The State of the Golf Media: The Death of the Golf Essay and the Evolution of Internet Content (final project)

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.

The golf magazine is perhaps the sole surviving golf media entity that represents the ideals of the past. Today, Golfweek, Golf Digest, and Golf Magazine remain the dominant mainstream golf magazines, while there are a few niche golf magazines throughout the country. Golf Digest and Golf Magazine are extraordinarily similar in their writing, topics, and style. Both rely heavily on the availability of golf instructors and Tour players for golf tip sections, both do little timely news reporting as they are monthly publications, and most of the writing is found in feature length pieces or short discussions of golf’s less timely, larger issues – equipment concerns, golf course reviews, etc.. On the other hand, Golfweek (a weekly publication) is significantly more devoted to reporting tournament news, providing rankings (professional and amateur, men’s and women’s), and new and classic golf course reviews. Where Golf Digest and Golf Magazine frequently may feature articles that are 2,000 words in length, most of Golfweek’s articles run 500-700 words and features are rarely over 1,200 words.

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.”

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)

PGA Tour Blogging (I)

Last week when I recommended the creation of a sub-site to PGATour.com where PGA Tour created content would be housed, I mentioned the idea of bringing in Tour players to blog during events (and maybe even on off weeks).

On his website, Phil Mickelson last blogged on October 26 from China. He writes:

Greetings from Singapore, where this week we play the Barclays Singapore Open. It’s hot here again as it usually is this time of year, but Sentosa Golf Club is a wonderful venue and we have some of the best players in the world the entered, including Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington, so it figures to be another great week. 

  

Next week I’m playing the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, which is now a World Golf Championship event. I’m convinced that’s a great thing for our tours. It gives us one of the strongest possible fields in the fastest growing and potentially largest market. With golf becoming an Olympic sport, with China’s commitment to the Olympics and to golf, I believe the exposure of the world’s best players competing in Shanghai will drive the game in that country and throughout Asia. . . 

 

A lot has been said about my work with Dave Stockton prior to the Tour Championship and I’m so glad we had that time together. Dave was a great putter, and talking with him reinforced what I knew to be true about putting and the short game. It reaffirmed what I talked about in my short game DVD, the need for a scientific understanding as well as an artistic approach for short game success. 



In the DVD I talk about training my eyes for alignment, the importance of putter face alignment, the importance of reading the green properly. But to make putts in competition or away from the practice green you must develop solid fundamentals and practice properly but you also have to have feel and creativity to bring that short game out. That was the combination that I was lacking as the season wore on, and that I realized again with Dave. . .
 
 

I’m also excited about the release Tuesday of the companion book to the DVD, Phil Mickelson: Secrets to the Short Game. Guy Yocum and T.R. Reinman did a fine job on the writing and Golf Digest photographers Dom Furore and J.D. Cuban did in still photos what Terry Jastrow did in the video, which was a big success, too. 

 

My thanks to go to them and to Golf Digest for the great support they lent to the video and the book and, as always to you for your interest and support. 

 

On his website, Ernie Els wrote in his "weekly diary" December 7. He writes:

Although it's a pretty quiet time of the year golf wise, there's quite a lot to report from my first week back in South Africa. We flew from America last week and stopped off in Stellenbosch to visit the guys at the winery and see how things are in the Big Easy Restaurant, which opened last year. It's really buzzing, which was great to see. And our wines are doing extremely well, having picked up quite a few more international awards in 2009.

I also took the opportunity to meet up with Hannes van Niekerk, the CEO of the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation, to talk about what's been happening and to go through our future plans. Most importantly there is a change in the structure of the Foundation from 2010, which will allow us to expand our reach and help more kids. It's an exciting new phase and we're looking forward to helping change these kids' lives.

After all that I had a nice quiet weekend at the house down by the ocean in Herold's Bay. It was really good to be back. And there are exciting developments just down the road at Oubaai (pictured above). This was our first signature golf course in South Africa when it opened for play in 2004 and now there's a fantastic new Hyatt Regency Hotel & Spa ready for its grand opening next week.

Also at Oubaai is the upcoming opening of the South African Golf Hall of Fame, which will feature a library, lots of memorabilia, a Hall of Fame locker room, golf shop and putting green. I'm proud to be one of the 23 golfers inducted to this new Hall of Fame.

