerned about losing a generation of new viewers. Golf is likely one of the very first live events we will see and the sports starved public will be tuning in and the experience they have will shape their view of the game.
With creativity and great golf, the networks will have an opportunity to create a great viewing experience. New camera angles, increased access to players, caddies and officials, new technologies (what comes after shot tracker?) can all drive a great viewing experience and help to bring in a new batch of golfers.
But if the networks stick to the current formula will the broadcast seem flat? Without the fans (or patrons!) will the experience fall flat and those new viewers tuning in be turned off for the future? Will it prevent them from considering going to the local range or course and giving the game a try?
But if the networks stick to the current formula will the broadcast seem flat? Without the fans (or patrons!) will the experience fall flat and those new viewers tuning in be turned off for the future? Will it prevent them from considering going to the local range or course and giving the game a try?
We need new golfers to fill the bucket and seeing the professionals playing great course and making great shots is often the entry point for young people. We are not concerned about those of us who already love the game. We already know how exciting the back 9 at The Masters can be in a “normal year” but how do we get that across to the new viewers without the fans.
This is not the life or death moment of the game but we are hoping that the networks can step up and deliver an experience that can be a boost for the game and help bring in the new generation of golfers we really need to keep growing the game.
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