On October 13, 2009 – just over two months ago – I sat in the office of my journalism instructor and announced, “I believe that I can be the best golf journalist in the country.”
The audaciousness of this statement was clearly derived from the competitive confidence that has encompassed my life, as well as what I have boastfully characterized as perhaps an unparalleled background in golf. I have spent my 22 years on this planet deeply rooted in the business of golf, the eccentricities of the game, the mechanics of highly skilled golf and the spirit and components of the competitive mind that separates the most accomplished golfers from the Saturday foursome enthusiasts. Through my experiences as a junior and college golfer, in the repeated golf discussions with my father, a PGA professional, countless golf instructors, sports psychologists, and other golf experts, I have come to accept my background as a framework with which to view the game and to write on it as unique in the golf media world.
I immediately accepted my instructor’s advice to recreate my former European football (soccer) blog as a golf blog. That afternoon, my new golf blog, “Never Three Putt,” was born. He also advised that I undertake a project of self-education on the golf media field. My original focus was to learn the foundation of the golf media and, specifically, that of successful golf blogging as way to enter the field. The project since turned towards the future of the golf media. After speaking with golf bloggers, newspaper writers, magazine writers, and production staff from the Golf Channel, I present the sum of my work.
I invite you to sit and observe my findings and the life transformation that this project has been a catalyst of. As I prepare to graduate next week, I do not believe that I have had such a vested interest in any academic undertaking in my collegiate career – the following conversation has both changed my opinions on the golf media, as well as taken me on an alternative career path.
Historical Perspective
Where the golf essay once stood as a beacon of journalistic class in sports writing society, it has long since evolved, some say transmogrified, into a commercial, macro-audience manner of writing – broad appeal, concise and direct, an absence of technical and therefore alienating golf terminology and analysis. It is not as if today’s golf writers are less-skilled or less-devoted in their reporting or writing than those of writers past, but it is evident that the climate of readership expectations has dramatically changed.
Grantland Rice is applauded as a champion of the American sports press. Although he may be most famous for his invocation of biblical prose when he referred to the backfield of the 1924 Notre Dame Football Team as the “Four Horsemen,” Rice’s impact on golf writing was profound. In The American Golfer (which joined with Sports Illustrated in 1936), Rice wrote in 1924 of Bobby Jones' victory: “Perfect weather featured the week, blue skies, sunshine and a great course in perfect condition. Just how so many stars broke so badly is merely another mystery added to the many mysteries of this baffling game. There is a new régime on the way and many of them have arrived. And in the same among some of the star veterans we have come to the twilight of the gods.”
Herbert Warren Wind is considered by many as the quintessential golf writer of the latter-half of the twentieth century. In a 1958 piece for Sports Illustrated, Wind famously titled the 11th, 12, and 13th holes at Augusta National, home of the Masters, “Amen Corner.” He writes, “On the afternoon before the start of the recent Masters golf tournament, a wonderfully evocative ceremony took place at the farthest reach of the Augusta National course—down in the Amen Corner where Rae's Creek intersects the 13th fairway near the tee, then parallels the front edge of the green on the short 12th and finally swirls alongside the 11th green.” Where Wind succeeded in cadence, prose, and style, he mastered the ability to line his writing with his unbridled affinity for the game -- with every passage, with every article, with every book Wind non-hesitantly told the world of his love for golf.
Current Newspaper
Where golf once had a significant presence in the newspaper industry, today it has almost none. Currently, there are only three full-time golf writers at newspapers – USA Today, The New York Times, and the Associated Press. Now, the only golf writing found in newspapers is often found in local papers covering local events. In 2009, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution printed 44 articles about the Masters written by six different reporters – most newspapers across the country ran AP stories, a few sent staff reporters, and some had a single writer for several newspapers (Teddy Greenstein wrote under the Tribune Company’s umbrella). Similarly, The Boston Globe printed 25 articles by six different reporters during the week of the Deutsche Bank Championship (Norton, Massachusetts) – there was even less of a presence of outside newspaper reporters than at the Masters as it was not a “Major.”
Perhaps this decline is due to the timeliness restrictions of newspapers. Most golf events are concluded in the early evening, by 6:00p.m. Not only is this well before a traditional newspaper’s evening print deadline, but perhaps most destructively, events are concluded in-time for immediate telecast and online publication. Local television news, the evening edition of ESPN’s SportsCenter, hours of analysis and commentary provided by the Golf Channel, in addition to the ease in updating PGATour.com can all provide fans with information presented in a more seminal context than they would be apt to find in a 350-word “game story.”
