Greg Norman's World Tour concept

[Matthew Lloyd]

I'll preface this by making it clear that I'm in my mid 30s so I was very young when this all went down, but is it true that Greg Norman tried to push the idea of a world tour that would go year-round and follow the ATP Tennis model more than the current PGA model?  I may not be getting all the facts right here, I realize.

But the more I've been able to travel and play great courses, the more I'm realizing what a brilliant concept this was.

And reading this site on a regular basis really convinced me just how much golf fans are missing out.  I also think the PGA and European tours are missing a huge opportunity to grow the game and make it more popular by playing at more world-class venues and having more big events.  

I love watching golf on TV when they play the great courses but the reality is that golf is so damn boring most weeks with the average Tour events.  The courses are uninspired, the players can make so much money that they are forced to play enough, and when the courses are too tough (i.e. the US Open) a lot of non die hard golf fans claim it's no fun to watch pros struggle to make brilliant par saves instead of the tap-in birdies seen at the Phoenix Open (or whatever it's called now).

In my opinion there should be an Irish Open major, an Australian Open major and several other big events outside of the U.S.  

I'm convinced that casual golf fans would increase their commitment to both watching and playing if the week-to-week events were more inspired, especially in the "off-season" of winter after football is over and before college basketball kicks into high gear in March.

Basically I'm just bored with the routine courses the Tour plays most weeks.  (Torrey Pines, Riviera, Muirfield Village and a few others excluded)

[Mark Steffey]

should there be a super bowl every other week?  every month?

world series?

[Gary Slatter]

Matthew, I think you are correct about Greg Norman pushing the "World" Tour and it's come true mainly combining the four "Majors" and the World Events and the European Tours European/Asian/Australian/Southern African events.   The players need to rest (and build homes) and to me there's just about enough Pro events for us to watch. And the LPGA also is becoming better to watch.
I like the fact that the Tours play many normal courses, I wish they could play more Merions but the old courses are too tough using their prototype  equipment.  I don't find it boring when they make a lot of birdies,  nor do I mind when they struggle to make pars.
I heard recently that the PGA was considering moving their Major out of the US some years.  This could be interesting, but I doubt they can do so.   Anyway, I enjoy watching Australian and other events, they don't have to be called majors to be entertaining.  

[Bill_McBride]

Agree with Gary, the current run of FedEx Cup events is essentially the world tour Greg Norman envisioned, without either the international events or the financial bonanza Norman looked for. 

[Mark Steffey]

more the WGC than the fedex (which was made to be the pga version of nascar  ).

norman wanted basically to have a get together of the worlds best players, not a big 144 field tour.  40 or 50 man fields and a handful of events.

i forget who was the pga tour commish at the time (my mind has gary bettman standing there!) but he told norman that if he (greg) thought that the existing tours would let him do that he was crazy.

access on the tours is somewhat controlled, no?  you have to be a member to play consistently.  when seve wouldn't commit the # of event to stay on the us tour he wasn't kept as a member.  the message was if norman and others go off and play this tour -- they would not continue to be members of the us tour, the euro tour, etc.

i don't know the viewership #s, and won't pretend to, but us money is the big funding source i'd guess.  so that means you have to play in the us where finishes coincide with sat&sun viewing times.   and this was even before the innernet.  no way you can get your money out of tape delaying an event from korea or china or russia on sunday afternoon - people would know who won and go play themselves.  tv money drives the tours.

so now they are left with the 4 majors, and the 5 or so restricted access WGCs.  which is essentially what norman was going to hold.

[Marc Huther]

I think that the idea of tour events being played on great architectural courses would be great. Have the best players in golf play on the greatest golf venues each week! But money talks and getting the courses to agree and getting the financial support for a tournament in such areas is another struggle..

[Steve Salmen]

My idea is never going to happen but I think it would be good for ratings.  Get 16 guys to put up a million dollars each.  Have some sponsors add to the prize pool.  Play match play.  Pay only those that make the semis.  Winner takes between 10 and 20 million.

Do you think there are 16 guys that would do it?  Fox may love the idea.

[Rich Goodale]

Great idea, Steve, but it is so great that it will never happen.....  Maybe if you add a zero or two  to your proposed entry fees and jackpots you might interest the players, but who is going to play without some sort of guarantee?  And ho is going to fund that guarantee and why?  As  for the why, maybe some sort of media organisation, but given that the only significant market for live programming is still the USA, does anybody think that big bucks will be paid for an event in Australia which starts at midnight and finishes at 6am the previous day (or whatever the time zone metrics are....)?  You might get 500 million Chinese watching the event, but will theyopen up their wallets and pay for it?

