Paul McGinley has always been a golfer who was not afraid to raise his voice when necessary. To support some of the colleagues in the ‘new history’ of golf would not be reasonable. Reasons? Many of them left the PGA Tour and went, as some of the fans believe, down the wrong path. The main motive for this was certainly money, although individuals try to impose some other imperatives. Paul seems to be no longer satisfied with the leaders of golf tours like the PGA and LIV Golf.
Both sides decided to give huge money to the golfers, who, according to the Irish golfer, benefited the most from this situation. An experienced golfer decided to look back on the year behind us, with a special emphasis on the decrease in viewership of 19%. The 58-year-old also does not understand why the leaders of the Ryder Cup decided to charge $750 for a ticket.
He also does not understand why individuals do such things, especially because, on the one hand, they cannot offer the best product. In addition, MicGinley referred to the media, which is also experiencing a decline, with no way to get out of this situation.
“The people in the middle are the ones footing the bill and getting squeezed,” McGinley said, as quoted by Irish Magazine.
“The public are getting a raw deal because they are not getting to see the best players playing together as regularly as they used to. The sponsors pay a lot more money for a diluted product in terms of field strengths.
The fans are having to pay much more for their tickets, and finally, in the media, where I sit at the moment, viewing figures being down by an average of 20% manifests itself in advertisement revenue being down, leaving them with a massive hole as TV struggles to make revenue while committed to huge payments for TV rights. Even the charities that historically benefited from the PGA Tour with its non-profit tax status are getting significantly less because the profits from hosting events are watered down to pay for these over-the-top prize funds.”
If the predictions of people from the world of sports are to be believed, this trend could continue in the coming year. Although golf is traditionally a popular sport, especially in some countries, the fact is that the situation regarding LIV Golf and the PGA Tour has influenced individuals to give up on this sport. Placing an accent on money, monetary prizes, and sponsors created frustrations among many.
However, what is the right solution, and does it even exist? Merger is offered as one of the options that is perhaps the most logical, but also an option that does not please older golf fans. The experienced Irishman believes that the key is to urgently find a solution for the future of golf, because this situation does not benefit anyone.
“In my view, the business model and long-term sustainability of all three tours is worrying, as no Tour is winning here. It’s not just the players who are vested in the business of pro golf and we really need to find solutions and a shared vision so that professional golf can thrive collectively now and in the future,” he said.
Paul McGinley© Trackman / Youtube Channel
Paul McGinley on younger populations
For months we have been saying what McGinley also thinks: The younger population has less and less interest in golf, especially because their attention spans are very short. The Ryder Cup legend feels that the younger population does not have the same attitudes or ideals as previous generations, and it is difficult to imagine a 20-year-old who spends the weekend watching golf with a glass of wine.
The appearance of social media has changed a lot, and it seems that sports are on the decline globally. What can be done there? Creating an entertainment factor is one option, and TGL is a great example of that. Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods created this league, which will show all the power of technology. The two golf legends expect that this will attract the attention of the younger population, and it is certain that TGL will be a test of that.
“Viewing figures are down due to five or six factors,” McGinley said.
“Society is changing. Young people’s attention spans are not conducive to sitting down maybe with a glass of wine or beer at the weekend and watching PGA Tour golf on TV the way that we might have done, or still do.”
The golf legend points out that short clubs and highlights have changed a lot. In addition, Paul highlight that in the world of golf there are no figures who are sensational and can produce reactions, such as Rory McIlroy. Although he has words of praise for Scheffler, he is aware that he is not that profile of a golfer.
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