Teddy Greenstein, a sports writer for the Chicago Tribune, was recently hired as the nationally syndicated golf writer for the Tribune Company and its newspaper affiliates. Greenstein is responsible for covering Chicago’s local PGA Tour event (recently designated as a FedExCup playoff event; the BMW Championship), the three domestic majors (U.S. Open, PGA Championship, and the Masters), and The Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup when played in America (every other event). However, Greenstein continues to have obligations covering other sports beats for the Chicago Tribune -- I spoke with him during his drive back to Chicago after reporting on a Notre Dame Men’s Basketball game.
Current Magazine
Perhaps more so than many other sports, there are numerous golf-specific magazines. While multi-sport magazines such as Sports Illustrated and ESPN the Magazine may feature golf writing, it’s important to note that Golf Digest (and its smaller publication Golf World) is affiliated with ESPN and Golf Magazine is affiliated with Sports Illustrated.
Yet, golf magazines are facing a parallel struggle to that of newspapers. The financial demands of print: the required overhead and the need to send multiple reporters throughout the world to events are negatively affecting the industry, particularly in the current economic downturn. Numerous magazines have decreased their staff and other overhead (Sports Illustrated, Golf Digest, Golf World) and nearly all are looking to unconventional ways to turn a profit in a climate dominated by Internet driven free content, rather than subscription magazines.
Current Television
The Golf Channel currently broadcasts PGA Tour, Champions Tour, Nationwide Tour, European Tour, and LPGA Tour events, as well as a daily half-hour golf news recap show (Golf Central) and multiple hours of live coverage before and following the live broadcast of significant events. The Golf Channel features a prominent group of former Tour players and a successful broadcast staff, which may benefit through Comcast's (owner of the Golf Channel) recent acquisition of NBC Universal.
Yet, the Golf Channel has received criticism from the conventional golf media community; one prominent writer referred to it as the “PGA Tour’s PR machine.” If working there, the writer stated, “be prepared to write fluff since the Golf Channel goes out if it’s way to steer clear of controversy.”
Yet, the Golf Channel has received criticism from the conventional golf media community; one prominent writer referred to it as the “PGA Tour’s PR machine.” If working there, the writer stated, “be prepared to write fluff since the Golf Channel goes out if it’s way to steer clear of controversy.”
As the worldwide leader in providing sports coverage, ESPN provides television golf coverage. While they broadcast a few golf events a year, there is only a rare sighting of golf on ESPN, unless it’s a SportsCenter top 10 play, a two or three minute tournament preview with former player Andy North, or a brief cameo by ESPN.com blogger Jason Sobel.
Some other networks that broadcast live golf events (TNT, USA, CBS, NBC, ABC) will feature an occasional PGA Tour special that airs, most often, immediately proceeding live tournament coverage. However, this programming is often produced by the PGA Tour Entertainment group, or is directly affiliated with the event itself (ie. Masters’ documentaries).
Current Blog
There are, essentially, three categories of blogs with respect to golf media: 1) the larger media institution affiliated blog, 2) the small, subset to traditional content blog, and 3) the independent blog.
Currently, Jason Sobel of ESPN.com and Jay Busbee of Yahoo.com represent the most significant bloggers in the first blog classification. Neither writer’s work appears in a traditional print medium – they produce exclusively online content, they are both affiliated with a larger corporate sports media entity, and their general manner of reporting is Internet, multimedia driven. However, at times both will write with a more traditional column tone.
With regard to the second category of golf blogging, numerous staff writers of golf magazines and newspapers post to a blog that is affiliated through the media entity that employs them. Golf Digest (golfdigest.com), Golfweek (golfweek.com), Golf Magazine (golf.com), and the Golf Channel (thegolfchannel.com), amongst others, require their staff to post to a blog. Their posts range from the less-than stories that wouldn’t find their way into a traditional article and follow-ups to simple humor and the utilization of multimedia platforms.
The independent blog ranges from, what one magazine writer called, “the basement writers – bloggers who never leave the house and write off transcripts” to niche golf experts that, for a variety of reasons, do not write or work for a traditional golf media entity. As it appears, few are actually monetized and seemingly serve as either a hobby or as a means of self-promotion for other commercial endeavors. Geoff Shackelford is an industry expert in golf course architecture. His blog is, generally, posted to multiple times per day and his postings range from first hand golf course analysis to more of a reader function where he hyperlinks and sometimes analyzes or comments on the work of more traditional golf reporters.
The Essence of Successful Blogging
While it’s a cliché, the general separation point between a good and bad blog is, simply, in the quality of the content. The nature of a blog provides for a more personalized discussion of a particular matter, but this should not serve as a justification for mindless rants or simple commentary. A certain credibility needs to be established; while this may be accomplished through reputation and background, ultimately it is determined by the perceived quality of content – whether it is in topics, perspectives or reader comments.
