The Back 9 Network and Stupid Political Statements about Golf

[Tom Dunne]

My reading is that none of this would make any sense without the Flavor Flav cameos. He's the "glue guy" here, a human signifier representing "edginess" and "otherness" to the 35-54 demo. Between this and Broderick's Honda ad, my 10-year-old self of 1986 is having a bad week.

[JNC Lyon]

Flavor Flav or David Leadbetter?  Or both?  That's just a winning combination right there…

I have a lot of fun playing the current game of golf.  Am I stodgy?

[David_Elvins]

Flavor Flav or David Leadbetter?  Or both?  That's just a winning combination right there…
I have a lot of playing the current game of golf.  Am I stodgy?

"For too long women have been excluded from the game of golf.  We will change that.  Now please welcome to the stage a mysoginist  rapper who went to jail for beating his wife."

[Ben Sims]

An awesome Hunter S. Thompson quote and no one even comments on it!?!  This place is getting too crazy.

[JNC Lyon]

Flavor Flav or David Leadbetter?  Or both?  That's just a winning combination right there…
I have a lot of playing the current game of golf.  Am I stodgy?

"For too long women have been excluded from the game of golf.  We will change that.  Now please welcome to the stage a mysoginist  rapper who went to jail for beating his wife."

Who cares about that?  He wears a crown and a big clock--both essential to making golf cool.

[Matt MacIver]

 Who cares about that?  He wears a crown and a big clock--both essential to making golf cool. [/quote]

I would think the clock would get in the way of his putting stroke...unless he uses a belly putter!  R&A CAN'T get rid of them now!

[C. Squier]

It didn't seem any more realistic or harmful than any beer commercial produced over the last 2 decades. 

For a group that so often depends on hyperbole, we're not awfully tolerant of it elsewhere 

[Ben Sims]

It didn't seem any more realistic or harmful than any beer commercial produced over the last 2 decades. 

For a group that so often depends on hyperbole, we're not awfully tolerant of it elsewhere 

The old adage, "if everyone jumped off a bridge..." comes to mind after reading your post.  I am sure if you dig deep enough, you can find a website discussion board that discusses the vapid and absolutely souless nature of advertising in many fields.  Gentrification is a dirty word. 

This Back9's entire premise is built on the idea that some invisible hand will continue to exist in a strong enough way that their fringe benefit as a counter to the mainstream will thrive.  Once hysteria and coolness wear off, where will the folks be that bought into this nonsense?   

[Mike_Young]

Did baseball bring about softball?
Arthur Blank just gave the First Tee 1 million dollars  WHY?  don't know..it doesn't work and it's a easy promo for corporate America to do...
This stuff will easily bring more people to use the golf properties that now exist than efforts like First Tee...and again not saying I would partake but it's got to happen...JMO

[Jim_Kennedy]

Did baseball bring about softball?
Arthur Blank just gave the First Tee 1 million dollars  WHY?  don't know..it doesn't work and it's a easy promo for corporate America to do...
This stuff will easily bring more people to use the golf properties that now exist than efforts like First Tee...and again not saying I would partake but it's got to happen...JMO

Doesn't work? I guess it's all in what you're lookiing for.

http://www.thefirsttee.org/club/scripts/view/view_insert.asp?IID=58648&NS=PUBLIC

[Ben Sims]

Mike,

Clear Pepsi did well too...for about a month.  Casual interest in golf because of a flashy advert does not keep people in the game.  Your buddy that has 750K in costs and 1.2M in revenue is who keeps people in golf.  He provides a way for everyone to enjoy the product.  

Now if the golf business model is moving towards a world where we bring people to the game for the initial spending they inject and then aren't concerned with whether they stay, that's a completely different story.

[Mike_Young]

Did baseball bring about softball?
Arthur Blank just gave the First Tee 1 million dollars  WHY?  don't know..it doesn't work and it's a easy promo for corporate America to do...
This stuff will easily bring more people to use the golf properties that now exist than efforts like First Tee...and again not saying I would partake but it's got to happen...JMO

Doesn't work? I guess it's all in what you're lookiing for.

http://www.thefirsttee.org/club/scripts/view/view_insert.asp?IID=58648&NS=PUBLIC

Jim,
Yep I guess so.
When I read the conclusion it can mean so many things and I sincerely believe the $$$ pt in first tee could be used so much more efficiently to do the same thing.  It's no different than giving a dollar to the American Cancer Association vs. MD Anderson.  We know one has a much larger administrative cost.  And First Tee's soft cost are ridiculous.  Even the cost of that brochure  cheers.

[Mike_Young]

Mike,

Clear Pepsi did well too...for about a month.  Casual interest in golf because of a flashy advert does not keep people in the game.  Your buddy that has 750K in costs and 1.2M in revenue is who keeps people in golf.  He provides a way for everyone to enjoy the product.  

