Someone has to say it...

[TheTrueReview]

MOST of the American population doesn't care much about golf at all...(EDIT) Even fewer when Tiger isn't doing well.

Just sayin...

Could you publish your poll results please. Where did the sample take place? How many people were sampled? What time of day?

 

[BigJim13]

I know it wasn't meant to be arrogant and I wasn't looking to pick a fight. If the Ryder cup or presidents cup went awY tomorrow most Americans wouldn't miss it. I know I wouldn't lose sleep. Frankly if these weren't such huge cash cows, they may have gone away already.

 

[SilverUberXeno]

Could you publish your poll results please. Where did the sample take place? How many people were sampled? What time of day?

This is definitely the reality among all of the people I encounter in my normal life. Of all my golf friends, myself included, I can only think of ONE of us who watched tournaments regularly this year that Tiger wasn't playing in. And he really has NOTHING better to do

Is golf particularly "hip" and "fashionable" in Europe? It's somewhat popular in the states but NOBODY watches it that isn't a pretty hardcore addict. And like I said, a lot of the people I know who play DON'T watch tournaments. I myself have not watched more than 30 minutes, collectively, of any tournament that Tiger wasn't playing in this year. Though by the time the Frys.com came around, I had lost interest in watching golf entirely. Not 1 second.

eClark's comment was not far off from what I'd guess. But you have to understand, MOST of the american population is very ignorant, xenophobic, and probably drunk, so their opinions on what's worth paying attention to are not very worthwhile.

 

[Barkz]

This is definitely the reality among all of the people I encounter in my normal life. Of all my golf friends, myself included, I can only think of ONE of us who watched tournaments regularly this year that Tiger wasn't playing in. And he really has NOTHING better to do

Is golf particularly "hip" and "fashionable" in Europe? It's somewhat popular in the states but NOBODY watches it that isn't a pretty hardcore addict. And like I said, a lot of the people I know who play DON'T watch tournaments. I myself have not watched more than 30 minutes, collectively, of any tournament that Tiger wasn't playing in this year. Though by the time the Frys.com came around, I had lost interest in watching golf entirely. Not 1 second.

eClark's comment was not far off from what I'd guess. But you have to understand, MOST of the american population is very ignorant, xenophobic, and probably drunk, so their opinions on what's worth paying attention to are not very worthwhile.

I think this is predominantly the case in Europe also. Come August/September time football (soccer) is the number one sport across Europe. As well as each country's domestic league, there is the European Champions league to keep the masses entertained. Not many of the golfers that I know will be playing much over here until April time, when the weather picks up a little. I myself will probably watch very little golf now until the Masters starts. I've never been that fussed about the Ryder cup and have no interest whatsoever in the Presidents, Solheim or Walker.

 

[BigJim13]

I also have to agree here with Clark, SUX and Barkz. The only tournament that I payed attention to this year was the PGA and that was because the kid that won was from VT. Golf I think has list it's draw without Tiger, he drew audiences that weren't "addicts" to the sport.

The reality is, whether they are great players or not, Luke Donald, Westwood, Fowler, McIlroy to name a few aren't household names and don't have the drawing power.

 

[eclark53520]

Could you publish your poll results please. Where did the sample take place? How many people were sampled? What time of day?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist nor a poll to realize that golf isn't that popular here. Playing the game is far more popular than watching it for sure, and even then the percentage of the population that plays golf more than a couple random times a year is quite low. I don't know a single person that doesn't play golf, who watches it on TV or pays attention to pro golfers. I know a couple of hard core golfers who do pay attention to the pro tours.(2 to be exact)

A very small percentage of the US population even knows another pro golfers name other than Tiger and phil. Some of them MIGHT know some of the more 'fashion first' bright colors type golfers...but that's purely because they're so obsessed with fashion they do nothing else with their life.

 

[MCDavis]

It was never intended to be arrogant, I'm just excited about how well the Europeans are playing. I've been playing golf for over 35 years and grew up where Americans dominated the sport. I can remember Europe winning the Ryder Cup in the first time for years in the eighties and getting really super excited. In the era of Langer, Lyle, Ballesteros, Woosnam, Faldo. These guys laid the foundations and it is exciting as a European to watch that mature.

But really I too care less about nationalities. I care a lot more about golf and how it is played. I love watching epic battles, exciting outcomes, regardless of the winner. So forgive me if I sound ultra patriotic, it's just a genuine joy for the game.

And yes, McD I'll take that beer!

I like how ultra patriotic you are, my friend, and never took it as arrogant. But, I also wasn't gonna pass up the chance to rib you a little, either!

And I agree with eclark as well (write that one down). From this side of the pond, it appears that the Europeans are much more into watching golf, and the average European viewer is also probably more knowledgeable about the rules and the players. It just seems to draw a bigger following in Europe than it does here.

 

[eclark53520]

And I agree with eclark as well (write that one down).

You agree with me all the time...don't deny it.

I'm pretty much your man crush...i'm ok with that.