The quality of a blog’s content can be contingent on the access (player, Tour event, etc.) that a blogger has, unless the blogger is willing to provide an unique perspective to existing commentary. In asking successful golf writers and golf bloggers about what the most significant key to success as a golf blogger is, the most common response was providing a unique perspective not found elsewhere.
As a golf writer (blogger), what is the unique perspective on golf I can best provide? Is it architectural review? Equipment discussion and review? A more humorous side of the game? Reviews of golf clothing? This becomes the quintessential question in establishing a golf blog. My answer was in providing analysis as a competitor, as well as a discussion of the essence of the game: strategy and technique.
As someone with, perhaps, a greater knowledge of playing the game competitively than most golf writers, I find myself at times able to provide commentary that would not typically be found elsewhere. Yet, without the ability to provide first-hand accounts, have first-hand experience with a respective golfer, or being privy to the golf course, there is a clear credibility gap. My commentary on a golfer's round could well provide a unique combination of competitive perspective and writing technique, but the current economics of independent blogging prohibit physical presence on a regular basis.
The multimedia capacities of online writing have proven effective for Busbee and Sobel. During the 2009 Presidents Cup, Sobel operated a video blog, updated multiple times per day, where he would provide short video reports of content ordinarily found in print. Similarly, both are affiliated with podcasts; Sobel hosts ESPN’s On the Tee, while Busbee hosts Devil Ball Golfcast.
Technological advances in content production, a major catalyst for the decline of the conventional print media, have created an ability to produce and a demand for immediate content. Expectations have changed dramatically with the Internet; where people once viewed tomorrow’s newspapers as news, they are now more likely to refer to it as yesterday’s news. Where reporters formerly were concerned with print deadlines, today that concern has shifted to meeting the attention deadlines of an audience.
As an independent blogger, generating readers is significantly different than it is when carrying a Yahoo.com or ESPN.com attachment as Busbee and Sobel do. However, both point towards reciprocity as instrumental in gaining readership. “Link your posts in applicable comment sections throughout the Internet,” Busbee stated. Similarly, Sobel stated, “Give credit to other writers and bloggers; they’ll turn people your way as well.” While the Internet community is obviously constantly expanding, it remains a somewhat close-network of golf writers and bloggers.
“The key to maintaining readers is to give them a reason to come back,” Busbee stated. Whether this is accomplished through registering readers and providing them with e-mails of blog posts or through the simple reputation of frequently posting, readers need to be aware (whether through notification or reputation) of a new posting. Though Sobel is aware of the unmatched sports media benefits of being associated with ESPN and having his blog posted throughout the ESPN.com Web site, the notions of establishing some form of a relationship with readers remains pivotal.
Busbee and Sobel have turned to Twitter as means to maintain frequent contact with readers. Sobel, whose Twitter account is syndicated on the ESPN.com golf site, has (as of 12/10/09) 3,889 followers while Busbee has 2,415 followers. Though these numbers pale in comparison to their blog readerships, these symbolic gestures are unparalleled (with the exception of returning e-mails, phone calls, or re-commenting) in any other medium; and, it’s likely that their followers will continue to grow as more of the public becomes accustomed to the technology.
In Summary
Following my blog post on Herbert Warren Wind – where I linked to his famous 1958 Sports Illustrated article about The Masters and “Amen Corner” – a reader commented, “I guess we should lament there is no one writing like H.W. Wind these days, but who would read it when we have high definition television and the golf channel.” The point may be a sad testimonial to the future of golf journalism.
Perhaps it’s a cultural change or just a passed torch of another generation, but the romanticism of a well-crafted article does not often carry its former weight when compared with today’s multimedia and professionally produced television segment. GolfWeek writer Alistair Tait stated, “I lament the death of the golf essay. Sadly, the days of sitting down with a good golf essay, or a long Peter Dobereiner like piece on the eccentricities of the game are long gone. It seems these days that if you can’t reduce your observation to 140 characters or less then no one will read you.”
While some may point to the current economic climate as the source for some of the print golf media’s struggles, it would be irresponsible to expect a resurgence of the print media when the economy recovers. It is possible that the lessons of consolidation and the advantages of a writing staff with multi-platform capacities will remain implemented in the future. If the desire to be a golf journalist in the traditional sense still burns, a nontraditional versatility may be the only recipe for future success. As bloggers Jason Sobel and Jay Busbee, as well as Golfweek’s Beth Ann Baldry point out, the ability to work within all three mediums (Internet, print, television) is perhaps the quintessential attribute required of tomorrow’s successful golf journalist.
While I applaud the multi-platform endeavors of bloggers like Jason Sobel and Jay Busbee (podcasting, video blogging, multimedia style writing), at times this seems like golf writing on life support. As all journalists attempt to adapt themselves to the changing needs of consumers and the industry at large (economic), my question, maybe, has become how can journalists adapt their approach to golf media, and how can journalists adapt golf media at large to fit these needs?