Now if the golf business model is moving towards a world where we bring people to the game for the initial spending they inject and then aren't concerned with whether they stay, that's a completely different story.

The main object of the game Ben should be to get PAID VOLUNTEERS

[C. Squier]

This Back9's entire premise is built on the idea that some invisible hand will continue to exist in a strong enough way that their fringe benefit as a counter to the mainstream will thrive.  Once hysteria and coolness wear off, where will the folks be that bought into this nonsense?   

Oh good, it's about a counterculture and not just sex appeal.  In that case, I amend my former point of 2 decades of beer commercials to 2 centuries of fringe groups trying to "fight the man".

Once the hysteria and coolness wear off, I have faith that these folks will be left with a game they can respectfully play for the rest of their lives.  

If all it takes is a flat billed hat and a little "fight the power" to shake up the old guard, then maybe the old guard isn't that strong in the first place.  We can all relax, the game we love isn't going anywhere.  

[Ben Sims]

This Back9's entire premise is built on the idea that some invisible hand will continue to exist in a strong enough way that their fringe benefit as a counter to the mainstream will thrive.  Once hysteria and coolness wear off, where will the folks be that bought into this nonsense?  

Oh good, it's about a counterculture and not just sex appeal.  In that case, I amend my former point of 2 decades of beer commercials to 2 centuries of fringe groups trying to "fight the man".

Once the hysteria and coolness wear off, I have faith that these folks will be left with a game they can respectfully play for the rest of their lives.  

If all it takes is a flat billed hat and a little "fight the power" to shake up the old guard, then maybe the old guard isn't that strong in the first place.  We can all relax, the game we love isn't going anywhere.  

Maybe the sex appeal and hollow advertising is the "counter" to golf's culture.  I certainly think it is.  And once the hysteria and coolness wear off, the people that Flavor Flav brought to the game are gone because that's the only reason they came in the first place.

I can see it now.  New golfer shows up to local Back9 event and after a fruity cocktail and minute of hanging with the DJ on the driving range, decides to hit a ball.  He sucks at it.  Gets bored.  He leaves.  

If selling golf needs models, cocktails, and a healthy disdain for established institutions in the game, then we're in deep kimchi.  I don't want anything to do with those guys.  They're cheap.  

[Jim_Kennedy]

Mike,

Who does a better job than TFT, at the same scale?

I can't think of anyone, can you?

[Tim Gavrich]

If the sex appeal/flat-hat image is the main grain of sand in our collective shells, then Cobra/Puma may be even guiltier.  I thought that their footprint at the PGA Show was far larger and more grating than Back 9's.

Like it or not, there is a large-scale effort underway to bring golf to younger generations.  And as much as I dislike the look, the flat-brim, bright-color scheme is attractive to a lot of people.  What I take a bit of umbrage with is that there is an assumption that people who like that look (and, therefore, things like Back 9 and Cobra/Puma) are going to destroy the genteel nature and notions of etiquette of the game.  I don't think making that jump is very helpful, to be honest.

If this large-scale marketing effort does bring more players to the game, everyone will benefit.  Even those who would rather exclude new players than accept a new strategy.

[jeffwarne]

If the sex appeal/flat-hat image is the main grain of sand in our collective shells, then Cobra/Puma may be even guiltier.  I thought that their footprint at the PGA Show was far larger and more grating than Back 9's.

Like it or not, there is a large-scale effort underway to bring golf to younger generations.  And as much as I dislike the look, the flat-brim, bright-color scheme is attractive to a lot of people.  What I take a bit of umbrage with is that there is an assumption that people who like that look (and, therefore, things like Back 9 and Cobra/Puma) are going to destroy the genteel nature and notions of etiquette of the game.  I don't think making that jump is very helpful, to be honest.

If this large-scale marketing effort does bring more players to the game, everyone will benefit.  Even those who would rather exclude new players than accept a new strategy.

Why would "everyone" benefit?
Golf has always had a certain core base passed on generation to generation and new players have slowly found their way to the game via caddie programs, golf in school programs, clinics at public and private courses, First Tee etc.
Golf is a slow game that doesn't appeal to many types, BUT HAS GREAT APPEAL TO MANY OTHERS from all walks of life.

I'm just not sure why we need a bunch of clowns to make it cool, all so they can go do next cool thing once they find out it has great challenge, and it takes a lot more than coolness to obtain the skill and patience to play the game.

Are we (or any new golfer) better off joining the rappers and being really cool, or are the newer golfers(or the rappers ) better off embracing a culture of self discipline, self control, self respect, and personal improvement.
Let's lift people through golf out of the ghetto, not sink golf to the ghetto.

[David Kelly]

It didn't seem any more realistic or harmful than any beer commercial produced over the last 2 decades. 

But of course they weren't advertising beer.