Cheers

Rich

[Jon Wiggett]

The danger of a world tour is it will take the star names away from the lower tiers. If it were done like the Champions League in football here in Europe then it might work because players would have to qualify through their position on a home tour. Kept down to maybe 8 events coupled with the these world tour events being counted for world rankings but not for home tours and it might become the best of both worlds. It would be important to make sure that not just players from the European and PGA Tours qualified.

Having said the it is never going to happen

Jon

[Steve Kline]

Jon - that might be worth a try during U.S. football season, say Sept through Jan.  No one here really wants to go to a golf event then anyway. So, send the best to play around the world and you might get some mediocre ratings here and better ratings elsewhere. I'd tune at least for a little bit to check out an interesting course.

[Steve Salmen]

I really want to see what these guys are made of if they have a financial consequence of playing poorly, not just upside for great play.

[Jim Nugent]

If it were done like the Champions League in football here in Europe then it might work because players would have to qualify through their position on a home tour. Kept down to maybe 8 events coupled with the these world tour events being counted for world rankings but not for home tours and it might become the best of both worlds. It would be important to make sure that not just players from the European and PGA Tours qualified.

I think it would be serious over-kill.  Champions League works because there is no other real format for these teams to play against each other.  Who's better, Manchester United or Barcelona?  Champions League helps settle the score.

The top golfers already play each other, over and over and over.  So it's hard for me to see how this would succeed.  

[Jon Wiggett]

If it were done like the Champions League in football here in Europe then it might work because players would have to qualify through their position on a home tour. Kept down to maybe 8 events coupled with the these world tour events being counted for world rankings but not for home tours and it might become the best of both worlds. It would be important to make sure that not just players from the European and PGA Tours qualified.

I think it would be serious over-kill.  Champions League works because there is no other real format for these teams to play against each other.  Who's better, Manchester United or Barcelona?  Champions League helps settle the score.

The top golfers already play each other, over and over and over.  So it's hard for me to see how this would succeed.  

Jim,

the point I was trying to make is the current format of the Champion's League (CL) supports the nation leagues through making the top teams play seriously in their national leagues order to qualify for the bigger prize of the CL. If the CL was to become a European League functioning like the national leagues it would strip those nation league of their most valuable assets. Imagine a Premier League without Man U, Chelsea, Man C, Arsenal or even Tottenham and Liverpool! What about a Spanish league without Barca and Real Madrid.  How much poorer would they be? And think about the cost for the fans travelling away to see their team.

I am sure that even the PGA Tour would not be better for losing its top 30 players permanently!

Jon

[Mike_Clayton]

There was an Australian talking about a World Tour long before Greg Norman - Peter Thomson.

[Thomas Dai]

If it were done like the Champions League in football here in Europe then it might work because players would have to qualify through their position on a home tour. Kept down to maybe 8 events coupled with the these world tour events being counted for world rankings but not for home tours and it might become the best of both worlds. It would be important to make sure that not just players from the European and PGA Tours qualified.

I think it would be serious over-kill.  Champions League works because there is no other real format for these teams to play against each other.  Who's better, Manchester United or Barcelona?  Champions League helps settle the score.
The top golfers already play each other, over and over and over.  So it's hard for me to see how this would succeed.  

Jim,
the point I was trying to make is the current format of the Champion's League (CL) supports the nation leagues through making the top teams play seriously in their national leagues order to qualify for the bigger prize of the CL. If the CL was to become a European League functioning like the national leagues it would strip those nation league of their most valuable assets. Imagine a Premier League without Man U, Chelsea, Man C, Arsenal or even Tottenham and Liverpool! What about a Spanish league without Barca and Real Madrid.  How much poorer would they be? And think about the cost for the fans travelling away to see their team.
I am sure that even the PGA Tour would not be better for losing its top 30 players permanently!
Jon

I hope pro-tour golf doesn't evolve into Team Nike vrs Team Taylor Made vrs Team Srixon vrs Team Calloway vrs Team Titleist etc etc.
All the best.

[Jon Wiggett]

Like cycling. Now that's a thought


Jon

[Tim Gavrich]

It already must be expensive enough for Tour pros to bring their caddies, swing coaches, mind coaches, nutritionists, stock brokers and massage therapists around the US. Never mind how expensive it will be to bring the gang all over the world!