Maybe it is time that the Tour players all go to a conference and spend a day with their mouths shut and do nothing but LISTEN to Arnold Palmer talk about how he viewed and interacted with the public in his early days on the tour.
Imagine this group of talented young men then going back out and applying what he would relate?
We might see Fans lining the fairways, each one thinking that every player is looking at them alone. There will be fans whose lives have been affected for the good by simple acts of kindness that the players do WITHOUT it being the center of media attention. They will then rabidly root for, follow and attend PGA Tour events to cheer on their new-found HERO! These fans will always find a way to attend PGA Tour events and support the players.
I have suggested in the past, and do so once again, that every PGA Tour player be required by the PGA Tour to hold two free public exhibition matches at a municipal golf course with one or two other players each year of their membership.
This will allow the municipal courses a vehicle to make some revenues through ticket sales and will popularize all the "unknowns" out there on tour. It will also help these "unknowns" grow their game.
Yes, scaling back on purses is a good idea, but the better one is to make certain that those who have long supported the game and you KEEP doing so. There is a disconnect between players and fans in EVERY sport. It is the players who take the time to bridge this divide that thrive through the tough financial times.
The Tour, the individual players and the game itself will all be far better for doing so.