Anyway, back to this week's events. We flew up to Mpumalanga on Monday so that I have plenty of time to work on my game in the build-up to this week's Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek. I love this tournament and the golf course that it's played on. It has to be one of the most spectacular courses in the world, right on the edge of the Kruger National Park with the wildlife all around. It is pretty amazing. We have a house on the golf course, with lots of friends here and the family are staying, too, which makes it a great week all round.

As many of you will know, this is one of Johann Rupert's events; he's a great friend of mine and he does a great job looking after us all. I've won the Alfred Dunhill three times in all - 1995, 1999 and 2006 - although only the most recent of those was at Leopard Creek. That was pretty special, though. It was December 2005 and I was playing only my second tournament after coming back from ACL knee surgery in the summer of that year.

Obviously this year it is a significant week for other reasons. For one thing it's the first tournament in the 2010 Race to Dubai. And, as I was saying in last week's report, the rules on grooves have changed for the new season and in effect we're turning back the clock with irons that generate a lot less backspin. It's quite a big change at the top level of the game and it'll make a real difference, especially with shots out of the rough; you know, the players are not going to be able to spin the ball anything like we have done in recent years. So driving the ball in the fairway is going to be a bigger deal - no bad thing, to be honest.

Obviously I'm looking forward to the week. I'll write some more again next Monday and tell you all about it.

Bye for now.

In late November, several PGA Tour and Champions Tour players traveled to Iraq to visit with American troops. Tim Simpson, of the Champions Tour, wrote in the PGA Tour's Player Blog on November 26. He writes:

Last Friday, we all flew to Washington and joined each other at Walter Reid Hospital for an amazing afternoon with our wounded warriors, returning troops from Iraq and Afghanistan that have lost limbs. They hit balls on a makeshift driving range. We then visited a number of soldiers in their rooms. Their courage and desire to get back into battle as soon as possible was both amazing as well as humbling. It was a day that none of us will soon forget.

On Friday night, we boarded a plane for the 12-hour flight to Kuwait. After we landed, we were transported to our accommodations at Camp Arifjan. We all found it very hard to sleep with the eight-hour time change! We left the base early Sunday morning, then had lunch and did a clinic at Ali Air Base while on our way to our final destination of Camp Buehring.

We spent the rest of the day and evening with the troops and then were thoroughly entertained by county singer Matt Snook. Matt is a friend of Tom Watson's and is a great guy. We arrived back at Camp Arifjan at 11:30 that night and had to leave at 4 a.m. We were all exhausted but excited to meet more of the incredible young men and women that are fighting for our country.

We then boarded a C-130 transport plane and flew to Baghdad for our next stop, Camp Sather. While in flight, the reality of war hits us all as we were required to wear body armor and helmets. We hit the ground running, signing autographs and taking pictures, then held a clinic. Our group then went to one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, the Al-Faw Palace, where we met with General Anderson for a briefing, followed by a great dinner at the residence of General Odierno.

General Odierno is a four-star general and a hulk of a man at 6-foot-6. There were at least six to eight other generals in attendance at the dinner, so the room was full of stars from some of our most powerful leaders. All of them could not have been nicer and more supportive of our trip.

After dinner we held another clinic, where we hit balls into the lake behind General O's home. All the generals hit balls, then were thoroughly entertained by long-ball hitters Wilson and Boever as they tried to hit the Al Faw palace some 400 yards away. The evening concluded with a concert from Snook, or "Snook Dog," as we now call him. We all had a great time, especially General Odierno. Exhausted, we retired to our quarters for some much-needed rest.

Tuesday began with a briefing at General O's office, then we flew to the first of three bases that day on Black Hawk helicopters. The first forward operating base we visited was Hammer, where we ate lunch and did a clinic in the desert. We said our goodbyes to the soldiers there and boarded the Black Hawks for Base Carver. We did another clinic that culminated with a challenge by the base commander to Dan Boever that he couldn't hit a ball over the tower that measures incoming mortar fire. To our astonishment, he did it and set off an alert that we had "incoming" fire, much to the pleasure of the commander.

We boarded the choppers for base Cache South well after dark. We did another clinic there, much to the delight of the troops. When we were done we boarded the Black Hawks back to our base in Baghdad, all thoroughly exhausted and ready for bed.

The thing that continues to impress us all is the dedication of our young troops to fulfill their missions, and the joy that they derive from our coming over and letting them know that we support them all. They are amazing young men and women. Today we will hit several more bases visiting our incredible forces, so it is time to say goodbye for now.

