Interesting stuff, thanks.concordtom said:I think Golf went BIG during the 2000's when Tiger was on top.Unit2Sucks said:I was surprised to hear that the PGA tour is worth that much.Eastern Oregon Bear said:Well, the Warriors are in decline and they don't own 30 golf courses like the PGA Tour does. It dues boggle the mind though when you consider there are 30 NBA teams and 2 or 3 of them would be more valuable than the entire PGA Tour, Inc.concordtom said:
$10-11B buyout?
For the whole tour???
Damn, the Warriors alone are worth 6 or 7, they say!
Not a pro golf fan and genuinely curious - is pro golf rising in popularity? I had thought that golf itself suffered from a lot of the same demographic problems that skiing has (in addition to the cost/accessibility/environmental issues - which are related). And I further assumed that pro golf derives its popularity from a limited pool of actual golfers, which would make it a tough business. Compare to the NBA which derives popularity from basketball players and non-players alike.
My kid has a friend who plays golf and all he does is talk about golf. It annoys my kid to no end and we are working to make sure that annoyance isn't shared the wrong way (and I'm sure there are others annoyed at my kid for talking about other things). I share this for two reasons - first, there are obviously still kids playing golf. And second - I don't think my son is alone in his sentiment.
So I would love for someone to take the bull case for pro golf. Is this sports washing only or is this good business for the Saudis?
Golf courses were being built at an increased rate everywhere.
But then a couple things happened: the mortgage meltdown and Tiger's affairs became public, he crashed drunk, got divorced, and suddenly golf wasn't cool anymore. (November, 2009, click that for link to story about it all.)
Lots of courses had to close operations and transform their land use into something else (houses) or just lay fallow, uncared for landscapes.
Golf is typically a game for the country club set. I'm guessing your son's son's father is a snob.
Generalization of course, but golf is a game where the smaller unathletic kids can brag, if their parents train them right (which means wrong, in my book). Let me ask you this - and I'm totally against fighting, but - can your son kick this kid's butt?
Hahaha.... Sorry, I'm just remembering this guy I worked with. My boss, actually.
Sure, it can be challenging. I get it. But I was always for the big muscle sports, soccer and basketball. chase ball, kick hard, box out, take a charge, jump over and thru you - those types of games. I could get into bocci ball or ping pong just fine. Tennis was fun! But golf? I played enough, but nahhhh....
It's for old people who are out of shape (which now includes me).
Bearister? Take the other side of this. I know you like golf.
As relates to my anecdote, the dad is definitely not a snob, although they are quite wealthy. The other school dad I know who is really into golf (coaches golf in spare time, etc.) is not snobby either. Has a "normal job" (commercial construction supervisor) and just really likes the game. Both dads are similar in that they talk about golf quite a lot (and dress as if they are on their way to or from the course) but never mention pro golf.