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

It may sound strange, but I actually know a lot of people who watch golf, but do not play. I come from a small town, where everyone knows everyone and everyone knows that I'm a golf nut...so people are always coming up to me saying, "hey, did you watch that last tournament?.....". Hell my grandmother watches golf and she's a poor farmers wife, never been on a golf course in her life. I've sat here and thought of 11 people that I know, who watch golf but do not play. These people only watch majors and events that include Tiger, which I'm guilty of sometimes too. Just sayin', I think maybe more people watch than you guys realize, you just don't hear people talking about it. Or maybe the difference is where we live, idk.

 

[eclark53520]

It may sound strange, but I actually know a lot of people who watch golf, but do not play. I come from a small town, where everyone knows everyone and everyone knows that I'm a golf nut...so people are always coming up to me saying, "hey, did you watch that last tournament?.....". Hell my grandmother watches golf and she's a poor farmers wife, never been on a golf course in her life. I've sat here and thought of 11 people that I know, who watch golf but do not play. These people only watch majors and events that include Tiger, which I'm guilty of sometimes too. Just sayin', I think maybe more people watch than you guys realize, you just don't hear people talking about it. Or maybe the difference is where we live, idk.

Possibly difference in location.

Definitely more people play golf and watch golf in the southern states than up in the north where i live. That whole winter thing really throws a damper on golfing.

It's tough to hit a golf ball 4 feet deep in snow...that's assuming you can find it...

ETA: I don't remember where you live though...

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

Possibly difference in location.

Definitely more people play golf and watch golf in the southern states than up in the north where i live. That whole winter thing really throws a damper on golfing.

It's tough to hit a golf ball 4 feet deep in snow...that's assuming you can find it...

ETA: I don't remember where you live though...

I'm in Southern Illinois. It's not exactly the golf capitol of the world here but we do have a longer golfing season than Wisconsin. I'd say your right though, location is probably the difference.

 

[mddubya]

Well, I live in Mississippi, where it is presently 72º btw, , and there are plenty of people playing, watching, and talking about golf here. Granted I live in a golf community, a complex of apartments and condos surrounded by a 9 hole course. Due to our rather mild winters we can play year round, that is if you can stand playing in the 100º plus days during the summer. But the only things I have noticed that deminish the number of players on the course is temps over 100, or a good football game on television. Before football season you would have a hard time getting a tee time on Saturday and Sunday, but now Saturdays especially the course is like a ghost town, Sundays are slower than they were, but not nearly as slow as Saturdays.

As far as Tiger's abscence this year, the main comment I've heard has been how nice it's been to see others winning for a change. I can honestly say I haven't heard one person say they didn't watch a tournament because Tiger either wasn't in it, or wasn't in contention. And before anyone says, "but yeah, you're in Ms., the home of racism", the race mix here where I live is pretty close to 50-50, and I play with just as many black players as white. Even the blacks have taken to making jokes about how badly he is playing, how badly he has screwed up his life, ect.........

Just my .02 worth.

 

[xamilo]

I used to watch golf before starting to play, and only picked the game up after around 2 years of following it on TV.

On the question, I don't think its about "Tiger" or even golf, but most sports themselves. Take a look at the NBA for example, no one is watching it while some years ago it was the "main event". We used to have the NBA Finals on local TV (In Australia and South America), but not any more, kind of no one cares. Same thing with the NHL. The Stanley cup used to be big, and even though we never heard of the season we at least new who won the Championship. Same with the MLB. Only the NFL seems to have kept excitement.

In other words, people seem to have less time for their hobbies or something, and have indeed decreased their sports watching. I used to watch almost every Sunday tournament before. This year I watched the Masters, and the U.S. Open, that's about all. And I'm supposed to be a good "golf fan" who opens his golf forum page everyday!

 

[TheTrueReview]

... MOST of the american population is very ignorant, xenophobic, and probably drunk, so their opinions on what's worth paying attention to are not very worthwhile.

I know it was probably a tongue in cheek comment but FWIW my experiences with Americans generally have been good. There's a strong bond between our countries that was founded in the Pacific theatre in WWII. The golfing public in Australia is positively salivating at the line up of stars (both Aussie & international) that are playing the Australian events this year. The Australian Open, the Australian PGA Championship the Australian Masters (aside from the Presidents Cup) are full of international stars this year. The vibe is electric.

 

[limpalong]

It may sound strange, but I actually know a lot of people who watch golf, but do not play. I come from a small town, where everyone knows everyone and everyone knows that I'm a golf nut...so people are always coming up to me saying, "hey, did you watch that last tournament?.....". Hell my grandmother watches golf and she's a poor farmers wife, never been on a golf course in her life. I've sat here and thought of 11 people that I know, who watch golf but do not play. These people only watch majors and events that include Tiger, which I'm guilty of sometimes too. Just sayin', I think maybe more people watch than you guys realize, you just don't hear people talking about it. Or maybe the difference is where we live, idk.

The talk about folks watching golf and never playing brings fond memories. My Mother, she passed in 1986, loved watching golf on tv. She would never miss The Masters, even when we had black and white televison. We were poor dirt farmers. She nor my dad never set foot on a course. I could have cared less about the game, growing up. I took up the game rather late in life. I've often thought she probably enjoys looking down and watching me play the game she so much enjoyed watching.