May God bless all of our troops and our country on this day.

And, finally, the following is the first installment of Rickie Fowler's "video blog."




Of the four, Fowler's obviously provides the most personal insight. Where Mickelson's reads like a testimonial/advertisement for his short-game DVD, where Els reads like a well-crafted public relations message meant to show how nice of a guy he is, Fowlers is humanizing. Tim Simpson's piece is well-written and it clearly tells the story of his travels to Iraq, with the exception of the final pargraph we don't really gain an insight into Simpson -- other than the respectable nature of his travel.

While Fowler's "video blog" is obviously tailored towards young people, I see no reason why other Tour players couldn't use this medium to present their respective personalities (code word for older guys). Maybe Fowler's blog and general use of social media is too tailored for younger generations, but, then again, Rickie is only 20-years-old.

Sure, not every Tour player has either the interest in or the character capacity to have themselves and their family so exposed to the public, but, for those that do, the video blog is the ultimate social media means to provide visibility to fans.

For the Tour players with an interest in video blogging, the PGA Tour could provide a support staff to facilitate it.

However, a humanizing, written blog entry has similar capacitites. But, I searched throughout the Internet and couldn't find an easy access to any. I couldn't actually find Simpson's piece anywhere on PGATour.com, I google searched "PGA Tour players blog" and it was an early result.

On a side note, I found a blog that Ty Votaw, PGA Tour Executive VP of Communications and International Affairs, kept during golf's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games.

On another side note, I've been looking at the existing PGA Tour online video content. I'll be discussing it next week and making recommendations for it going forward. The best work that I've seen so far is the "In the bag" section. The clip is excellent; if anything almost too well produced. Here's the most recent installment.

PGA Tour Created Content (I)

Going forward, I'll will be posting on potential content ideas for in-house produced content by the PGA Tour. Last week, I proposed a sub-site to PGATour.com where Tour players' social media would be syndicated, blog (diary) entries would be posted, and potential video blogging could be housed.

 As I'll regurgitate in the weeks to follow, technological advances have provided for an ease in producing in-house content. A single camera, with a single, skilled individual is capable of filming and producing revealing, humanizing pieces that can advance the story-telling interests of the PGA Tour. The ability to remove a journalist, mainstream media lens should be desired; the content can be controlled, a more uniform message can be relayed, and, most importantly, the right probing questions and direction can be managed and facilitated by an individual with an expert golf background that isn't looking for commercial success via readership.


Today, I'd like to discuss resurrecting the "In his Words" 1997 Tiger Woods Masters Special.

Following a PGA Tour event, the winner would be invited (depending on support, perhaps mandated) to give a 5-15 minute interview to the PGA Tour.

The interview, ideally, would be filmed with a single camera positioned over the shoulder of the interviewer -- perhaps catching a glimpse of them just as a means to keep direction. The interviewer probably should be shown a few times during the interview, just to provide that context, but the raw focus should be the event winner.

The interviewer would simply walk the player through their winning round (maybe multiple rounds depending on context), while guiding them with specific, probing golf questions. The respective shots would be spliced throughout the filming.

For instance, assume that the eventual winner made a crucial birdie on the 17th hole to take a one-shot (and ultimate victory margin) advantage. Here's a scenario Q&A:

After "player x" hooked it in the left bunker before you hit, what where your thoughts? Did you play a conservative shot? It looked like you tried to curve it left-to-right away from that bunker? Where you thinking about forcing a maybe two-shot swing here?

Response.

Talk about the birdie putt you had here. Slippery downhill left-to-right putt; were you worried about it getting away from you?

Response.

How did you re-focus after the birdie? Adrenaline running?

Response.

This type of interview would provide golf fans with the behind-the-scenes access their looking for, while also giving them golf advice and a better analysis of the game than they would traditionally find elsewhere.

Obviously, different players (personalities) would provide for better interviews, but its also likely that the quiet, soft-spoken, humble Tour player may provide a more candid interview than would be expected from, say, Tiger or Phil Mickelson.

Ultimately, the show is an exercise in creating precise, well-formed soundbites for syndication. Better interviews, more golf specific questions and comments than would be found in a press conference. Also, it is the type of content that, once one begins watching, I don't believe that they're likely to turn off. It is the epitome of a humanizing interview while relaying expert golf commentary and analysis, from the player themselves, that a journalist is unlikely to provide for.

