Golf on TV - course variety - the next few years

[Thomas Dai]

This horrid Covid situation has changed the way elite golf events are held and broadcast, eg lack of spectators, smaller media presence on-site, different camera angles etc and social media seems to be showing ever more golf clips via drones.


What changes do folks reckon there will be to how we watch golf on TV over the next few years?


Do we reckon that a greater variety of courses and destinations are likely to be used with less emphasis on on-site spectators, onsite-villages, on-site media etc?


Fly/transport a pod of players/caddies/helpers into an event in a relatively remote location, classic courses maybe, and show it on TV via drones controlled from thousands of miles away with off-site commentary?


Thoughts?


atb

[Steve Lang]

   Interesting thoughts.


I'm not keen on drones during play, only in surveying the course otherwise.  Would seem to be big logistics win, but having seen tv trailers and crews deployed at pga events, I've got to wonder whether sponsors would still be paying same or even more amounts to have their name repeated endlessly in coverage in local or national market??   


Might having the contract for ball flight tracing equipment, big data collection & storage, and projection be a technology/cost driver?

[Peter Sayegh]

I've never watched a golf broadcast to see the fans/"patrons" in attendance. I also wondered how this would effect private courses that can't/won't accommodate the infrastructure/traffic of hosting a tournament. Am I wrong in thinking an "elite" course would think this is a great time to showcase what they have?
inverness did well in this regard i think.
p.s. who wouldnt watch a single camera event, at say, fishers island?
 

[Kalen Braley]

Thomas, we are a few months away from a vaccine that will be widely available to the masses and then its back to business as normal.

I don't think anything will change beyond that, because as much as us course junkies have enjoyed seeing the open shots of courses, we are in a very slim minority.

[Thomas Dai]

Thanks.
Here’s another aspect to drop into the mixer ..... with less spectators on-site do tournaments need to be held and finish on Satudays/Sundays?
A

[Tom_Doak]

I'm not as sure as Kalen that it will be back to "business as usual" quite as fast as he hopes, but regular Tour events will continue to be played where they always have, because they want to get back to having big galleries as soon as possible for the $$$$


[for the benefit of charity, of course]

[Peter Pallotta]

My first thought was ‘gambling’, legal betting on golf in the US.
In years ahead, it will influence/impact televised coverage more than the pandemic.
I see the viewership numbers continuing to fall for all televised sports: golf, football, basketball etc. We don’t ‘consume’ (awful word) our entertainment like we used to.
So the ‘revenue streams’ will have to include ‘strategic alliances and synergies with global gaming initiatives’ — and that will impact what golf will be televised, and how.
The recent partnership between the PGA and the European tours seemed to me to be all about this very thing, ie
How to best showcase the most famous golfers to maximize those gambling-related dollars

[Steve Lang]

Thanks.
Here’s another aspect to drop into the mixer ..... with less spectators on-site do tournaments need to be held and finish on Satudays/Sundays?
A

Thomas,


Do you still need monday qualifiers, tues & weds pro-ams (significant money made there) and practice rounds, and then 4 days of golf... or do you want things to end middle of week[size=78%]?[/size]
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[Thomas Dai]

Thanks.
Here’s another aspect to drop into the mixer ..... with less spectators on-site do tournaments need to be held and finish on Satudays/Sundays?
Atb

Thomas,
Do you still need monday qualifiers, tues & weds pro-ams (significant money made there) and practice rounds, and then 4 days of golf... or do you want things to end middle of week.

An opportunity to look at things in a different way Steve, maybe change course, maybe not. Imagination and open-mindedness. Lots of variables.
atb

[Sean_A]

I agree with Doak. Gate receipts will continue to be an important revenue stream for golf events.

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

Not (yet?) convinced about on-site spectators in the future.
I’d be interested to see some gate receipt etc income vrs cost of installing, uninstalling, staffing, administering etc for onsite spectators and the infrastructure required for their attendance.
Atb

[Steve Lang]

   Thomas,


At the Champions tour Insperity held at the WCC (https://insperityinvitational.com/tournament-information/about-us/) the admissions and parking became free to all patrons in 2008 due to some hard regional economics and Hurricane Ike wreaking some havoc in Houston area.  Policy is still in place...  definitely saves some money and admin hassle ... 


Didn't change anything for me, as I got in free anyway as member, but seemed to bring more folks out rain or shine to see the old guys.  When PGA tour played here, there were many many more in attendance and certainly an open gate would have been out of control, especially when nice weather.. 


Always amazed at how many folks hang out in sponsor tents with food and beverage, watching TV telecast and just making short term forays out to the course.. so simple telecast offering has to have some traction