The future of top-tier golf journalism may exist in more of a public relations capacity; facilitating player created content that lacks a traditional journalistic perspective. With the Internet and other technological advents, the ease of creating personal content – diary entries, video blogging, Twitter feeds, etc. – have allowed for the unprecedented development of the fan/athlete relationship. Without relying on mainstream media features and the decision of journalists to write about an individual Tour player, players are increasingly able to broadcast their personality and tell their stories without a reliance on the mainstream media.
With a microphone and a laptop, a 60-minute podcast can be produced and uploaded on the Internet in 70-minutes. A Twitter post of 140 characters only takes the time that is required to, perhaps, thoughtfully type those characters on a computer or an iPhone.
The central issue in society’s consumption of Internet content is the acceptance of its raw nature; consumers generally don’t expect the same strength of writing that is found on a blog as they do in a newspaper; Internet video content can be less polished than if it were on network television.
The future of golf media lies in facilitating player created content and providing for its worldwide consumption. While a journalist may have the skills to tell another’s story in a compelling fashion, it is unlikely that their re-telling of the story proves as seminal as a first-hand account. Moderating interviews, moderating diary entries, educating players on the adequacies and inadequacies of social media (Twitter and similar concepts most directly) is the next evolutionary stage of the golf media.
My Growth
This is as much a discussion of the golf media as it is the summation of a college student’s attempts to find himself; this project has steered me to a singular focus of my future career devoted almost entirely to facilitating PGA Tour and Tour player created-content. Where my passion for the journalistic enterprise is unwavering, my cynicism for the future of the golf media has grown.
I began this project believing that I could provide a perspective that was atypical to conventional golf writing. While I believe I’m able to write that unique perspective, I am now less optimistic and increasingly doubt the efficacy of it in generating readers. Jason Sobel points to his readership as ranging from “avids and PGA Tour lovers to I saw Tiger Woods in the headline.”
A discussion of the fundamentals of the game and a subjective analysis into the specifics of a Tour player's round may be meaningful to some, but with the consolidation of the media and the need for broad appeal this would prove an exercise in futility. I would like to evoke the instructional viewpoints of the game’s leading teachers; yet, it seems likely that readers would prove lost in the jargon and un-relatable content. “You want to be careful not to alienate readers,” Jason Sobel told me.
While it is not a condemnation of the traditional golf media, I have grown increasingly uncertain of my role in it. I don’t view niche golf reporting as being potentially engaging enough to achieve the level of success that I have come to expect from myself. I find myself too interested in the positive promotion and advancement of the game to engage – apologetically – in the superfluous reporting that can characterize it. As has been evident in the drama of Tiger Woods’ unmasking as a philanderer, golf writers have been forced to report and comment on the story because of its appeal to their readership and their readerships’ demand for it. It could have been directly detrimental to their careers had they refused to report on it. I remain too idealistic in my passion for golf to repeatedly write on a story that I consider damaging to the game.
My Future
A statement from Golfweek’s Beth Ann Baldry is profound with regard to the industry; “People will always need news. We just have to figure out a way to make them pay to get it.”
As has been the case throughout the print media, the Internet has created a climate where readers demand free, unlimited access to content. Without subscription fees, these media groups are continuously relying on advertisements for support.
However, a future exists in producing player created content, under the blanket of the PGA Tour, for dissemination to the public. As a journalist, the key to success, under this framework, is to moderate and facilitate content provided by Tour players, instructors, and golfers in a manner that is latent and relatable to the golfing public – without losing the essence of their analysis.
With my skill set and interests, I see my future employment in the capacity of a journalist in a public relations atmosphere; aiding Tour players with their individually created content, assisting the PGA Tour (and other Tours) in creating its own content for Internet distribution, and in resurrecting the golf essay in a macro-audience perspective – most likely in a multimedia capacity.
Where complex golf analysis seemingly has no future place in the traditional golf media, providing anecdotal tales in this fashion will be essential to the future of the golf media. There is no person more able to analyze and comment on a tournament round than the player is (with the possible exception of his or her instructor). The knowledge gap between skilled and unskilled golfers is the principle obstacle to this type of reporting, but an ability to moderate these discussions and simplify them through appropriate interviewing and translation is the future of the industry. Without the need of a traditional golf media attachment, this type of content can be masterfully produced, while ensuring the public relations desires of the Tour, at an absolute fraction of the expenses found in print and television media.
Further discussions of PGA Tour and Tour player created content:
PGA Tour Blogging
Resurrecting the 1997 Tiger Woods Masters Special
A proposal for a "Tour-Zone" addition to PGATour.com
Twitter (and Update)
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