In terms of monetizing, the obvious standard side-bar advertisements, or even the brief 15-second commercial interruption could be used for online viewing and, I'd assume, the same syndication policies for other media agencies would be applied.

What to do without Tiger Woods . . .

VIEWERSHIP OF PGA TOURNAMENTS MISSED BY TIGER WOODS DUE TO INJURY IN 2008-09 (via: Nielsen)

TOURNAMENT	NETWORK	# OF VIEWERS P2+, 2007-08	# OF VIEWERS P2+, 2008-09	% CHANGE
BRITISH OPEN-SAT	ABC	3,040,000	3,278,000	7.8%
BRITISH OPEN-SUN	ABC	5,147,000	4,463,000	-13.3%
AT&T NATIONAL-SAT	CBS	2,630,000	1,442,000	-45.2%
AT&T NATIONAL-SUN	CBS	3,615,000	2,164,000	-40.1%
NEC WORLD SERIES GOLF-SAT	CBS	3,250,000	1,793,000	-44.8%
NEC WORLD SERIES GOLF-SUN	CBS	**4,541,000	3,018,000	-33.5%
PGA CHAMPIONSHIPS-SAT	CBS	5,947,000	^^1,298,000	-78.2%
PGA CHAMPIONSHIPS-SUN	CBS	**9,165,000	3,885,000	-57.6%
BUICK INV PGA GOLF-SAT	CBS	3,761,000	1,601,000	-57.4%
BUICK INV PGA GOLF-SUN	CBS	**6,193,000	2,868,000	-53.7%
DEUTSCHE GOLF CHAMP-SUN	NBC	3,658,000	1,960,000	-46.4%
DEUTSCHE GOLF CHAMP-MON	NBC	4,936,000	2,116,000	-57.1%
BMW GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT	NBC	3,113,000	1,091,000	-65.0%
BMW GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP-SUN	NBC	**4,358,000	1,678,000	-61.5%
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT	NBC	3,573,000	1,372,000	-61.6%
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP-SUN	NBC	**4,231,000	2,183,000	-48.4%
TOTAL		4,567, 000	2,430,000	-46.8%
source: The Nielsen Company 2009 ** – tournament won by Tiger Woods ^^ – play suspended by inclement weather

As anyone who followed golf during the 2008-09 season can attest, the noticeable lack in the intensity of media coverage of the PGA Tour, the lack in water-cooler discussions about the PGA Tour, and the general dwindled interest of professional golf were directly caused by an absence of the world's number one player, who happens to be the world's most popular athlete, the world's first athlete-billionaire, and one of the world's most recognizable people.

But, none of this is news. 

As someone who came of age in the Tiger-era, witnessing, firsthand, the impact that he had on a generation of young golfers has been profound.

Where I started playing golf perhaps before I could stand, watching, as a child, as my friends became intrigued by the game, began to notice the game -- I should say notice Tiger -- and began to take an interest in a game so long associated with everything non-progressive and non-youthful. As a generation of fist-pumping golfers emerged, so did an obvious resentment from the golfing status quo. Where much of the ambivalence surrounding Tiger has since disappeared, at times a certain negative cloud surrounds him -- whether it's racial considerations, doubting his accomplishments as he's never faced, what many consider, a single formidable opponent (Hogan vs. Snead, Nicklaus v. Palmer, etc.), or questions regarding the contemporary, distance-driven characterizations of golf (while some say this is a transmogrification of the game, I consider it progress).

Yet, as golf's popularity has seemingly dwindled over the past few years, a certain question has arisen, at least in my mind. What is golf going to do when Tiger is no longer able to capture the world's youth?

In ten years, Tiger will be 44-years-old and, at least in the opinion of some, he will likely continue his worldwide dominance of the game. But, it's doubtful that Tiger will remain the imposing force in drawing new (young) golf fans that he currently is (although, arguably, he's already lost some of his allure). What 14-year-old is going to idolize a 44-year-old?

My question, and the basic premise behind much of the conversation on this blog, is how is the PGA Tour going to reestablish a youthful audience without Tiger -- someone that has escalated the PGA Tour greater than anyone before him, with the possible exception of Arnold Palmer?

Is Ricky Fowler, Anthony Kim, Jamie Lovemark, or Rory McIlroy going to fill his shoes?

This is a conversation that golf's leading institutions need to have.

It is my belief that the advents of technology in the media are going to prove to be the greatest tools in golf's arsenal, assuming that golf embraces them. Today, golf needs to establish young stars that are, at least in a small possibility, able to serve as a fan's "favorite golfer." These young stars need to have their characters established throughout the golfing community; they need to not have yachts named "Privacy,"they need to provide an unlimited access to their fans, and they need to embrace stardom in a fashion that both the young and old, progressive and conservative can invest themselves in.

Golf Advertising (update I)

There's obviously different levels of golf advertising with respect to the use of the game's best as a marketing tool. Generally, there are three divisions: the beauty of the game approach, the pragmatic product superiority approach, and the mystification/humanization approach.

One) There is the symbolic golf commercial where the "beauties" of the game are used to emotionally exploit consumers.

This "dream-foursome" advertisement is, literally, the epitome of this genre.

**My dream-foursome: My father, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan (not to be a cliche)

Two) Then you have the classic product superiority perspective -- our product (Titleist golf balls) are superior to the competition; just look at how the world's best overwhelmingly choose to play with it.

Third) In my experience, the third tier of golf advertising is the most successful -- the use of the mystery, aura, and characteristics that surrounds the professional golfer. It seems that this genre is subdivided further into two categories: one) the use of a golfer in a lighthearted, potentially humorous portrayal that is memorable, but not significant, and two) the use of the competitive mystique that surrounds a golfer.

This commercial is humorous and soft, but both illustrates that the best players in the world play Titleist golf balls, as well as slightly demystifies these PGA Tour players.

I realize that the following commercial is a repost, but it has emotionally resonated with me as no other commercial has.

As I recall, this commercial originally ran during the 2008 U.S. Open as Tiger Woods was facing unparalleled difficult circumstances with his knee injury (with the exception of Ben Hogan's career following the car accident).

The success of this Tiger Woods add is that dehumanizes Tiger Woods in that it presents him as destined, that it humanizes him in that his emotions are visually presented, his father is presented as the narrator of Tiger’s life, that it evokes an emotional response for sons and fathers, and that it is tastefully and exceptionally well produced.

The use of the superstar athlete as a marketing vehicle is an unparalleled approach to commercial advertising that is distinguished in that it often stands independently of any significant affiliation to a specific product. While there may be an advertisement that features a golfer describing the superiorities of a particular piece of golf equipment, more often the advertisement is dedicated to selling an affiliation (or, perhaps, more strongly a relationship) between a particular superstar and a commercial organization.

It is not that Nike uses Tiger Woods as a means to sell Nike drivers or golf balls, but rather that Nike uses Tiger Woods to broadcast an intangible connection between the player and the public – fans have an emotional attachment to Tiger (or any player of celebrity-note) whether it is a general interest or fascination, respect for a man accomplishing that which the fan cannot, or, at the extreme, a vicarious relationship where the fan is frequently and strongly emotionally impacted by the successes, failures, and acts of the golfer.

Where the athlete needs to be humanized for fans to have an emotional connection with him or her, that same athlete is often further and purposefully mystified in advertising – where we want our athletic heroes to have a human quality, we still want them to exist as a paradigm we cannot achieve.

As I have relentlessly stated, the commercial success of sport rests on that sports ability to facilitate an athlete/fan relationship that provides for an insight into the human qualities of the athlete while maintaining the cliché and mystery of athletic competition that is the catalyst for sporting interest. With that said, commercial organizations with a vested interest in athletics (whether because of the company’s products/purpose or through a simple spokesperson affiliation) are most successful when they can present a branded athlete as synonymous with that company, while also propagating the basis for the athlete/fan relationship independently.

A note on gender-bias in the sports media

In his article, “Equitable Media Coverage of Female and Male Athletes: Is there a Solution,” Professor John Vincent of the University of Alabama describes how the sports media has traditionally favored male athletes in the quantity and quality of their reporting, as well as how the media has tended to objectify and gender-stereotype female athletes.

Where the simple reporting of women’s athletics may not serve a distinct and significant cultural purpose on its own, rather the cultural portrayal of women (and other minority groups) can provide important social cues and frames for the public. Vincent writes, “Most aspects of life in contemporary societies have an impact on the media and, reciprocally, are influenced by the media. How the media represents a social group gives important clues to understanding their social status, social values, norms, and attitudes toward that group.”

Vincent also identifies three theoretical approaches to explaining the mediated coverage of women’s athletics: first) a feminist sport scholar perspective, second) a cultural studies perspective, and, third) a political economy perspective. While the first focuses on the gender-based (as well as race, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity) perspectives, the cultural perspective focuses on the hegemonic, patriarchic, heterosexual notions of media coverage, the third perspective, political economic, describes how media institutions are driven by financial considerations; often resulting in the reinforcement of “traditional cultural mainstream values rather than act as engines of social change.”

“Sports Journalism remains a male-dominated profession.”

According to the University of Central Florida’s 2008 Associated Press Sports Editors Report Card, 94 percent of sports editors were men, 90 percent of assistant sports editors were men, 93 percent of columnists were men, 91 percent of reporters were men, and 84 percent of copy editors/designers were men.

Vincent focuses on four qualitative and quantitative guidelines for determining equitable media coverage of women’s athletics: 1) quantity of coverage, 2) quality of coverage, 3) position of the page, and 4) content and quality of the photograph.

Quantity of coverage can be measured by number of articles published, number of words and paragraphs in articles, number of headlines, number of photographs, size of the articles, size of headlines, and size of photographs.

Quality of coverage is measured by position in the newspaper.

The position of the page refers to its actual location on the page (top, middle, bottom).

Content and quality of the photograph may be determined by the type of photograph (pose, competitive vs. non-competitive, etc.) as well as whether the photograph is in color or black and white.

Vincent concludes that, while the newspapers are in decline, the impact of newspapers remains significant. He labels the coverage as “dominant patriarchal ideology” and that the coverage “helps define, normalize, and influence the mainstream beliefs parents have about sport.”

Vincent believes that parental support is important in determining a young girls’ involvement in sports and a healthy lifestyle, but this may be impeded by negative media coverage of female athletes.

Ultimately, the media coverage needs to permit young girls to “identify with sporting role models who are determined, powerful, independent, and strong female athletes who are valued by society without having to deal with a host of socially constructed stereotypes, based on rigidly defined gender roles.”

Returning to Vincent’s description of the theoretical perspectives, it seems that, pragmatically speaking, the most relevant rationale for the diluted media coverage is economic. Where a question may develop as to whether, through their coverage, the media makes men’s sports more popular or whether, culturally, men’s sports are simply more popular, the notion remains that men’s sports are more popular throughout the nation than women’s sports. Hence, there is a significant discrepancy in financial value of men’s sports versus women’s sports; it seems that an applicable discrepancy in media coverage would exist.

Vincent’s recommendations for complete equitable coverage of women’s sports seems unrealistic in that there is not an equitable consumer interest in female athletics. This idea is not a condemnation of women’s athletics, but rather a practical understanding that the athletic-fan base remains male-dominated, and where it isn’t, athletic-curiosity for men’s athletics remains the prevailing interest of sports media consumers.

Where it seems unpractical to strive for equitable coverage, it seems appropriate and ethical for the media to strive for a cultural-consciousness of both the existing coverage of women’s athletics as well as the greater significance behind the framing of female athletes.

As an individual who believes in egalitarian principles, there is a certain responsibility placed on those with a substantial communal voice (elites, perhaps) to recognize and advocate for cultural minorities. In the future, “Never Three Putt” will feature amply more coverage of women’s golf.

Tweeting in Golf

Over the course of the next several months, I'll be exploring the history, traditions, themes, and contemporary practices in golf media.Today, Ron Sirak published an excellent article on the use of Twitter by professional golfers. His major contention is:

"The main benefit players derive from Twitter is an immediate connection with their fans. This can also provide another platform on which to promote the various goods and services with which they have lucrative endorsement deals. That makes both the player and the sponsor happy, and it helps cement the bond between the player and the fan. The tweets help to humanize the celebrity."

With the advances of social media, individuals, corporations, and organizations are increasingly able to provide transparency for their constituency (fans). Ultimately, the content of a "tweet" isn't entirely signficant, as long as it provides some sort of insight into a golfer's life that a fan wouldn't have access to otherwise. Further, twitter, facebook, etc. provide a golfer with the ability to control their own frame which their fans see them through; a sort of cyber-personality.

I also found a list of the golfers using Twitter

I can be found on twitter at GolfMichaelOtt

Photo(s): Twitter